Search results

Twin coil switch machines will burn out if the power is applied to them for longer than the momentary contact needed to make them switch. I model in ho, so I don't know much about n-scale, but I suspect Bachmann uses the same design in both scales. I think you should have 3 terminals on each...

2 reasons for the popularity of barges as opposed to ferries are that the barge has no power unit or control cab, so it is much less expensive. A tug boat can spot the barge for loading and then go elsewhere to do other work while the barge is being loaded. Also if you look closely at that...

If they are always going to be consisted together, you can run both off of one decoder IF the decoder has enough capacity to handle the load of both locomotives. Most decoders are designed to run one locomotive. If you hook up two locomotives to a single decoder, you run the risk of the load...

Are river and lake ferries still used in America for rail? Most of the rail ferrying that I know of now is done by barge and tug rather than ferries.

Sorry about the confusion. The rail cars that were on that Extreme Trains episode were big enough to haul 3-4 trailer loads of produce. The refrigeration units were the same units that a trucking company would buy for a single trailer, but installed on the rail car, each unit is cooling the...

I'm 62, but my choice of era model has nothing to do with my age. My favorite part of model railroading is switching. No matter how big a model railroad is, if the trains just run around and around in circles, I find it boring. Unit trains don't do any switching. To me the most boring train...

Yes it is the same unit. They can use the same unit for a rail car as a trailer that is 53 feet long because the rail car has much better insulation. The railroads do not have as tight of weight and size restrictions as trucks. If a truck trailer was as well insulated as a rail car, they...

To get back to the fuel savings issue of the train versus trucking the produce East. The reefers cars are running one of the same reefers that 18 wheelers would run, but the car is big enough to hold 3-4 trailer loads of produce and the rail cars are better insulated than the trailers are...

Depends on how tough your tongue is. Those toys are made of diecast metal.

Those reefers burn a lot less fuel than the old mechanical refrigeration units. Those unit that they were removing from the cars they were scrapping out were all electric units. They did not show the diesel gen set that was needed to keep those electrics supplied with electricity. The...

I don't know what they used for paint or what sort of non-skid material they put in it, but the photographic evidence from the citrus modelers Yahoo group photo gallery shows that they definitely painted the roof walks. In the black & white prototype pics of men icing cars the gray of the roof...

I think the filler I've used is called Squadron putty. It is green in color. On styrene buildings that are made to look like concrete, a strip of styrene covering the joint to look like a pilaster(right word and spelling?) is effective. For brick buildings, you can do something similar with a...

I'm not sure what scale is used in the train on the tv shows. Thomas is available in ho/oo, o, and large scale that I know of. I'm not sure about n-scale or s-scale.

If you are using foam, put it on top like Squidbait said. Then for you roadbed, glue your preference on top of the foam. Then glue the flex track to the roadbed. I don't think the foam will hold spikes very well, but I've never tried it, so I don't know for sure. A bit of unsolicited advice...

Close, it is actually Yermo. It is the one place that I know of, although there may be others, where the prototype has a staging yard. The UP has a yard in Yermo that is used only to stage trains awaiting clearance to get on the BNSF main to go down Cajon Pass.

I wonder how far back they will go into the history of refrigerator cars? I'm sure they will have shots of the newest stuff. I may "protect" the recording of that episode until I can put it on video tape. I have a couple of undecorated Athearn 50 foot mechanical reefers to kitbash into the...

That is exactly what I was talking about. Using them for layout lighting will run your electric bill up if you use those floods, but since you only turn them on for a few minutes once in a while for photography they work well for photography flood lighting.

I just thought to check the Yahoo group for So Cal Citrus Modelers. In the photo section,there are prototype pics of PFE & SFRD ice reefer cars in black and white and color. In every case the roof walks and hatches are the same color as the roof. In the case of PFE, the tack boards match the...

It may be some sort of anomaly, but the last few times I have had to ship anything I have checked both USPS and UPS. In each case UPS charges have been about 1/2 of USPS, unless I go back to the shop I retired from and pay them to ship for me. They get the commercial rate from UPS and the...

You are right there is very little color photographs of the steam era. The first use of color in movies was Wizard of Oz. I think that movie was made about 1939 or so, but I'm not a movie buff so don't hold me to it. I don't think color film became common for the general public until after...