Sept/Oct 2008 - O scale trains

O Scale 

Trains 

MAGAZINE 

Sept/Oct 2008 u Issue #40 

Celebrating 

the art of 

1:48 modeling 

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Celebrating 

the art of 

1:48 modeling 

Issue #40 

Sept/Oct 2008 

Ted Byrne 

Carey Hinch 

Vol. 7 - No. 5 

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher 

Joe Giannovario 

jag@oscalemag.com 

Art Director 

Jaini Giannovario 

jaini@oscalemag.com 

Managing Editor 

Mike Cougill 

editor@oscalemag.com 

Advertising Manager 

Jeb Kriigel 

jeb@oscalemag.com 

Customer 

Service 

Spike Beagle 

Complaints 

L’il Bear 

Contributors 

Neville Rossiter 

Gene Clements 

Roger C. Parker 

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O Scale Trains Magazine, ISSN 1536-9528, USPS 24457, is 

published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September 

and November by OST Magazine, PO Box 289, Exton 

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oscalemag.com. 

Cover: A lone N&W covered hopper waits on the Mill Track for 

the next local at Sycamore, Indiana on Mike Cougill’s Indiana and 

Whitewater. Weathering expert Rich Divizio explains how he did 

the car’s incredible weathering job starting on page 4. 

Centerspread: This area on John Houlihan’s (The Irish Tracklayer) 

layout is called “Big Bunch” after a siding on the Fresno 

Interurban Railroad, east of Fresno, a joint ATSF/SP station. The 

locomotive is Sacramento Northen #652. The packing shed is 

typical of those found throughout the local area. The overhead is 

shared by Scarmento Northern and Visalia Electric, both of which 

serviced a good number of packing sheds in their respective 

areas. 

O Scale 

Trains 

Features 

4 Weathering An O Scale Hopper 

Learn to master the elements of weathering from Rich Divizio. 

15 Powering Up: Block Detection 

Ted Byrne looks at the options for sgnaling and other tasks. 

17 MTH DCS to DCC Conversion 

Changing over an MTH steam loco as detailed by Ray Grosser. 

38 2008 O Scale National Convention 

Photos from the convention floor. 

41 Boxcar to Caboose Conversion 

Charlie Morrill freelances a caboose based on an SP conversion. 

49 An Introduction to Soldering 

Soldering made easier the William Kendall way. 

Departments 

13 The Art of Finescale – Mike Cougill 

26 Traction Action – Roger Parker 

31 The Modern Image – Gene Clements 

32 Reader Feedback 

34 Modelers’ Showcase 

45 The Workshop – Neville Rossiter 

52 Product News & Reviews 

68 Buy-Sell-Trade Ads 

68 Events Listing 

69 Advertiser Index 

70 Observations – Joe Giannovario 

MAGAZINE 

Sept/Oct ’08 - O Scale Trains • 3

Before 

Photo 1 

Weathering an 

O Scale Hopper 

Rich Divizio 

(Judging by the many photos I’ve looked at, O Scale modelers 

seem reluctant to weather freight cars. The OST staff 

feels this is an important overdue subject. Therefore I commissioned 

weathering expert Rich Divizio to do one of my 

own cars for this article in our ongoing effort to bring you the 

best techniques and modeling information we can. Here’s 

Rich. -Ed.) 

Fading the Car 

In looking at the unweathered car (Photo 1), I decided 

the first order of business was to fade the car down a bit and 

grime it up before I started to add any kind of rust detailing. 

I mixed a custom gray color that was slightly darker than the 

car’s original color using Windsor & Newton’s Zinc White and 

Ivory Black gouache thinned with Windex, combined with Windsor 

& Newton’s Raw Umber water soluble oil paint from their 

Artisan line. I mixed these colors keeping a close eye on the consistency 

until I got a dark brownish/grayish tone that would still 

be transparent as it was applied to the car (Photos 2-3). I quickly 

2 

3 

applied the custom wash to the side panels brushing up and 

down until the whole side was covered. Working fast while the 

side was still wet, I took a wedge shaped cosmetic sponge and 

dabbed the side of the car left to right, up and down and back 

again until I achieved the desired, grimy/faded look I wanted 

(Photo 4). Note: by doing this you’re actually taking off what you 

just put on, and if more is taken off in one spot than the other, 

you could reveal more of the cars original color which simulates 

that the panel’s rusting is slowly taking over the metal. Photo 5 

shows a completed side after the first wash has been applied and 

sponged. 

Fading the Letters 

Once both sides were complete, I wanted to tone down 

the lettering without disturbing the panel color, so I used the 

4 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’08

4 

8 

5 

9 

same dark gray gouache mixture and a torn cosmetic sponge 

to carefully dab the color on, touching only the lettering 

(Photos 6-7). 

Once the sides of the car were complete, I concentrated on 

the surrounding areas: the sides of the roofwalk, the lower sills 

and ladders, and the sloping roof line under the roof walk 

(Photos 8-9-10). 

6 

10 

7 

The Magic Take-Off Technique 

The areas I just spoke of were treated with the same wash 

as the sides were. A couple of minutes after those areas were 

visibly dry, I took a brush dipped in some rubbing alcohol, 

and stippled all those same areas to take off what had just 

been applied. By doing this, it creates the look of built up 

dirt over time. As far as the finer detailing on panel seams, 

bolts and where the supports meet their attaching points, we 

will fine tune those areas later once the whole car has a base 

layer of grime. 

End Detailing 

I approached both ends of the car the same way, by giving 

them a base coat of grime. I make sure that where the rungs 

of the ladder are attached, and anywhere the end of the car 

collects the dirt kicked up from the wheels, that I’m treating 

those areas with some extra special attention. The grime wash 

will take care of the basic grooves that need to be filled with 

collected dirt, but to create the kicked up splatter from the 


wheels, I lightly grimed the end of the car, not going as dark 

as the sides of the car, since this area is a bit more protected. 

While the surface was still wet, I took a dry brush with some 

weathering powder on it and, holding the car vertically, 

lightly tapped the back end of the car. By doing this, the powder 

is randomly dropped in specks onto the wet surface and 

you leave it to dry without touching it. You will seal this later 

using Dullcote from an airbrush (Photos 11-12). For griming 

up the hopper bays, bolts and other equipment, it’s the same 

as before, just dirty up these areas according to what you feel 

this car has been exposed to over time (Photos 13-14). 

11 

14 

Roof and Hatches 

My first step in getting the roof and hatches looking right 

is to just get them stained a bit lighter than the sides of the 

car. Using my same grime wash and thinning it out a bit with 

some alcohol on my brush, I quickly covered the whole top 

and worked in the wash where I felt that dirt could collect. 

Taking a cosmetic sponge and wetting it with some rubbing 

alcohol, lightly dab the top of the car end-to-end to achieve a 

slightly stained looking roof (Photo 15). 

15 

12 

13 

I mixed up a small batch of Black and White gouache with 

water soluble Raw Umber oils for a kind of rusty gray, and 

sponged the top of the hatches. I let the hatches dry a bit, 

maybe 15 minutes, then came back and using a brush dipped 

in alcohol, began to stipple off what I just put on in random 

dabs. Keep wiping off your brush in between, to keep from 

transferring the same color back onto the hatch. What you’re 

trying to do is reveal some of the gray part of the hatch (Photos 

16 through 19). 

Now, almost the same process as above will be done 

on the curved rooftop in between the hatches. Taking your 

alcohol dipped brush, we’ll now take away from what we 

sponged on before, leaving behind the effect you see (Photos 

20-21). 

Now you may notice a pattern here. I’ll put the paint on, 

then I’ll take it off. Doing this is great because taking it off is 

easier than putting it on. Artists call this blocking, or getting 

your basic colors onto the canvas and then worrying about 

the detailing later. The same approach goes here, as I mixed 

up some Burnt and Raw Sienna gouache (Photo 22), and 

applied that to the side of the hopper cylinder and curved 

roofline (Photos 23-24). 

Taking my soft dry brush to the surface, as in Photo 24, I 

will begin to stipple the fresh color, softening the textured 

pattern I’m creating until I get the look I want (Photo 25). 

Once that has dried for about 15 minutes, I’ll go back and 


16 

22 

17 18 

23 

19 

20 

24 

21 

25 


hit the car with the alcohol dipped brush again, and stipple 

some more to enhance the textured look. What’s nice about 

this is that you can always work in your color around supports, 

bolts, seams, etc. and then, go back over those areas 

and take off the color, leaving behind whatever gets caught in 

the cracks, etc. for a nice effect of dirt or rust collected over 

time (Photos 26 through 28). 

26 

29 

30 

27 

31 

28 

Rust on the Roof 

Using the same on and off technique, I applied this same 

mixture to the top of the car and to the hatches, and used my 

alcohol dipped brush to take off and to soften the rust effect 

at the same time (Photos 29 through 31). 

Rust Pits and Streaks 

Using a blend of Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber water 

soluble oils, I use a fine brush to place my rust pits (Photo 

32), and then slightly soften them with a dry brush. If I intend 

to have a streak of rust coming down from the pit I will wet 

the area just below it with Micro Sol, and proceed to paint 

the streak coming down (Photo 33). I do it this way because 

my brush will glide better on a wet surface. Once the streak 

is down, I can make it finer by using a wet brush dipped in 

Micro Sol and pass the brush right down along side the streak 

8 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’08 

to sharpen it up. If I want to soften the streak, I’ll just use a 

damp brush and dab the streak, which will feather it out a bit 

(Photos 34-36). 

The Ends Get Detailed Again 

The ends of the hopper also need some rusting because rusty 

rain water drips down over time from the roofwalk onto the 

inside portion of the ends of the car. The wheels from the cars on 

either end also kick up water over time and continually take a toll 

on the ends of the car. Nothing but some stippling and softening 

of my water soluble oils here, to create the look of rust slowly trying 

to take over the ends of this car (Photos 37-38).

32 

Couplers 

Getting the right color and texture that I wanted for the 

couplers was a blend of the water soluble oils using Raw 

Umber and Burnt Sienna brushed on and then, using a cosmetic 

sponge with the same paint mixture on the end of it, 

I dabbed it all over the coupler to get a subtle texture. The 

same goes for the coupler box (Photo 39). 

37 

33 

34 

38 

35 

39 

36 


Trucks 

I took apart the trucks, laid them out and spray painted 

them with Rustoleum Primer, which actually has a kind of 

oxide reddish/rust color, to it as my base coat. I then used 

the same sponging technique as I did on the couplers, using 

the Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna. To make the trucks have 

an illusion of realism, character and depth, I sponged the 

edges and bearing caps with a mixture of white gouache that 

I toned down by blending it with the mixture I used for the 

trucks (Photos 40 through 44). 

44 

40 

45 

41 

42 

Wheels 

I first masked the treads by placing my wheels in a kind of 

jig I created using a threaded pipe coupler that I found at my 

local hardware store. The face of the wheel sits perfectly into 

the fitting and another fitting is placed on top, then I spray my 

base coat of Rustoleum Primer, and stipple brush the wheels 

with some of the Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna mixture until 

I get the look I want (Photo 45). 

When everything had dried and I was satisfied with the 

results, I sealed the paint layers using a coat of airbrushed 

Dullcote and reassembled the car. 

u 

43 


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12 • O Scale Trains Bachmann - Sept/Oct Industries, ’08 Inc. • 1400 East Erie Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19124 • www.bachmanntrains.com

The Art of Finescale 

Michael Cougill 

The Odd Couple 

Back in May, I was invited down to an On30 Mini-Meet near 

Columbus, IN. Al Askerberg and his fellow modelers are having 

lots of fun building On30 modules and getting them together 

for operating sessions and shows like this one. You never know 

what you’re going to see at meets like these; so even though I 

don’t model in narrow gauge, I went with an open mind. 

The meet was well attended. There were more On30 products 

and vendors than I ever knew existed and the quality of 

the products was very nice. Several of the group’s modules 

were set up in a corner of the room and the modeling was 

excellent. I’ve asked Al for further coverage of the modules and 

the group’s efforts. 

Combining P48 and On30 may seem like a stretch of the 

imagination to some. But I can’t help wondering if the dual 

gauge combination might not be feasible. If my history studies 

are working, I recall that P48 got its start by a group of 

On3 modelers who wanted a wheel profile that would work 

for both standard and narrow gauge trackage. I’ve also read 

where the standard gauge wheel profile in P48 is similar to HO 

Scale’s RP25 wheel cross section regarding the tire width and 

flange depth. The only real difference is, of course, the overall 

diameter. 

The obvious way is to have a stretch of P48 track as a 

non-operating scenic item to simply highlight the contrast in 

size between standard gauge equipment and narrow gauge 

as shown by Al’s photo. More challenging perhaps is to have 

operating dual-gauge trackwork that combines the two. I’m 

not knowledgeable about the actual wheel sizes and profiles 

used on most On30 cars and locos. I assume that it’s the standard 

HO Scale RP25 wheel for the most part. The main issue 

is would that small a diameter wheel track through a standard 

gauge P48 frog successfully. I think the individual narrow gauge 

car weight would have to be increased for consistently successful 

operation. I really don’t know if any of this 

is feasible or not, but it’s fun to think about. 

I’m certain somebody has or will experiment 

with it and put us all to shame with the 

results. 

Scratchbuilding 

Lately in the magazine, we’ve spoken a 

lot about the joys and advantages of scratchbuilding. 

The economy seems to be in a 

big hoorah for a whole host of reasons and 

everyone seems to have the jitters about it. In 

times like these, a hobby like model railroading 

can provide a great way to relieve some 

real world stress. Most of us already know 

that. What many have forgotten or never 

learned is that this hobby, more than many, is 

about doing something, not just having stuff. 

You can take a commercial car out of the box, but then what? 

Most of us will add some details or weather it up a bit. That 

can be satisfying of course, but what then? Go get another and 

another, until you’re drowning in cardboard boxes? What do 

you do if no manufacturer produces the car or loco you want? 

And maybe they never will, because it is too obscure a prototype? 

If you’re like many, you complain about it to whomever 

will listen. That’s not going to get you the model you want, is it? 

