|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 23, 2024 20:52:08 GMT -5
The Western Maryland appears to be missing the "Fireball" logo Dave AZL did there homework .Western Maryland roster none had fireball on any units until they added another RS 3 loco 199 that I can fine. Unless they did some freshly new paint jobs. I wonder how many RS 3’s are still active ? Bob Like Bryan said the 199 did and that's what we want.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 23, 2024 17:45:07 GMT -5
The Western Maryland appears to be missing the "Fireball" logo
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 5, 2024 18:25:18 GMT -5
With a couple axles removed you can see the brass/bronze contact strips that transfer the power from the axle shafts Oh and a word of advice Don't even think about taking one of these apart as putting it all back together is well lets just say Difficult
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 5, 2024 18:25:02 GMT -5
With the trailing truck removed you can see their are 4 wires attached to the loco chassis 2 for the head light and 2 for power pickup. With the loco body, the weight and the LED wires removed you can see the 2 Brass/bronze contact strips running up the the insides edges of the chassis, they go through the chassis under the springs which hold them down so they make contact with each set of axle shaft on either side of the gear.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 4, 2024 17:09:10 GMT -5
I don't have a heavy weight here to check but my AZL light weight Mikado's pick up power from both the loco wheels and the tender wheels.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Feb 4, 2024 16:41:42 GMT -5
Which is best really depends on your layout and how you want to run your trains. Both are good. For smaller layouts or even big ones only running one train per loop or using blocks DC is fine.
On the other hand if you want to run multiple trains per loop than DCC might be the better option. I've seen mid train helpers work well with both DC and DCC setups on flat layouts. But when you factor in grades you may be better off with DCC and maybe even a 2nd or 3rd throttle to control the mid-train helpers and the rear pusher individually. Its really hard to predict as a lot of factors come into play. The quality of the track work how clean or dirty the track and the train wheels are the length of the slope and the % of the grade, is the grade straight or curved, The weight and rolling resistance of every car on flat track verses going up or down a slope. and how well each car handles being pushed verses pulled.
As for sound their is no need to use a dummy sound car I've been installing Sound into my powered loco's for 7 or 8 years now + their are a few under the table sound systems that are out there.
Rob uses conductive paint on his wheelsets for detection in blocks and has working signals on his Swiss Gotthard layout So yes Resistance wheelsets are used in at least 1 layout that i am aware of.
The bottom line is DC and DCC are both good. Which is best for you? Well that's entirely up to you.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 31, 2024 18:18:24 GMT -5
Removing the shell on a F3 / F7 A or B unit. Holding it upside down i slip my fingernails between the fuel tank and the shell while gently pulling them apart i lift the front truck and it slips right off. To remove the truck i loosen the screws on each side of the truck i want to remove. You only need to turn them 1/3 to 1/2 turn each No More then use a screwdriver between the frame halves to pry them apart about no more than half a millimeter and the truck will come right off with a gentle wiggle. The coupler box cover is then popped off with a gentle twisting / lifting using a pair of tweezers the broken coupler parts removed and the cover is replaced with out a coupler as this loco in this video will be using the drawbar I found it easier to put the cover back on first then simply slide the drawbar into the end of the pocket till it snaps in place. When reassembling only retighten the screws the same 1/3 or 1/2 turn that you loosened them. over tightening them or leaving them too loose can cause the loco to not run as well as it did before.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 14, 2024 10:59:23 GMT -5
Most larger scale manufactures do have plug and play decoders for all there newer loco's but when it comes to Z scale our loco's are so small that their is no room for that luxury (at this point in time) I know AZL is working on Drop in decoders for their newer releases. And remember the F59PHI sets were first released in 2004 20 years ago they were the newest top of the line back then. Simply being able to buy a decoder that small and having room to install it in your Z scale locomotive was huge improvement in those days.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 14, 2024 10:17:36 GMT -5
"DCC Ready" is a term that is often misinterpreted to mean way more than it does. "DCC Ready" does not mean "Drop in Decoder" It only means that it is possible to install a decoder in that loco. Back in the day DCC Ready simply meant it was possible to install a decoder in that locomotive. Before the invent of Digital Command Control DCC many loco's came with motors that were a physical part of the chassis or in some cases like TYCO and Mantua the motor was made into the truck making it impossible to isolated the motor from the rails. These type locos were Not DCC Ready, As time moved on manufactures started building their loco's with newer style motors which were insulated from the chassis and the rails in such a way that a decoder could be wired in. These Locos were then Labeled as DCC Ready. There is no way to insulate this type motor from the power pickup with out major modifications Thus it is not DCC ready AZL's F59PH has a cavity big enough to hold a decoder and the motor can be isolated with out modifying the chassis so it is considered DCC Ready On the other hand MTL's F7 requires milling the chassis down to make room for a decoder so it is Not considered DCC ready.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 8, 2024 22:12:28 GMT -5
