# Rocky Mtn. Train show SCORE!



## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

This weekend I attended the annual show here in Denver and if people are concerned about covid-19 you'd never know it....the place was packed both days!

Which kinda made me cranky as I've injured my ankle and had to park 20 miles downhill and walk up....but I digress.

Anyway it's a pretty cool show. The organizers claim it's over 3 acres and I believe it. There's always so much going on, from how-to clinics to the incredible lego displays and of course some pretty amazing layouts. Unfortunately I don't have pics-last year someone damaged a very expensive lens (it gets shoulder to shoulder in some areas) so the camera stayed home. 

Besides, I was on a mission. To shop!

I did snap one with the cellie of a really well done N scale layout that didn't turn out great, but it'll give you the general idea.

As usual, the vast majority of stuff was Lionel, and I spent hours fondling things older than me and worth more too! I got so wrapped up in checking things out I forgot to ask what I've been wondering about for awhile now....

Why is it you guys run your stuff so fast? Every time I see an O gauge train it's barreling around like it's throttle is stuck wide open. 

Anyway it was a great time and if you're ever in the area it's worth checking out.


I don't know how to add text after a pic so I'll have to break this up into multiple posts. First up is the layout I mentioned. He managed to cram a lot into a small space and most of the operating gadgets had buttons on the fascia for the crowds to push. The burning house was definitely a crowd pleaser.


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Next up, my small pile of loot.


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

These won't seem like anything special to you, but I haven't been able to find ore cars OR shorty tankers. The wheels were a freebie with purchase!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

It's not a layout until it's got Herbie and a surf van!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

People on my layout are gonna need something to drink after that ride in on one of those high speed O trains.


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Most of my freight cars are BEER cars! You can never have too many beers!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Atlas released these in early '19, and of course I missed out. 
Train show to the rescue!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

And last but not least, finally, something different! You may have seen my post lamenting availability of unique N scale engines, in which I'd say "man I wish they made this" and GRJ would respond "Oh I've got 12 of those" at which point I'd want to jump off a bridge.

Well, it ain't 12, but it's a start!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

I'll post pics of the aerotrain on the track once I've got time to get it together-it doesn't have couplers like normal trains.

Prices were nuts this year, not really any good deals to be found even late Sunday afternoon. In fact our favorite online retailers generally have better, but then, they don't have any of this stuff in stock so.....

Thanks for taking a look!


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Well heck, darn and fooey!! I arrived in Denver today for a couple days with my daughter and family! Just missed it!!   hwell:

I also have wondered about the speed on many of the larger scale layouts...very unrealistic.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Nice haul.  :thumbsup:


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## Cousin Eddie (Jan 4, 2019)

Nice score!


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Some great finds at the show.

I love the Deutsche Modelleisenbahn.


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

gimme30 said:


> Most of my freight cars are BEER cars! You can never have too many beers!



i wouldn't know.........hwell:


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

gimme30 said:


> Atlas released these in early '19, and of course I missed out.
> Train show to the rescue!




nice one!



gimme30 said:


> And last but not least, finally, something different! You may have seen my post lamenting availability of unique N scale engines, in which I'd say "man I wish they made this" and GRJ would respond "Oh I've got 12 of those" at which point I'd want to jump off a bridge.
> 
> Well, it ain't 12, but it's a start!



nice one too! 

here is the spookshow link i think you got a good haul!

http://www.spookshow.net/loco/aerotrain.html


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Lots of ore cars & lots of other cars too! Cheap!*

Sorry, duplicate post
Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Lots of ore cars & lots of other cars too! Cheap!*



gimme30 said:


> These won't seem like anything special to you, but I haven't been able to find ore cars OR shorty tankers. The wheels were a freebie with purchase!


gimme30;

If you want ore cars, I can help you with that. I can even "gimyou"30 or even 35 for a price of $2 ea. + shipping. Read the file attached below, and if you see anything you want, send me a PM.

