jasond

Wow, thanks Jordan, I knew different manufacturers chose different output voltages, but I didn't realise I would have to read the manual. I've got some new second-hand just in (yes, I know, I've said I'm not doing that any more, but all those boxes and trays in the garage). The DCC non-sound / single motor Overland UP 2-10-2 went round the local club in Trowbridge with no probs, but the DCC sound / twin-motor Atlas diesels just crawled. The club's Gaugemaster is probably 14-volt(?) fixed output, so I'll have to look out my NCE 20-year old and see if it's got a blue wheel !

Hi Dan, are you still active in O-scale, showing your layout? Any exhibitions coming up? Jason

Weaver followed the made in USA diecast 2-8-0 up with a 4-6-2. It wasn't as well liked because it wasn't sprung like the 2-8-0, apparently price was a problem. If they did a 2-8-2 (I found some 4-8-2s) they would have had them done to a lower volume in the Far East, so initially a noticeably higher price than those diecasts. Moving the feedwater heater to the smokebox door would have made it a Maryland & Pennsylvania lookalike.... Jason

If no replacements turn up and you're happy(?) with pulling off/pushing back on axles, why not test one axle with ... a borrowed miniature lathe or as it's only(!) flange-work a good drill in a horizontal or even vertical stand. Yeah, yeah, usual problems: are the files new (sharp and swarf-free), is there a gear on the disassembled wheelset axle 'in the way' (go more carefully - don't get bored), how do you turn the other wheel? Get as long a 2mm hex-head bolt as you can find and packet of 2mm screws (internet - common size), screw some of the nuts up really tight and in-line against the bolt head, this bit gets held in the lathe or drill bit and the wheel is 'clamped' tightly between 2 more bolts, maybe with washers. You've guessed the rest and I have to admit I'm an O-scaler so I have to be careful or else the bug****d wheelset costs a lot compared with you luck (?) lot.

OK, I'll risk being shouted at by UP and PRR fans and others, but the other day I was watching a great vid: and apart from the boring old F-unit (just trying to make everyone else shout) I got the other memories flooding back: ageing, undercoat only old diesels (GP30) ... second-hand big RR diesels nicely weathered (and those FB-2 trucks under the MoW liveried CSX U23B), or being restored (OK the nicely restored Clinchfield F-unit) .... Choose your favourite mixes, can fit in 'available space'. And an extra main-line for your shortline to interchange modern(?) loads with local big railway (always fancied 2-railing somebody's no longer wanted MTH NS SD70M. HNY Jason

Oh purr-leeze, just let me make the baseboards and lay track .... Jason

Thanks Jordan ... North American 2-rail O-scale ... the best kept secret in the model rail hobby. Well it was for me back in 1969 when I started. W&H had a scratch-built CP boxcar for sale in their window for a couple of quid and Bernie Victor had the magic biscuit tin in his cupboard under the stairs of his Dad's music shop. Then Beatties had the Atlas F9 and freight cars set on sale so I got Capital Model Railroaders committee to approve a twin-track roundy-roundy. I've been tempted to stray by 16mm:1ft Sandy River and that Dapol 66 looks nice, but sticking with Nth Am 2-R O-scale has forced me to try hobby-biz importing (Atlas, Weaver, InterMountain, Red Caboose, etc), etched brass kits (U-boats, etc), shows (eg: Winchester) and starting Facebook/Email groups. Jason

You did well Jordan. In my usual reckless way I picked up an early version of these MTH cyl hopps in the days before MTH had to admit that Atlas had got it right, forcing them to switch from plastic planks for handrails to separate slim parts. I've snipped and carved the 'planks' off mine, the rest of the MTH car was nice enough to justify it. So there I was at Mannheim station a few years ago, at the east end of CP's Bensenville yard when a grain train came round the curve onto the commuter line and there was an MTH stand-in with a new reporting marks rectangle, but the big Canada paint scheme still visible under the solid weathering! Jason

Oooooh, all that roof detail - poster sales? They could easily make a walk up'n'down DVD set. Hmmm, Christmas game for all the family: WhazzatLoco?!? OK, OK I'll stop now ... thanks Mick. Jason

