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I think there was less understanding of thermo dynamics and more of an attitude of "lets see what happens if" in the early to mid 20th century. today anything that anyone would want to build can be simulated on a computer and tested in the virtual world before the money is spent to build a...

Gold is used in contacts for automobile air bags because they don't want to chance corrosion causing a failure to deploy when needed. I doubt if we have anything that critical in model railroading that it must have gold contacts or connections. Gold prices will come back down, it is all supply...

No, Kevin. The metal plate is riveted to each side of the truck frame which is used for electrical pick up, but if you take the clip off the top that holds the worm gear and bearings in place and then remove the second clip from the bottom of the truck that is the "floor" of the gear box, the...

Are they going to keep both the nwsl and the osorail web pages or will they incorporate nwsl into the osorail page and drop the nwsl page?

Much of what you say may be true, but anyone who wants to build it the old way can do it. The cheap, "shake the box" type kits are not as common because many who would have bought those kits want r-t-r now. On the other hand, all you have to do is peruse a Walthers catalog to see how many...

I can't understand why an engineer would be text messaging while operating a train! On the front page of the LA Times this morning they had an article about a guy who was a hero, rescuing fellow passengers when that idiot parked a gasoline soaked suv across the tracks to commit suicide and then...

I just noticed that no one has offered advice on spacing between levels. I think 12 inches would be the minimum spacing required for anything that is to be visible and have scenery. Probably 18 inches is better so that you don't end up feeling like the "sky" is restricting the height of your...

My understanding from reading posts by our Canadian friends is that the post office just sends the packages to the addressee. Any customs charges are the receiver's responsibility. UPS, FEDEX, etc. charge customs duties and broker's fees on top of the freight charges, and those fees are often...

The problem with double heading is that each steam engine required an engine crew to operate it. If the railroads could design a double or triple sized locomotive that could operate with one crew, they could save on labor costs. Labor costs were so low in the 19th and even early in the 20th...

Check with Northwest Shortline. The have a number of compact motor/gearbox/wheel combinations for various odd ball applications.

Thanks for clarifying what I was trying to say Triplex. I'm glad somebody understood what I was trying to say, even as garbled as my description was!

Just for general info, the railroads received extra revenue for selling advertising on box cars in the early part of the 1900's. That is why you will see the beer cars, Baby Ruth cars and baking soda cars. In the 1920's the ICC ruled that the only products that could legally be advertised on...

Thanks Josh, I didn't know about the minimum. I suggested Microscale because they are somewhat local to us here in So Cal, but 50 sheets for a one time run of decals that are for personal use only would be crazy!

The best way to find out what radius a particular locomotive will operate on reliably as well as to make sure your scenic details clear is to make a track on a piece of board to the desired radius. Put on a locomotive and the longest car it will pull, and test run it to make sure the locomotive...

I think the other problem with triplex & quadraplex types was that the size of the firebox reached it's limits in a mallet. They could build bigger locomotives, but they could not build enough steam to power the extra drivers for efficient operation. The Santa Fe tried bellows to hinge their...

Josh, another tip for you with Athearn kits. When Irv first started using the sheet metal clip to hold the couplers in place, he made them out of spring steel. Later he saved money by making them out of regular sheet steel. They are famous for losing tension and falling off. I drill the...

The old adage is "Red sky at night, sailor's delight: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning!" Hopefully this sunset means the storm has passed through with no more damage expected. Glad to hear he is ok.