Re: Can you turn a Austrain "C" into a "L" ?

["Rod [comtrain]" <freight_man@hotmail.com>]

>
> >Australia is not USA!
>
> Exactly, so why would you want to buy US outline equipment.

perhaps, Ron , because I want to run trains!!
I got Broad Gauge engines, I got PowerLine engines, I got Lima engines and I
got Austrain engines.
Unlike some I do not possess the skills to scratch rolling Stock, but I can
upgrade  a little!
I got 5 types of Lima Pass Cars
I got some ELX, and some AS Cars, some AW cars, and I sold all the 4
wheelers,as they were not my era[steam-era]
But to model Victorian Railways you need to scratch almost everything else!
Broad Gauge epoxy kits break my heart, hours of frustrating filing and
modifications, lead to handpainting and sub standard decalling, and don't
dare drop one or derail in front of another train.
I recently moved to Wodonga, when I eventually opened the boxes containing
my Railway, I found about 10% had
twisted (read melted) all the handrails and super detailing had to be put
back on...etc etc just too much trouble.
I went to the boxes containing my Yankee stuff, which I retained when I went
Aussie, and it was intact and worked, with little maintenance at all.
Ron I presume you are a NSW modeller. If so, you are in a different position
to those of us in the rest of this Country who cannot get to model their
beloved Railway. And so an unbelievable amount of US models can mean the
difference between a n ugly hodgepodge of near enough Aussie crap, hanging
behind good looking Locos, granted. And a good looking, reliable  piece of
USA, with plenty of good looking rolling Stock, and head end power.[used to
even be cheaper!!]
Austrains could be the start of a new era, but they still refuse to market
rolling stock. I believe Broad Gauge [brass loco mob from Geelong] will make
Injected moulded 5 packs and other National Rail stuff, to go behind the
NR's..well that is a start, I guess
Whilst even Victorian manufacturers seem reluctant to produce stuff for us,
and are attracted to the volume available in NSW, your hobby will indeed
grow, and without the models, ours will continue to die [Even if Austrains
does make an X]...sorry to say

>
>
> >Recently I advertised on this group and elsewhere for anybody in Aussie
who
> >could supply me MDC 12 packs of Thrall Gons, I wanted 8 packs, and I did
> not
> >get an answer from any Aussie shops, even when sending E mails directly.
I
> >did however get many replies from USA, but decided it was all too hard,
and
> >gave it  up[actually deferred it till I get to visit next year].
>
> Don't blame them, the demand according to my local hobby shops is either
for
> cheap entry equipment of any prototype but mostly overseas because it is
> cheap and usually nasty or for Aus prototype. I go to exhibitions her in
> Sydney and it a rarity to see overseas prototype now a situation that is
the
> complete reverse of the case 10 years ago.

Could be, in the 5 years I have been away from the Hobby Shop [ read
isolated up here in Wodonga]
I have found all my favourite Hobby shops have closed or started
specialising elsewhere

>
> >I still think that DCC is an easy way out for cash advantaged modellers.
>
> I can't believe that the time effort and money that you have put into your
> system would not be many times the cost of doing the same thing with DCC
> Forgetting the DCC aspect for the moment, my off the shelf software
(RR&Co)
> cost me $150 and will do everything and more that you have installed on
your
> model railway. It will do it on a conventional model railway without using
> DCC in the locomotives if you want to. You can purchase the necessary
> hardware off the shelf at modest cost as I do or you can make it yourself
> for almost nothing (detectors for $2 etc) but the amount of time that it
> must have taken is the real problem.

> The cost of the new entry level systems such as Atlas is now down to $250
> which is not much more than you would have to spend on a convential set
up.
>


Have looked at RR&Co but not for a few years I will look them up again.
Hobson Bay has 50 members. I myself have more than 200 engines, and I guess
that the 50 members would have at least
on average up to 12 engines each?? basic loco modules equals about
$24,000...guess we better increase our Insurance real quick :o(((((((
and I almost forgot the control equipment, but then we use FM radio control
and that is not cheap.

> I would rather spend my time on scenery and structure building etc.

Yes me too, but not "by using bog and a good paint job" to cover it up.

> New operators on my model railway can get into DCC for the price of a
> receiver ....$30. The ten operators in our group all got into DCC this way
> before most of them purchased their own hand controllers etc. Only three
of
> them have full blown systems of their own at home. This is the real
strength
> of a club or group and is how it is done on most of the clubs that go down
> the DCC route.

Melbourne Model Railway Socity would have been a candidate for DCC, they
owned
 their own Locos and rolling Stock. We are a poor club, members supply this
in our club.

