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Unless you are one of those who really does build exactly what he plans, paying the kind of $$ CadRail or 3rd Planit costs is overkill to me. Since I look at a track design package as a way to 1) verify the plan in my head might fit the space I have in mind, and 2) easily share a plan with...

Josh The NMRA Recommended Practice for curve radii (RP-11) are at http://www.nmra.com/standards/sandrp/rp-11.html. The Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG) (link is down right now) has a rule of thumb. The rule of thumb recommends for mechanical reliability a minimum radius of 3 times...

cidchase I don't like to argue either. The only reason I am posting instead of PM is because the reasons for motors getting hotter on pulse power are not intuitively obvious, and worthy of discussion. I had to review why all experiments end up with the same results - our DC motors run hotter...

The Tsunami decoders presently set the steam chuff based on voltage or a cam on a driver axle - your choice. Now, I don't own one, but those who do claim they can get pretty good synchronization at low speeds without a cam. One issue is that the sound can be at the correct interval but not...

Unfortunately, neither CVs nor DCC throttle settings directly control voltage to the motor. Pulse width modulation (PWM) means that the motor's speed is controlled by fixed voltage pulses of variable duration. The shorter the duration of the pulses, the lower the average voltage of the motor...

DCC works by DC pulse width modulation, not voltage levels. DCC pulses to the motor are typically 12-14 volts, with pulse duration controlling speed. Different decoders use different pulse frequencies, but all I know of use PWM because it is simple and efficient to implement in very tiny...

Matt I appreciate the link to the Ambroid web site; it helped me learn a lot more about the specific kits. I've been very tempted by the stock car. But it's from a 1922 prototype with a steel underframe, which was almost unheard of in 1900. And my hobby budget got cut to $25/month due to...

Matt These are mostly wood models of steel car prototypes. Prototypes were from the '50s and '60s for the most part. You might want to keep and try one as a different experience. You need extra fine sand paper and sanding sealer to get the effect of metal with wood. I recommend not selling...

Is there a reason to remotor? What problem are you trying to solve with a remotor? Is the problem caused by the motor, the gearbox, or the mechanism (or some combination)? Replacing the motor where the gearbox has a lot of friction and/or the mechanism has binds doesn't improve performance...

As I understand the post, you want Kato to re-run the F40ph in additional paint schemes. This is a model Walters has also done. If I am misunderstanding the points made in the thread, please correct me. I'm not a diesel kind of guy. Nevertheless, the following applies to any desired model...

The smaller the layout, the better the chance of selling it intact. The smaller it is, the more chance it has of fitting in a buyer's house. But even then, as others have said, you generally get pennies on the dollar. Put aside your pride in your creation, and imagine yourself as a buyer of...

Chris Why are you convinced you need a staging yard? Do you have an operational need for staging? Or is it because the model railroad press, media, and forums all insist staging is a good thing? IMHO, every bit of track on a layout should support your desired operations and operating style...

It is almost impossible to size a pot properly due to the wide variety of motors and currents drawn in present and past locomotives. For example (I'll use HO locomotives for illustration purposes), an Athearn with open frame motor might draw 0.6 amps, while a new locomotive with a good can...

I have to disagree with this approach, especially in light of the relative prices of locomotives and decoders these days. Disclaimer: The following does not apply to locomotives with traction tires; these will usually stall before slipping their drivers. Stall current would be the preferred...

The scales are more logical than it appears. In the beginning, gauge was more important than scale. Back then, trains were more toys than models. So getting the gauge standardized was more important for than scale any hope of interoperability. 0 (now "O") gauge - a German gauge naming...

Westcott and Model Railroader finally gave in to N, which was the name being pushed by users. At one point (I think I have the issue), Model Railroader suggested calling the scale AA for All-American. This was really insulting when virtually all the manufacturing was being done in Europe in...

S stands for Scale (as compared to Lionel O/O27), for Sixty four, as in 1/64 scale, for Seven-eighths (the track gauge), and for 3 Sixteenths (= 1ft). American Flyer used S after World War 2 to build "scale" 2 rail toys, as compared to Lionel. Gilbert probably would have hoped the S would...

Actually, Atlas did make a Shay in N, and I have heard a rumor they intend to re-run it one of these days. The HOn30 Keystone Shay kit (with NWSL motorizing kit) could be a starting point for an N model. It is a model of a 20T Shay in HO, so some possibilities are there....Not exactly RTR, but....

With the 22" radius limitation and a 4' width, there just aren't that many options, even with the length. 1) You can have an outside oval, with all the switching inside. Boring and awkward to operate and plan any scenery. Harbor has to be on inside of oval with possibly a bridge to the...

I'm not sure what you are actually looking for. Most of the model railroading magazines used (some still do, but not Model Railroader) to publish scale plans of locomotives, cars, and buildings. Some books on prototypes also publish these scale plans. Very few plans for trains would be drawn...