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It's very easy to cast some rock faces with Hydrocal and aluminum foil. Just make a small trough mold with pre-crumpled foil, pour in the Hydrocal, wait maybe 20-30 minutes and peel off the foil. Worked for me. :thumb: Then it's just a matter of painting it. You can chip little chunks out with...

I know. LL is not the favorite brand, but it's what I have... :p I've painted and detailed some F7A's and they look really nice. But, the one thing that is driving me nuts is the headlamp. It's just a big hole, with no lens. The bulb sits way back inside the cab and is too large to fit into...

I hear you, brother. :) My layout is stripped and propped against a wall right now. But, my module is nearly completed, looks great (the wife is impressed and therefore not as reluctant to discuss more right-of-way purchasing :D ) and we are hosting our first public display TODAY. I've met...

Same thought I had...check with your homeowner's insurance. May not meet your deductible, or go much over, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Should not affect your rates. Consult with your agent.

The size layout you're considering might be a good candidate for building on a hollow core door. They make a great base, are very light (easy to move) and inexpensive. Do a search on here and you'll probably get a lot of hits. :) One thing I'd suggest: pick up a Walthers catalog for N, even...

I used a hollow core door for my (unfinished) layout. Above comments are correct. Attaching folding legs was a bit of a dilemma but I mostly did what was suggested. Screw at the outer edges and enough construction adhesive in the middle gets the job done. :thumb: The great advantage to using...

Bachmann is about as respected a name as Tyco, which is a shame. Some of their newer offerings are darn nice, and the Spectrum line reportedly runs quite well. I've been reluctant to take the risk with them, even with some recent good reviews, but your experience certainly helps that. This...

I've thought of using dummys, or at least 1. I'd have to make my runners dummys, as I don't think they are available from LL, or at least not in any quantity. I like the potentiometer idea, but I don't think there is room in the N scale version to put one. :cry: No DCC; our club isn't...

I'm trying to put together a 3 loco set to pull a longer train comprised of Life-Like N scale F7's. In running the pair together last night and having some coupler issues, the two became separated. It is plain that one is much faster at the same throttle setting than the other. Is there any way...

How about a paper plant? Probably takes up at least as much room, but the one local to me gets a lot of rail service and it allows for some interesting modelling. All you need are a bunch of logs for raw material and a big plant for the finished product to come out of. :D Here's a link to a...

Ironically, I've had more problems with my Life-Likes on turnouts than my (one) Atlas. :confused: But, it was a track problem, not a loco problem. Does it do this on every turnout or just one or two? I've got one bum turnout that just gives me fits in one direction only. Removing it and...

Durango & Silverton :)

If I were younger I'd consider it, but at my age (40) now is not the time to start working outdoors in all kinds of weather, doing shift work, being on call, etc. If you check out the web sites for NS and/or CSX, that's pretty much part of the program for someone starting out. Once you've got...

The cheapskate method of making molds (at least in N): use aluminum foil as a mold! It takes a little practice, but with a half-dozen attempts I was able to pop out some pretty decent rock faces. You do have to be cautious of tearing the foil. I just mix up some lightweight hydrocal and pour it...

For a beginner, even Life-Like can be satisfactory for locos. I've been pleased with mine considering what they have cost me (and less than retail if you shop Ebay). Atlas is better and quieter, for certain. Kato is the Rolls-Royce of N locos, nice but you pay for the privelege. I recommend...

Model RRing is my secondary hobby. I got back into it for something to do over the dismal winter months, since I'm not the outdoorsy type. I'm a complete car geek and always have been. I've currently got 3 hobby cars: 65 Ford pickup, 79 Austin Mini and 86 Audi GT (the latter I actually sort-of...

If you're not concerned with joining up to 'outside' modules, you can do whatever you want. 4 foot modules aren't bad, but for kids they may be a little big to carry, and they are sometimes a challenge to fit in certain cars for transport. 2 foot isn't much, but for beginners it's probably...

I have a slightly different approach. ;) I wouldn't spend the money on code 55. 80 is just fine unless you tend to be a real 'rivet counter' worried about the utmost in accuracy. The selection in 80 is much better and less costly. Flex track really isn't that hard to work with, though cutting...

Perfect! Just the detail I was looking for to make the bridge crane that was deleted from my N scale Vulcan Steel structure kit!

Is it the same cars that uncouple all the time? I've had problems with a few cars that had 'defective' Rapidos on them. I switched a few trucks around to give these cars two good couplers and will replace the 'duds' with MT's or Accumates. The suggestion of making 'transition' cars is an...