Learning how to scratchbuild it will. Developing your skills 

in this area will free you from the victim mentality of nobody 

makes what I want. You’ll never have to worry that ABC Company 

is taking forever to get your favorite model to market, or 

that they didn’t do it right when they finally did get around to 

it. If scratchbuilding or kitbashing just doesn’t appeal to you, 

then we’re not going to change your mind no matter how many 

editorials we run. But you’ll never know with certainty until you 

at least give it a try. Joe and I are working on a series of projects 

that we hope will further your learning in this area. You’ll be 

hearing more about them in the near future. 

That said, we’re always looking for good material. Some 

subjects like weathering freight cars are long overdue. That’s 

why we devoted so much space to Rich Divizio’s article in this 

issue. Rich’s work speaks for itself, and I felt we should run it in 

full rather than stopping in the middle and making you wait two 

months for the conclusion. Check out his website: [www.modeltrainsweathered.com] 

for more outstanding work. Articles on 

basic modeling skills like Bill Kendall’s soldering piece also fill 

a need in our editorial mix. Our objective is to make OST as 

valuable a resource for your modeling enjoyment as we can. I 

strayed a bit off base this time with these editorial comments. 

Next issue, I’ll get back on topic. 

Best regards, 

Mike 

u 

Photo by Al Askerberg 


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Trains 

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Block Detection in O Scale 

When O Scale modelers use block occupancy detectors, 

they often use one of the units designed for use with DCC 

for the smaller scales, such as units by Dallee, NCE, and JLC/ 

Chubb. These units all work fine and you might think that 

there should be no problems with O Scale because train electricity 

has no direct connection to the detector. But this is not 

quite true. These units do reflect their small-scale birth and 

need some special care in O Scale, as I will note. 

Recall that Block Occupancy Devices detect when a train 

is in a certain portion of track by detecting the electrical current 

drawn by the train. The train’s presence may be used to 

actuate a block signal or a road crossing’s light/gate/bell, or a 

light at a remote switching center, as is done on the prototype. 

It may indicate that a train is in a remote staging area or hidden 

track, or it may protect a junction or control a reversing 

loop. To be complete, we should note that a train can also be 

detected by actuating a mechanical switch or breaking a light 

beam, but here we are talking about current detection, which, 

in fact, is the way the prototype detects a train. 

Model train current detectors go back at least to the 

famous Twin-T detector that Linn Wescott described in 1958. 

But detection is much easier with AC power to the trains 

because a transformer can be used to avoid any connection 

between the detection circuitry and the track. Mark Woodwell 

described block detection in OST #7, Mar/Apr 2003, and 

I described it in OST #11, Nov/Dec 2003. 

If each of your blocks is longer than the length of a train 

and each train has either lighted passenger cars or a lighted 

caboose, then the detection will work properly. If you have 

longer trains, then you will need to scatter in some other cars 

that draw electricity. The standard way to do this is to fasten 

a resistor across a wheel axle to draw some current. Since the 

unit has to recognize both the high current of a locomotive 

and the low current of a light bulb or resistor on the axle, sensitivity 

is an important parameter. 

The photo shows (left to right) a Dallee (with 2 short pieces of 

#14 wire), NCE, and JLC (with an added relay) units. Each of these 

has a transformer called a toroid that looks like a candy lifesaver 

with a hole in the middle. One wire (but not both) supplying electrical 

power to the track is routed through that hole. 

All three of these units need 12 volt DC power and this 

power should have good regulation to keep the unit from 

thinking that a glitch on the power is track detection. Also, 

they all have an on-board light-emitting-diode (LED) indicator 

to show when they are activated. This helps with installation 

and debugging. 

The most complete detector unit of the three is the Dallee 

TRAK-DT-365 which is on a two by three inch printed circuit 

board and includes a double pole, double throw relay that 

can control two five amp circuits. It is hard to imagine signal 

circuitry that needs five amps but you could use this on a 

streetcar line to stop the following car until the present car has 

moved out of the block. The toroid has a 0.2” diameter hole 

which will barely accept two #14 size power wires. Thoughtfully, 

it has holes and spacers for mounting. This unit is part 

of a family of detection items and Dallee can provide further 

details on them. 

The NCE BD20 unit is only 0.8” by 1.4” in size but does 

not include a relay. The toroid has a 0.18” diameter hole. It 

can actuate signals directly or its circuitry will drive an outboard 

relay. It also has provision for you to add a control to 

decrease the sensitivity. 

The Chubb DCCOD unit, produced by JLC, consists of 

a 1.75” by 2.85” PC board and a bag of parts which you 

assemble. Assembly is pretty easy. It does not include a relay, 

but one can be added. The toroid also has a 0.18” hole. It has 

a sensitivity control. 

There are two cautions that O Scalers need to consider 

when using any of these devices. First, the instructions say 

to wrap several turns of wire through the toroid for increased 

sensitivity. You would also need several wires for a grade 

crossing indicator that protected several tracks. But the hole 

in the Dallee unit will only accept 2 turns of #14 wire and 

the others will only accept 1 turn. Nevertheless, you should 

not do that because the stress of trying to wrap stiff power 

wire may damage or break the contacts to the circuit board. 

So use smaller wire, but not the tiny wire they recommend 

or furnish. I suggest #16 stranded wires (extension cord or 

loudspeaker wire) with the insulation stripped off and a thinner 

insulator put on. I use gummed labels from my computer 

printer because they are thin and they stay in place. Also do 

not connect this wire to the tiny terminals on the PC board or 

connector as they say. Instead connect it to your track wiring 

through a separate terminal block. 

Second, the directions imply that you will place all your 

detectors in one place, near your block control panel. The 

companies have connectors and racks to neaten up such an 

installation. Maybe you will do that and run the heavy power 

wires to it. But it is more convenient to place the detector unit 

where it is detecting block current and not have to run longer 

heavy wires. Then you run the 12 volt power leads to the 

detector and the output leads to what is being controlled, usually 

signals or grade crossing lights nearby. 

If you take these simple precautions, then these units will 

work fine with your O Scale layout. For additional information 

you can reference the following websites: [www.dallee.com], 

[www.ncedcc.com], [www.jlcenterprise.net]. 

u 


Rail-Related Industries from B.T.S. ! 

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The Cabin Creek Coal Tipple is a freelanced 

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The McCabe Lumber Co. Planing Shed should be called 

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Slatyfork is a double bandsaw mill that can handle the load! This Master 

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Interior walls and floors are included. And the standard features of B.T.S. 

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While it is a freelanced structure, the Elliott & Sons Supply was based upon a tomato 

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All Scale Catalog - $5.00 

Celebrating over 29 Years of Service since 1979

MTH DCS to DCC Conversion 

Ray Grosser 

MTH brought a very nice die-cast 2-8-0 to the world of O 

Scale. It sounds fair with the DC sound effects, but to operate 

it one needs to use DCS. I believed that operationally it could 

be greatly improved with dedicated DCC. Also, some of the 

sound effects are toy train like, and are not easily shut off 

without the MTH command system. I wanted to control all 

the sounds and get rid of the smoke generator (actually an oil 

distribution system) too, so this is how I did it. 

Taking the engine and tender apart is the easy work (Photos 

1-2). Large Phillips head screws attach the superstructure 

to the chassis, and the same for the tender. Once the superstructures 

are separated, the careful removal of an enormous 

amount of electronic gear is undertaken with a screwdriver, 

some wire nippers, and a pencil soldering iron. I attempted to 

salvage as much of the MTH electronics as possible because I 

needed to use several pieces in the new installation. Replacing 

the electronics with the new DCC decoders was much 

easier than taking out the old stuff. 

Among the first things you will discover is that the engine 

drivers are insulated on the right side, not the left. You have 

to compensate for this if you intend to take power from the 

1 

2 

engine frame and drivers for any of the DCC electronics. 

I also found the tender trucks are isolated from the frame, 

and the two trucks are turned 180 degrees apart so that four 

wheels (only two axles on each truck have wipers) can pick 

up power from the rails. This means that you may not need 

a wire from the engine to the tender for pickup but the additional 

four drivers would help at switches and crossings. The 

locomotive does not have pickup wipers on the insulated 

drivers. Obviously, some wipers could be installed that would 

increase pickup to all eight engine wheels if you want to go 

to the effort. Make sure that when you are installing the new 

decoders you orient the pickup wires from the tender trucks 

to the correct terminals. An ohmmeter is an absolute necessity 

for this project to verify the wires running between the 

engine and tender. I will attempt to explain this later on. 

There are two ways of making the locomotive chuff 

sound: the installation of a SoundTraxx EXH-220 exhaust 

cam, installed with a wiper on the fourth driver, or using 

the auto-chuff capabilities of the sound decoders. I used the 

SoundTraxx exhaust cam with a bronze wire wiper to get 

a positive four square exhaust sound. Taking the rear driver 

off the locomotive to install the SoundTraxx disc was a little 

unorthodox because I could not get a wheel puller between 

the frame and wheel, but I found a way to do it. (Courage is a 

necessary component in your make up; I don’t think replacement 

drivers are all that easy to come by.) 

Materials 

I used a NCE D408SR rated for 4 amps for the engine 

motor and lights. The Pittman motor stalls at a little over 3 

amps and I do not want to get too close to the decoder rating 

for any reason. Another decoder that would work in this 

application is the Digitrax DG583S decoder; it is rated for 5 

amps. I have been told that NWSL makes a motor that draws 

much less amperage, but the mounting of the MTH motor 

was so well designed that I did not want to change it. I am 

also not sure what the stall amperage on another manufacturer’s 

motor is, so going with a higher amperage decoder was 

my best option. For the sound, I chose a SoundTraxx Tsunami 

TSU-1000 to piggy back on the D408SR. The rating on the 

sound decoder is not affected by the power needed for the 

motor as we are only driving the sound system. 

I also chose a 2-inch speaker rated at 8 ohms. The 4 ohm 


MTH speaker might have worked but it was an easy task to 

replace it. Just unscrew the mounting plate and install the 

new speaker. 

Decoder Installation 

To get power from the tender to the engine, I have historically 

run the wires through some heat shrink tubing and 

made the connections look like the stoker tube. However 

this would not permit the engine to be uncoupled from the 

tender, something that is really needed in O Scale. The problem 

I found in using a soldered pin and socket assembly was 

the constant flexing of the wire at the plug eventually caused 

the wire to fail. A stout connection is an absolute necessity. I 

chose to reuse the harness and plug from the salvaged MTH 

electronics because all the wires are color coded through 

the pins and socket (Photo 3). I turned the 90 degree upbend 

of the harness 180 degrees and reinstalled the socket 

3 

4 

5 

upside down in the locomotive frame. This forced the wire 

close enough to the drawbar to appear as a stoker tube while 

retaining the ability to uncouple the engine and tender for 

movement or service and hid the elbow in the harness wire. 

In order to accomplish this rework of the 10 pin socket, several 

things needed to be done. After removing the bracket that 

holds the socket on the MTH assembly, I had to cut slots under 

the lip of the bracket in order to install the board and socket 

upside down, lower and in the right plane to receive the plug 

from the tender. The slots are easily cut with a band saw and a 

metal blade. A hacksaw or a backsaw will also work. 

I discovered that the wires would hit the top of the lug that 

is above the drawbar, so it had to be milled down. I do not 

own a milling machine, so I used a motor tool with a carbide 

bit and carefully removed about a 1/8 inch (Photo 4). I used 

Tap Magic (Steco Corporation, Little Rock AR) as a cutting 

fluid. It was not meant for this kind of milling, but I did not 

want to use something that would not clean off, and this stuff 

really works. It keeps the flutes of the mill clean. This cast 

metal will fill them in a hurry and cutting is nearly impossible 

when that happens. 

Once I had the lug milled down, I finished it with a sander 

and file, and then coated the top with liquid tape to insure 

that no shorts were possible between the board and the 

frame. I then reinstalled the board with the two longer screws 

from the third rail bosses (Photo 5). The longer screws were 

needed because of the two pieces of 0.060” plastic I used 

to lower the socket to the center line of the hole in the cab 

brace. This lined the socket up perfectly, allowing the plug 


easy access. 

I installed the new decoders and the speaker in the tender 

so the needed wires to the locomotive would be transferred 

through the MTH harness. Since I wanted the engine to also 

pick up power from the non-insulated side of the frame, I 

ran the red power pickup wire from the engine frame to the 

decoder in the tender. 

All of the other wires run from the tender to the engine— 

two for the headlight on function 0 (The blue common wire 

and the white headlight wire), one for the cab lights on green 

function 5, one brown for the SoundTraxx EXH-220 cam, and 

one purple for the marker lights on function 6. Functions 5 

and 6 attach to the common (blue) wire in the locomotive; so 

a separate wire from the tender is not needed. 

A caution is in order here. The installation sheets clearly 

state: “Never, ever make connections to the decoder while it 

is powered. Never, ever allow the decoder leads to come in 

contact with any DCC track wiring except those specifically 

designed for that purpose.” And then there is the catch all specification 

that will void the warranty: “Never, ever remove the 

decoder’s protective shrink tubing.” I cannot be held responsible 

for anything other than the warning—pay attention. 

Sound Cam Installation 

The frame does not come apart with a cover plate over 

the driver boxes as is normally the case with brass model 

frames, and the use of a NWSL wheel puller was not possible 

because of insufficient clearance between the wheel 

and frame. This is a die cast frame with no spring rigging or 

equalization; just a drilled frame for the bronze bearing boxes

with the axles run through and wheels pressed on after they 

are installed in the frame. I used two flat screwdrivers narrow 

enough to go between the inner hub and the frame and 

a small hammer to successfully remove one driver wheel and 

tire (Photos 6-7). If you pry against the wheel spokes and the 

frame, there is a good probability you will be looking for a 

replacement wheel set. The spokes were never meant to take 

the force of the pull. Even on a prototype wheel, the hub 

must be engaged. 

I have no idea what the MTH quartering jig looks like, but 

6 

of the tire to limit the side-to-side play on the bronze bearing, 

or preventing the wheel edges from touching the frame. This 

method of machining is ingenious but problematic for the 

installation of the exhaust cam (Photo 8). 

Drilling the hole only for the axle size will not allow the 

8 

7 

cam to be flush with the back side of the wheel, so I actually 

had to drill the center of the cam out large enough to go over 

the hub (approximately 3/8”). It is not going to be all that difficult 

to make the cam work; you just need to insure that you 

have conductivity between the wheel and the cam. 

