Search:

I developed a working dynamometer spring scale car with a visible pull gauge (in grams) so that could monitor a variety of factors on my layout. My restriction is a 2.5% grade uphill with a 15"...

If you're single-mindedly focused on drawbar pull, I've done comparative measurement and testing on both legacy and recent stuff.

Mostly because I got so fed up and puzzled on why recent stuff...

While the Bachmann crane is surprisingly accurate as is (and I just swapped the Rapidos with Unimates on mine to leave those honkin' Buckeye trucks there) that boom tender is...uh....not sure where...

On anything with end-axle pickups - locomotives, some cars - i HIGHLY recommend Atlas Conductalube.

It's magic stuff, I've tested it, and the 'before vs. after' on lighter equipment like my Climax...

I had enough backorders to at least cover my up-front etching costs, so despite that I said that I would not rerun these kits until Atlas reran the GP7's, I've got a small run (now under 40 left) of...

Santa Fe was very much contemplating streamlining one of their 4-8-4's prewar and it ended up coming up so heavy to the axle loadings it got cancelled - then the steel limits hit and that was the end...

A lot of the Roco designs also suffer from poor assembly and inconsistent performance due to that. Pickup wires are in the wrong places. Pickup wipers are too tight, too loose, or mispositioned. ...

Yes, I'm running those in mixed batches of Quality Craft (Gloor Craft) and N Scale Kits cars on 7 1/2" curves.


https://youtu.be/S0asubG48Lg

When I did my first log cars back in the 70's, I...

I've got more that a few spare parts for those including brand-new brushes and probably a couple motors. As the frame and gears of my Heisler are made from those, I won't give up some parts, but...

Having been out to the St. Louis museum of Transportation, you can see this was an interesting idea pretty much doomed to failure. I'm still amazed it ever made it as far as a model.

Weight...

The 'Atlas GP40' has evolved through so much from the 70's to today that it always helps to do a positive ID of what you have.

If you haven't already been here, go to spookshow.net where the most...

By 'good reviews' and your experience with 200 cars, hopefully that means you know Spookshow (Mark Peterson's) site well.

I think the biggest issue on somebody just restarting with a larger layout...

I have two distinct 'left brain/right brain" situations, one is doing 1972 Santa Fe and the other is doing 1920 PRR on my T-trak modules.

The ATSF layout was 'mostly' done with Woodland Scenics,...

I've run it successfully on 9 3/4. But if there's the slightest glitch on the outside rail - rough joint, or whatever, that lead truck wants to derail. I ended up adding a tiny bit of lead to...

he Porter has an interesting history. It was a one-of-a-kind by Porter for US Gypsum, apparently reasonably successful. It had one of the 'standard' 600hp Cooper-Bessemer power plants in it,...

I've had one. Basically good, good engineering, finish, details.

For a 'big engine' they aren't as heavy a puller as they should be. If that's a major consideration, consider Kato.

It's a...

Please, please please..... If you are new to the scale, please check out Mark Peterson's (aka "Spookshow") N scale all-time product and rating lists.

He takes no advertising, owes no allegiance,...

Have the worst of both worlds. I referred to this as the "Jesus Chreisler!" the first time I saw it in person. It's still very much in existence stored in the roundhouse at Samoa, CA and...

You don't often think of a 2-8-0 in logging, but Southwest used one right up until the end, it's also preserved by the Flagstaff depot. It's darn close to the MDC/Athearn 2-8-0 in terms of size,...

While I'm a little skeptical of the use of a standard USRA 2-8-2 on a logging railroad (although a lot of smaller 2-8-2's were used for sure) the herald and logo design is pretty good. For anyone...

I see their facebook page is still very much alive

When I have to splice those driveshafts I'm sticking them inside K&S brass shapes - either the 3/32 round tube or the 1/16 square tube depending on if they are so short only the tiny diameter can be...

Two quick ones - first of all, I just finished a 'test mechanism' for the North Shore battery-electric freight motors that uses Tomytec trucks and a gearhead mechanism. The hard parts - the new...

Which chassis are you talking about? Photo of the break?

I will be the contrarian and state that if you're looking at small steam, a small layout, and 9" curves, that DCC is a layer of complication that may truly be unnecessary.

DCC really requires...