Atlas has been better than Lionel and MTH ... and much of its stuff has been available in 2-rail. It's acquired a selection of MTH product now (Premier), but we all let over-enthusiasm get the better of us. Have a closer look than you needed with Master series and most Trainman. Now what was your question?? Oh yes, 2-railing Lionel and MTH locos. Haven't tried steam, it can be done, friend of mine here in the UK did it with Walsall Industry wheels, just had to plan ahead for axle/bearing shaft diameters. No, the Walsall wheels may not have the 'right' number of spokes (1:43 vs 1:48 scale difference) and these were Sunset 3-railers. Diesels are 'easier' and on the Lionel U30C I'm doing, the Peartree 7mm 3'1" wheels are close enough in diameter and the axle diameter is the same at 3/16". Now a choice: take the truck gears off the original wheelsets and put them on the Peartree axles or put the Peartree wheels (obtainable separately) on the original axles. The end-sill/steps combo need taking off the trucks and adding to the chassis with a 1/8" spacer cut to combo outline. I've got some Atlas U23B spacer pieces which I hope will be easier to use than cut from 1/8" plastic (I've got ABS to try). Just picked up an MTH unpowered SD70M to have a play with when the U30C's finished. Hey, no hysterical laughter, maybe I can finish it. Have fun, Jason

Sorry Jack, can't agree, the visible 3-rail wheels and track spoil it for me, a bit like putting tomato ketchup on a bacon butty (yes it's true - even some British people do this!!). The rest ... track plan, scenery, structures and rolling stock scale and finish are great 1:48 modelling. Jason

Ian, you're being very modest about the Dispatch. Even macro model railway enthusiasts can get ideas from it: https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com/ Long-time rmwebber Jordan has an article in Issue 2. Jason

Wild guess Jack ... it's in Virginia ... T6 http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4559987 Jason

I had this amazing dream last night: like Jordan, I had an overpowering urge to contact Jason Shron at Rapido in Canada and convince him that a small loco in O would lead to a new corner of the market to command. He said OK(!) what should we do? No I wasn't flummoxed and immediately suggested a Whitcomb 25-tonner, you know the little 0-4-0, with spoked drivers and a coupling rod. Then the bad part of the dream happens, a 3-railer clutching his Big Boy bursts in and shouts "can you hold it in the light It's so small, will it haul 20+ freight cars round my 8x4, it's too small to get a 3-rail mech with station-master sound announcements in ... rollers ... lobste...", but then the HO guys squeeze past and say "switching layout in O, hurray" or words to that effect. OK, OK, I'll skip the next couple of hours of dreams, then I woke up and realised I'd only sent Jason S a short text from his website contact form paraphrasing all the above and pointing out that his British subsidiary(?) has just gone public about a possible 0-6-0 tram loco. It's Sunday Jordan, so I can spend the rest of the day cheerful, well chnces are Jason Shron won't see my note till tomorrow.... Oh just remembered the dream ended with a happy O-scaler starting to sell his old HO and seeing a 2nd-hand Atlas O-scale switcher (was it an SW or GP15 or ...) and some super 36ft (9"+plus couplers) covered hoppers to add to his new layout. Jason ps: I chose the Whitcomb 'cos I've still got my memory of the etched kit I was getting ready 😰

Hi Fred, I've been modelling US 2-rail O-scale for 52-years - love it - best kept secret in model railways. It's like food, 3-rail is like junk food sold all over the place (in USA) in coloured boxes, 2-rail is well-prepared, mixed dishes to make a satisfying plateful. Oh shut up Jason! Atlas have tried twice so far, maybe we'll be 3rd time lucky. Luckily 3-rail Hornby disappeared in a flash here in postwar-torn Britain and US entrepreneurs helped defeated Japanese back on their feet making the new norm: brass steam locos, which became the new measure of O-scale modelling. Until Lionel 3-railers whined that their articulateds wouldn't go round the Christmas tree - easy problem to fix, eh? I'm lucky, I like operating with small prototypes, running diesels. I know you run your lovely Pennsy Qs round the back garden with good, long trains, but like my mantel-piece Sunset D&H Challenger they've had to compromise many parts for the 3-railers: those lead truck wheels are too small on my Challenger as well - 30" vs prototype 36". Mustn't have the lead truck shorting easily on the back of the cylinders on those sharp 3-rail curves, so .... Jason

Having grown up with copyright and trade marks, etc to deal with, I assure you I felt suitably uncomfortable posting Homer's pic. If the artist had put in more hair I could have claimed he'd sprayed my portrait, but .... I was relieved to be able to copy this off Reddit/Graffiti and hopefully Fox will be satisfied with the accuracy and (money-earning?) publicity to make them ignore it. Their cost of taking this to court with Reddit will persuade them, for me a simple instruction to remove it would do. RMWeb's Ts and Cs and chargeable adverts and ...? Oh darn it, another job for tomorrow.... A browser link to it instead of the actual pic is always a safe bet for us. Jason

OK, I'll switch from Doritos in unusable big bags to Pringles, excellent. Getting simple O-scale trackwork in tall, shallow scenery is inspiring. Jason