I glued the cam to a piece of wood with white glue, then 

drilled the hole in the center of the cam with a newly sharpened 

3/8” bit in a drill press (Photo 9). I then soaked the cam 

back off the wood block and cut it to the size of the inside 

9 

I have sufficient experience to get the driver back on close 

enough to make it run smooth. If you are afraid of removing 

a driver because you might not get it quartered when you 

reinstall the wheel, then opt for the auto-chuff feature on the 

sound decoder. 

What is the orientation of the cam on the driver? If you 

want to be perfectly squared, the cam center would be 45 

degrees off the main crank. This will give you an exhaust 

sound for one side of the engine as the valve releases the 

expanded steam from the cylinders, and then the other side 

as the drivers turned. Each turn of the driver will give you four 

exhaust sounds. A locomotive tuned by a master mechanic 

would be four square, or all of the same length and sound. A 

locomotive with a worn valve or a worn pin in the valve gear 

for example, would have a sound that would be what is best 

described as a “fluff”, a term I heard at the roundhouse in 

Glenwood Minnesota on the Soo Line when I was young. 

What I could not do is solder the SoundTraxx EXH-220 

exhaust cam to the wheel center or the axle. The wheel center 

is diecast so soldering would not work. Also, the cam has 

to have a hole of sufficient size to go over the back hub on 

the wheel, which actually sticks out further than the back side 

diameter of the tire and it worked like it was supposed to. 

According to the paper included with the cam, 

SoundTraxx says that a conductive paint will work. I finally 

located some GC Electronics conductive paint at a radio parts 

supply business, and this stuff is not cheap ($24 for 2 ounces). 

Clean all the black off of the driver back, hub, and rim with a 

wire brush in a motor tool before gluing the cam to the inside 

of the driver (Photos 10-11). 

Use the conductive paint to make the connection between 

the driver tire and the cam’s metal surfaces. You can paint the 

inside edge of the cam and tire, but it would have been better 

had I painted it on before reinstalling the driver. (I got in a 

hurry and reinstalled the driver before I had the paint.) 

You have only one chance to put the driver back on the 

axle with the SoundTraxx EXH-220 exhaust cam because 

removing it again would possibly destroy the cam. You 


10 

12 

11 

an absolute necessity. Once the electronic board is secured to 

the frame, bend and shape the bronze wire to fit and solder 

it in place to contact the cam on the wheel. Photo 13 shows 

how I made mine. 

Tender and Trucks 

13 

have to quarter the driver on the axle first before pressing 

it back on. This is not as difficult as it might appear. Model 

locomotives have a lot more slop in the quartering than a 

real steam locomotive. A real locomotive with the kind of 

quartering slop that models have would be scrapped. Did I 

say scrapped? Yes, at the least re-bushed. In a real locomotive 

this amount of slop would be inches, not thousands of 

an inch. The normal clearance for a new bushing was a mere 

0.030” and was shopped if it got to 0.100”. You have room 

for a small error in quartering here. Prototype and live steam 

model axles are milled with a keyway 90 degrees apart from 

each other on each end of the axle. The wheel hubs have 

a keyway centered on the axle bore and opposite from the 

crank pin bore. All they have to do is align the wheel on the 

key and press it on; most models under 3/4 inch scale do not 

have the keys or keyways. 

When the cam is installed, reinstall the driver using a 

small C-clamp squarely over the axle with a 0.060” styrene 

shims over the inside hub of the driver. The shims, one on 

each side, are needed to flush out the hub with the counterweight 

so the clamp faces will fit squarely. Not being square 

over the axle could potentially put the driver on crooked and 

you will have a wobble. Line the left side rod so it is lined up 

with the axle centers, and place the right wheel on the axle to 

line up with the adjacent driver. Check it several times and if 

you are satisfied, carefully tighten the C-clamp and the wheel 

will slide into place (Photo 12). 

Install the cam wiper wire by first fitting the electronic 

board to the frame. I used a 00-90 bolt drilled and tapped 

into the frame to accomplish this. Again, care is needed in 

tapping the hole and use of Tap Magic thread cutting fluid is 

The original MTH tender trucks had an intermittent short 

on curves, even large radius curves, so I wanted replace them 

with a pair of Precision Scale Co. tender trucks. The PSC 

trucks are sprung and have absolutely perfect detail in the 

side frames. Photo 14 shows the original MTH truck on the 

left and the new PSC truck on the right. The copper bracket is 

a shelf for the decoders. 

The first thing I found was that the PSC outside journal to 

14 


journal centers are a scale 8’-9” and the king pin is centered 

on the center axle. The MTH trucks scale out to be 8’-4” 

outside journal to journal, and the king pin is located 0.125” 

(1/8 inch) off center. This makes the stamped MTH bolsters in 

the frame useless in fitting the PSC trucks. 

Also, because the drawbar between the engine and tender 

is not insulated on the MTH engine, a way had to be found to 

insulate the trucks completely from the frame. Rather than try 

to invent a drawbar bushing of plastic, I chose to make new 

plastic bolsters for the tender and insulate everything from the 

frame. 

Starting with the MTH tender underframe, I found that 

the body bolsters were formed in the sheet metal frame with 

a die and forming tool. The diameter of the punch area is 

0.5” (1/2 inch) and in order to center the PSC trucks, these 

formed bolsters had to go. I drilled the underframe at these 

punched areas with a 1/2-inch bit in a drill press and finished 

the removal of the whole punched area with a carbide bit in 

a hand motor tool. The carbide bit cuts metal extremely well, 

but it makes shavings of metal that fly everywhere. Wear safety 

glasses, and preferably cover your body with your official 

tool and die maker’s apron. 

After cutting off the stamped bolsters from the frame, I 

enlarged the holes to be able to move the king pins back 1/8- 

inch on the new body bolsters. I fabricated the body bolsters 

from a sheet of 0.085” styrene. I cut two pieces 2-1/4 inches 

long and 1 inch wide and secured them to the frame with two 

2-56 flat head screws tapped into the metal frame. This is the 

foundation for the truck bolsters (Photo 15). 

I made the truck bolsters using two pieces of 0.085” styrene 

1/2” by 5/8” and glued them in the center of the body 

bolster at the correct distance from the end so that the new 

kingpin centered the PSC trucks (Photo 16). The king pin hole 

has to clear the spring that comes with the PSC trucks so the 

holes were drilled with a 13/64” diameter bit in a drill press. 

This will clear the spring but you do not want it to go all the 

way through the bolster, so a bottom must be installed. For 

that I used a piece of 1/16” styrene cut to the same size, and 

drilled the kingpin holes with a 9/64” bit to clear the 0.134” 

diameter kingpin screw but hold the spring in place. The 

build up of plastic is 0.250”, which brings the coupler to the 

perfect height after the trucks are installed (Photo 17). 

The MTH tender trucks are obviously designed for the 

3-Rail market, with 2-Rail wheel sets installed. The 2-Rail 

wheels are insulated between the axle and the wheel on one 

side only, just like the rest of the world. After that, nothing is 

15 

the same as the rest of the world. 

The MTH insulating system is very unique. One truck has 

plastic journals on both side frames, making all the wheels 

insulated from the rail to the frame. Two axles have bronze 

wipers from an insulated pad to the axles, making the power 

pick up on those two axles only. The other truck has bronze 

journals on one side, and plastic on the other. This will give 

you power off the wheels that are not insulated, but they have 

installed wipers on that truck as well even though power is 

being transferred to the frame on one side. It is not enough for 

good operation. 

To wire the new PSC trucks, I secured some #30 gauge 

16 

17 

flexible wire to the truck side frames and ran it through the 

tender bottom through the edge of the new bolsters. This will 

give six wheel pickup from the tender to the black wire to 

the decoder. The red wure uses the non-insulated side of the 

engine for pickup and is routed through the harness between 

the engine and the tender. The backup light in the tender only 

needed to pick up the common (Blue) wire off the decoder 

and the yellow lead which lights the bulb when the engine is 

in reverse. 

Sound Decoder Installation 

The SoundTraxx Tsunami decoder is also mounted in the 

tender, with the two pickup wires going directly to the NCE 

decoder and two wires to the speaker (Photo 18). The Tsunami 

already has a capacitor installed. If you are using a DSX 

decoder, you need to solder in a rated capacitor to the plus 

leg of the speaker. You also need a 33ohm resister rated for a 

1/2 amp between the red decoder pick up wire to limit power 

surges to the HO decoder that might result when power is 

first applied to the track with the O Scale DCC system. (HO 

Scale runs on less base voltage than O Scale.) 

Since I am only using the F-5 (Marker Lights) light function 

on the Tsunami decoder, I pulled the rest of the wires out of the 


18 

plug, one at a time. If you don’t need them, fix them so they 

cannot make a smoke generator out of your decoder. Tying 

them in a neat bundle may not always work. (Yes, I have experience 

doing that as well. The little bitty wire strand in one lead 

touched a little bitty wire strand in another lead and poof. It 

was over before I could say: “Rats.”) 

It is sometimes necessary to isolate each of the decoders in 

the event that you want to change any of the CV values, the 

sound volume for example. These switches are not absolutely 

necessary if you want to run your pride and joy on a non-DCC 

equipped layout. The Tsunami will come on and some sound 

will come out once you achieve 7-9 volts on the track, but it is 

annoying because the engine will move long before any sound 

comes out. You can shut it off completely with this switch. 

I accomplished this by locating exact copies of the DPDT 

slide switches in the MTH assembly, and installed them in the 

tender frame. I wired them up to the NCE and SoundTraxx 

decoders to isolate them from one another (Photo 19). The 

power can be turned off or on to either decoder for changes 

in one or the other. That way there will be no crossover 

between the two decoders on any of the CV values. It is 

possible to end up with some mysterious operations if you 

19 

20 

change something in one and inadvertently changed the 

other. (Yes, I have experience with that as well.) 

To make them operate, solder one lead of the decoder 

wire to the center pin and the other lead to the pick up point 

on the pin adjacent to it on the same side. This will make a 

straight SPST switch that is already sized for the screws in the 

tender bottom. If I could have located SPST switches with 

holes the same as the tender, I would have used them instead. 

You will have to turn the tender over to operate these 

switches, but that is better in my mind than installing the out 

of scale things on top of the tender where they might be seen 

(Look at Photo 17). 

Photo 20 shows a view of the completed wiring in the 

locomotive showing only the wires needed to make the headlight, 

marker lights, and cab light operate. This is a far simpler 

way to make this engine really operate well. 

The marker lights turned out to be LEDs and I managed to 

make little smoke generators out of both of them. I replaced 

them with 1.5 volt 40 ma bulbs with a 470 ohm resister in 

one leg of each bulb. The locomotive headlight, backup light, 

and cab light all work fine on 12 volts, but since O Scale 

DCC track power is more than that, I put 150 ohm resisters in 

one leg of each of those bulbs and toned them down to make 

them last longer. I am pleased with the results. 

The only thing that I found a bit difficult was programming 

the cam operation on the chuff sound. The SoundTraxx 

manual is 77 pages long, and it took several tries to find 

someone who knew which page the CV values were located 

on. Once I found that, everything programmed immediately. 

There has to be an easier way—possibly an opening for some 

entrepreneur to write a simple cheat sheet to accomplish 

what now takes an engineering doctorate to gain control over 

these things. 

This is not a difficult conversion, but does take a little time 

and effort. In the end, it is one that makes the MTH 2-8-0 a 

much easier engine to program and operate; and frankly, I 

think the SoundTraxx locomotive sound is the best. Obviously 

it is a matter of opinion, and now you know mine. u 


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Clip or photocopy this registration form, provide your complete 

contact information with payment and send to: 

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Attn: Platinum Club 

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Philadelphia, PA 19124 

24 • O Bachmann Scale Trains Industries, - Sept/Oct Inc. ’08• 1400 East Erie Ave, Philadelphia PA 19124 • www.bachmanntrains.com

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from any manufacturer’s kit. 

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“Just Like Real!” 


Traction Action 

Roger C. Parker 

A Visit with Bill Brandt and His Popular Traction Module 

For me, Bill Brandt’s traction modules have always been one 

of the highlights of events like the Boston Trolley Meet. The 

action is both riveting and continuous, the scenery is pleasing, 

and the modules are at a comfortably high level for viewing the 

trolleys. I’m never alone as there are usually several other modelers 

and photographers gathered around. 

Bill was kind enough to respond to my questions and provide 

me with details about the background, construction, and 

operation of his layout. Although the layout is deceptively 

simple, I was surprised by the complexity of many elements, 

such as the electronics. 

The Beginning 

Although Bill had some Lionel equipment when he was 

growing up, it wasn’t until his first son was three that Bill began 

modeling in earnest. His first serious layout was a 3’ x 5’ HO 

trolley layout intended for his son’s room. By the late 1970’s, 

Bill was displaying the layout at local hobby shows. 

Joel Lovitch offered Bill a couple of O Scale end modules 

that he had. They were just bare wood with cork and track: no 

overhead, no scenery, no wiring. About this time the HO module 

got damaged; so instead of fixing it, he switched completely 

to O Scale. 

As Bill puts it: “Two end loops is not much of a layout, even 

if it’s modular! So, I built a straight module with a pair of side 

tracks and a crossover between the two mainlines. I named it 

‘Yard’. At a local show, a fellow looked at the layout with the 

three modules and asked if I was looking for company. I said 

‘sure,’ and he built a module or two, both straights, to go in the 

lineup. We did a number of shows before he was transferred 

to Dallas, Texas. About this time, the end modules got scenery; 

one as a city block called ‘Town,’ the other as country 

called ‘Remote Loop’ which became ‘Arlop’”. Although Bill 

was following East Penn standards in most cases, he desired an 

increased layout height. Having obtained 2x2s in 8-foot lengths 

for legs, he decided to cut them in half and reduce them later, 

if necessary. He found, however, that a lot of folks liked the 51 

inch level. Bill noted, “I think mine was the first modular layout 

with the higher height.” 

Layout description 

With several more modules built, the layout evolved to what 

is referred to as the standard configuration: about 23 feet long 

and ranging in width from 16 inches to 6 feet. There are seven 

modules in this loop to loop configuration, with a long section 

of double track and a short section of single track between the 

loops. All overhead wire is phosphor bronze, one size for the 

contact wire and a finer size for the span and pull-off wires. 

