Recent content by Hammerli

Like I said, I've not read through everything yet, but this passage from page 17 of the NCE System Reference Manual disagrees with what you are saying. "When using the programming track, the remainder of the layout is stopped. With NCE decoders,all parameters can be changed on the mainline...

I'm planning to use tortoise machines I believe, but my understanding was that they would be tied into the DCC supply for packet purposes. The layout is roughly 15' x 13', and there will be one 130' Walthers turntable, and about 25 to 30 turnouts. Any lighting I plan to design as LED, or...

I am not fully up to speed on all of the criteria of the NCE, but according to what I recall reading in one of the manuals, what you say is true to a point. NCE says that "main line programming" can be done if the decoder is a NCE decoder. I don't know which, if any, other brands also support...

I've found a used Tech 3 9500 that has meters, and should provide more than enough current for the accessories I plan to run off of it. I'll be running the turnouts DCC, so really the LED lights and turntable won't add up to that much draw. It looks like the 9500 with the built in meters would...

I'll be running my new layout via DCC, but how should I provide power to items such as lighting, turntable and other things that don't require DCC? I assume it would be best to not have them draw amperage from the DCC power supply, but since I have no compatible power supplies coming from Z...

Thanks Kevin, I'll have to look into that. I currently have the Digitax 123 to put in my Shay; when you installed the decoder did you cut one leg of the yellow capacitor on the circuit board? I found several places that mentioned that, but then several others that didn't. It was suggested...

I'm still working on track layouts, and some of them use rather sweeping curves, like in the 48" radius range. At what radius does superelevation look "right"? I assume at smaller radii, the CG shifts too far towards the center and could cause problems. Would super-elevation still look...

I picked up an Athearn Express Reefer kit and I can't seem to find any prototype photos for detailing purposes. It's the Athearn 5334 which is the Pennsy REA Reefer car, build date is 3-29. Anyone have any links to similar cars? Thanks, Phillip

Kevin, what model Shay did you have that was just a drop-in, and which Soundtraxx? I've been looking for one that wouldn't require any modifications, and I was told by my local shop that none of them were small enough to go in the Shay's very small tender area.

I bought a couple of Athearn cars that I'd like to change to metal couplers and trucks. I found Kadee's conversion chart for couplers, is there a visual reference chart for trucks as well? One is a 40' derrick flat car, which it looks to me like the Bettendorf truck fom the Walthers reference...

I don't know if it is the best way, but an easy way: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/948-897

According to Walthers catalog specs, the overall for their 130' is 20 1/8", and the bridge is 18 7/8" so that's what I was using.

I was thinking about that this afternoon. There aren't a lot of point to point layouts in the books I have, are there any links that have some layouts along those lines in similar space? I wanted to be able to run two trains at once, and with a point to point I think that would be more...

Thanks Triplex. I'm starting to regret leaving my world of Z scale. I'm beginning to think the sound and big engines just aren't worth devoting a larger area than I would like to accomodate 33" R curves. With Z I'm so used to a walk around table top display, and that's the look I like. This...

I used the 20" Walthers quotes for their 130' turntable.