You seem to be accident prone dude! You hurt your ankle running to see a train show! Well, at least that part is understandable! :laugh:

Were there any bees involved or did you manage without them this time? :smilie_auslachen:

I'm glad you at least had some fun among the grumps. 

regards;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:



View attachment N-scale cars for sale.pdf


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

gimme30 said:


> And last but not least, finally, something different! You may have seen my post lamenting availability of unique N scale engines, in which I'd say "man I wish they made this" and GRJ would respond "Oh I've got 12 of those" at which point I'd want to jump off a bridge.
> 
> Well, it ain't 12, but it's a start!




large box for just a engine and 3 cars....


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That is Gordon Preller's Rhineland Bayern Bahn. He is a member of my Duetschebahn Modelleisenbahn forum. I knew I had seen his layout somewhere but I didn't put the two together until this morning.

If you had a chance to look at the backside of the layout you would have seen the underground train station he built.


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

I did see the station and it is just as impressive as the rest! I spent a lot of time poking around and pestering the poor guy and while he was standoffish at first he opened up eventually and you could tell he was passionate about his work, and the hobby in general. 
His was easily the best layout at the show IMHO, although there was a logging themed setup in Hon30 that was very well detailed.

For whatever reason the majority of layouts consisted of long stretches of track laid around minimal landscaping, which holds very little appeal to me. Sure, the long trains were cool, (since my layout isn't flat, I had no idea 2 sd40's could pull so many cars on level ground!) but they all had kind of a fish-out-of-water effect to my eyes. 



QueenoftheGN said:


> large box for just a engine and 3 cars....


Lol yes, you're right there! I didn't include them in the pics but there were also copies of the Popular Mechanics mag that featured the train, and an article by Gary Dolzall titled "Here comes tomorrow." Which of course never came.

This was not a well-received item when people finally got them in their hands. Constant derailing seemed to be the biggest complaint, and it did not get a glowing review from spookshow, or anyone else for that matter!
I knew about the issues going in but I'm a tinkerer by nature and none of the problems seem insurmountable. 

I say that now, but I haven't had time to tear into yet-#hopelesslyoptimistic.

The cars couple via magnets imbedded in steel plates, which in turn are mounted in diaphragms that pivot on a vertical pin in the car body. Each car is lighted and part of a single circuit, so they have to be oriented correctly and all but the car at the rear has a bundle of wires hanging out. These wires are apparently one of the main causes of derailment, as well as inadequate weight. Wheels out of gauge are also a common complaint. Biggest flaw I see is that you have to remove the bodies to plug in the harness, which could lead to something, (either the body or the wires) breaking if they're uncoupled/coupled frequently. 

So I won't be adding any additional cars once I've got the kinks worked out-moving 4 connected cars from storage to track is feasible, not so much with all 10.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Tinkerer or hopelessly optimistic?*



gimme30 said:


> I did see the station and it is just as impressive as the rest! I spent a lot of time poking around and pestering the poor guy and while he was standoffish at first he opened up eventually and you could tell he was passionate about his work, and the hobby in general.
> His was easily the best layout at the show IMHO, although there was a logging themed setup in Hon30 that was very well detailed.
> 
> For whatever reason the majority of layouts consisted of long stretches of track laid around minimal landscaping, which holds very little appeal to me. Sure, the long trains were cool, (since my layout isn't flat, I had no idea 2 sd40's could pull so many cars on level ground!) but they all had kind of a fish-out-of-water effect to my eyes.
> ...


 gimme30;

It sounds like the N-scale Aerotrain may have even more potential problems than the prototype! Good luck, I suspect you may need it. It will provide a new challenge for your Atlas turnouts though, and your hairpin 9-3/4" radius curves. 

regards;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

Did you happen to see this guy there??


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

bewhole said:


> Did you happen to see this guy there??



