Technical
Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
6 and 8 Turnout Radius
Here’s a question from Matt:
“Does anyone know the radius of an HO Atlas or Peco turnout numbers 6 and 8?”
You can add or view comments below.
Motor Not Spinning on Armature
John models N-scale and posted this question:
“My Bachman Spectrum C&O 2-6-6-2 locomotive has a seized (won’t turn) motor. All mechanisms work but the motor won’t turn. It had been running fine but I was wondering if a Digitrax DCC Zephyr 52 power pack running a DC locomotive may have caused overheating? Does anyone have a solution please?”
N-Scale DoodleBug With Lights But No Drive Power
Paul writes:
“I picked up a supposedly never used N-scale DoodleBug the DCC version. After just a short time on the track, it abruptly stopped. The lights are working but there is no drive power. I am unsure what to check for. Any suggestions would be great thanks.”
Please add any suggestions below if you can assist Paul.
Locomotive Pulling Power Formula
Orjan is hoping someone can assist:
“A friend mentioned a formula I could use to calculate the pulling power of my OO trains, but he couldn’t remember the exact details of how it worked. He said it based on weights, number of cars, gradient percentage and some other factors he couldn’t recall. Does anyone out there know the details and how to use it? I would just like to know. Thank you.”
Point Motor Extension Pins
Alan asks readers:
“I have point motors from previous layouts where the pin is to short for my new layout as the baseboard is thicker. How do you make extensions for the pins and what materials do you use .. and the measurements?”
Add your comment or suggestion below.
Reversing Loop – Insulating Rail Joiners
Jacob seeks help from readers:
“I read where with 4 tracks I could install insulating rail joiners and wire a polarity reversing module, but I don’t really want reversing modules. Can I just connect another power lead to the dead loop section instead? I’m DCC by the way.”
If you can assist Jacob, please add your comments below.
Rerailer Issues – What Am I Doing Wrong?
Ryan asks:
“My layout has 4 powered rerailers and I thought I would connect my first rerailer on one side to the control board and connect from the other side of that rerailer to the next rerailer and continue from there. I connected my main feed and all seemed ok until I joined up the next rerailer. My control started to flash quickly which I presume is a warning I have done something wrong. What? Thanks in advance.”
Track Wiring Help Needed
Alex from New South Wales in Australia asks readers:
“I’m new to model trains and I need help to wire the 4 tracks. As you can see on my map I have 4 transformers to run 4 trains but not at once as they share the same track. Can you help me in wiring it?”
8 Point Checklist For Servicing Locomotives
Michael R kindly sent in these tips to share:
I have had a bit of experience working on locomotives to get them working efficiently, so can share some things I learned so far. I numbered the key points:
1. Take your time. Fixing or servicing a locomotive should not be rushed.
2. An older or well-used locomotive needs to be disassembled to locate any faults or to be properly serviced.
3. That is the only way to see inside to inspect and clean everything including all the moving parts.
4. That involves checking and removing the trucks, U-joints, wheel bearings, gears, electrical contacts, and other things.
5. When taking things apart, you might find some broken parts. If so, replace them if doable.
6. Consider substituting spare parts from other locomotives that couldn’t be repaired.
7. Occasionally gears can get cracked and dirt gets can into things. Take your time because cracked gears are difficult to spot. A missing gear tooth on the other hand should be easy to see.
8. When your inspection is complete, you can lubricate everything when putting the parts back together. Use proper greases and oils.
I just tried to keep to the basics, but other people might want to add to my list.
Running Trains With Larger Wheel Flanges
John L posted this question and is hoping for some help:
“I have a layout which accepted the larger flange on the older models but basically will not look at the finer standards. Should all the track be level horizontally, or should there be some superelevation? The wheel profile should ?? get the train around the curves?”
Add your comment below.
What are Droppers?
Following on from the question from Bryan, another Brian posted this question:
“I was just reading a persons question on your site. He mentioned adding DROPPERS to help stop engines from stalling at a switch. My questions are WHAT EXACTLY IS A DROPPER and HOW DO THEY FUNCTION?”
You can add your comments or answers below.
GP-7 Stalls on Atlas #6 Turnout
Bryan has 
this question:
“I have HO with NCE PC. After problems with my Atlas #6 turnout I added droppers and my engines stopped stalling on it – see my drawing. My GP-7 approaches from Kalmanazoo bound for Grand Rapids… no issues… but heading in the opposite direction it stalls. Doesn’t happen with my other engines. I marked it on the drawing where it stalls. It stops then restarts. I have 2 reverse loops.”
Bachmann GP-35 Buzzing
Max writes:
“I got my DCC Bachmann GP-35 out to give it a run after sitting it its box for several months, but the motor is buzzing and humming, and surged when I tried to move it. Maybe the voltage or the brushes are causing it?? I recently cleaned the track and originally got it with the decoder installed if that helps. Any thoughts?”
View or add comments below.
EMD GP40 Factory Settings
Ewan posted this:
“I got a EMD GP40 not brand new but looks hardly used. When I first ran it the engine worked ok, then I removed it from the track to do some minor track adjustments, and that’s when the problem started. It seems to respond to all the controls correctly, but when the power is connected the FT-A starts to move forward very quick. It responds to the emergency stop but not other commands. Is there a way to reset to factory settings, or do I buy a new decoder maybe? I don’t have a programming track to test it on.”
Add your comments/suggestions below.
Power Loss On Layout
Hans writes:
“Please help! My model-train layout spreads over 20m2. I have the transformer on one end. I noticed that when the locomotive is on the opposite side, approx. 6mtrs distance, the power supply weakens. So, I added another transformer to the opposite side and it worked for a while, but now the transformer is burned-out. What recommendation do you give me to have a constant power-supply across the entire network? Thank you for your help.”
Add your suggestions below.
Digitrax DH165A0 Lighting Control
Jim asks
:
“I have recently installed a Digitrax DH165A0 into my Atlas C-425 engine. How do I set the direction of the engine to control the forward and reverse lighting?”
N Scale Kato Unitrack Feeders
Colin posted this question:
“I just spotted Marks question on Kato Unitrack, so thought I would ask – will 24 American Wire Gauge be suitable for track feeders if I keep them reasonably short?”
Add your comment below.
Barber Roller Bearing Trucks
Barry asks:
“Does anyone know the difference between Roller Bearing Trucks and Barber Roller Bearing Trucks?”
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