From left to right (viewer’s reference) the modules are named. 


Rinks 

The most complex module and the base of operations, Rinks 

is a two part module covering about 4 x 7 feet. It is modeled 

after a location on the Lehigh Valley Transit system in Norristown, 

PA. It was designed from photos using Cadrail. Bill never 

visited the actual location until after the module was built. The 

LVT freight station and the apartment house are scratchbuilt, 

including doors and windows. The model shop building uses 

wall castings for an enginehouse with windows and freight 

doors cut into the castings. Street and sidewalks are Durham’s 

water putty, carved and painted. The tree is Scale Trees. The 

background fence is from Berkshire Valley. 

Because there would be a lot of in-street trackage, no ties 

were used. Thin double sided circuit board was cut in strips 

and glued to the plywood. Then code 100 rail was soldered 

to the circuit board. This kept the pavement to about 1/8 of an 

inch in thickness. Despite this, the module’s weight is still marginally 

too heavy. Switches are handlaid single point, each one 

made for a specific location. All four are activated by Tortoise 

switch machines with a spring linkage. Line poles are three 

piece brass rod and tubing. Electrical sections are in the track 

to avoid the ugliness that a lot of insulators in the overhead wire 

would create. 

Esses 

Esses is a variable width module four feet long, which 

adapts the non-East Penn single track interface of Rinks to the 

two track East Penn modular standard. It has the electronics for 

controlling the entry into the single track section (more on this 

later). The track layout was also done using Cadrail and is handlaid, 

using Clover House PC and wood ties with code 100 rail. 

The switch is a handlaid two point spring switch controlled by 

an HO Scale Caboose Industries groundthrow. Line poles are 

made of one brass rod and two pieces of brass tubing so that 

they look like the stepped steel poles commonly used in cities. 

On Bill’s layout the overhead is designed for pole only use. 

The shelter was a kit whose manufacturer is long forgotten. 

Figures are from miscellaneous sources. The street and 

sidewalk are Durham’s water putty, carved and painted. The 

bank building is a Les Lewis background printed sheet that was 

cut apart and pasted on layers of poster board. The front steps, 

sidewalls, and roof are added. 

Ecks 

Like Rinks, Ecks uses code 100 rails on PC board, three part 

line poles and very plain scenery. It was designed using Cadrail 

to layout the curves needed in moving from one distance to the 

front to the other and to get the switch correct. 

Rocky Ridge 

Rocky Ridge is a short straight double track three foot long

module started by Bill’s sons and finished by Bill. Rocky Ridge utilizes 

sectional track with code 128 rail. Line poles are wood dowels with double 

side arm supports of brass rod, brass castings, and wire. 

Kingston Point 

Kingston Point is a 5-6 foot straight double track module also modeled 

after a real location: the trolley stop shelter located in Kingston Point 

Park in Kingston, NY. This was once the location of an amusement park, 

which could be reached by the Kingston trolley system, by the Ulster and 

Delaware (U&D) railroad, and by Hudson River boats. Bill created the 

shelter from scratch, using measurements made on the still existing (at 

that time) shelter. Kingston Point uses Atlas flextrack again, without cork 

roadbed. The line poles are of 1/4 inch welding rod with brass castings on 

the overhead. Figures are Circus Craft and other, cars are by Ertl. Road is 

of Durham’s Water Putty, scribed and painted to be like concrete. Wood 

timbers in the road crossing are also of water putty. 

Arlop 

Arlop was one of the first two modules. The track is old Atlas flextrack 

with code 148 rail and was on cork roadbed. Line poles are wooden 1/4 

inch dowels. No brass castings were used at the beginning on this module; 

some are on the module now as a result of later changes. 

A construction style suitable for poles and pantographs is used. This 

was based on observation of the prototype overhead on the Key System. 

Block insulators are a piece of perfboard with a hole drilled out to 0.060” 

diameter. Wires are bent up and through the hole and then separated 

with a piece of toothpick, followed by CA glue. (This method was learned 

from Dave Cooper, who used it in HO Scale modules.) The trees are from 

Woodland Scenic, and others. 

Yard 

Yard was an early build to give some straight running, along with car 

storage space and a crossover to allow for reversing the cars without 

handling. It uses old Atlas code 148 flextrack and switches and no cork 

roadbed. A small control panel gives route-oriented, pushbutton-control 

of switches. Line poles are dowels. Overhead uses brass castings instead 

of wire to hang the contact wire from the supporting wires. On the two 

sidings, wooden platforms at track level are used. This makes the placing 

of cars on the track easier - just slide them sideways till the flanges drop 

into the flange ways. 

Electrical and 5-car Operation! 

The electrical and control system on the modules are basically to East 

Penn standards. The control panel is located on the Rinks module. A 

dual power pack is used; one for the mainline, and one for the loop on 

Rinks (this is not a dual cab system). Switches on the panel control various 

blocks and the position of the track switches. 

Because the standard layout is a loop to loop with some single track, 

there is a possibility of cornfield meets, and only a single car could be run 

without paying very close attention. An automatic stopping circuit was 

devised and is located on the Esses module. It uses three Bruce Chubb 

current detecting circuits on three blocks on the module. When a car 

goes onto the single track block it picks a relay that removes power from 

the block of track in front of the shelter. This relay stays picked while the 

car is in the Rinks loop. When the car comes back onto Esses and clears 

the single track block, the relay is dropped and a car at the shelter can 

proceed. 

With this circuitry, two cars can be run automatically and not collide. 

If a third car is placed on the track, it may come up behind a car stopped 

at the shelter and collide with it. To allow still more cars to be automatically 

run, East Penn standard block stopping circuitry was added to both 

the inbound and outbound tracks on Rocky Ridge, Kingston Point, and 

Arlop modules. 

This created six additional places where cars can be stopped. These 

operate by using one rail as a signal rail, and when it is shorted to the 

Drawn for O Scale Trains Magazine by Carey Hinch 


December 2002, the Albany Train Shop: the standard configuration of 

modules. 

April 1982: the first two O Scale Modules. The nearer module becomes 

“Town” and the far module “Arlop”. 

other rail, a relay is picked that opens the connection to a section 

of overhead. Now up to five cars can be run safely and not 

collide; the operator can talk to visitors. When this many cars 

are run at one time, there is a lot of starting and stopping as 

one car at a time moves up into the next block emptied by the 

preceding car. But only one car is in the Rinks loop and single 

track at any one time. 

BF&M 

Baldwin Forge & Machine 

Box 5, Baldwin MD 21013 

How can we help you? Custom machine 

work, 3-R to 2-R conversions for steam, 

diesel or electric. Driver castings 

machined. General repairs to O Scale locomotives. 

Call Joe, evenings 7 to 9 PM. 

410-592-5275 or rrjjf@aol.com 

Because modern technology (DCC) can make cars all run 

at the same speed where regular DC cannot, DCC was added 

to the system a few years ago. A Lenz system is used with the 

ability to control up to eight cars at one time. The layout is easily 

switched from DC to DCC and back. This is useful since 

most guest cars are still DC, while many of Bill’s cars now have 

decoders in them and are used at non-meet shows. 

No problems have been found with the Chubb detectors or 

the East Penn circuits with the use of DCC. Note that these are 

the original Chubb circuits and not the newer optimized ones 

for DCC. The next time you’re at a traction meet, be sure to 

visit Bill’s layout, and—perhaps—introduce yourself as an 

O Scale Trains Magazine reader. 

u 

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Car Co. 

Dept OST 

3828 St. Joseph Ct 

Lake Station IN 46405 

They’re Back! 

Former Indianapolis Car Company sides 

are now available from new tooling. 

Parts #100 & #200 

$3.00 each 

Orders under $50 please add $4.50 for postage and 

handling. SASE for updated list. 

Nos. 16001-18500 O SCALE/PROTO 48 • Kit #124/124-P … $49.95 

•Based on 1917 prototype built 

by Mt. Vernon Car Co. 

•Double sheath with Dreadnought ends 

•Steel underframe 

•Andrews trucks 

•Kit includes couplers and decals 

Also available – 

SACRAMENTO NORTHERN 

Boxcar Nos. 2301-2350 

Kit #125/125-P … $49.95 

Coming soon – SP Sugar Beet Gondola 


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WSM PRR M1 4-8-2 UP New, Last Run, Silver and Black Label ....................................... $1,395 

Max Gray PRR M1a 4-8-2 UP New, 210p75 Tender, Late Run ...........................................$1,195 

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OMI PRR M1b 4-8-2 UP Mint, 210p75 Tender w/Antenna ................................................$2,495 

OMI PRR M1b 4-8-2 FP Mint, 210p75 Tender w/Antenna, No. 6753 .............................$2,595 

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THE WESTERN RESERVE “O” SCALE TRAIN SHOW 

CLEVELAND, OHIO 

Saturday, November 8, 2008 9:00 am - 2:00 pm 

Admission: $6.00 6’ Tables - $37.00 

LAKELAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 

I90 and ST.RT. 306 (S.E. Corner) 

Held in the Auxiliary Gym / Athletic Center 

24 Hr. Police • Public Welcome • Free Parking • 2-rail “O” scale only • Please no other gauges 

SORRY NO PASSES ACCEPTED AT THIS SHOW • THIS SHOW IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE WESTERN RESERVE O SCALE COMMITTEE WHO ANNUALLY PUT ON A SIMILAR SHOW 

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$1.00 for each additional car 

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2-Rail (9582) 

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Additional Atlas O Special Runs Coming Soon: 

Bewind Coal 55 Ton Coal Hopper 

PRR Anchor Lines 40’ Wood Reefer 

NYC X-29 Box Car 


All items shown are available in four road numbers 

6 Delmar Ridge Drive • Wellsboro, PA 16901 

amhobbies2@hotmail.com 

(570) 723-1824 

Pacific Fruit Express 

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2-Rail (3001020) 

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Phone: 330-825-3673 

Fax: 330-825-0214 

200 23rd St. NW • Barberton, OH 44203 

email: Dbrumagin4@netscape.net

Feeding the Red Birds 

For those of you who follow the magazine, or in 

particular “The Modern Image” in Issue #30, Jan/ 

Feb, 2007, the column was based on the servicing 

of locomotives in run-thru coal train service. In prototype 

operations there can always be that unusual 

situation where common practice just does not 

work. Keep in mind that thought as I describe a situation that 

occurred a couple of weeks ago on a high priority intermodal 

train and how to model a prototype operation. 

On Friday May 30, 2008 I was called at 2:30 p.m. for Train 

Q-CLOATG3-28F, a high priority stack train from Clovis N.M. 

to Atlanta Ga. The train has two Locomotives, BNSF #757 and 

BNSF #888, both GE Dash 9-44-CWs hauling 72 loaded stack 

cars weighing 5,449 tons with a total train length of 6,678 

feet. This is a step-off, step-on crew change at Memphis. A 

quick conversation between the inbound engineer and myself 

revealed the engines were working properly and handling the 

train very well. Standard procedure for this train is to check 

the fuel reading of each engine and report the readings to the 

yardmaster prior to departure. In this case, #757 showed 1500 

gallons and #888 had 1400 gallons of fuel. Cleared by the 

yardmaster to leave, we departed Memphis at 3:30 p.m. 

About a half hour out of Memphis, the dispatcher contacted 

us via radio and advised the Corridor Chief had ordered a 

fuel truck to meet us at Amory, Miss. and to split the fuel load 

between both locomotives. Fueling engines between service 

facilities is not that uncommon so it was southbound to Amory 

where we arrived at 6:30 p.m. (Photo 1) 

Pulling into Track One at Amory yard, we proceeded to 

the south end of the yard and stopped next to the waiting fuel 

truck. The truck operating out of Vernon AL, is a 4000-gallon 

tanker that belongs to a private fuel supplier who contracts 

with the BNSF to supply fuel to the railroad. Set and centered, 

we stepped off the lead unit and advised the truck operator 

that the train belongs to him, to split the 4000-gallon load 

between each locomotive and to start fueling when ready 

(Photos 2 & 3). 

It takes the truck operator about an hour to empty the tanker 

between both locomotives. During that time we talked with 

the operator, flagged the crossing for a couple of northbound 

trains and took a few photos. After completing the fueling process, 

we checked the readings and called up the dispatcher 

on the radio to report the new readings and advised we were 

ready to go. The #757 now showed 3150, and the #888 had 

3000 gallons. The dispatcher advised he was ready to move us 

south and gave a clear signal out of Amory yard. It was now 

about 7:45 p.m. 

Back out on the main, we met several northbound trains 

and arrived at Birmingham yard at 01:05 a.m. On our arrival 

at Birmingham, we were instructed to pull through track IC-01 

to the east end where the outbound CSXT road crew would 

meet us and swap out. Once again this is a step-off, step-on 

crew change. We took a few minutes and exchanged information 

about the train and engines. Crew change complete, the 

crew van transported us to the yard office where we tied-up. 

It was now 2:00 a.m., 11 hours and 30 minutes on duty and 

the train was leaving BNSF’s Birmingham yard headed for the 

CSXT main line and the final leg of its cross-country journey 

to Atlanta, Ga. 

You may wonder, why not take the engines to the diesel 

shop at Birmingham for fuel? Simple answer: Time. It took an 

hour to fuel at Amory. A trip to the shop at Birmingham for fuel, 

and a once over by the shop personnel and return to the train 

could take two to four hours or more. After four hours without a 

charged train line, the train would be required to have an initial 

terminal brake test. On a guaranteed service train, time saved 

equals money saved and improved performance. 

To model this scenario on a layout, all you should need 

would be the fuel truck, figures for the truck operator and train 

crew, and a location on the layout that would allow the fuel 

truck access to the locomotive(s). Currently I do not have a 

fuel tanker of the type shown in the photographs, but I have 

seen varieties of this type truck for sale on E-Bay. I would think 

shortline operations would use this same scenario to supply 

fuel to their locomotives as a dedicated service and storage 

facility would not be necessary. 

Now you know how the prototype handles the situation when 

engines need fuel and a trip to the fuel rack is not practical. You 

simply bring the fuel station to the engine. Until next time, check 

the fuel. It’s embarrassing to run out on the main line. u 

Sept/Oct ’08 - O Scale Trains • 31 

1 

2 

3

Lost art form... 

