Prof Klyzlr

OMG, the world just stopped.... In 2016, during holidays to the UK, my wife and I drove straight from TVNAM to Alness in one day, specifically to visit Jack and Lou in person. While they couldn't quite fathom what was soo special about them that an Aussie couple from the other side of the planet would travel all that way, the preceeding years of emails and shared small/micro layout communications (much thru the mutual friendship with Carl Arendt) had spawned a relationship which, for my wife and I at least, meant it was impossible to visit the UK and _not_ make that drive. I will treasure the memory of Jack touring us around, talking over the history of the area with Lou, and sitting in Jack's modelling room quietly in-awe of the myriad inspirational models and layouts in various states of build. A gentleman, a scholar, a plain-speaking man who had unending encouragement and inspiration for his fellow modellers... Jack, you will be sorely missed... RIP Prof Klyzlr

Dear??? Strongly reccomend you check out the offerings at www.scalesoundsystems.com They offer drop-in replacements for many SD models which are measurably-rated to threaten 100Hz and below... Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Neil, The "what you need" is one question, but I'd submit the better question is "why did the pre-wired LEDs you already purchased _not_ work?" Did they literally audibly/visually "go pop" (IE they weren't "12V LEDs", and/or the built-in resistor wasn't appropriate), or was it a deployment/wiring issue? (IE is the "fault" such that, even if you did use "different LEDs and seperate resistors", the outcome would likely be the same "no visible light"?) Assuming that the wiring _is_ correct, (DCC "Blue" wire = Positive Volts the appropriately-colored "Function Output" wire = Negative Volts) and it _is_ just a case of "getting LEDs and resistors which work", I would ask: - where are you located? - are you open to online ordering, or more a "buy in person" kinda guy? For myself here in Australia, SatisLED.com do Warm White 3mm LEDs (suitable for most HO scale locos) at a great bulk price http://www.satisled.com/3mm-water-clear-round-ultrabright-warm-white-led-1000pcsbag_p1762.html While you're looking at SatisLED.com , I'd pickup some 1K Ohm (1000 Ohm) resistors http://www.satisled.com/resistors-1k-ohms-14w-5-carbon-film-1000pcs_p996.html They won't give the absolute brightest-possible result out of those LEDs on either Analog or DCC, (if you do the electrical calcs, the _absolute_brightest_ result with those LEDs requires a 470 Ohm resistor per LED) but still well-bright-enough for most modellers, (Indeed, many modellers prefer a _far_less_lumens_ LED light appearance than a current-era high-efficiency LED can provide! US outline headlights are typically more "dull lamp" than "supernova"!)) and provide a significant electrical "safety margin" to handle both "correct" and "reverse-polarity" wiring conditions... I hope this helps... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Simon, I'm all about counteracting "CV ignorance", but sometimes just letting the "end user" button do what it's coded to do "just works".... ;-) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Simon, Sorted.... ;-) (Click the yellow button at bottom right "Insert other media --> Insert Image from URL") Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Phil, Um? Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Shortliner, Right, so now there are _two_ valid use-cases for Dead Rail.... ;-) Love it... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Joe, Reccomend checking eBay seller "sooo-much-stuff" He keeps a good flow of Ath, Kato, and Atlas spares flowing, often including complete handrail sets... Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Bingley, Great pics, always love that flange-squealing min radii curve into the brewery... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Jack, Um, hows about XF4? https://kitkraft.com/products/tamiya-acrylic-paint-yellow-green-xf-4 Alternatively, there are plenty of examples of replaced/repainted panels which would allow "forgiving" of a slightly off-tone yellow... ...and of course, weathering hides a multitude of sins... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr PS BTW, don't rely on Google Image Search to judge "what color is XF-3 yellow", literally a page-full of images and no-2-the-same... ;-)