Might be just me but, really micro trains! Solar system scheme really?! at this point people are just paying tons for paint!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Bewhole I didn't see the gent in question, but thank you for posting the vid! I hated not being able to get pics but that covered it pretty well. The Gold Creek, Pine Cliff & Elk Springs layout (15:08 in the vid) was one of the better ones.:thumbsup:

QotGN, that seems to be Micro Trains MO, recycle the same ol' same ol' with NEW and IMPROVED paint schemes!! I don't think there's anything wrong with 'series' sets but some of theirs are a little far-fetched. Personally while I'd prefer to support an American company I don't buy too many MTL products-I don't see any detail advantage over their competition and they're generally more expensive. Heck even Bachmann freight rolls on metal wheels. :dunno:


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

traction fan said:


> gimme30;
> 
> It sounds like the N-scale Aerotrain may have even more potential problems than the prototype! Good luck, I suspect you may need it. It will provide a new challenge for your Atlas turnouts though, and your hairpin 9-3/4" radius curves.
> 
> ...


You're probably right, but if it worked perfectly out of the box how much fun would that be?

Btw, those hairpin curves? Even the fastest locos at WOT won't launch without 'em!


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Quick update....

Turns out the Aerotrain's bad rep is deserved, but the fix(es) are pretty simple. Adding weight does help but the biggest improvement came from pulling the pins that retain the trucks and replacing them with screws so said trucks can't pivot-not that they moved much to begin with. The wheels are all set too narrow and I managed to break one while trying to adjust it, so they're getting replaced with wheels from Kato's GS-4 tender-supposedly a drop-in replacement that's gauged correctly. 

The set actually runs very well and looks great all lit up, so it's definitely worth the effort!

Biggest surprise from my little train show haul....The Shay is super noisy! "Coffee grinder" doesn't begin to come close, it's more like a dumpster in a cement mixer!!

Runs fine though, just have to turn up the music.


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

gimme30 said:


> Quick update....
> 
> Turns out the Aerotrain's bad rep is deserved, but the fix(es) are pretty simple. Adding weight does help but the biggest improvement came from pulling the pins that retain the trucks and replacing them with screws so said trucks can't pivot-not that they moved much to begin with. The wheels are all set too narrow and I managed to break one while trying to adjust it, so they're getting replaced with wheels from Kato's GS-4 tender-supposedly a drop-in replacement that's gauged correctly.
> 
> ...




Good!


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Noisy shay*



gimme30 said:


> Quick update....
> 
> Turns out the Aerotrain's bad rep is deserved, but the fix(es) are pretty simple. Adding weight does help but the biggest improvement came from pulling the pins that retain the trucks and replacing them with screws so said trucks can't pivot-not that they moved much to begin with. The wheels are all set too narrow and I managed to break one while trying to adjust it, so they're getting replaced with wheels from Kato's GS-4 tender-supposedly a drop-in replacement that's gauged correctly.
> 
> ...


gimme30;

Well, a Shay has plenty of exposed moving parts, so I'm guessing the real ones aren't as quiet as a real Bipolar (MILW electric locomotive with no gears) either.
In fact, I've seen, and heard, a real Shay in a video. They make their full share of noise, but don't sound like coffee grinders.Getting actual grinding sounds from a model locomotive sounds rather ominous. You might want to check the gearing to see if something is amiss. Have you tried lubrication?
Is your model Shay a Bachmann product? If so, Bachmann locos are not noted for quiet running, at least the old ones. Newer production may be a different story. :dunno: Having given up on Bachmann many years ago, (after a long series of duds) I wouldn't know what a new Bachmann Shay is supposed to sound like.
Older Bachmann locos, regardless of type, were very noisy. Since they had cheap metal gears, and only two speeds, 300 scale mph, and stop, You could always tell when somebody was running a Bachmann at my old club. You could hear it all over the 30' x 90' layout room. Maybe you could get a sound decoder for your Shay. If you could shoehorn a 40 watt amplifier and some 14" woofers into it, you could drown out the GRRIINEEEEEE sound with CHUG CHUG CHUG! 