Your latest editorial touches upon an important point 

regarding the future of Chinese ready-to-run models and their 

price. It would be great to see a rise in the kit business in the 

US. This would stimulate the small suppliers who offer things 

like detail parts, decals, wheels and the other essential modeling 

items. 

I am afraid the art of model building is being lost. Model 

railroaders are more willing to part with cash to get something 

that is ready to pop on the track. Basic skills like soldering, 

fabrication and painting are becoming a lost art form. 

Gene Deimling (via e-mail) 

(Gene: We are dedicated to maintaining those skills as 

evidenced by the weathering and soldering articles in this 

issue. — Joe G.) 

Model vs. RTR 

I can’t agree more that kit building is a dying art; some 

say a lost art in a few hobbies/scales. Fortunately, there are 

enough folks who still “model”, versus just plopping a RTR 

car on the track and watching it roll, to keep some of the cottage 

industry manufacturers in the black. 

I was not so fortunate in O Scale, possibly because of 

the prototypes selected (both Southern Ry.), but I believe the 

reasons are much deeper. O Scale has been blessed over the 

years, particularly within the past 20 or so, with a wealth of 

goodquality products to pick from. To some extent, I believe 

that O Scalers might feel a bit overwhelmed when they open 

closet doors and storage boxes to find kits that haven’t seen 

daylight in at least 20 years. I know I had that feeling with 

HO, hence my decision to change to O about 7 years ago 

and to start producing resin kits. Another factor is the RTR 

prices are usually about one half the cost of a resin kit, and 

lack of time, funds, poor eyesight, etc. further contributes to 

buying RTR over spending time building kits. 

My discouragement with the O Scale resin market following 

the dismal sales of these two kits prompted me to look 

elsewhere: S Scale. 

I am convinced, however, that if I’d received similar support 

from O modelers and dealers, I would have continued 

offering kits in that scale. It’s not an easy hobby to be part 

of from a manufacturer’s perspective, but it is FUN and that 

should be one of the driving forces to any hobby. 

Jim King 

Smoky Mountain Model Works, Inc. 

at with some basic tools. A magazine did that over here; it 

worked well as they sorted out the brass castings as part of 

the series. The only problem with a USA engine would be 

getting wheels. I would be happy to undertake doing this and 

making the patterns for castings, etc., if you think it would 

work. 

My other idea would be to show how to make an etched 

brass kit for freight stock. There is a company over here that 

makes some US freight cars. Anyway keep up the good work. 

Lee Marsh (UK, via e-mail) 

(Lee: We are currently developing scratchbuilding material, 

some in brass, some in plastic. These will be published in 

future issues. Wheels are not as problematic as you may think. 

With all the 3-Rail models now available, they’ve become a 

great source for drivers. Of course, they need to be converted 

to 2-Rail but that is not a problem. — Joe G.) 

Electrical pick up 

Those of us who think that O Scale is 7mm = 1ft (1:43.5) 

have to build most of our locomotives from etched brass and/ 

or whitemetal kits. We regularly use ”plungers” for electrical 

pick up. These are essentially identical to Ray Grosser’s 

spring loaded power pickup described in OST #39. Personally 

I think that they work much better than phosphor bronze 

wipers. There are several plungers available commercially 

in Europe. The ones that I use are manufactured by Slater’s 

as their part number 7157. From the photos in the article, 

the Slater’s units appear to be smaller than Ray’s. They are 

normally installed by drilling a hole in the locomotive frame 

behind each driving wheel and installing the plungers before 

inserting the axles and mounting the wheels. They should 

work equally well when mounted as Ray suggests. 

Slater’s products are available in the USA from International 

Hobbies, 10556 Combie Road, Suite 6327, Auburn, CA 

95602. (Usual disclaimer - I have no connection with either 

of the above firms.) 

Thanks for an excellent magazine. I look forward to receiving 

each new issue. 

Glen Suckling (via e-mail) 

Scratchbuilding Series? 

I really enjoyed issue #39. Pity that Hobo D has had to go, 

I enjoyed his thoughts and maybe he can return as Boomer 

D!! It will not be an easy job to convince people that learning 

to solder and build loco kits is a good idea. In the UK we are 

starting to get some RTR models now and folks are happy to 

buy these rather than build kits, one problem being that many 

etched kits are terrible!! 

It might be a good idea to have a series on scratchbuilding 

a small Porter, that even a total beginner could have a bash 


Introducing Turntables from Ross Custom Switches! 

Our new turntables are ready. After two years of development and testing 

RCS proudly introduces our new line of turntables. 

Product# Description Price 

Manually Indexing Turntable (line up tracks by eye) 

TUTA18M 18” Turntable with manually indexing motor $949.95 




Automatic Indexing Turntable 

TUTA18A 18” Turntable with Automatic indexing motor $1349.95 




Shipping on these items are as follows: 

18” and 24” turntables: $100 • 27” and 33” turntables: $125 

Precision made using a CNC cut 3/4” cabinet grade, no-warp, 13 ply baltic birch frame and pit, 7 ball and 

roller thrust bearings, 1” ground center shaft, CNC cut 18” drive gear, mated to an automotive type, nostretch, 

timing belt for perfect grip all the time. Stepper motor with electronic controls and power supply 

for automatic indexing with speed (rpm) set by you, or heavy duty gear reduction motor with manual and 

infinite low speed control and power supply. Full bridge with detail will accept many types of two and 

three rail track. Track spacing at 7.5 or 15 degrees. Pre-wired with an industrial turntable track power 

connector and will transmit remote train controller commands of various manufacture. A square hole 6” 

larger than the bridge length is required. Motor drive hangs down appx. 10.5” Below table. 

Don't forget our line of auto indexing transfer tables as well! 

See www.rossswitches.com for full details on all our products. 


Lounge - Café Car 323 is an extra fare trailer car featuring 

plush lounge chairs and limited menu dining such as cold 

sandwiches, on Gerald Brothers Rapid City, Black Hills & 

Western. The car is made from plastic castings from East 

Gary Car Company with Q- Car trucks and body details. In 

the left side of the close-up, you can see the window where 

the food is dispensed and some of the dining tables and 

chairs from Keil-Line. 

Today’s transfer from Penn Central’s 

Meadows yard was particularly heavy and 

necessitated the use of 2 SD35’s. The PC crew 

has come down from their power discuss the 

next move with EL’s Croxton Yard crew. 

The transfer from the B&O included 

2 gondolas of treated pilings from the 

sunny south. The Croxton yard crew 

prepares them for a run down to the 

Hoboken waterfront where they will be 

used for a wharf repair project. 

Both photos are from Don Smith’s 

layout. 


Here are two shots from John Houlihan’s excellent 

traction scene. See the Centerspread and caption for 

more details. 

This Executive Car was built by Jean Deschennes for 

our Traction columnist Roger C. Parker. The car is based 

on a LaBelle kit. Note the oversized rear windows for 

inspection trips, guests, and prospective shippers to view 

the property. 

The Cape Ann Electric is the “line that never was” 

that ran from an independent subway station under 

Haymarket Square in Boston and extended to Beverly, 

Mass., where one line went to Ipswich, Mass., and 

another line extended to Rockport. This is a longestablished 

Boston & Maine route that Roger always felt 

should have been electrified. He was always intrigued by 

the double-track junction at Beverly. 

Photos by Gene Paltrineri. 


2008 Convention Highlights Contest Winners 

First Place Diesels: Jim Stevenson’s 

D&H RS3. 

First Place Freight: Jack Tracy’s 

PRR Caboose with full interior. 

Other Awards Not Shown: 

First Place Steam: Joe Giannovario, N&W G1 2-8-0. 

First Place Traction: Gary Cliborn, powered Corgi Birney. 

First Place Passenger: Gary Cliborn, UP 5 bdr Club car. 

First Place Non-Revenue: 

Jack Tracy’s PRR Tool car. 

First Place Structures: Rameesh 

Bishop’s Civil War diorama. 


2008 O Scale Hall of Fame Inductees 

Lou Cross 

Right-O’-Way track products 

Dave Waddington 

Trolley parts manufacturer 

Joe Giannovario 

Publisher, O Scale Trains Magazine 

The Southern New 

England Model Rr 

Club hosted the 2008 

convention. 

This is a scene from 

the SNEMRRC’s 

modular layout. This 

fuel facility is based 

on an expanded Walthers 

Phoenix Fuel kit. 

The scene was built by 

Phil Ginkus. 

The East Penn Traction 

Club had their 

modular layout at the 

convention. 

In all, there were nine 

modular layouts on 

display. 

This scene is from 

the Narragansett Bay 

Railway & Navigation 

Co. modular layout. 

It’s On30 and features 

many interesting 

scenes based on narrow 

gauge railroads 

that ran on Martha’s 

Vineyard, Nantuckett, 

and the standard 

gauge Providence, 

Warren & Bristol. 

The group is based in 

Rhode Island. 


Sumpter 

Valley 

Depot 

135 NW Greeley Avenue, 

Bend OR 97701 

● Specializing in O Scale 2-rail 

model trains since 1985 

● We buy or consign brass model 

collections 

● Model reservations gladly 

accepted 

● Prompt, courteous service 

Check our website for latest 

O Scale Listings 

www.sumptervalley.com 

trainman@callatg.com 

Tel: 541/382-3413 

Fax:541/389-7237 

Hours: 

Mon. thru Fri 8:30 AM - 5PM 

and sometimes on Saturdays 


VALLEY 

MODEL TRAINS 

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Order/Info(845)297-3866 Fax(845)298-7746 

Laser-Art Structures O Laser Cut kits 

462 

Kit includes appropriate 

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401 

A comfortable, 

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with Tower 

462 Flagstop Station O... 5" x 6" x 4" ............39.98 36.00 

401 Tower House O.. 10" x 7" x 12" .........179.99 161.98 

The prototype 

480 

for the kit was 

built at Clark’s, 

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480 The Creamery O.....12" x 7" x 5".......199.98 179.98 

Crow River Products O....Crafstman kits 

Includes additional 

walls to increase 

the size of the 

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305B 

305B Barrett and Sharp.16"x16" approx .....265.00 225.00 

315 

Bar Mills Models O.. Laser Wood Kits with details 

934 944 

934 Saulena's Tavern O.... 5 3/4" x 11" net 99.98 

944 Majestic Hardwar & Feed O 9” x 12”net 169.98 

Rusty Stumps.. HO Limited Edition Kits 

K4502 

O56 

The Fall Creek Freight Depot 

is a laser cut craftsman kit. 

22' x 46' Footprint 5-1/2x11-1/2 

K4503 

K4502 Backwoods Water Tower O .............net 79.95 

K4503 Fall Creek Freight Depot O... ..........net 69.95 

Downtown Deco.... O Limited Edition Hydrocal Kits 

The two buildings, Johnny Stechino's & 

Big Ed's, have a bit of something for everyone. 

Vehicle and figures not included 

This kit consists of CRP 305 Sylvester 

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Includes 307 

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Industrial 

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and an 

Eyebrow 

Monitor for 

roof detail 

This kit makes an eye-popping diorama 

Twin Drum Hoisting 

Winch O… The hoisting 

unit is based on a unit 

built by American Hoist 

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an exact replica of the 

unit it's best features 

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Sale 62.60 

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40 Johnny Stechino's & Big Ed's O ......89.95 81.00 