I hope Atlas do this, off Reddit/Graffiti: o

Memnon is in this thread. Hope you can read the dimensions!: https://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=15175&forum_id=34 Jason

Lucky? Lucky?? If it's only a week away .... You don't want to listen to me. I've only been twice, 1974 and on a bargain holiday just after 9/11. It cost me more to upgrade the car (Granada equivalent) than the whole holiday. Get searching. I've had 1-year olds and their only use is to get you instantly to the front of theme-park queues. Hang-on, go to a supermarket and get him/her a great toy while you shop. Don't take a huge range of clothes for yourselves or you'll have to buy a larger suitcase. If you have leftover coupons (AKA dollar bills) go to the shopping malls, but park as near the entrance(s) as you can. I learnt that the hard way, it was 96/96 (temp/humidity). Another advantage of having a 1-year old: when you get back in a long-time parked car open the doors while the buckling up happens so you'll still be able to breathe when you close them.. Do ask the nice Irishman where the museums are, read the rail contents to make selecting them easier: a rail museum in Florida may have a caboose and a Whitcomb diesel (from the defunct quarry along the trail, and a load of blokes' trouserbelt buckles or badges. Some of the theme parks that have general interest things might have a 3ft railroad as well as shops for the missus. The Irishman? Sorry ... G O'Ogle. There was a small freight yard just east of town, I'll have another look and there was a model shop nearer the center centre. In the old town centre there were some passenger cars belonging to a local club(?). Mexican food? You gotta try it/have more? Chicken Mole (mo-lay), hang on got to wipe my keyboard. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!! Jason

Popped over to Trowbridge (Wilts) this afternoon where two of us were running American stuff on the West Wilts O Gauge Group (WWOGG) track: Atlas C628 on a track repair train and a Gem RDG Camelback 0-6-0 on a frt with appropriate caboose. One of the Central Loco Works knuckle couplers on one of my LaBelle coaches I retro'ed many years ago to a D&H MoW car is all gunged up, needs a clean. Apart from that ... er, I've got chicken pie and veg for dinner and ... OK, OK, the rotary switch on the fiddle yard's not working, so I'll have to go along on a night nobody's there and try to fix it. At least no-one will know who made it worse. Schtum all. I'll take some LaBelle kits to Winchester in October. Next WWOGG meet Tues night, 17.00 hrs onwards Jason

OK, I've tied the rope to the bottom of my staircase so if anything mysterious happens again I might be able to pull myself back to ... er, reality?! In the good old days the computer system would have a system manual and chapter 2 would tell you what you could do. Chapters 3 to ... whatever, would tell you what to try if anything, yes anything went wrong / didn't work anymore / etc. These days all of this useful stuff might be on the machine and can't be access... no don't go there Jason.

Thanks mdvle, I wish Atlas would tell us what they're doing. Doing only 3-rail versions of the caboose and box car...? The caboose is a standard RDG-initiated mid-1920s design (never been done in real life in that paint scheme), but unlike the Cookie Box (40ft) popular paint job, kept into post-customer service, maybe these two cars are leftover MTH stock waiting for their Atlas boxes. Or are we just back into 3-railers loud-voice-land. But hang-on the FGE reefer is offered as 2-rail only. The pic is a 3-rail version! Old inventory push? Spin-off from a recent big order? Lovely car ... bit early for me, sorry Atlas, I believe the P42 is an MTH design DCS PS3 (interoperable with DCC) usually/often(?) offered with 3-rail and 2-rail sets of wheels, but original MTH models from years gone by had the pilot/steps assembly attached to the trucks for sharp curves, hence the daylight between the pilots and floor. Atlas changed their 2- and 3- rail diesel designs here to satisfy us 2-railers ... well, me anyway. OK, I'll stop whingeing ... except can anyone tell me if the truck wheelbase is correct? Some of MTH B-B offerings were about 102" - nope, not 96" switcher w/b or true 108" - 1/8" too short. Jason

Aaaaaaah, 2-rail North American O-scale ... thanks Jack.

Hi Marty, before I forget, for us modellers working in Imperial Units there's only one comparison to remember with the French system metric: 4 inches = 100mm. So, a foot is 300mm, a yard is 900mm, an inch is 25mm. But ... it was developed by the French so, apparently, you have to shrug your shoulders when you do it and mutter 'et un petit peu'. Getting away from the coast, a local club wanted to emphasise the small relative size of the stock on an On30 layout they were building, so I donated an InterMountain O-scale box car for an interchange platform. The interchange became a shed with maybe half the standard gauge boxcar cut on the diagonal poking out... Jason