Dear Keith, Tests here OK on Droid, Win7Pro, and Win10pro, using latest Chrome, Edge, and IE browsers. (09:00 AEST, Sat 29 Sept 2018). Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Shinkhansen fans, IIRC the pantograph surrounds were at-least inpart an attempt to tame wind noise thru the assembly at Speed... Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Ben, If you're open to ordering from Aussie sources, you might also want to check out WWW.auscision.com.au Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Ben, Alco DL531 (NSWGR 48 Class, SAR 830), have been available as RTR models in HO for some decades now. Seems like a faster way to get where you're aiming for? Happy to help source one locally if that helps... Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Ben, If you are explicitly and consciously looking for "semi-finescale 088" wheels, I would reccomend looking at: - Exactrail https://exactrail.com/collections/ho-scale-wheels-trucks - North West ShortLine http://nebula.wsimg.com/8e0447237058b48781159b49163fee67?AccessKeyId=08BEE66B97B387F20C0D&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 - Kadee https://kadee.com/htmbord/truck.htm Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Scaro, What equipment are you looking to replace the wheels on? This will give a guide as to whether 33" or 36" wheels are "prototypically appropriate". If you find that 33" / 9mm wheels are giving a slightly-too-low coupler height or similar, (thus suggesting the need for something "just a touch larger"), it is likely better to stick with 33" wheels and use Kadee spacer-washers between the truck and bolster to gain the extra required height... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Ben, Do you have a specific part number you're thinking of? AFAIK P2K wheels are all RP25-110, not "semi-finescale RP25-88", (If it's not explicitly stated, you can reasonably safely assume they are RP25-110) but if we're comparing a specific part number I stand to be corrected... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Scaro, 33" wheels in HO are 9mm dia, 36" wheels in HO are 10.5mm dia An "oversize 33" wheel" is most likely actually a 36" wheel... NB that US Railroads also commonly use 28" wheels for low-profile missions such as on intermodal spine cars and some flats... Happy modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Zomb, Shoving platforms, just my speed...;-) Firstly, what era are we talking? The term "shoving platform" is IIRC a reasonably new (90s thru now) term, and is linked to the need of "a way to protect long shove-moves" in an era when "full cabesse" (and their attendent crew requirements) are long-gone/frowned-upon by the "higher up's" In terms of usage, shoving platforms start being considered "cost effective" by contemporary railroads when a local has a shove more than 1 mile (IE the threshold where the NORAC and similar rules say a brakeman hanging off the side of the lead car starts getting extra pay), Whether that shove move is the entire run, (either shove out of the originating yard to a dead-end spur, or shove back after servicing a "Y" arrangement) or for the last x miles beyond the furthest run-around on the branch, either-way the shove-platform marshalling is down to the hard-won wisdom and experience of the local crew. Examples of shoving operations: - Eastside Freight Railroad, Woodinville WA (Keep a track of when and where the Caboo...I mean Shove Platform changes position in the train) - Meeker Southern, Puyallup, Ore (7 turnouts, 7 miles, no run-arounds from interchange to end-of-track...) - UP Irwindale.Asuza Local, Los Angeles, CA (Rare hold-out of a CA-11 caboose in LA running with Gensets) - CSX B733 @ Mansfield, MA (I never thought I could love an ortner ballast hopper... then I met CSXT 291035...) - CSX CSAO (possibly the ugliest purpose-built shove platform?) - CSX bay window "shove platform" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhozRIv126o - CSX MJ Lead, (bay window "shove platform" _and_ loco-in-the-middle! Googlemaps will explain why...) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0tTmtcNtXw Hope this helps... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Max, For a replacement speaker, I strongly reccomend checking out the offerings by Scale Sound Systems https://www.scalesoundsystems.com/ These have been designed by a Professional Audio Engineer (who's also a serious model RRer), and have been consciously and empirically designed with a flatter/more-even frequency response, with both audibly and measurably more bottom-end. They are also engineered as-far-as-possible to "drop-in fit" into specific models, making upgrade as easy as possible. I can't see a specific-B'mann-RS-3 offering (yet), but there are B'mann S2/4(switcher) https://www.scalesoundsystems.com/product-page/Bachmann-sound-value-s2-s4 and Atlas RS-1 offering, https://www.scalesoundsystems.com/product-page/atlas-master-rs-1 which could well be a simple tweak to match... (worst case, send SSS main-man jt burke an email asking about a B'mann RS-3 offering...) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Gordon, AFAIK the application is typically location specific. Kalmbach have published a number of "loco waits for car" pics over the years, with references to "train obeys traffic signals", (street trackage speed limits in the single digits and an alert train-crew definitely helps!), but equally I've seen a number of applications of both active/automatic "triggered track-circuit --> triggers vehicular stop-lights" and passive "trains comes to a halt, crewmember hits the ground and triggers a timed circuit, and the vehicular lights go red for the perscribed time period" systems... (Where's "SignalMaintainer" Paul S when we need him? He'd be the perfect man for such questions...) I've not seen any references to US local (street-running) trains having Emergency-Vehicle type "light changer" units, FWIW... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Rod, If you've got the "main" (running track) and the spur, you should have enough room to do most common switching chores * Industries with complex "cherry picking" switching such as corn-syrup plants design "off spot" trackage options into their trackage, or have access to "spare spurs" in the very-near vircinity. See Jack Hill's "Newcastle Industrial Railroad" blog http://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/ for helpful dissertations on the subject. * as modellers we often have spatial limits which enforce undue limits re "main track capacity". This is why we often feel the need to "cheat" by using other-industries-trackage on contravention of typical prototype practise This is also why I prefer to cast Inglenooks as "Main, pass/drill, and carspot-spur" arrays. The "Main and drill" pair is typical of one end of a runaround (the "other end" is well out-of-sight and mind a conceptual mile or more away), and gives a plausible "working space" which is not "a private industry spur" Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Ps given there could be who-knows-what industrial process happening on that "other spur", spontaneously "just bumping a couple of cars in, just for a sec" is a recipe for industrial disaster, lawsuits, and scared workers ahoy! (google "railroad blue flags")

Dear Jack, Is this what you're thinking of? https://www.flickr.com/photos/ckape/albums/72157668272555707 Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear RMWebbers, Looks like someone at a recent RPM meet is having a tilt at a TP56... (C/O MyTwitFace...) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1990635214343744&set=pcb.10156748287532345&type=3&theater&ifg=1 Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear RMWebbers, Looks like someone at a recent RPM meet is having a tilt at a TP56... (C/O MyTwitFace...) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1990635214343744&set=pcb.10156748287532345&type=3&theater&ifg=1 Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr