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My name actually isn't Bob... (I'm "not a Bob", get it? ;) ) With a MiniPanel or a similar device, you don't actually need to throw the switches using your throttle. In fact, the circuit itself acts as a throttle of sorts, and based when you push a button, it sends commands over DCC to one...

Yes there is. The easiest way is to drive the tortoises using DCC decoders (NCE's Switch8, for instance, can drive up to 8 tortoises on the same circuit, but any other decoder will work as well). Assuming you're using NCE for your DCC system, you would also need the NCE MiniPanel. The...

Athearn announced a new run of SD60Ms just this past April, for December delivery. In this run they're doing BNSF (Heritage I & II), UP and NS versions. Not re-doing the green/white BNs in this run, but my guess is they'll probably do another run in the future... They've released/announced a...

That right there is your biggest issue. Spacing between two tracks will be driven by your curve radius. With a 4x8 (provided you're doing a loop) your outer-most curve cannot be bigger than 22-23" radius. Unless you're modeling 19th or early 20th century, most passenger cars are actually some...

Has anyone ever purchased anything from Top Hobby Trains? Wanted to purchase something from them, but don't seem to be able to find any reviews. Thanks in advance!

The GT is still due in May... Oh well..

Oh really? That's good to know. The only reference to an HO version of it I could find was as a built-up. I'll have to keep an eye out... Perhaps someone will have an oldie for sale on ebay or one of the train shows...

Just finished putting in a new ceiling & lighting in my layout room as well. The general consensus is to use daylight bulbs, usually ~5000K. I went with recessed cans & 5000K LED bulbs for my room, but fluorescent troffers should work just as well. 5000K should approximate daylight really...

700mA should be more than plenty for the 10-12 you got. If I recall, each tortoise draws about 15mA while moving and about 10mA while stalled at either end. At 700mA, you could theoretically do x5 the number of tortoises you got :)

For sure! Will definitely be using that one!

You can install LEDs simply in-line with one of the leads from your DPDT going to the motor contacts (1 or 8) of your switch machine. One very important thing that I should've mentioned is that with this method you should be using two-lead bi-color LEDs (red/green works well) to allow current...

The N version linked to by Rico is indeed sold as a kit. The HO variant (link below) seems to have been sold as built-up only. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-2831

I use Midwest for my track. For the yard, I bought a roll of 1/4" cork from Michael's. Works great :)

#1. You can, but a basic two position DPDT is better. As Ken said, you actually WANT to keep the current applied to a tortoise to make sure that it keeps pushing the points against the rails. Without power applied, the points may back off the rails slightly. The other benefit of keeping the...

Ah! That's the one, thanks! Looks like there was both an N and an HO version, although so far I only see the HO version sold as a built-up. Pity they never sold it as a kit...

For a long time I've been looking for an HO kit that represents a particular passenger station I want to model. Haven't been able to find one anywhere. Earlier today, I noticed this photo on Walthers' facebook page in one of their posts from last fall. Unfortunately, despite scouring the...

How many depends on how big a layout you plan on running these on. A smaller layout may only be able to handle a smaller 7-15 car train, while on a large club layout you could probably run many dozen. As for DPU - you can always run DPU, even with a smaller train :)

You can try using some lightweight spackle. In areas where the grade is too high vs. the base, you can probably stuff the gaps with newspaper before spackling to save on drying time (and spackle itself). I've heard of folks spraying small amounts of expandable foam (and I mean small - this...

You're welcome. Nice job on the benchwork & track plan there, btw. Should be fun to operate when completed! How tight are those curves?

Walthers made a Distribution Facility kit (933-3076), but it's hard to find these days. There's a couple on ebay right now for >$60.. You may have better luck finding one at train shows...