Recent content by ExtremePCs

Anyone know how I would go about making copper water tower rings (HO scale)? Or are they available for purchase? I'm afraid if I cut them out of sheet copper that they will not turn out well, but I'm willing to try :) I want to scratch build a water tower out of wood and copper. Thanks!

Hi all, I installed a Digitrax DZ143 in my Bachmann HO 80-ton 3-truck Shay. Everything is working fine. I'm just curious if I am supposed to have a wire attached to pin 3 on the NMRA connector (8 pin connector)? All I could find on the web is that pin 3 is optional, and depends on the...

I have not actually hooked up a power pack yet. I "see" the short when I join two section together and the wire colors are reversed. I verified that there is a short by usng a short detector, built from a 9V battery and an old computer speaker. The speaker goes off when I connect the rails. I...

Yes, my layout is exactly as pictured. One thing that does not show up in the picture though are the bridges. Sorry... I should have mentioned this sooner for those of you who are not familiar with this particular track plan. The green areas indicate the bridges (i.e. they do not touch the track...

Here's where I see the most apparent problem. What am I doing wrong???? The blue circle is where I get a short every time. Now where's that 4 x 8 oval plan at... 8-) I'm going to try the colored pin idea tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion Ron. Jayson

Thanks. I did see the Hare unit on-line. I want to end up controlling the turnouts with toggles though, so other than easier wire connections, I'm not sure if I need it. I guess the appeal of actually "throwing a switch"... I still need to get the basic wiring done before I get to that point...

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't mean to cause you any headaches :) For those of you who don't see any problems, where are you starting from and which direction are you heading? Clockwise? I've gone over and over it and still end up having black meet red on the same rail, either at...

Hi all, Below is a picture of my layout. I'm wondering how to attach the feeder wires to the track while maintaining separate rail polarity. Along "S" curves, the inside rail becomes the outside. How do you handle the polarity change? Assume rail A is red, B is black. After the S turn, the...

Hi all, I'm in the process of wiring my layout and I need some direction on wiring my Atlas custom line turnouts (HO, code 83). I will be using DCC (digitrax Zepher or Empire) and Tortoise switch machines. Does anyone have a schematic showing where I need to solder wires? I plan on having a...

I started off using an old wood rasp... Once my hand got tired, I remembered that I had a router in the garage :) Kind of felt like I was cheating, but it sure was quicker and easier.

As promised, pics of the top after cutting and painting. I used a router along the river bank to make it look more natural.

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I'll post more pics next weekend after I'm through cutting the top. It's proving to be a challenge getting everything to line up. 8-(

Barely, but there is just enough room to have a small aisle on all 4 sides. The wood floor and felt leg levelers (the floor is not perfectly level) allow the bench to slide very easily too, so if I need more room I can move it without much vibration.

Hi all, I have not been on in a while because I've been workin' on the railroad :) I finally got my benchwork done yesterday. Here's a pic of the custom benchwork for the Granite Gorge and Northern from the Atlas book. It's 5' x 9', made from 1 x 4 and 1 x 6 "select white pine" Legs are 2 x...

I couldn't find a picture of the layout, but here's the link to the track plan from Atlas' site. I plan on using Atlas code 83 track. Impossible to find in any of my local hobby shops, so I ordered it on-line. http://www.atlasrr.com/Code100web/pages/10028.htm