# New guy on the track



## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Hello! I have been hunting for a good scale train site so I have chosen this one.
I will surely post my layout in the future,and love to see what you fella's have done as well.
I built this layout for my son for x-mas so we can play together...he is autistic 
so I try my best to get whatever he wants for it lol alot of random stuff!

Needless to say I have a huge slot car set and 7 rc cars mostly Traxxas and a lot of parts helped me on fixing some of the basket cases I purchased in the past.

I am currently working on some kadee log cars and was wondering of a compatible steamer for them that will handle a 15 radius? I have a S curve that is hell on my sd40's so what are some good choices out there?

Thanks for your time art


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

Grabbem88 said:


> Hello! I have been hunting for a good scale train site so I have chosen this one.
> I will surely post my layout in the future,and love to see what you fella's have done as well.
> I built this layout for my son for x-mas so we can play together...he is autistic
> so I try my best to get whatever he wants for it lol alot of random stuff!
> ...




COOL....im autistic (higher functioning) my self and glad to have you here, also willing to try and help you as best as I can , just besure to clear the tracks for the high speed express...

as for trains that can take a 15" curve, its not many, but you are looking at a small but ok selection, mostly what I have found is any 0-2-0 or similar sized engine is perfect for the tight curves, a GP-38 (at least mine) can kinda handle them (tested on a test track I have) and it even tho went through them still wanted to fight and grumble about it all the way through...are you wanting steamers or diesels or is it indifference just as long as something runs on the track?


oh a note of caution: if your going to run DC on DCC track do not leave the DC engine stopped for very long (while on) as it could POSSIBLY cause damage to the engine...


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

I wouldn't say it's a true 15 it is a 18 degree "S" curve but both entry and exit drop below 16.. I kinda screwed up but my two 4x8's L shaped limited me on my original idea. All my gp18,gp60,and sd40's run flawless just my sd40 high sides any rolling stock so I took an old virginia coal car and put a long shank coupler on it and loaded pretty good so I made that my dedicated car for it.

I have mostly diesels since that's what I've been around when I worked for Loram lol they worked ya like a dog and payed ya in kibble.

I love steamers also but know squat about them! I saw one I liked..I think on YouTube though it had two wheels up front nothing under boiler tender was attached as one unit the another set of wheels it looked jacked up like an old school hot rod.

I just finished my log cars "two" from kadee # 101's and I think a steamer would look awesome pulling these! Although a pita I thought they were worth the 8 bucks I paid for.had to tune them a bit to run since I had everything tight lol

So that's what I'm looking for so if I have to make another post to find the gurus I will but I'd like to get everybody used to me here for a bit.

No dcc for me just yet but I'm tempted after hearing the ones with sound. Now I like that 

My engines are mostly bb athearn and yb atlas so next week the boy and I are going to find us a kato atlas or newer athearn unless there is somebody else who makes good quality engines I love detail! And quite running too

Well I'm gonna quit babbling so you guys can respond


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

well here is a quick edumacation crash course on steamers (note we are not responsible for any damages acquired from our crash courses) but you can identify a steamer by its wheel sets for example I have a steamer thats a 4-8-8-4 which means 4 guide wheels (front) - 8 drive (set 1) - 8 drive (set 2) - 4 trailing guide wheels or a 4-8-8-4

but yea, as long as your curves are no less then 18" you should be fine with most medium sized engines or smaller

my Dash-8-40BW is suggested no less then 22" curves but can take 18" just fine with out an issue but hooking cars to it is another pain in the caboose...I would say if you want to run a longer engine get some longer shank couplers for the engine and cars to allow them to have that little extra space to run as they want so they wont get bound up on the tracks or what ever in your curves...gives the wheels (trucks really) better travel space so to say...not sure how to explain it better then that so hope that helps!


oh and my Dash-8 does have sound and I will be posting a you tube vid here some time soon...just got to grab the camera to do it LOL!!


to give you an idea of length and curves, heres my Dash-8 on 15" curve set



















good rule to try and follow is what ever engine you have the center of the train its self (mid point from front to back) should always be relatively dead center on the tracks when traveling at least I found this is a good rule to follow as I have a few that get a bit off center on the 15" curves (big boys and challengers are the two I think of here) and they love to scream at the curves and bind up on them...may not be true for all but I found that 99% of the time this holds true so I figure why not...


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

http://youtu.be/hUICmhSWRAk


I hope that worked and don't worry I crashed enough testing lol


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

My son wants that train lol. He is a bnsf nut and conrail lol 
Now I gotta go check my turn cause my sd40 isn't that offset when on a turn but I'd been wrong before


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

yea I just dispatched the code monkeys.....lol just go to the vid your wanting to post copy the entire URL and past it here...


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

I can take a top down view of my Dash 8-40BW if that would help and also a few other engines (i have varied lengths) if that would help also


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks and btw sorry video is botchy I used my wifes camera and I suck at it.

All the rolling stock I kit bashed weathered metal wheels some I re-trucked buy using some tubing I used for my scale water drains and BBQ skewer sticks shoved inside and tapped holes...worked perty darn good I even took left over kadee #5 boxes and flipped it upside down on the coupler style trucks after cutting them up so the truck doesn't slide back and forth.


