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    A memorial in a confined space

    A friend of my wife suddenly passed away and while his sister was taking care of his estate she found a large tote full of train items. I only briefly ever met the fellow and never knew that he was in to trains (if I did know, we probably would have been more like friends!). My wife mentioned to...
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    Suggestions Needed For Logging/Mining Steam Loco - N Scale

    Well darn, that does change things slightly for me then. I can (and will) still build around the 0-6-0, but it's going to take a bit of tweaking. Is there anything "smaller" than 0-6-0 readily available in N, or is that about it?
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    Suggestions Needed For Logging/Mining Steam Loco - N Scale

    I am working on designing a small N-scale, c55 layout centered around logging and/or mining. I know I want it to be set in the steam loco period, nothing glitzy about it, and I know that in order to carry out my vision, I am going to need to use less-than-ideal radii (mostly 10", but possibly in...
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    Hi guys! It's been a LONG while since I've been on the forums. I never got around to building this layout as we moved from Texas to Colorado shortly after I finished the design. We'll be moving back to Texas in the next few months so hopefully I will be able to get to a point where I can finally...
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    Bachmann Spectrum motor

    Thanks Larry. That is exactly when it has been jumping. I will see if I can find a gauge tomorrow and fix it.
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    Bachmann Spectrum motor

    Thanks guys. That's exactly what it is/was. The two contact bars on the chip were loose and not making contact with the brushes. I bent them in and got it to run. Now I gotta figure out why it keeps jumping the tracks (seems like the flange isn't deep enough). I'll mess with that tomorrow.
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    Bachmann Spectrum motor

    I bought an engine off of eBay. It was supposed to be working, but the motor wouldn't turn (the lights work, though). I took it apart to see if I could figure it out. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at, but it appears that power isn't getting to the brushes. If I apply direct power to the...
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    Problem with steam loco on turnouts (N scale)

    Thanks guys. I think I got the better end of the deal on my $40 pickup. 1.5 working loco's (the 4-4-0 has worn contact springs so it doesn't make good contact. Easy fix for me), 5 rolling stock, over 100' of roadbed, 15' of flex track, a stack of magazines, an Althearn power supply, and the...
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    Problem with steam loco on turnouts (N scale)

    I got it figured out. I had to re-gauge the wheels. They were far too narrow. Everything runs as well as I could expect on the poorly done layout.
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    Problem with steam loco on turnouts (N scale)

    Found out both of the locos: BAC11752 is the 4-4-0 Bachmann USRA 0-6-0 Switcher (this is the one with the visible gears that appear to be hitting the frogs). I got both of them working fine on normal track, but both of them still jump off on all of the turnouts. They both bind up between the...
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    Problem with steam loco on turnouts (N scale)

    I'm still fresh on getting in to the hobby, but I picked up a box full of stuff and a poorly put together mini-layout for $40 from a guy on Craigslist. In the box of stuff was a couple of steam locomotives. One is a Bachmann 4-4-0 and the other I haven't been able to identify yet and doesn't...
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    What scale should I go with?

    After watching a lot of YouTube videos on Z scale, I definitely agree that it is much too small. I still chose to go with N scale, though, because I am limited in space and I wanted to pack as much as I could in that space. Sure, I would love to have a scale, but if space (and cost!) wasn't an...
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    Thanks Mike. How many cars would you classify as "too many"? I'm not planning on running more than a few cars; probably seldom more than 4 or 5 at a time. It's not my intention to have a lot of industry or multiple types of rolling stock. Heck, I'm not even big on operations. I really like to...
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    I like spaghetti as well (obviously!). I've always been a rollercoaster fanatic, so maybe that plays in to a it a bit. I also enjoy watching long lengths of train on a straight course, but I'm limited on my space for now. I've got a busy week ahead of me, but I'm hoping to start the bench work...
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    And here is the actual layout plan. Does this qualify as spaghetti? :D
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    Ok, so no replies on the 2nd revision, but I've put in some more time redesigning the left hand side. In this revision: - The mining side remains as-is. - I threw out the low-level farming valley. - I added in a logging camp with an interesting siding. - I threw out the river. - I decided to...
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    Layout size - How much is enough?

    When I say 10x10, I don't mean a square, but I actually mean it is an L shape with each leg of the L being 10 foot. It will be 3 foot deep (I am tall enough to where a 3 foot reach is more than capable).
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    Thanks otis. I dabbled with some designs following the river but I just wasn't happy with it. It's not entirely fitting for the layout, but I just kept remembering back to the steep canyon drives we would take on Sunday afternoons and the trains would jump the canyon side-to-side. So it's not...
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    Layout size - How much is enough?

    I ended up using SCARM and have been working on an layout. I started with my 6x6 idea and quickly found that it simply wasn't enough to accomplish everything I wanted to do. I expanded out to 10x10 and put together another design; one that I think is a winner. I'm stuck with 10' one side, but I...
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    N-Scale Mountain Layout

    Ok, here's the initial draft of the new changes: - I scrapped the idea of running two individual lines. It just would have been too busy, I think. - There are two "junctions"; one at the mining camp (will have the mines, maybe a small store, and some small shacks/tents littered about the...




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