South Dakota has Mount Rushmore and Z Scale has Old Fish Face.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 8, 2024 22:05:55 GMT -5
The following was copied from a email i just received Re: MB Klein Follow-up Dear David, In a previous email, we had advised that MB Klein (modeltrainstuff.com) had been purchased by UK train store Hattons. The upshot was that Klein was shuttered and out of business. And that’s true. However, customers were promised that their orders and service requests would be properly handled. We now know that Hattons, itself, is going out of business. So, the UK company that put a US company out of business is, itself, out of business. Oddly, the modeltrainstuff website says nothing about this, as of this moment (7 PM Jan 8, 2024). But the Hatton’s website DOES declare their exit. Because we can’t know how long the Hattons website will survive, we have made a copy of their announcement which you may review here: drive.google.com/file/d/16OYwE32B0yecbT204sEUZtQTsL3OFymr/view?usp=sharingThere shall, no doubt, be a great deal of discussion and speculation about this. And for now, it is important that you, and the hobbyists you know, be properly informed of what is proven to be factual. Mike and I, as operators of the Great Scale Model Train Show, obviously receive many “shop-talk” questions. We hope this message to you portrays our commitment to sorting through rumor and speculation to deliver reliable information which is important to you. Thanks for reading.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Jan 6, 2024 17:05:31 GMT -5
I think the Velmo LDS26306-U will fit the Marklin F7's I have verry little experience with Velmo decoders so other than a part # i'm not going to be much help. Velmo cross-reference list
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Dec 30, 2023 15:52:13 GMT -5
Generally each decoder manufactures has a list showing which of their decoders will fit what loco on their website. But I don't know of any one list that shows which decoders fits which locos across all manufactures.
If you post a list of Loco's you want to put decoders in we might be able to help you with a list of brand and model decoder we have been able to put into that loco.
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Dec 26, 2023 23:19:20 GMT -5
Again, I powered it up and made sure everything was in perfect alignment. Then let it set for a couple days before reassembling everything.
Re assembling is fairly easy. Bend the brass contact strips on the motor out to the sides a little. Then slip the motor into the frame half so that it is resting on the lower motor mount with one contact tab sticking out the side aligning with where you unsoldered the orignal motor wire. Now put the other frame half on top aligning all 4 pins and slowly start pushing them together. once you have all 4 pins started slip the trucks in place then gently squeeze it together with the contact tabs sticking out opposite sides. While holding it together put the fuel tank on the bottom and reinstall the screws. Now slide that little square of clear plastic in between the top of the motor and the underside of the frame halves. Slide the motor assembly forward or backwards as needed so the flywheels do not come in contact on either end. Now bend the motor contact tabs in and solder them to frame halves on each side where the orignal wires were attached and cut any excess off. Place it on the track and give it a test run.
first test with the GP7 motor
Once your satisfied with its performance slip the clear plastic insulating cover over the top tucking the tabs down between the frame and the fuel tank. You may need to loosen the screws holding the tank on and wiggle it around a little to get the tabs in place. Re-tighten the screws and put the Shell back on. Just remember to pick it up by grabbing the sides of the fuel tank otherwise the shell might just lift off or worse the chassis could unexpectedly fall out.
pulling a few cars
|
|
|
Post by tjdreams on Dec 26, 2023 23:08:45 GMT -5
With the sleeve gone and the flywheel assemblies checked for proper fitment and alignment its time to press them onto the motor. First I checked my notes and got out the correct size feeler gauge I used to measure the distance between the motor and flywheel on the orignal assembly. Next I used a sewing needle to place a tiny drop of Loctite 222 inside the hole on the flywheel. Then pushed it onto the new motor using the feeler gauge between the two, to insure it was set at the proper distance. You may be tempted to just apply the Loctite to the motor shaft or to dip the end of the shaft into a drop of Loctite, Do Not Do It That Way. By placing the tiny drop inside the hole on the flywheel any excess will be forced into the hole on the flywheel as the motor shaft pushes in. Placing it on the motors shaft any excess will be pushed back along the motor shaft towards the motor where it could easily wick its way into the motor bearing effectively lockup up and destroying the motor when it sets up. With the first side on I powered up the motor at a slow speed to make sure it was spinning true then let it set 24 hours to allow the Loctite time to set up and fully cure. The next day before trying to press on the other flywheel assembly I setup my PanaVice with some alligator clip helping hands to hold the motor and the correct sized feeler gauges on each side of it so that I couldn’t push the 2nd flywheel on to far or mess-up the distance on the first side as I press it all together. Then After checking for proper alignment several times I added a tiny drop of Loctite 222 to the inside of the hole on the flywheel, cranked in the handle and pressed it all together. I really needed about 6 extra hands here, but I got it done. The Dash-9 parts with the GP7 motor before reassembly
|
|