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If you make the gap big enough that a wheel can't span it, it sure ain't going to be smooth running. Guys - it's really pretty simple. Don't run trains longer than your reversing section, and there will be no problems. DC or DCC. If you need to run longer trains, lengthen your reversing...

Turn the voltage up higher. If you are already at maximum on an MRC power pack on a piece of test track with no cars, you do not have a voltage supply problem. The QSI decoder should need no more than 9 volts for the sound, and your MRC power pack should be supplying a full 12 volts under...

NO! wall1 A reversing short occurs because the same rail on both sides of the gap has different polarity, and is bridged by a metal wheel (not a wheel set!). Staggering gaps does nothing to prevent this short. The auto-reverser detects this short circuit. And before the DCC system circuit...

Dvaid Thanks so much for the idea of a J shaped liftout. I have a window and a donut entrance (90 degree angle to the window, but within the window span) that need to be bridged. Previously, I was trying to figure out how to make 2 interlocking liftouts. Now I see a single L shaped liftout...

If a nudge causes things to start working again, you definitely have an open circuit somewhere. A decoder recycling itself is another indication of an open circuit. What happens is that the electrical circuit to the decoder is somehow interrupted momentarily. When that happens, unless there...

The latter is only true if all of your cars have plastic wheels. As soon as you have any metal wheels in the rest of your train, you now have the ability to span both sets of gaps simultaneously if the train is longer than the reversing section. With DCC, the chance of both sets of gaps being...

A new engine on new track doesn't necessarily mean all the contact points are clean. Unless you have a short circuit indication, the problem should be an open circuit somewhere. Open circuits are more common? It's not clear what you are actually doing at this point. Are you using a DC or DCC...

The metal wheels on the cars also span the gaps at the entrance end of the reversing loop, causing the auto-reverser to sense the short and flip the "polarity". With a train longer than the reversing loop, you can get both sets of gaps being spanned at the same time, which confuses the...

Dave I am modeling 1900-era coastal Oregon. I found these sites useful for researching prototype practices: Active & Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest High Desert Rails I now live in Colorado Springs, CO, but still model Oregon.

Some of the things I look for in a layout plan: 1) will it even begin to fit? Unless curves and turnouts are drawn to scale, most sketches don't leave enough room for them. A 30" radius is 5ft across the semi-circle on the track centerlines. So a "blob" for turning around with 30" radius has...

:cry: Ah...the oldest trick in the book. Create 2 loops, each wired to separate transformers. Then wonder why there are problems crossing a train over between the 2 loops....wall1 Unfortunately, this solution has been pushed from the beginning of time, especially with Lionel. The best way...

Brian What you are proposing will not work. Insulating both rails in one place does you no good. As soon as the first locomotive wheels span the insulated gap, you have 2 throttles controlling one train. The situation continues until all the locomotive wheels are across the insulated rail...

If the dual power pack is an MRC, it does have 2 transformers, and can be used with common rail. Other brands of dual power packs may or may not have 2 transformers - that is the key. The guiding principles for DC block (or cab) control: only one train/locomotive in any block. A train or...

IIRC, the only steel track that Bachmann made/makes has the black built-in roadbed. The EZ track with the gray roadbed is nickel silver. Model Power has made/makes some steel flex track, but only in the code 100 size. All their code 83 track and most of the code 100 is nickel silver. The...

Some great photographs in the collection. I love the shot of the "milk wagon". Thanks again.

Kevin Very much appreciate the photos. Do you have approximate dates for the 1st two photos? Is the loco a 2-6-0? Do you know if the Morenci originally used tie plates? Weight of rail? It's hard to tell in that 1st photo. I ask because I'm trying to get information on 1900-era practices...

Your other questions have already been answered, so I'll take a stab at these. Normal HO parallel straight track spacing is 2" - that gives you your limit as to how many tracks can fit. With 3" center to front edge spacing you cite, and allowing the same at the back, you get a maximum of 10...

I assume this is Atlas track (or at least has the same geometry). If so, I recommend you use the Atlas RTS software (free download at Right Track Software 7.0). RTS is an easy to use software package for track planning using Atlas sectional track (in O, HO, or N). The flex track tools are not...

Assuming you are N scale, the kind of layout that will fit in a 4x4 ft space really hinges on what minimum radius you are using. If you use 9" minimum radius, then two 2x4 N scale layouts will fit in the space. If you are using 12" minimum radius, my advice would be to scale down an HO 4x6...

It is a sound only decoder used in conjunction with a motor controller decoder on DCC to provide sound. It must be programmed with the same address as the other decoder, or at least consisted with it. It can be mounted in the same loco, in a trailing car, or under the layout, but must be...