Regards;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

traction fan said:


> gimme30 said:
> 
> 
> > Quick update....
> ...



Can confirm, even newer Bachman’s are VERY noisy like, absurdly loud not sure about non-steam Bachmanns but my 2-8-2 is very loud ( but hey, it was 25$ )


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Lol at $25 I'd put up with a little noise too!

Unfortunately this one wasn't anywhere near that price tag...but it's not a Bachmann either, I've sworn them off for good. This one's an Atlas, presumably from their latest release but it could be NOS from 2014. 
I've lubed what I can get to without removing the shell. I'm a little leery about pulling that off with all those tiny little moving parts, especially after the seller warned me not to. 

Anyone pulled one of these apart?

In the meantime, my GS wheels came in so hopefully I can make some progress on that front.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Ah, remember the good old days when we had train shows......?


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

looks like kind of a lot of shows to me....





__





Model Train Shows Calendar 2022


Guide to 250+ model train shows and model railroad conventions featuring vendors, operating layouts, and trains of all scales.



www.railserve.com


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Helloooo.........have you not been paying attention? Everything is being cancelled because of the covid19 pandemic......

And why are you still posting......you made a big announcement a while ago about not being able to participate here due to other issues.....what's going on?


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

i do believe it said posting a lot less often.....


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

And there is the encore...


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

hmm?


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

QueenoftheGN said:


> i do believe it said posting a lot less often.....


Well then, I think you believe wrong.....allow me to quote your words from your original post on the subject:



> I have made the executive desion that this will be my last post. I am sad to go as it’s like leaving friends but I feel it is best. . I may return in like 1 to 2 years. Thank you for your time. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a change.Tuesday at sunrise I shall no longer be here...


"Last post" is quite different from less often....


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

So uh.....
How 'bout that corona virus? 

Just a quick update re: the aerotrain. IF anyone's considering picking one up don't let the negative reviews sway you, as long as you understand it *will *require some tinkering to get it to run right.. I haven't had much time to run mine after making the mods since I'm considered "essential personnel" (read expendable) and still working a lot, but it's got about an hour run time on it now and stays on the track as it should. This is my first Con Cor product and I guess if I had to rate it I'd say it'd be Atlas level quality wise if it worked out of the box. It's very very quiet, and runs smoothly although it won't budge until 4+ volts are applied and lurches some at startup.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Walk 20 miles to attend? lol
Your lucky here in the Tri state area and a lot of other states now, they are arresting people and a $500 buck fine for doing what you did.
Six foot from another person when out in public ! 
No going to the parks, all closed!
Can't even sit down the shore and watch the ocean ! Not legal !
Mostly everything is shut down!
Soon we will have the military shooting people who don't adhere to the regulations that have been imposed on us.

Wait a while, soon the whole country, everywhere, will be in the same boat !


Funny Monday I drove to work to turn in my prison uniforms and keys. I was going to retire June first but moved it up to April first. I was considered essential and even if a lot got laid off, I was high in seniority and was sort of guaranteed to work.
With this going around it was just not worth the risk hanging around for another 2 months.
And I had my months vacation in, my 5 personal days and my 5 sick days in, I got the yearly bonus too, so why hang around?

Anyway while driving there you would not believe the amount of people driving by themselves with face masks and gloves!
In their own car, like they are going to catch the virus by just breathing in the air as they drive. 
I did see one with what looked like an old WW2 gas mask on ha ha ha.  
I don't know if he was serious about wearing it or was just doing it as a joke?
I kind of think he was serious. lol


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## gimme30 (Jul 26, 2018)

Lol Big Ed it couldn't have been much more than a block, it just _seemed _like miles because of my ankle. Kinda like your parents when they told you they had to walk 10 miles to school in the snow up hill both ways.



Big Ed said:


> Soon we will have the military shooting people who don't adhere to the regulations that have been imposed on us.


Funny you'd mention that...… 'I Will Bury You': Duterte Says Coronavirus Lockdown Violators Can Be Shot


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