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The Public Delivery Track 

Locomotives - 2 rail 

Atlas..New U23B; RSD15, GP-15, RS-3..$179-$199 

RS-1..GMRR, NYC, G&W, WT, CNJ, NYSW..$299-$404 

F-3's..DLW, RG, SF, SOU, GMO..$399P, 189D 

C424/425/628..L&N, CN, EL, PRR, ACL..$299-$415 

SD-40's, GP-60's, GP-9's..$379-$419P, $189-$215D 

SW's..RR, LV, Rdg, CNJ, NYC, Erie..$249-$299 

0-6-0's..PRR, CNJ, RI, B&O, UP, unlettered..$499-$565 

MTH..PRR K-4, CNJ P-47..$599. SD-70 or SD-45T..$409 

Brass..C&O Greenbrier, SP MT-4..$995 

PRR O-1 electric single unit..$449. GE 44t..$299 

Williams and Weaver steamers....call 

Weaver..RSD-12, U25B, VO1000..$199-$249 

Shaft drive RS-3's, FA/FB's, GP-38...$99-$150 

Passenger and Head End 

Golden Gate..Head end 3 car sets..$359 

Sleepers..SP, SF, PRR, Pullman, Erie, DLW..$99-$110 

Coachs..Erie, Rdg, B&O, RG, C&O..PRR..$99-$110 

80' Alum streamilners..SF, NYC..6 pk/$529, 2 pk/$249 

Atlas..Horizon cars..Amtk, NJT, MNCR, more.. $83 

Weaver..60' Baggage..$60-$80. RPO..$65-$85 

PRR, NYC, NH, Erie, B&M, SF, CNJ, CN, N&W, others 

Box Cars - 2 rail 

Pecos River..SF, WAB, NYC, T&P, NKP, SP..$35-$45 

Atlas..40' Wood..20+ roads, old and new..$45-$55 

40' Steel..Erie, NH, PRR, NYC, CNW, GN, more..$50-$55 

40' Trainman or 1970's refurbushed..15 roads..$32-$37 

X-29's..PRR, MEC, Erie, RDG, CNJ, more..$55-$62 

HyCubes..60'..SF, WP, SP, MP, NW, CR..$60-$75 

50'..MILW, NYC, DSSA, RI, L&N..20+ roads..$50-$60 

53'..Evans..$35-$50 50' Modern..Rbox, CSX, more..$37 

60'..C&O, MKT, B&O, EL, RG, Sou, NW, WM..$45-$55 

Weaver..40', 50', steelside..30+ roads.. $25-$40 

Refrigerator Cars - 2 rail 

Weaver/Crown..Old and New, 25+ roads..$25-$40 

57' Mech..PFE, BN, WFE, Trop..10+ roads..$35-$55 

Atlas..36' & 40' wood..Erie, NYC, CNW, SF, PFE, 

Meats, beers, foods..25+ billboards..$50-$79 

40' steel..IC, NYC, ART, DLW, PFE, NP, more..$50-$55 

40' plug door..NH, PRR, WM, WP, BAR, REA 

FGE, CNJ, NP, ATSF, NYC, SSW, ART, more..$32-$37 

53' express..REA, WP, MP, SOO, RG..$69 

K-line..PFE, MDT, CNW, 15+ billboards..$35-$45 

Covered Hoppers - 2 rail 

Weaver PS-2 and AC-2..Old and New..$25-$40 

50' Centerflow or Grain..Old and New..$25-$40 

Atlas..3 bay..UP, CBQ, BN, Jack Frost..$37 

ACF..Erie, DLW, GN, SP, WM, UP, SF, SSW..$55 

Airslide..LV, D&H, UP, SP, LV, Erie, SF, RG..$45-$55 

Hopper Cars - 2 rail 

Atlas..3 bay..WM, SOU, BN, NH, Rdg, RG..$37 

Ore cars..CN, UP, DMIR..$30; H21a..PRR..$50-$60 

New Panel side..$55 USRA 2 bay..$47-$52 

Weaver..2 bay, 3 bay, and 4 bay..20+ roads..$25-$40 

Tank Cars - 2 rail 

Weaver...40' & 50', new & old, 20+ roads...$30-$45 

Atlas..33K..CNTX, ACFX, GLNX,, Sub Propane..$50 

17K..ACF 50' or Trinity 40' corn syrup..$55-$65 

8K..Staley, Wolfs, Bakelite, Dow..10 roads..$50-$55 

11K..SHPX, UTLX, Hooker, Solvay..10 roads..$50-$55 

Flat Cars, Stock Cars 

Atlas..Double stacks..$125-$169. Front runners..$47 

Containers..40/45'..$25. Wvr 20'..$14/pr K-line..$10 

40' Stock cars..CNW, RG, B&O, GN, MKT, more..$37 

Wvr 40' & 50' flats..$25-$40. Atlas 52' flats..$37 

Gondolas - 2 rail 

Atlas..40' composite..PRR, NYC, C&O, SP..$55 

50'..B&O, CNJ, GN, NW, NYC, PRR, Rdg, UP, LV..$37 

Wvr..CNJ, C&O, LV, RI, SF, UP, Rdg, NW, SOU..$25 

Cabeese - 2 rail, 3 rail scale 

Wvr..CR, Rdg, D&H, Erie, PRR, Monon, more..$$25-$47 

K-line..PRR, EL, NYC, SOU, SF, UP, more..$48 

MTH..PRR, EL, NYC, C&O, SP, CP, NH, more..$45-$60 

Atlas..RFP, Rut, RG, NH, SF, 15+ roads..$37-$70 

Atlas Track..40" flex $10. Switches..$45-$50 

Atlas Signals..Target, PRR, Type G..$55-$60 

www.stores.ebay/publicdelliverytrack 

e-mail us at pdtrains@earthlink.net 

PO Box 1035 • Drexel Hill, PA 19026 

PO Box 2637 • Paso Robles, CA 93447 

610-259-4945 or 805-226-0320

A 

BOXCAR-TO-CABOOSE 

CONVERSION 

Charlie Morrill 

During the steam era, many railroads had occasion to 

convert some of their obsolete boxcars into cabooses. Most of 

the railroads included such common caboose paraphernalia 

as cupolas or bay windows and end platforms, which made 

for a very “caboose” looking car. However, the Southern 

Pacific railroad chose not to do this with their version. The 

SP’s cars left no doubt as to the car’s origin with the boxcar 

doors and even the capacity and dimensional data often still 

in place. Many of the SP’s conversions also kept the original 

freight car trucks with coil springs instead of leaf springs. The 

SP converted over 100 double sheathed boxcars with steel 

under frames in the late 1920s through the early 1940s. These 

cabooses served on locals and helper districts almost to the 

end of steam on the SP. Photos and other information on these 

cars are included in the book SP Freight Cars, Vol. 2 Cabooses 

by Anthony Thompson, Signature Press. 

At present, an O Scale model of the boxcar class the SP 

used for these conversions will be mostly a scratchbuilt project. 

On the other hand, the San Juan Car Co. styrene kit for 

the Sacramento Northern wooden end boxcar appears to be a 

good candidate for an easy kitbash, which, though freelance, 

follows the SP’s practice. Good friend, Carl Robart, is building 

a freelance model railroad he calls the Cascade Northern Railway 

(OST, issue #24). I’m too far away to help with the layout 

construction, but maybe a piece of rolling stock for the CNR 

will do. 

Underframe 

The frame and floor assembly (Photo 1) follows the San 

Juan Car Co. instructions (steps 1 through 4 in the kit). To 

make sure the floor stayed flat, I clamped it upside down to a 

flat surface while attaching the center and side sills and other 

1 

frame members. The assembly was 

kept clamped down overnight to 

make sure the styrene glue joints 

were fully cured before releasing 

it. The long steps under the side 

doors are made from styrene strips. 

The two styrene support straps for 

the step are reinforced with 1/16” 

by 1/64” brass straps secured with 

epoxy on the back side. I also changed the K brake assembly 

to have the cylinder and reservoir together. 

Because I wanted to have lighted markers, metal trucks 

were a necessary replacement for the San Juan plastic trucks. 

These cast brass archbar caboose trucks of unknown manufacture 

came from my junk box. The truck bolsters were tapped 

for 0-80 brass screws to connect the wires to a voltage regulator 

circuit. I also replaced the original wheelsets in these 

trucks with some better looking wheels from North West Short 

Line with axle ends that matched the original wheelsets. 

Body Bashing 

Step 8 in the San Juan kit instructions begins the car body 

assembly. It is easiest to make all the alterations to the side 

and end castings, hole drilling, and as much of the door and 

fittings assembly as possible before gluing the body together. 

Figures 1 and 2 (page 36) show where the window and door 

openings are cut. The dimensions for the window openings 

were made to fit the Grandt Line caboose window castings. I 

copied the existing grabiron spacing for the grabs next to the 

side door going to the car roof (Figure 1). There are also additional 

grabirons on the ends for the brakeman to use when 

hanging the marker lamps and grabs on each side of the end 

door (Figure 2). I decided to substitute 0.019” diameter wire 

for the kit’s 0.015” wire to gain the extra strength. A #76 drill 

was used to enlarge the existing holes as well as drill for the 

added grabs. 

After completing the drilling of all the grabiron holes, the 

boxcar doors, window frames, caboose doors and door framing 

were glued in place. Evergreen car siding was used for the 

doors and the space above the side doors. Note in Photo 2 

(page 36) that the doors are inset from the outer siding about 

the thickness of a double sheathed car side. In this kit, the 

floor casting has floorboards extending over the bottom of the 

boxcar door opening in the side. I preserved this feature when 

installing the doors in order to lock the body to the floor and 

still permit easy removal for installing the window glass and 

wiring after painting. This worked well enough that it was not 

necessary to add screws to hold the body to the floor. 

The grabirons were formed using the bending jig included 

in the kit and secured with CA. A very small dab of epoxy was 


2 

used to simulate the mounting bolts on the added grabirons. I 

did not have any Grandt Line or Tichy nut/bolt/washer castings 

small enough to match the San Juan cast-on fittings. 

The hole for the stove’s smoke stack was drilled in the roof 

casting prior to attaching it to the body assembly. The ends of the 

carlines were clamped to the underside of the roof casting and 

the glue joints were allowed to cure before unclamping to make 

sure the roof pitch would later match the ends exactly. After completion 

of the roof subassembly, the sides and ends were fitted 

onto the floor and glued to each other, but not to the floor. I then 

glued the roof to the sides. Attaching the kit’s corner braces and 

some pieces of styrene angle for the marker brackets finished this 

assembly. I found (too late) that it is better to glue the smoke stack 

onto the roof after all of the assembly is finished. 


Before starting Step 9 (the car body’s final assembly), I 

made two copies of the lateral roofwalks from styrene strips 

matching the dimensions of the kit’s castings. One of the castings 

was used as a drilling guide to locate the grabirons. These 

extra lateral roofwalks go above the row of grab irons next to 

the side doors. 

I wanted to use a brass brake wheel soldered to brass rod 

instead of the plastic assembly furnished in the kit. There was a 

problem here though. The top of the brake staff is in the ratchet 

casting on the roof. The bottom of the brake staff is in the 

bracket and brake chain assembly attached to the bottom of 

the end sill. Normal construction 

for a freight car, but I wanted to 

have the body removable to have 

access to the interior. This meant 

the hand brake had to be removable 

from the car’s floor assembly. 

I solved this issue by making the 

brake staff in two sections and 

3 

using a short piece of 0.047” diameter 

brass tubing at the end sill to 

connect the two sections (see Photo 3 of the car end).

4 5 

Photo 4 shows the car just prior to painting and illustrates 

the major modifications. The window glass, markers, and voltage 

regulator circuit for the marker lights will be added after 

painting. I chose not to put an interior in this model because of 

the very limited view inside with only two windows per side. 

Finishing 

The completed car only weighs about seven ounces, including 

the metal trucks and couplers. I secured sufficient weights 

to the floor on the inside to bring the overall weight up to 

about 12 ounces. The model was then airbrushed with Floquil 

paints. The chimney colors and grab safety colors were applied 

with Poly Scale paint. After painting, the lighted markers and 

the window glass were installed. To provide a good surface 

for decals, a thinned coating of Microscale Micro Satin was 

brushed over the portions of the sides and ends where lettering 

would be applied and blended with the rest of the model. 

The boxcar caboose model is an acceptable representation 

of a “temporary” caboose with just the reporting marks lettering, 

but I wanted to try my hand at making a herald decal. 

Carl had a pencil design of a herald for his railroad that I had 

downloaded as a JPEG. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, was 

used to clean up the drawing and convert it into the emblem 

shown in the lead photo and Photo 5. The actual decals were 

made by printing black on Micro-Mark’s white decal paper for 

inkjet printers. Micro-Mark’s decal kit instructions were fol- 

lowed for printing and sealing the decals. A couple very light 

coats of the spray fixative on the decal worked best. Heavier 

coats caused the edges of the decal to curl up when wet and 

interfered with the decal setting solution (I used Micro Set and 

Micro Sol). A final light coat of the thinned Micro Satin and a 

little weathering with an alcohol/india ink mixture completed 

the model. 

u 

List of Parts Used 

San Juan Car Co.: SN Boxcar kit #122 

Grandt Line: stove pipe #143, brass brake wheel #1088 

Trackside Specialties: Adlake markers #40230 

Evergreen Scale Models: styrene car siding #4067 and assorted 

styrene strips 

Detail Associates: 0.019” dia. brass wire #2506 

Miniatronics Corp.: 1.5 volt lamps #18-701 

Micro-Mark: Decal Try-It pack #82859 

Misc.: Cast brass caboose trucks, NWSL 33” wheelsets, Microscope 

slide glass, Voltage regulator circuit reference from OST 

#13, p.36 for parts and schematic, cast lead fishing weights. 

All Work and No Play 

makes a layout boring. 

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1484 Soap box racer .............. _9.99 / 5.75_ 

1485 Soap box racer #2 ......... _9.99 / 5.75_ 

1486 Scooter ............................. _9.99 / 5.75_ 

1487 Young man to ride scooter _5.99 / 3.75_ 

1488 Woman as passenger ....... _5.99 / 3.75_ 

1489 Dirt Bike ............................ _9.99 / 6.50_ 

1490 Man to ride Dirt Bike ......... _5.99 / 3.75_ 

1491 ATV (muddy)..................... _23.99/12.99_ 

1492 Man to ride ATV ................ _5.99 / 3.75_ 

1493 Pedal Boat ........................ _12.99/ 8.99_ 

1494 Young lovers for pedal boat _12.50 /7.50_ 

1495 Two kids for pedal boat ..... _12.50 /7.50_ 

1496 Kayak with man ................ _14.50/10.50_ 

People make the difference 

Visit us at www.arttista.com for color photos 105 Woodring Lane Newark DE 19702 


O Scale Mag Ad - 7.4 x 4.9, 07/12 - full color, v3.1. 

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Ideas for Creating New Industries 

On my Bay Ridge Harbor Railroad I am always thinking of 

ways to increase the traffic flow during an operational session. 

This article is the first in a series about industries I will 

describe here and in future issues. They will not be piece-bypiece 

how-to articles, but rather ideas to hopefully encourage 

readers to have a go at scratchbuilding simple structures for 

operation on their own railroads. 

First up is a Biscuit Factory complex which consists of the 

following structures: 

1 Main Factory building. 

2 Flour unloading facility. 

3 Powerhouse. 

4 Powerhouse Smokestack. 

The freight cars used are the following: Boxcars for delivering 

packaging, and for shipments of the finished products; 

covered hoppers for flour deliveries, plus open hoppers for 

coal deliveries. 

Flour Unloading Facility 

This simple structure is the first building to be described. I 

have chosen this structure first as it is likely that it could be fitted 

into already established industries on readers’ layouts. 

Photos 1 and 2 show the basic building. One sixteenth-inch 

thick (2 mm) styrene was used for the walls and roof with a 

poured plaster floor (Photos 

3 and 4) with discharge pits 

between the tracks. The dimensions 

are as follows: 10-1/2 

inches long by 5 inches wide 

by 5 inches high, sloping down 

to 4-1/2 inches high. The corrugated 

iron is English ”Wills” 

brand HO asbestos sheeting 

which will give a realistic representation 

of O Scale corrugated iron. The compressor shed 

was scratchbuilt and the tank is a German Faller brand HO 

Item shortened to suit (Photo 5). 

