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Post by Traindiesel! on Jan 12, 2021 3:57:56 GMT
Brian, it's great that you are getting the track out for your temporary layout. You'll be running trains in no time. I’m on my way, Joe! I already have the DCS and Legacy components under the layout.
One thing I noticed is that those boxes are a lot heavier than when I packed them 3 1/2 years ago!!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2021 4:37:40 GMT
Hello everyone! I’ve only been at this for about 6 months buts it’s completely taken over! I received 2 realtrax switches I picked up on eBay today but unfortunately only one of them are working. I’ve got mostly o gauge tubular but have been picking up some realtrax in a RTR set and a little extra from a local pickup. Trying to figure out how to best transition from one line to the other. Been having a lot of fun building and creating. It started off as a project that my little guy(7yrs) and me would work on together but as you all can imagine we know who the real kid is here who can’t stop playing. I look forward to a lifetime of building and creating and having fun... the small hiccup today just makes me go back and have to wrap my mind around things again and troubleshoot the situation. It’s started off as a small 5x7 layout in my 2 car garage and is now about 7 feet by 20 feet and growing. Thanks for letting me share and look forward to more and more building. As a side note can anyone tell me if I can use Lionel switch controller on a mth realtrax switch? Thanks again!!
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Post by Adam on Jan 12, 2021 11:33:51 GMT
Hello everyone! I’ve only been at this for about 6 months buts it’s completely taken over! I received 2 realtrax switches I picked up on eBay today but unfortunately only one of them are working. I’ve got mostly o gauge tubular but have been picking up some realtrax in a RTR set and a little extra from a local pickup. Trying to figure out how to best transition from one line to the other. Been having a lot of fun building and creating. It started off as a project that my little guy(7yrs) and me would work on together but as you all can imagine we know who the real kid is here who can’t stop playing. I look forward to a lifetime of building and creating and having fun... the small hiccup today just makes me go back and have to wrap my mind around things again and troubleshoot the situation. It’s started off as a small 5x7 layout in my 2 car garage and is now about 7 feet by 20 feet and growing. Thanks for letting me share and look forward to more and more building. As a side note can anyone tell me if I can use Lionel switch controller on a mth realtrax switch? Thanks again!! Welcome to the forum and the hobby. I’m so happy that you and your son are getting into this together. Such a beautiful way for you both to bond. Seems like you have caught the bug that we all have. The people on this forum have extensive experience so feel free to ask questions. My only advice is to take it slow and enjoy the journey. Building a layout is a bit part of the fun factor. As for your question, I’m not sure as I haven’t used a MTH switches, but I can’t imagine them being very different. Someone else might know.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2021 14:10:46 GMT
Congratulations. You have opened Pandora’s box... and it has a lot of stuff in it.
$$$ are important and only you know what you can afford to spend. But it does make a difference long term.
Lionel Fasttrack is a very popular product for new people entering the hobby. A LionChief set with fasttrack is not cheap but it is easy to assemble, add to, and control.
Tubular track is available on the used market and also new from Menards. There are different sources for track. I would choose one and plan to remain with it. I would not try to do a lot of mixing of different types. Keep it simple.
At this time, I would be aware that MTH has announced that they are going out of business in May. Plenty of people feel that their products will continue to be serviced or that someone will buy them, etc. if I were just getting into trains, I would not touch MTH or any of their products that might require service down the road. Maybe buy their rolling stock or buildings but no more. Realtrax is a MTH product.
Do you want to run conventional (transformer controls) or use a remote or other device to control your trains? Kids take to remotes/command control like ducks to water. Lots of people say conventional. My guess is that kids will say command control.
Hopefully someone will join in who has conventional and someone else with Fasttrack and LionChief.. some things are interchangeable, others are not and you need to know the difference.
Good luck.
