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    Why DCC?

    To jump back in here for a bit. There are always threads about DC/DCC, and what was said above struck a nerve. Its not only about money, but its also about time. How much time do I have and where do I want to spend it? MRRing is a diverse hobby that can hold the attention of many...
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    Why DCC?

    No, you're not alone. I have a fairly large layout but I operate it like a small one. Two switching districts separated by 30 feet of track which, operationally, could really be separated by about 2 feet of track. The extra feet traveled is merely for distance and realism and I withstood the...
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    Central RR of Indianapolis SW1200 #1201 build thread

    Mike, have you tried Detail Associates Part#2804? Diesel roller bearing caps. Don't know if they are for sure the right ones for the SW, but they were close enough for me. I got 2 packages from Big 4 Hobbies in Indy a while back to try to mate them onto a P2K SW for my own project. Haven't...
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    Track plan... any good?

    I also think you could have more track in the upper area. Just an idea: How about relocating the industry at the top to the lower left area of the town and curve the track along the inside of the river to circle back and serve it. If you look at the way the tree line and river frame the...
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    Oct. 2 Thread Followup Test Results (MRC Tech 2 + Atlas Tman + Bmann)

    Yes, the jumper plug that attaches to the circuit board has materially changed rather than the actual circuit board itself. Thanks for the clarification.
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    Oct. 2 Thread Followup Test Results (MRC Tech 2 + Atlas Tman + Bmann)

    I'm no electronics expert, but its my understanding that pulse width modulation technology generally causes heat build up in DC motors. I also think DCC decoders prefer PWM as their source of DC power. I also know that in the early stages of DCC, decoder overheating was a big issue, even so...
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    Track plan... any good?

    Don't have to go back to the drawing board completely...I agree with Trent, its a neat little plan. Like the idea of adding a spur up top to maybe get some street running in that town scene. I also agree with Dave about the interchange...it seems a bit awkward now, with the way the...
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    Flex joints in curves

    I use a thin coat of flux spread over the area I'm going to solder. The person at Radio Shack should know what that is. When the rail gets hot enough, the flux helps the solder to spread to the covered area, rather than having to touch the iron to the solder. I have Atlas code 83 and like...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    Not to obsess over this issue or anything:rolleyes: but I noticed the guy on the bay who routinely sells Atlas parts is selling the item I'm talking about, complete with resistors and simple dummy plug, IF the photo can be believed. For about $10 including shipping, your golden white LEDs...
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    Rattle cans

    Try to stick with flat and satin finishes as much as you can, especially if you plan on dullcoting afterwards. Gloss finishes tend to be thicker and don't seem to lay as smoothly. If its something I'm going to decal with a few decals, I'll apply glosscote sparingly by hand where the decals go...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    Actually, for the Trainman, the board is the same as the old one, its the jumper plug and lack of soldered-in resistors that has changed... But yes, they changed the board on the Silver series too, and even the weights as you mentioned, so the old (good) board won't even fit. So now the...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    I'll bump my own rant here, with links to Atlas' website. Linked are the parts diagrams to various locomotives. Note the changes made to the 850120 board and jumper plug. This variation of board and plug (850121) provides great lighting at slow speeds, combined w/the golden white LED...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    The series # for all Atlas locomotives s/b printed on the outside of the box. I don't know what a series 1000 is for an RS-36, but if it has a series 10 000, and likely the golded white LED, the circuit board on that locomotive makes you crank the throttle to about a scale 70 mph to even see...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    I realized my previous post had a lot of "ifs" in it, so I took apart my two RS-36's and 1 GP38-2 to look at the circuits. My fears are confirmed about the new, larger, more complicated, but useless dummy plug being installed in newer Trainman runs. It appears that any Atlas Trainman...
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    Atlas HO Trainman Headlights

    Doug, (good name BTW) This is a fairly detailed long-winded post, so bear with me. I too run DC, desire bright headlights at idle and low speed (aka constant lighting), and own an Atlas’ RS36 and GP38-2 (in addition to Classic Series, Silver Series, and Master Series). You suspect...
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    Can It Be Done

    Sounds like a great idea. However, with DCC and as many structures you say you want, I would give myself some cushion and make my limit $325. That would still be quite an achievement.
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    Can It Be Done

    Greetings from Indiana. You have built into your assumptions things that are useful to the project that have already been paid for, but that a beginner won't have, like existing locos, rolling stock, and a wood shop; however, I think it can still be done. To do this for $250, I think an...
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    New Athearn and Atlas locos

    I have both locos. The CF7 will have an athearn "growl" that goes away slightly over time, but will likely always be there. The noise is one reason why some folks, including me, don't like Athearn's, even the RTR line. Of all of the Atlas Classic locos I own, my two RS-1's are notably...
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    Newbie question: What are good brands??

    Frans For about $100 you will likely be getting locomotives with no sound capabilities. Anything made by Atlas is generally well detailed, runs great, and is of consistent quality. To make it simple for you, you could just stick with that brand and never go wrong. New Proto's, in the grey...
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    How Do I Change The Road Number?

    Check the lighting first, but I don't think the numberboards on Athearn's are lighted, so yes, just painting over them should work. Paint over the number boards with the background color, looks like black to me, then use microscale decals and apply over the numbers. I think the numbers are...




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