# Newbie... stupid questions... stupid stories



## smallcaboose

Hey.
Don't hate me... I'm totally new to this game but have some questions (that many of you will find quite stupid but I have to ask (and I think I'm in the right place)).

First of all, I'm trying to get an old train set back on track. It's an old kit my dad gave me when I was young... it's a Bachmann (from 30 years ago)... I would say something like an EMD FT A-unit with CP Rail #1414 marking... I didn't retreived the exact model but it's very close to that #11702... minus the CP Rail decoration.

I did my homework and started by testing the locomotive before than putting the rail together (good idea). Front light is working but motor didn't want to cooperate. Just made a humming sound with nothing else. I checked the electricity and I can get from 0-16V on the track with the train on it. Huuu, I know it's not a great news for any of you but I find myself quite courageous to have done those test since I (really) hate electricity !!hwell:
Yes, I even made myself a testing facility with batteries right after the live 120v testing... I was sweating too much !

So... here I am finding myself with a Non-going Loco that I deceided to turn into a dummy... In fact, I've just extracted 2 gears in the transmission so it can move freely on the tracks... nothing else. Oh, I also disconnect the 2 wires from the motor so it don't have power.

I'm in modeling for quite a while (Cars and Tank modeling actually... with a few airplane thrown in for good measure). Weathering and Airbrushing have no secrets for me so I did some on my Loco... just the way it should... subtle but efficient. I'm quite satisfied with it, I find it quite "life like" looking. I'm going to do the rest of the wagons in no time but first, I have to find meself another Loco... to do the real job of motion.

The real questions are those from a very new person in this hobby:

If I'm going to a different brand of locomotive (I'm thinking about Athearn... probably), Will it fit on the Bachmann rails ?!

Will it run weak, ok or great ?

Will I'll be able to attach the Bachmann wagons on that Athearn Loco ?

Are the currents (meaning Volts) of any HO model are the same ?

Don't hate the vocabulary... English isn't my native tongue ! But at least, I'm trying !

Thanks !


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## MacDaddy55

*No question is a dumb question!*

Hi Mart/Small Caboose,
Welcome back to Model Railroading and all the fun you and your little guy will have. My advice to you is to go to your local Hobby Shop and ask some specific questions about Athern engines and compatability w/ Bachmann Track. Speaking of track ( yes it will fit)I don't see a big deal but I'm kinda old school anyway. If your track is clean and maintained on a regular basis(joiners and track are properly joined with no derailments), you have a GOOD TRANSFORMER with plenty of power, and the contact surfaces of your wheels(engine) are clean, then you have the start of a sound Train setup....graduating to a great Layout! I started when my son was 6 (he is 20 now) and we still have a riot when he comes home from College to Run Some Freight! Bachmann rolling stock have standard horn/hook couplers so you would have to check your Athern engine.....Are you buying Ready to Run or doing assembly from a Kit? The electric current & voltage depends on what country you are living in(see Hobby Shop for questions). And it sounds like you have grasped(you will overcome your fear)the testing stage of Locomotives with your tester! There are a lot of people on this forum who can give you info.....thats what this community is all about. Sharing ideas, supporting one another in a mood of good will.....WOW I should run for Public Office:laugh::laugh::laugh:Anyway Mart, hope this helped and I'm sure someone else will be sounding off to help you with your questions. Good luck and enjoy your Toys!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## smallcaboose

Thanks Mac.

Welcome to you too... since you have 18 post and a join date Aug2008... you must be quite new around here.

I'm glad you took the time to post something for me... some folks seems shy... maybe I scared them with my long text.

I will buy a "ready to roll" (or is it ready to rock ?!) at first... will see after that if I'm strong enough to have a kit... I'll have more than 1 Loco for sure but I need at least 1 that work.:laugh:

Thanks anyway. I'm glad to know you.
Ps... I'm from Québec.... which is in Canada so our voltage should be close enough. That's why I'll concentrate my search on "CP Rail" engine. Plus... they look cool !!:thumbsup:


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## shaygetz

Welcome to the forum.

All HO scale equipment will fit all HO track, the finer details you'll learn as you go. Athearn is one of the best beginners locos out there, easy to work on and very reliable. I prefer the older Blue Box over the newer versions for their rugged construction. 