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

nice, you can use photo bucket to host any picture you have, im uploading various pics of my engines to show you an illistration of what I was talking about in terms of the "center point" and lengths of them

Here is the lengths of all my engines lined up from smallest (Chessie System) to the longest that I have (ok my Cab forward is the longest I have but shes too long for these curves and won't work correctly, so shes down for repairs, but if you want her to be pictured let me know) which is the 2-8-4 steamer










heres the individual shots (top down) of each engine showing them dead center of the frame on track, please note how all have there center point between the rails...



































NOTE: your longer steamers may have multiple wheels in multiple trucks on them, they may (could) also have issues where not all wheels want to properly line up on the rails causing the engine to loose its ground and there fore no longer want to run, just want to make note of that for ya so you have that info, since my 2-8-4 has a 12 wheel tender (6 per truck) and that always gets stuck on my curves until i give her a light push.


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

well i found it .... its called bachmann brand 80 ton 3-truck shaygeared steam locomotive!

it was on youtube so not sure if its still available?


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

may or may not be but you can alwys check ebay


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

im searching and i really like the shay's


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

http://s1003.photobucket.com/albums/af158/countrygurl78/Train table/

Here is all the pics I have loaded to photobucket so far.


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

lookin good with your layout, a shay is going to be a hauler, they arn't fast by any means, my steamers would out run a shay easy but the shays can haul train cars up grades that my stemers would whine about getting up on there own really...so yea eash will have its advantages to certain situations


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Know where I can find one? speed is not important since they were never
That fast in real life.

Rather get one from a store if possible I don't do eBay much although I found a few bidding less than 60 bucks


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

trainworldonline has them for $150 new DC

http://www.trainworldonline.com/catalog/category/detail.php?id=6122&back_url=/search.php?q=shay

Modeltrainstuff had them w/DCC and sound for $250

Their not cheap, but they are cool.


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Awesome! Thanks for the links too!


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Ok would the Bachmann version be ok? Or is there a better model brand out there other than brass?


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

im actually considering running one for logging ops but im not 100% sure yet on it, but I have seen them and they are neat little engines! and they do have pistons that move, you should be able to see them moving (i think)


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

I watched a few videos. But always here bad reviews with Bachmann diesels and wasn't sure about there steamer line.. I can sit in my chair watching this rig all day!very impressive


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Grabbem88 said:


> Ok would the Bachmann version be ok? Or is there a better model brand out there other than brass?


Those links were for the Bachman Spectrum engines (I don't think they offer these in anything less) Other than real high end, I think that's what's available.

The Spectrum series engines are real nice.

They've always been one of my favorite steamers because of the side cranks.


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Ok cool... You know I'm not sure if I should post elsewhere but I have a spectrum 45 ton switcher the atsf zebra with a little man in the window and when I searched it said it was dcc but runs flawlessly on my dc setup..

I did take it apart and found a central mount motor with a rectangle shaped circuit board on top of it... But as far as I can tell there is nothing to plug into maybe I'm wrong since I never had a dcc knowingly


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Many of the DCC locos will run will limited function via a DC powerpack. However, don't ever have DC locos on the track with a DCC powerpack hooked up.


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

If I put up a pic could you make a guess?

Oh btw I checked out your project...very impressive and creative!


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Pics of the inside of the engine and we can figure out if she's DC or DCC. (Thanks on the project comment)


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Ok give me a minute and your welcome!


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Hope I added the pictures right. Its been along time since I have added pictures to a forum.


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

another way you can do it is take the "url" and add the







tags to the ends (easy way is just use photobucket.com and it will generate the links for you automaticially, just click then past but yea, your good as far as adding pics  nice pics btw , I just posted up my RR in the layout section if your interested in what I got so far


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

What is the minimum radius needed for the HO scale shays? A geared engine is really the best for a good logging train


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

I normally never go less then 18" but you could get it to run on a 15" but I wouldn't suggest any less...I know there was a guy at our local train club who tried it on a 15" curve and it seemed to run just fine from what we could tell...


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Ok let me ask this lol. If my "S" curve is the atlas curve sections what is that radius?


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Hmmmmm that doesn't look DCC to me, but I could be wrong.

A quick search on modeltrainstuff churns up a bunch of DCC equipped units of this engine.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/44-45-Ton-Switchers-HO-Scale-s/2512.htm


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

I only paid 10 bucks so I guess it's worth it regardless of dc/dcc


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Absolutely....great deal. Bachmann Spectrum are nice engines. (Much better than the regular Bachmann line)


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

I like it cause of how my layout is built.. I can grab my coal cars and run by my train station and take both sets of cars out to my main line... Unhook and go to an outing so one of my desiels can grab them. Alot of work but hey when I used to switch cars I had to shuffle 20 cars just to get one put to load


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## [email protected] (Jan 30, 2012)

Hello Villa Ridge! I'm from Liberty, Mo, on the KC side. My wife is the Kansan. Sorry about that 1985 World Series...you guys have done better since then...


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Lol yeH we are going for #12 but as you can see just like the rams the st.Louis tradition is once you won the series everybody leaves lol

Oh well


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Grabbem88, 
That 45 ton switcher is not DCC it's just DC.
That is even a very old model with Lamps Instead of LED's.
The 80 Bachman Shay's come in many different levels from strait DC to DCC with Sound, painted, lettered, numbered, wood cab, steel cab, Oil fired, wood fired, coal fired. They all cost different amounts.
I've seen them anywhere from $100 to $500


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

I figured as much no worries here for what I paid for it I think it has some value left in it


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

It's a nice engine and it's easy DCC conversion when you need to!


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