Recent content by Lightstorm

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  1. Lightstorm

    Help me ID this Shell

    Definitely looks like an Athearn Blue Box GP50 without the dynamic brakes.
  2. Lightstorm

    Athearn's Latest Price Increases: Im out...

    If I'm gonna pay $50 for a single car then I might as well buy a brand that's known for quality and detail. Athearn was once the affordable alternative to most of the more expensive manufacturers. Now they are as high as Exactrail, Walthers, Kadee and all the other high end dealers. Now...
  3. Lightstorm

    what do you use to uncouple?

    The local club mostly use bamboo skewers, but I also use the Rix tool when doing a lot of switching. If I ever get around to building my own layout I'll install under track electro-magnets. And I use Kadee for all my couplers, the knockoffs just cause too many problems.
  4. Lightstorm

    3rd Annual "How Many" contest

    I'll guess 475
  5. Lightstorm

    Programming DCC

    JMRI does support Mac, but I don't think JMRI will work with Bachmann EZ Command. And as Crandell has suggested NCE, Digitrax and many other DCC controllers have hardware capable of connecting to a computer. You can check out JMRI at their website here: http://jmri.sourceforge.net/
  6. Lightstorm

    kadee dry grease or toothpaste

    Be sure to only use plastic safe lubricants when greasing the gears.
  7. Lightstorm

    Scrapping an Athearn F-7

    Kleenex, never would have guessed. It looks really good and I was wondering because I want to do some covered flatcar loads. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
  8. Lightstorm

    failing power pack

    Could you be getting low voltage from your electrical outlet? If you haven't already eliminate any problems at your wall outlet and then check the rest of the wiring from your power supply to the track, etc. You may have wiring that isn't making full contact and is causing the voltage drop.
  9. Lightstorm

    Scrapping an Athearn F-7

    Great job, that turned out really good looking. What did you use for the tarp? That last little detail really finished the project. It really fits the scene well.
  10. Lightstorm

    Woodland Scenics

    Does anyone use there products? I've used several of their products. Mainly ballast and foam roadbed, but also ground covers and trees and some of their pre-made plaster tunnel entrances. They are one of the leaders in model railroad scenery and their products are sold at many local hobby...
  11. Lightstorm

    Shipping Constructed Buildings

    This is so true. I've worked in the post office and no matter what the package is marked they all seem to get handled to roughly. Many clerks just don't care and are in a hurry to get done. Good service just doesn't happen these days. The way you're packing it is probably the best way to...
  12. Lightstorm

    Best HO metal wheel sets?

    My votes also for Intermountain. They've worked great in my older Athearn and Accurail kits.
  13. Lightstorm

    Rail Thieves

    Idiots at their finest. Common sense is becoming an uncommon thing these days. Not only do they endanger their own lives, they endanger the lives of everybody around them. It's sad to see these kinds of things happening today.
  14. Lightstorm

    Wheels?

    From what I've heard the Exact Rail all brass wheelsets are actually manufactured by Intermountain, so they should run exactly the same.
  15. Lightstorm

    Changing plastic wheels

    I like the Intermountain wheelsets as well. They roll better than most other wheels I have used. And avoid the plastic axle's if you can, they tend to have more problems with bending and warping than metal axles. And don't get semi-scale wheels unless they'll work on your track.
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