Couplers are an issue you'll have to face when the time comes, I use both as I tend to be a collector/operator. Out of the box locos will normally work with trainset cars though the trend is moving towards knuckle type couplers. We'll walk you through it when that time comes. Voltage is only an issue with Marklin trains, they run on 30VAC. Most trains run on 12-16VDC.

Again, welcome.


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## smallcaboose

Thanks.

I've checked the dimer (that thing that actuate the train, graduaded from 0-130) and it's a Bachmann "made in Canada"... what a surprise ! We did something that actually worked !!!

The tranfo (the thing that goes in the wall) is from Aurora (made in singapor), not sure if it's original though... a lot of welding went on that thing... modification from my Dad actually... but why ? I don't know.

For the couplers... I simply have no idea what it is !!:smilie_auslachen:


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## T-Man

*Transformer*

Dealing with older equipment can be frustrating. The Aurora transformer is for slot cars and operates from 18 to 20 volts DC. I would suggest buying a transformer that will power the size of your layout you want to build. If you want a 4 by 8 foot table you will need a larger transformer.MRC is a good brand and can be bought used on e Bay.
Before working on old engines ,you need a good power supply, a good working track and a good working engine.
The best thing to do is visit hobby shops and start asking questions!


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## smallcaboose

T-Man said:


> The best thing to do is visit hobby shops and start asking questions!


You're 100% right... BUT... I'll try to learn as much as I can on this forum before entering any hobby shop. Because I'm a modeler and I know that kind of places... sometimes, they don't even know what they are talking about... and other times, the saleman is so much advanced in this hobby that he'll try to sell you the latest thing (DCC with onboard camera....gnagnagna) that I simply don't need.

I love it when I enter such a place and know exactly what I came for and why !

And you maybe right too for the Aurora transfo... it seems too weird to be stock. Seems to work for a 4x8 setup though because I saw it run... (25 years ago !) on a similar layout. MRC is ringing some bells... ain't it from slot car too ? I think I saw something like MRC on slot cars... maybe just a memory glitch though.

Well, Thanks T-Man. I appreciate it.


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## shaygetz

smallcaboose said:


> For the couplers... I simply have no idea what it is !!:smilie_auslachen:


You'll have one of these...

Horn Hook...









Knuckle, magnetic or otherwise...









European hook loop...


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## smallcaboose

yup. The first one... so that what a horn hook is (good, I'm getting smarter... well, less stupid at least) !!

I've just bet on 2 Athearn SD-40-2 with CN marking... hoping to have 1 in the end. I also bet on wagons, you know combining shipping...didn't win a single one (cheap *******) !!!

There was also a Kato... it's now 110$... used !! I didn't even think about betting on this one but they look amazing (on internet photos at least).

Hum, question for ya guys or girls (is there any?)... is it hard to change the couplers (hihi:thumbsup on wagons ?? It seems most SD-35 and up (I mean more recent than FT (about anything)) are knuckle equiped and I love those big Loco so I'll probably go for something like that (The 40-2 is quite common on Canadian rails). It don't seems hard to get out since a single flat screw is holding the thing in place but what about the Knuckle piece, does it screw right on or do I have to convert all my wagons (by the way, there aren't many (5)) with the complete wheel ans knuckle assembly.

I just hope somebody can read this... I'm sorry for those who have a hard time... Canadian don't necessarly mean English !


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## shaygetz

It really depends on the manufacturer of the wagon as to whether it would be easy to convert couplers. There is a coupler called a Magicmate that came out for awhile that could couple both knuckle and horn/hook...










Don't worry about your English, most yanks can barely speak it.


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## smallcaboose

_Don't worry about your English, most yanks can barely speak it._

Pfihihi... thanks, it make my day ! 

Question for you mate... what is scale HOn30 ?????

Oh, and... I really like the way your photo of the knukle looks (the first you post), the model have a worn\used effect that I love ! Prismacolor by any chance ? Is that yours ?? If so... well done, it look great.


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## Boston&Maine

smallcaboose said:


> Question for you mate... what is scale HOn30 ?????


HOn30 is still considered HO scale... The locomotives and rolling stock are the same size (1:87 scale) as regular HO scale trains, but with HOn30 the track gauge is only 9mm (the size of N scale track) as opposed to regular HO's 16.5mm gauge track... They term this as a "narrow gauge" HO...