Th facility is painted a primer grey color weathered with 

Floquil Rust. The inside is weathered with white paint to represent 

spilled flour. The facility took two enjoyable evenings to 

build. I hope to show the rest of the Biscuit factory complex in 

future issues. 

u 

3 

4 

1 

2 

5 


Buy⁄Sell⁄Trade 

Jim Hackworth 

MODEL TRAINS 

(and Subsidiary JH Consulting) 

2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113 

Phone: 614-4514517 Fax: 6144514557 

Email: jhmtrains@msn.com • Web: www.jhmtrains.com 

Consignments 

AOCC* 

Gem PRR B6 0-6-0, C/P or N/P, OB ...................... $575.00 

WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB ........................$1,650.00 

WSM PRR M1, 4-8-2, C/P, Nice, OB .....................$1,150.00 

Weaver Brass WP GS64 4-8-4, F/P, LN, OB. ............... $795.00 

USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB. ...................$1,275.00 

USH PRR M1a, 4-8-2, C/P, OB .........................$1,275.00 

USH PRR L1s, 2-8-2, N/P, New, Never assembled ..........$1,175.00 

MG NYC J3a, C/P, NOB, from Tony Ambrose ............ $1,395.00 

OM N&W Y3 2-8-8-2, N/P OB ..........................$1,895.00 

USH NYC S1b 4-8-4 C/P, OB ...........................$1,250.00 

MG PRR J 2-10-4, C/P, Icken gearsm NOB ...............$1,895.00 

USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, OB ....................$1,275.00 

USH NKP S-2, C/P, OB ...............................$1,250.00 

Gem PRR A5 0-4-0, C/P, NOB ........................... $475.00 

OM SD40-2, C/P, OB. .................................. $999.00 

OM SD70M Demo, F/P, LN, OB ........................$1,675.00 

OM N&W C630 High Hood FM trucks, New OB ..........$1,195.00 

OM SD70M Demo, F/P, LN, OB ........................$1,750.00 

*All Offers Cordially Considered 

AOCC* 

Joe Fischer(??) PRR R50b Express Reefer ................. $200.00 

OM PRR PAPB Set, Late Run, F/P, New .................$2,875.00 

PRB 60’ Greenville Boxcar, F/P, LN, OB .................. $249.00 

GEM PRR A5 0-4-0, Runs good, C/P, OB. ................. $625.00 

OM GT Coil Car, LN, OB. .............................. $365.00 

OM ATSF Erie Built “B” Unit, F/P, New .................. $899.00 

Weaver PRR N5c Caboose, LN, N/P, OB .................. $350.00 

Scale Mod Ind Roundhouse kit. .......................... $195.00 

PRB 40’ Airslide F/P BN, New, OB ....................... $249.00 

PRB 60’ Greenville Boxcar F/P GT New. .................. $295.00 

OM 89’ TTX flat, C/P TTX Yellow, LN, OB. ............... $275.00 

OM #0026 Tri-Level Auto Rack, C/P C&NW, OB, LN ....... $495.00 

PRB Sealand Gunderson D. Stack, set, LN, OB ............$1,395.00 

PRB 62’ Boxcar, F/P WP, LN OB ........................ $295.00 

PRB BN Gunderson D. Stack, set, LN, OB ................$1,395.00 

MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB. ........................ $250.00 

Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P, each ......................... $225.00 

Layaway Available 


LSASE for Complete List 

Shipping 6% - $6.95 Min., $15.00 Max 

Ohio Residents Add 6.75% Sales Tax 

Estates⁄Liquidations 

Collection Reductions

Deichman’s Depot 

ATLAS O Scale 2-Rail 

3513-1 WM SD-40 Cab #7445 DC/DCC $407.75 

3518-1 Conrail Saving Bond SD-40 DC/DCC 407.75 

0459-1 D&H RS-3 Cab #4110 195.45 

0464-1 Reading RS-3 Cab #488 195.45 

7766 WM Fishbelly Hopper 45.00 

7780 PC (MOW) H21a Hopper 55.20 

7781 Virginian H21a Hopper 55.20 

7782 PRR H21a Hopper (Black) 62.65 

7680 Pitts. & Lake Erie NE-6 Caboose 63.70 

7635 RF&P EV Caboose 63.70 

7631 Chessie EV Caboose 63.70 

7519 Bend Mill Works 53' Evans Box 55.20 

7487 Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific USRA Box 49.25 

7342 WM 40' Airslide Hopper 50.95 

9277 Cargill 17,600K Tank Car 63.70 

9403 NH 50' PS-1 Box Car 55.20 

9851 B&O 50' PS-1 Box Car 59.45 

9855 Schmidt's 50' PS-1 Box Car 59.45 

9802 NYC 40' USRA Gondola 53.50 

9519 Santa Fe 40' Steel Reefer 53.50 

9103 Merchant Biscuit 40' Wood Reefer 53.50 

9146 LaCrosse Breweries 40' Wood Reefer 53.50 

Deichman’s Depot 

110 Ivyside Dr, York PA 17402 

Ph: 717-755-1108 • Fax: 717-840-9650 

deichmansdepot@comcast.net 

www.deichmansdepot.com 

Etched brass numbers SP-style, MSRP: $15. 

More brass numbers coming soon! 

Field parts for your interlocking tower: pipe 

carriers, crank stands and cranks. Visit our 

web site for details. 

The Irish 

Tracklayer 

2682 W. Palo Alto Ave 

Fresno CA 93771 

www.irishtracklayer.com 

Craftsman Grade Products & Services 

Repairs - Sales - Installations 

DCC Equipment & Decoders • Sound 

Couplers • Figures • Building Kits • Tools 

Wood • Styrene • Lubes • Glues 

Berea, OH 10/4-5 Timonium, MD 10/11-12 

New Paltz, NY 10/17-18 Syracuse, NY 11/1-2 

Allentown, PA 11/8-9 Mansfield, MA 11/13-15 

Call or email for further information 

Orders can be delivered to all show locations 

Credit Cards • Mail Orders • Gift Certificates 

Standard & Narrow Gauges 

C r u s a d e r 

R A I L S E R V I C E S 

5920 Houghton St., Phila. Pa. 19128 

215-482-7530 crusaderrail@verizon.net 

FOR THE TOUGHEST JOBS ON PLANET EARTH. 

1-800-966-3458 WWW.GORILLATOUGH.COM 

© 2008 Gorilla Glue Company SF6HD2 

NEW from the SILFLOR ® Studios, 

Buffalo Grass Tufts... These new tufts have 

young seasonal tone grasses growing at the base with 

last years longer dead and dry growth sprouting from 

the center. Tufts are mounted on an invisible base using 

the secret SILFLOR ® process that causes the tuft to 

stand up and feather outward. Tufts may be placed 

individually or peeled off in random clusters. Set 

includes two sizes: 2 - 4mm medium and 4 - 6½mm tall. 

Each 6”x 9” sheet contains over a hundred tufts. All 

colors are compatible with our regular SILFLOR ® mats. 

The Tall Shaft 

Dead grass shafts from the previous years growth. 

New Growth 

Fresh grass blades sprouting from the tuft base. 

Spring Green 

Buffalo Grass 

Spring tone base tuft with 

beige tone dry grass shaft. 

Short and medium tuft set. 

MN73791 ................ $24.99 

Summer Green 

Buffalo Grass 

Rich deep Summer tone base 

tuft with burnt green tone dry 

grass shaft. 

MN73792 ................ $24.99 

Late Summer 

Buffalo Grass 

Burnt green tone base tuft 

with tan tone dry grass shaft. 

MN73793 ................ $24.99 

Autumn Tone 

Buffalo Grass 

Deep sienna tone base tuft 

with tan tone dry grass shaft. 

MN73794 ................ $24.99 

175 Sheffield Drive #100, Delmont, PA 15626 

Order: (724)468-3106 • FAX: (724)468-3879 

Visit our Web Site: www.scenicexpress.com 

Please add $8.49 Shipping. PA res add 6% tax. 

Sept/Oct ’08 - O Scale Trains • 47 

O Scale Tr 

Issue # 

Sale Date : 

Due: 7/15

M 

ullet River 

odel Works 

118 Huson Ct. • Plymouth, WI 53073 

Phone 920-892-8159 

WWW.mulletrivermodelworks.com 

Highly Detailed 

1:48/O-Gauge Scale 

Die-Cast Metal Replica 

O Scale 

Caboose Models 

> Laser cut plywood body with working windows 

> Full interior with roof ribs and purlins 

> Separate doors can be modeled in the open position 

> Working windows 

> Etched brass underframes 

 

See your dealer or our web site for more photos 

BUCYRUS 

STEAM SHOVEL 

Available 

NOW! 

◆ Overall Dimensions: 16” L x 5.25” W x 8” H 

◆ 1/48 scale/O-Gauge 

◆ All metal construction 

◆ Removable house 

◆ Removable mast strap and smokestack 

◆ Gear driven pistons 

◆ Hinged coal door and platform 

◆ Detailed interior including nickel-plated boiler and piping 

◆ Over 3 pounds 

◆ Static display only 

◆ $300 plus $8 S&H per unit 

Read review: 

www.twh-reviews.co.uk/bucyrus-steam.php 

By permission of Bucyrus International, Inc.®, all rights reserved. 

EXCLUSIVE PIECES 

◆ Dimensions: 8.75” L x 2.75” 

W x 2.5” H 

◆ Die-cast Metal - Weighs over 

1 lb. 

◆ Accurate 1/50 scale 

◆ Authentic era paint color and 

decoration 

◆ Full color custom closed gift 

carton 


Official 2007 Construction Model 

ALLIS-CHALMERS 

TS-300 MOTOR SCRAPER 

EXCLUSIVE! 

LIMITED ONE TIME OFFER 

No other versions to be 

produced from this tooling! 

403001 SOO Line Caboose with single window cupola $120.00 

403002 SOO Line Caboose with two side window cupola $120.00 

403003 DSS&A Caboose $120.00 

403004 C&NW Caboose with no end windows $120.00 

403005 C&NW Caboose with end windows $120.00 

403006 C&NW Caboose with all wood underframe $120.00 

403007 Big Four Caboose $120.00 

403008 Milwaukee Road Caboose with tall cupola $120.00 

403009 CB&Q 28' Caboose $120.00 

403010 CB&Q 30' Caboose $120.00 

403011 SOO Line 34' Caboose $120.00 

403012 Central of Georgia Caboose with tong and groove side$120.00 

403013 Yosemite Valley Caboose $120.00 

403014 Central of Georgia Caboose with plywood side $120.00 

403015 Colorado & Southern Caboose standard gage $120.00 

403016 C&NW Bay Window Caboose tong and groove side $120.00 

403017 C&O-Pere Marquette Caboose $120.00 

New 403018 Southern Pacific C-30-1 Caboose $120.00 

New 403019 Southern Pacific CS-15 Caboose $120.00 

New 403020 Grand Trunk Western Caboose $120.00 

New 403021 New York Central Caboose $120.00 

New 403022 Boston & Albany Caboose $120.00 

Available 

NOW! 

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NOW! 

Prototype shown. 

◆ Dimensions: 6 1/8” L x 3” 

W x 2 1/2” H 

◆ Accurate 1/50 scale 

◆ Authentic Appearance 

◆ Soft Vinyl Tires 

◆ Detailed Diesel Engine 

◆ Cab with Detailed Interior 

◆ Authentic Paint Color and 

Decoration 

Official 2008 Construction Model 

ALLIS-CHALMERS 

FORTY-FIVE MOTOR GRADER 

EXCLUSIVE! 

LIMITED ONE TIME OFFER 

No other versions to be 

produced from this tooling! 

◆ Full Color Custom Retail 

Carton 

◆ Limited Edition-Highly 

Collectible 


Call: Toy Trucker & Contractor 

1-800-533-8293 for credit card orders 

Order online: 

www.toytrucker.com 

Send check or money order to: 

Toy Trucker & Contractor 

7496 106 Ave. SE • LaMoure ND 58458 


So few people work with brass and solder these days that 

it is very difficult to find a teacher. I believe that an article on 

soldering is the first step to working with brass. Personally, I 

firmly believe that building a kit is the best way to learn the 

basic techniques, but there are few brass kits made in the 

USA these days. Pictured in Photo 1 are two which I have 

1 

An Introduction to Soldering 

William Kendall 

these are not needed right away. I am exaggerating a bit here, 

but in reality your tool box will grow as you gain experience. 

Watch out for Chinese drill bits, they are cheap but dull 

3 

been working on: Precision Scale‘s doodlebug in On3, and a 

beginners 0-4-0 from England. The British do marvelous kits 

in etched brass. The only problem is that very few are of US 

prototypes. A few of their kits can be readily Americanized, 

and if you have one of those pretty SMR “Generals“ there are 

many short wagons which go with that era. 

2 

quickly and break easily. Buy American. 

Soldering became much easier for me once I discovered 

Carr’s products (Photo 3). Carr’s sells solders ranging in melting 

temperatures from 70 degrees through 243 degrees Centigrade. 

Prior to this, with only 50/50 or 60/40 solder, the use 

of heat sinks was necessary and a bit complicated to do, but 

if you did not want part A to fall off when you were applying 

part B you had to have heat sinks between them. This was 

frequently a Kleenex tissue soaked in water, an ice cube, or 

metal tweezers applied to the area which you wished to keep 

cool. I still use them occasionally, but Carr’s allows you to 

start with 243, go down to 224, 188, 160, 70 and thus not 

have the first bits fall off as you solder on the later bits. 

Some of the soldering supply houses will sell you various 

temperature solders, but you can get Carr’s in the small 

quantities which modelers use. The packets are available from 

International Hobbies in Auburn, California, or direct from 

C&L Fine Scale (the manufacturer) in England (look on the 

web). International Hobbies also supplies some etched brass 

kits. The etched brass kit in Photo 4 is for a circa 1900 US 

hopper car. 

4 

You will need a soldering iron (40 to 50 watts is okay to 

start with) and a handheld torch (Photo 2). A torch will rapidly 

heat up fairly large pieces of brass, whereas the iron is 

better for attaching smaller pieces. I have seen Harry Heike 

do marvelous things with a torch at an O Scale National 

workshop. He is a professional, but you will soon be able to 

do accomplished soldering work even if you do not have the 

same finesse. Honestly, perhaps after five small projects you 

will feel and be very competent. It is just not that hard if you 

follow the rules. 

Besides the above items, you probably have a decent set of 

tools already. Hobo D. HiRailer set out a fine list in issue #34, 

(Sept/Oct 07). Micro-Mark (the tool supply company which is 

mentioned in the article) will also provide soldering irons and 

torches. You will also need a good set of needle files, excess 

solder removing tools, broaches, reamers, etc. but most of 

Soldering actually does make a molecular bond between 

the joined metals. It is quite strong when done properly. 

So how do you do it properly? The old saw, practice makes 

perfect applies. But you can begin by following a few rules. 

