# My Memory Banks are shorting out FAIL FAIL Help



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Golly Darn it and that's not what I really meant to say, Fudge!!!!!

I am forgetting stuff a lot lately

Here we go How do I tell if a diesel has two axles per truck and/or 3 axles per truck, I am saving up and I want to buy a cool new loco with all the bells and whistles but I want to stay with two axles to keep derails to a minimum on my combo 22R and 18R layout.

I am thinking to sell or trade my 2 big locos that I cannot use, both I bought brand new and both derail a lot on my layout, so they sit unused looking pretty, I have a Bachman GS64 4-8-4 and a BLI SD40-2, the Bachman has no sound. oh yea, they are both DCC

Yea I know *"CT"* this is not the place to offer something for sale or trade but I included it in my question, so as my niece used to say *"SO THERE!!!!"*


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Well, the best way is to find a detailed enough picture of the model or hope the manufacturer's description mentions something like "all three axles per truck are driven", etc. However, given many pictures are just artist's renderings, and descriptions often say nothing more than how many motors, if in doubt i google the actually local (i.e, SD-7) and check out how many it had in the real world - most models match that, at last anymore.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Lee Willis said:


> Well, the best way is to find a detailed enough picture of the model or hope the manufacturer's description mentions something like "all three axles per truck are driven", etc. However, given many pictures are just artist's renderings, and descriptions often say nothing more than how many motors, if in doubt i google the actually local (i.e, SD-7) and check out how many it had in the real world - most models match that, at last anymore.


Someone once said there was code in the letters preceding the numbers like sd or gp or something that gives it away


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

You are right about the SD or GP letters.
SD (super duty) 3 axles
GP (general purpose) 2 axles
Lee's suggestion is what I do. Google it. Manufacturer (in real life) followed by
the letters and/or numbers.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Bkubiak said:


> Golly Darn it and that's not what I really meant to say, Fudge!!!!!
> 
> I am forgetting stuff a lot lately
> [/B]


Been there, done that -- uh -- wait, what did I do?

Welcome to the club -- uh -- what club is that again?


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Some manufacturers also used letters....B=2 axles; C=3 axles...


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

mopac said:


> SD (super duty)


Just a point here...SD stands for "Special Duty"....

GP stands for "General Purpose".....


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Two elderly women were playing cards at the senior center one day. One of the women said to the other "I know that we have been best friends for over 50 years, and I feel just terrible about this, but my memory is getting very bad lately and for the life of me I just cannot remember your name. Could you please tell me what it is?"
The second lady just sat and stared at her in stony silence.
The first lady said "I know you must be terribly upset with me, and I truly do apologize, but my memory is failing and I just can't remember your name. Will you pleas forgive me and tell me just this once what your name is again?"
The second lady just sat in silence for several seconds, then finally asked "How soon do you need to know?"


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Just a point here...SD stands for "Special Duty"....

You are correct sir. My memory failed.


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*memory*

Hi,all,I need a favor. If anybody finds out how to correct memory lapse please tell me your secret as my memory is like my get up and go. It left without me a long time ago.

Have a great day,sanepilot


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

sanepilot said:


> Hi,all,I need a favor. If anybody finds out how to correct memory lapse please tell me your secret as my memory is like my get up and go. It left without me a long time ago.
> 
> Have a great day,sanepilot


My mother used to say that her get up and go, got up and went?

Did you ever type a long sentence or paragraph and the read it back to see you left out a bunch of words that you thought you typed. Could that be auto correct at work?


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

Bkubiak said:


> My mother used to say that her get up and go, got up and went?
> 
> Did you ever type a long sentence or paragraph and the read it back to see you left out a bunch of words that you thought you typed. Could that be auto correct at work?


Autocorrect fills in for you, it doesn't delete. That sounds like a memory lapse.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

mopac said:


> You are right about the SD or GP letters.
> SD (super duty) 3 axles
> GP (general purpose) 2 axles
> Lee's suggestion is what I do. Google it. Manufacturer (in real life) followed by
> the letters and/or numbers.


You Guys are right
I have an Athern GP40X with a DCC quick plug, 2 axle per truck
I also have a BLI SD40-2, 3 axle per truck

The SD is Bigger then the GP, but the GP is way easier to get on the tracks and it does not derail in turns, it derailed at turnouts when the plow struck the switch motor screws.
The SD has great sound and there was no room in the GP for a speaker.

Does anyone have a GP with sound that can tell us about the sound quality and loudness


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Bkubiak said:


> You Guys are right
> I have an Athern GP40X with a DCC quick plug, 2 axle per truck
> I also have a BLI SD40-2, 3 axle per truck
> 
> ...


My father added DCC and sound to a Proto1000 GP15 I have. Worked great (used a laptop computer speaker and made our own speaker box out of styrene.)


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Keep that Bachman?*

Bkubiak;

Down-sizing to all four axle GP locos is the easiest way to help reduce derailments on tight curves. If, and only if, you like the sound, or anything else about your Bachman well enough to want to keep it; there is a way to help it stay on the track.
First check the gauge of all six sets of wheels on the loco with an NMRA gauge. Second check any spot of track where that big SD derails with the same NMRA gauge. If both have been checked and the gauge is correct; the problem is most likely what you expected, those six wheel trucks have too long a rigid wheelbase for your tight curves. Model manufactures, and even some prototypes have modified their locos to go around tight curves. Try removing the center axle/wheel set from each truck. Run the loco around all the track, and see if the derailments go away. If they do, you can either leave the center axles out or turn/file off the flanges. Drive wheels without flanges are called " blind" drivers and are common on model steam locos. A few prototype steamers also had blind drivers.
If removing the center axle does not reduce the derailments, you have two choices left if you want to run long wheel base equipment. 1) widen the curves. 2) Increase the side to side movement capability of all six of the axles. Nether of these is easy. Widening your minimum radius is the most likely to prevent derailments. 

Regards;

Traction Fan


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

traction fan said:


> If removing the center axle does not reduce the derailments, you have two choices left if you want to run long wheel base equipment. 1) widen the curves. 2) Increase the side to side movement capability of all six of the axles. Nether of these is easy. Widening your minimum radius is the most likely to prevent derailments.


To Bkubiak: I have lost track of all of the changes that you have gone through on your layout. Didn't you already widen your curves?? What radius curves are causing you problems now?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Bkubiak said:


> Yea I know *"CT"* this is not the place to offer something for sale or trade but I included it in my question, so as my niece used to say *"SO THERE!!!!"*


You're also forgetting basic reasoning. Do you really think saying "I'm thinking about selling..." means this thread goes in the Marketplace? Or are you just trying to yank my chain? If the former, you need serious help, immediately. If the latter, you just need help.


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