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## smallcaboose

Huu, cool !
Must look weird though !! Huum, 16.5mm HO gauge is the height of the track right (or is it the larger... if so, they must be easy to tip over) ? You add balasting (rocks) on this so it don't look as tall as 16.5... is there any advantage in droping by almost half the height (since it have no effect on relative gravity center) ??


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## smallcaboose

Now, I feel stupid... of course, it can't be height... must be the larger between rails since 16mm is half an inch !! Sorry.

Well... does it tip over easily ? Is it a more accurate width that HO which tend to be larger to accomodate the toy market ??


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## shaygetz

smallcaboose said:


> Question for you mate... what is scale HOn30 ?????
> 
> Oh, and... I really like the way your photo of the knukle looks (the first you post), the model have a worn\used effect that I love ! Prismacolor by any chance ? Is that yours ?? If so... well done, it look great.


As was pointed out, HOn30 is HO scale equipment built to ride on N gauge track. It was a poor man's narrow gauge for many years and has had a few commercial locomotives and cars put out over the years. I scratchbuild and kitbash my equipment...



















I can't claim any credit for the look of that car. It's a Kadee model of a disconnect logging car, used for transporting different length logs...



















I bought them real cheap at a swap meet, the weathered look is their natural finish.


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## Boston&Maine

smallcaboose said:


> Now, I feel stupid... of course, it can't be height... must be the larger between rails since 16mm is half an inch !! Sorry.


Yes, "gauge" refers to the width between the two rails...


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## smallcaboose

Thanks B&M... I tought about it on my way home and went "God I am stupid... it can't be the height... half an inch is way too high to be it. Must be the width Yeah, evaluation point that way !"

Shay... I must say those Kadee logging car have an impressive finish. Your steamers are wicked. They look awesome on that kind of rails... I can see now the effect of HO on N scale. With a steamer, it works. Must be weird on modern trains though. By the way... is it thin can you have use for those little round shelters ? Huuum, as you can see, I don't know the name of those.:laugh: Well, they look cool and right at their place.:thumbsup:

Mart.


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## shaygetz

smallcaboose said:


> Shay... I must say those Kadee logging car have an impressive finish. Your steamers are wicked. They look awesome on that kind of rails... I can see now the effect of HO on N scale. With a steamer, it works. Must be weird on modern trains though. By the way... is it thin can you have use for those little round shelters ? Huuum, as you can see, I don't know the name of those.:laugh: Well, they look cool and right at their place.:thumbsup:
> 
> Mart.


Thanks Mart. There are in fact, real life narrow gauge modern diesels>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Pass_and_Yukon_Route

Those buildings are called Quonset huts and are available through Rix Products. Because this particular layout is a small switching diorama, I did not have the room for a whole one so I cut it down to look like two set side by side....


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## smallcaboose

Like Ralph Wigham would say... "I'm learnding !"hwell:

"White pass" seems cool... I've save the page for future references.

Clever my friend... cutting the little Quonset Huts was smart and ingenious.:thumbsup:

So you love Lead Sled ?... me too but I have a little something more for a good Deuce !! I'm building (Model 1:24... of course) right now ! 1932... of course. No front fenders but I kept the rear fenders, I built it to represent a Hot Rod from the 60-70 era... civilised yet powerful ! I have another that will have the 45-1950 treatment. Rat style. Primer, small block, no fender, raked... wicked.

Mart.


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## shaygetz

Look forward to seeing those models sometime. I modify HO scale vehicles, some radically...









...some a bit more low key, like changing the wheels...










The ones in the other photo are Hotwheels 1:87 and Reel Rides. Both were available in WalMart in Canada and Quebec at one time. They've since clearanced them down here so they are harder to find.


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## smallcaboose

Cool Willy !

Never was aware that hotwheels put out 1:87 scaled cars... well, never look for neither but now that I'm a little bit more HO scale oriented, I'll have an eye open for anything with similar scale !

And yes, WallMart have cleared a lot of things lately. Not sure if it's a good sign ! They had 1:24 models... but not anymore and don't plan to have them again. A shame because you could buy some fine Monogram at 14$ down there... don't try this at a hobby shop... same models are listed 25$ !!

A shame really !!


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## Boston&Maine

I went to Wal-Mart in the hope of finding some 1:48 (O scale) cars but alas, nothing


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## T-Man

Walmart are they stocked for the Holidays?
Their stock does vary slightly from store to store. The bigger the better, keep trying. I would check Kmart too!
There are GRABBERS who buy all the selected items and resell on EBAY.


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