> >Model Railroading is expensive enough as it is! Telling people to go the
> DCC
> >way, only limits the numbers of new modellers coming on line.
>
>
> You should
> >allow them to gain the basics, and branch out when they know what its all
> >about.
>
> What are the basics?

Table top construction, trestles,baseboards, whatever is needed to support
your Railway Empire
Track Design, working out what you want to do.
Draught it all out, even draw it on the floor, see if it works, or looks
right.
Join a club, or group such as AMRA, find out what it is all about, ask
questions and listen
Don't forget your Local Hobby Shop if you have one, he will get you started!
Track Laying, get it right first time. work out your loops and insulate them
to help with wiring later..get help, ask....
Track Wiring..Buy a good book or two, learn the basics, and don't take short
cuts, learn safety!
Test your empire, get people over to help debug, or change what you have got
wrong.
and when you are satisfied, the best comes last, I admit, apply the scenery,
and this is the bit that makes or breaks more modellers, than all the rest,
in my opinion.

>
> Most new persons in the hobby have great difficulty with the cab wiring
> necessary to get two trains running simultaneously on even a small model
> railway.
> With the new entry level systems it is both simple and cheap.

Now reall you are pulling my leg...:o)))

Entry level layouts in HO are usually 8x4...eh sorry 2400 by 1200
single line with a couple of sidings, perhaps a reverse loop if he is really
adventurous.
Any one who can read will use A good wiring book from Kalmbach.
6 DPDT switches from Tandy mount them on a circuit diagram, representing the
layout and your insulated sections.
Buy two rolls of wire from Tandy, one red one black [color does not matter,
except you need two different colours]

Wire the centre poles to Red to outside rail, black to inside rail , being
carefull to match each switch contact to the same rail of each section.
Presuming you are only using 2 cabs, wire all the same ends of your switches
in parallel [that is together]
join the last switch to the output wires of Controller 1.
Repeat the operation for the contacts on the other end of your DPDT
switches, and connect the last to the No2 Controller.
Reversing loop....the biggest worry of most new starts, and the easiest to
fix!
Place another DPDT switch on a convenient part of your loop on the panel
look at the switch, orientate the switch so that it points in the direction
of points you want the train arrive from.
join two short pieces of wire to the outermost contacts of the switch, cross
them over to the contacts on the other end, but to adjacent ends, that is
the wires should cross over [this is the reverse] join this pair of contacts
to the rails.Again make sur your switch, matches the red and black wires of
the rest
go to the block switch linking power from Controller 1 or Controller 2 , and
run the track power to the new reversing switch, maintaining polarity, join
these two wires to the centre two contacts
Now when you make the points to arrive a train in the reversing loop, you
should place the reversing switch  to point towards the point.where the
train is arriving from. Stop the train when it is in clear. Change the
arrival points behind the train, and when ready to depart, change the
reversing switch, to point towards the departure points, change the points,
blow the whistle and go!
And I gurantee  that it is a lot easier to do than write on paper :O))))))))



>
> You have to wonder what will happen when our Generation is all safely
> >up in the Big Engine House! When I learnt Computers Windows 3.00 was a
> >luxury! People buying computers today, dont even see DOS mentioned, much
> >less get to play around with a keyboard and a black screen. I ofton
wonder
> >how they get out of trouble when Windows misbehaves?
>
> Do you know how to program an old IBM with punch cards? Do you know how to
> program in CPM or cobal.
> Very few do because it isn't necessary anymore because the technology has
> moved on (thank goodness).
> The good old days weren't all that good except in our memories.
>
>
> >Guess they call a serviceman?
> >hummmmm..Now what could one get to trouble shoot a DCC system?
>
> One of the reasons that DCC has taken of so rapidly in the past two or
three
> years is that it has become a consumer electronic item. They are now
> literally a take home item which you plug in and run. If you have a
problem
> then you take it to your supplier for assistance.
>
> Technology has been a great boon to this hobby and i hope it continues.

No argument there, but my man who has just spent $50 wiring his layout, will
eventually meet you at the club one day, and after listening to all the
virtues, may decide to go with technology!
I am only arguing the "dos" case because I hear so many people say how much
they enjoyed viewing the layout, but I am not capable of doing all that, and
so I have never given it a go.
Still think you need the basics, then you can grow to wherever you want to
stop.
I picked my spot and am convinced that it is the way to go.

cheers
Rod [comtrain]
ps did you post this in the group as well!  It seems optusnet, is only
sending me half the posts again!