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Post by firewood on Jan 16, 2021 0:46:49 GMT
How do you like the RS-3? It ran well on a MTH Z-1000 with a decent speed range - no Mach 1. *Small correction - I can easily get Mach 1 out of the RS-3! I got my wires crossed - I had my Williams ten-wheeler out at the same time, and THAT locomotive has a more sedate top speed. I guess I'll have to do that drive adjustment and connect the motors in parallel.* Anyway, today I packed away some equipment to make room for layout work and scenery. RS-3 video attached. (At slow speed ) It's obviously the twilight hour on the layout...... or I lost a light bulb... FW ...and in slightly better light...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2021 1:12:36 GMT
Rich came over this afternoon and we “borrowed” the recently emptied dining room table to help with the roundhouse project. We spread the footprint out on the table and placed the beams where they belong. There are quite a few of them but Dennis Brennan advises that after you have done one stall, it is simple. Also talked to Dave at Evan Designs and figured out how to light the seven stalls and outside. Dave knew exactly what to do, I have to draw something up, and he is going to get a controller programmed so that each stall and outside lights are independently controlled. If you have not done business with Dave, we can’t recommend him highly enough. He is tremendously helpful and his products are like an Eveready battery. They last and last. This thing sure has a lot of pieces but this is going downhill. Paula took some photos.
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Post by harborbelt70 on Jan 16, 2021 13:50:40 GMT
I wish to make what is for me a momentous announcement.
I never thought I'd have anything much to contribute to this thread as despite many moves and repeated acknowledgments that I deserve a "train room" it's never happened. Thus, I have been consigned for long years to the Brotherhood of Crappy Carpet Layouts.
Until now - well, sort of. Short version is that because of COVID, we've been marooned away from the Real Old Home Roundhouse for months and I've made do with a hard surface (ceramic tiled = cold and unforgiving) floor oval. I got really fed up with this - the hard floor, not the oval - and casually mentioned in idle lunchtime conversation that a regulation table tennis table is 5' x 9', which could actually form some facsimile of benchwork on which to lay panels big enough for O-72 curves. To her everlasting credit, Mrs. went straight out that very p.m. and found such a table. It also meant that her precious rug could be put back on the cold and unforgiving floor (although I don't think she realized how much it would be covered) - I'd taken it up because it was too small on which to to sit what was then my Fastrack circuit.
So here's the start of the setup:
BTW, the very small being who appears to be inspecting the work is not a "live" animal but a person in his own right who will be introduced another time. He is the true train aficionado among us.
On top of this have gone some MDF panels intended (I emphasize that) to be the actual track surface:
You may observe, however, that being a total layout amateur I committed the cardinal sin: I forgot that O gauge track radius/diameter is not measured to the very outside of the track ties but somewhere towards the middle rail. How stupid is that? (NO, don't answer.) So this top is actually too small and there are sheer cliffside drops along the straight sections. Live and learn, or belatedly remember. I'll remedy that with some new panels when this all has to be stowed away - as it will because the room doubles as the spare bedroom for one child when she visits, which of course is not possible for the moment but this must remain a portable setup.
Anyway, I have also finally swapped over my old and noisy Fastrack for Gargraves, and the arrangement has created scope for some buildings and other accessories. The buildings are from Menards and glow very satisfactorily with many LEDs:
I will add some signals at some point. I will probably have a painted cloth cover too or a set of those grass/scrub scenic mats that I have seen.
I have to say that apart from not stooping down to floor level the biggest advantage of this so far has been a proper table height section of powered track to do loco tests and repairs on. More on that another time.
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Post by ptc on Jan 16, 2021 14:10:45 GMT
Good thinking, Andy. Nice to see the 3000 running. Strong contender for the Tournament.
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Post by Joe Saggese on Jan 16, 2021 15:55:48 GMT
Hello everyone. I have been able to accomplish a little work on the layout. Following is a small factory which I don't know what I'm going to call it yet. This is an update from a few weeks ago......
m
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Post by Joe Saggese on Jan 16, 2021 16:02:43 GMT
This is a very rough draft of the Coca Cola Bottling Plant......
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Post by ptc on Jan 16, 2021 16:05:36 GMT
Good work, Joe. Nice to see your layout progress.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2021 0:41:04 GMT
More progress today discussing where to start for over an hour and laying out pieces in an effort to see how they fit. Rich made some gussets which are used to join beams to the front wall. He does good work. Then we began setting beams that will hold the front of the clerestory. Finally the walls are connected to something other than air and the foundation even if it is a tiny beam. Next we will attack the rear clerestory beams. We are missing Charles. He would have built the thing today.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2021 0:42:47 GMT
This is a very rough draft of the Coca Cola
Joe this is going to be a good one.
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Post by nicky on Jan 19, 2021 1:53:09 GMT
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Post by ptc on Jan 19, 2021 16:20:14 GMT
The walls look terrific, Nicky. Good work!!!!!!!!!
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