Recent content by TCH

thanks for the replies to my question. my apologies to Taylor up bnsf for not starting a new thread

I don`t want to hijack this thread but I have a question regarding wire. would using 2 strands of solid telephone wire be suitable as feeder wires. I have used fairly small gauge hookup wire as feeders on some spurs and they seem to work OK.

just curious why do you need 22 gauge specifically ?

I recall hearing that N stood for the N`th degree, meaning it was considered to be as small as they could go. however I think it more likely to be for Nine Z was/is as small as they can go, although I suppose someday someone will have a train on a pin head

Josh thanks for pointing me to the website. seems to be a great advance in magazine presentation. Joe certainly puts a lot of time and expertise into the hobby.

when operating I allow about 4 or 5 seconds per car after the loco has been hooked up. this gives the impression of waiting to pump up the air without having to stand around too long. my trains are usually only 8-12 cars long- any longer and I would probably use 2 to 3 seconds per car.

I would say mainly running/operations although I like to have a minimal amount of scenery as well. just a small amount of ballast and ground foam can make a HUGE difference in the overall look of things.

the switch machine will not stay in the same position unless it is attached to the points. the spring in the points will then hold the points in the thrown position. the spring tension can be changed by moving the part that holds the spring either closer or further apart from the throw bar. you...

does it work without being attached to the points ? if it does perhaps you need larger wire from the CD unit to the points. if it doesn`t then the motor is not right. are the wires attached properly ? is the point free in operation ? if not, why not ? just a few things to look for

handlaying is heaps cheaper than commercial turnouts. here in australia it costs 25-30$ for a new commercial turnout while my handlaid ones cost me about 4-5$ also I am not a very good modeller so it is very satisfying to do something that I am happy with.

freds [w]right I should have said terminals or posts ,not poles.

if the switches have 3 poles wire them as Steamhead has stated. I use 3 pole slide switches to operate my turnouts and wire them that way.

seems like you have glued the points together or that some of your ballast is stuck between the points. if you used a water soluble glue you should be able to unstick them by flooding them with water and soaking up the glue with paper towels or similar. I have just finished unsticking one of my...

I remember reading a thread about how to ramp down to an industry from the main line. most answers were about sanding foam, cork etc to change the elevation of the track. I have just installed a track to an industry and the incline was the easiest I have ever done. I fixed the rail at each end...

my layout is a continuous loop but I nearly always operate point to point. my advice is to have both if you can - it is useful for running in locos etc