The first rule is cleanliness. The metal must be clean, clean, 

and clean. Wash the parts in plain soap and water to make 


sure no grease, fingerprints, or other contaminants are on 

the surface before you even begin. Some people use various 

types of sandpaper but I prefer the fiberglass scratch brush for 

my final cleaning just before soldering. The second rule is do 

not skimp on flux. Flux is applied after the final cleaning and 

prior to the application of the solder. For me, a Q-tip applicator 

is very useful. Most metal to metal fluxes are acidic. Keep 

them away from steel wheels or you will have very rusty steel 

wheels. And, of course be careful around your person. Flux is 

marvelous stuff, and you can, for practice, lay a path of flux 

and then watch solder flow right along it. There are several 

types made especially for different purposes. The one thing 

to remember is that after you have finished a section wash it 

off with soap and water. Really, each evening when you finish 

for the day the last thing you do should be to rinse off the 

project. If flux is left in the crevices it will eventually seep out 

and ruin your paint job. So when soldering, continue to keep 

the project clean. 

The third rule is, apply proper heat to the metals first and 

let the solder flow onto them. (Obviously, there are some 

exceptions to this rule.) Do not heat the solder only. That is 

the recipe for a failed, dry joint. A soldering gun is fine for 

soldering wires, but not for brass work. Save it and the rosin 

flux for wire work, but use acid flux and a torch or iron for 

metal. Remember, you are transferring heat to the metal and 

so (up to a point) bigger is better. The tip should be as wide as 

possible, but not so wide as to interfere with your work. 

You start with a tinned iron. That means the tip of the iron 

is already covered in solder. You must keep the tip tinned. 

(Oops, this is another rule.) Otherwise it will get pitted very 

rapidly and then become useless. With a new tip, before you 

even heat it up dip it into a jar of solder paste (another form 

of solder), or some of the solder containing tip cleaners. As it 

heats up the flux in the paste will prevent oxidation until the 

solder has flowed over and thus nicely tinned the tip. Also, 

once tinned the heat flows much more rapidly from the tip to 

the item. 

Putting solder on parts before actually soldering them 

together is called tinning or pre-tinning them. In many situations, 

especially with small parts, this makes the work easier. 

Sweating parts together is another example of useful pre-tinning. 

To double the thickness of two large pieces, if you just 

go around the edge the joint won’t be very strong, so you tin 

both sides, clamp them together, and play your torch over the 

assembly until the solder flows. 

To get started, try soldering a brass wire to a piece of sheet 

brass. Apply the tip to the wire, and touch the solder stick or 

coil to the area; almost immediately the solder will flow onto 

the wire, the wire is now pre-tinned. First lesson: Do not hold 

the wire with your bare fingers. Solder and metal get very hot 

and will burn you good. Gloves, wood clothes pins, clamps 

etc. are a necessity in holding pieces to be soldered. Hold 

the wire against the metal. Flux both. Apply the iron to the 

metal next to the wire and wait for the solder to flow. Once 

it flows, remove the iron and let the joint cool. If you apply 

the iron to the wire instead of to the big piece of metal, you 

will probably get a cold or dry joint. The solder will flow from 

the wire and form a puddle on the metal which will look like 

a good joint, but is not. In reality, since the metal never got 

hot enough there is not a good molecular bond. If you wiggle 

the wire it will probably pop right off. With a proper joint, 

the wire will bend before it comes loose. Remember, if you 

do not like your solder joint, just reheat and do it over again. 

That is another joy of solder: it is easy to start over. A little 

practice will give you the confidence to tackle tougher jobs; 

so practice. 

Fundamentally those are the basics. If you wish to begin, 

check out the etched kits at Tower Models (ask for beginners 

kits). Blackpool in the UK, or International Hobbies in 

California. Both are on the web, as are several other British 

dealers. After you have built a couple of simple kits, and if 

you desire to try a locomotive, I highly recommend that you 

contact Jim Megowen at Connoisseur kits to obtain one of his 

beginners 0-4-0 locos. Good luck, and display your solder 

burns with pride. 

u 

CLOSE OUT! 

Pecos River Brass Cement Plant 

66 imported — only 8 left! 

Original retail: $2250 — Close out @ $750 plus shipping. 

Contact: john@pecosriverbrass.com 


Left: Matthew Bushong started with an Atlas O 

undecorated double-sheathed box car and customdecaled 

for his Brisbane and Bushong Railroad. 

Right: Bill Nesbitt sent this photo from his layout. 

The CNJ car is a reworked All Nation kit and the 

ATSF box is painted and lettered using Champ 

decals. The Hanson Storage warehouse in back is 

scratchbuilt based on a Model Railroader article 

back in the 1990s. 

TWIN WHISTLE SIGN & KIT CO. 

Buy Direct! 

31 Turnberry Drive, Arden, NC 28704 (828) 684-6785 

Footprint: 10” x 4.5” 

Buy Directly from our e-store! 

WWW.TWINWHISTLE.COM 

ASSEMBLED 

BUILDINGS ARE 

AVAILABLE! 

The Classic! 

Kit: $54.95 

• Pre-Cut Basswood Body 

• Complete Instructions 

• Assorted Castings 

• Wide Selection of 

Graphics 

• Grandt Lines Doors & 

Windows 

• Scribed Interior Flooring 

e-mail: 

twinwhistle@hotmail.com 


NEWS: O Scale Track Cleaning Car; MSRP: $234.95, 

Free O Scale boxes. 

Aztec Mfg. Co., 2701 Conestoga Dr., #113, Carson City NV 

89706 

775-883-3327 • www.aztectrains.com 

Aztec Manufacturing has announced the “Typhoon” 

track cleaning car for O Scale in both 2 and 3-Rail versions. 

The car is a reworked Weaver 2-bay hopper with a fluid 

reservoir, a magnet and two canvas covered rollers. The first 

roller scrubs the rails while the second does cleanup. The 

magnet removes any magnetic metal debris. 

Shipping is free on orders over $99 within the U.S. Shipping 

to Canada is $8 and all others add $13. Nevada residents 

need to add 7.125% sales tax. Visa and MasterCard 

are accepted, along with checks and money orders. 

Aztec is also giving away O Scale boxes in assorted sizes. 

These scale boxes are printed on card stock which you cut, 

fold and glue. Send a #10 SASE to receive these boxes. 

NEWS: Etched Brass Numbers, SP-style; MSRP: $15 

The Irish Tracklayer, 2682 W Palo Alto Ave, Fresno CA 92771 

www.irishtracklayer.com 

John Houlihan of The Irish Tracklayer sent along some 

etched brass numbers based on SP-style markings. The “6” 

and “9” are different in that the top and bottom margins 

are unequal. John is making a holder that will allow the 

numbers to be changed. The numbers can also be used as 

stencils for freight cars. John has a boatload of interesting 

cast and etched parts for sale. Visit his website to see offerings 

and new items. 

NEWS: Timerline Scenery material in large volumes; MSRP: 

$9.59 to $24.95 

970-785-0321 • www.timberlinescenery.com 

Timberline Scenery has announced new larger containers 

of their ground cover and forest floor products. Both 

products are now available in 60 cu. in. shaker bottles, 120 

cu. in. junior jugs, and 240 cu. in. super jugs. The ground 

cover is available in 20 colors and 3 grades, while the forest 

floor comes in four colors. They sizes are priced as follows: 

60 cu. in. shaker, $9.59; 120 cu. in. junior jug, $12.98; 240 

cu. in. super jug, $24.95. 

NEWS: Etched Trackside Details; MSRP: $4.25 

Mullett River Model Works, 118 Huson Ct, Plymouth 

WI 53073 

920-892-8159 • www.mulletrivermodelworks.com 

Glen Guerra of Mullett River had these beautiful 

etched brass details for sale at Chicago last March. 

These are not catalogued on the Mullet River website 

so you can only get them if you contact Glenn 

directly or see him at a show. 

Mullett River makes beautiful laser cut O Scale 

structures and rolling stock kits with finely etched 

brass details. Check their website for a listing of 

what’s available. 

NEWS: Milw. Rd 50’ Smoothside Auto boxcar; MSRP: $95.00 

Rails Unlimited, 126 Will Scarlet, Elgin IL 60120 

847-697-5353 • railsunlimited.ribbonrail.com 

Ted Schnepf was showing several new urethane kits at 

the Chicago March Meet. Among them was a Milwaukee 

Road 50’ smoothside automobile boxcar cast in quality urethane 

from hand-crafted masters. 

This prototype group of 500 boxcars was made of high 

tensile welded steel yielding a car weighting only 47,300 

pounds. Pressed Steel provided the dreadnaught type ends. 

The A end had an 18” x 16” lumber door. A Hutchins roof 

and corrugated doors were used. The trucks were Barber 

Stabilized style of Bettendorf. These cars were numbered 

13000 to 13499 and classed XA. Latter some cars had Evan 

Auto Loaders added and were classed XMR. 

These cars were the pioneer welded, lightweight cars 

that lead to the development of the ribside boxcars starting 

in July 1937. The ribs strengthened the sides, but also added 

1300 pounds in weight. 

All the Rails Unlimited kits are sold less truck and couplers. 

The brake gear, ladders, grabs and decals are extra 

too, although Rails Unlimited can supply all these items 

at extra charge. Ted is also offering the first fully accurate 

Milwaukee Road decals. All of the Rails Unlimited urethane 

bodies are made in the USA. 


SPECIAL REPORT: MRC O Scale 

Universal Sound Decoder, Diesel 

# 0001818, Steam Sound Decoder 

#0001819; MSRP: $99.98 

Model Rectifier Corporation, 80 

Newfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837 

732-225-2100 •model rectifier.com 

The Diesel Decoder 

Reviewed by Gene Clements 

The #1818 G/O Scale Universal 

Sound Decoder is a new release from 

MRC in its line of decoders suitable for 

O and G scale diesel locomotives. The 

unique features of this decoder are its 

two prime mover sounds: EMD’s SD-45 

or MP-15 Diesel locomotive. This 

decoder also comes preprogrammed 

with 8 types of bells and 34 different 

types of air horns, which are selectable 

according to the prototype used on the 

locomotive that applies to the decoder 

installation. 

The decoder also supports DCC 

headlight effects: Directional/Rule 17/ 

off-dim-bright cycle, and accessory 

lighting effects: ditch lights/Mars light/ 

gyro light /strobe light and prime strobe 

on/off. 

Compatibility 

This decoder is compatible with 

any DCC system, as well as being 

fully controllable on a DC system by 

using MRC’s BlackBox Control Unit 

(#0001050). The unit comes with the 

necessary two pin plugs and harness 

for auxiliary lighting and a 40mm 

(1-1/2”) round, 4 ohm speaker. The 

prime mover sound files are unique 

in the fact they are digital recordings 

of actual locomotives adapted for the 

decoder’s program. 

All sounds, including the accessory 

and locomotive support sounds, can 

be turned on/off or have the volume 

regulated according to the operator’s 

preference. In DCC mode, all standard 

operation and performance tuning 

according to NMRA DCC standards is 

available. 

Performance 

Rated at 5 amps, this decoder 

should handle any 2-Rail single or dual 

motored diesel locomotive currently 

on the O/G Scale market. To test and 

evaluate this decoder, I used a Weaver 

O Scale GP-38 dual vertical motor unit 

as the test engine. Photo 1 shows the 

test installation. 

The decoder was easy to install; all 

motor and pick-up wiring was attached 

at the screw terminals of the decoder. 

I soldered the 12 VDC front and rear 

headlight bulbs to the headlight harness 

supplied with the decoder. I did 

not test any auxiliary lighting. The 

speaker was installed in the fuel tank, 

using clear silicone to secure the 

speaker housing. 

After a trip to the program track for 

the long and short address numbers, 

the unit was placed on the main and 

put through various scenarios as both 

a single unit and as a unit in an m.u. 

consist. The decoder performance 

was excellent. By “Programming on 

the Main”, the prime mover, horn and 

bell sounds were changed and volume 

regulated with ease. The only problem 

I encountered was a vibration in the 

speaker. This turned out to be my fault 

and not a problem with the decoder or 

speaker. 

Conclusions 

In my opinion, MRC has what 

should be a hit in the O Scale marketplace. 

We now have a full function 

DCC/DC decoder that supports lighting 

variables, plus auxiliary lighting 

options and selectable sound all in a 

single package at a reasonable cost. 

The only thing I would ask for, as a 

consumer, is the release of more prime 

mover sounds for the various model 

locomotives currently on the market, 

other than the #0001817 Alco244/ 

SD-60/ SD-70 and EMD 567B prime 

mover sounds, also available from 

MRC. 

Since testing this decoder, I have 

removed it from the Weaver GP-38 

and re-installed it in a U.S. Hobbies 

re-motored F-45. It’s been a long time 

since I’ve been on an SD or F-45, but 

the turbo charged whine is correct for 

these locomotives as well as the high 

RPM output of the EMD MP-15 sound 

file. 

One thing I did that made a major 

impact was to construct a speaker box 

2 inches square by 1/2” deep from 

0.060” styrene. I cut a 1-3/8” hole 

in one side of the box and attached 

the speaker with clear silicone. The 

speaker and box were then mounted to 

the inside roof of the F-45 with doublesided 

foam tape. This produced a dramatic 

change in the sound quality and 

clarity. Photo 2 shows the completed 

F-45 installation and the speaker box 

ready to be installed in the roof. 

In conclusion, try one; I think you’ll 

be impressed. I plan to try out the MRC 

#0001817 decoder in my MTH SD-60s 

and Atlas GP-60s soon. 

Steam Sound Decoder #0001819, 

Reviewed by Capt. Thomas Mix, USMC 

Ret. 

When reading the instruction sheet 

I was impressed with the possibilities of 

this decoder, for example, there are 34 

(!) whistle types, 8 bell types, 50 bell ring 

rates, 12 types of chuff sounds, and the 

list goes on for other sounds like coupling, 

fire door and rail clack. All of these 

sounds have a volume control which you 

can be assured you will need. 

Set up and Installation 

The size of the decoder, 1-3/8” 

wide by 2-3/4” long, requires that it be 

installed in the tender. I used a piece 

of 0.060” styrene sheet to mount the 

decoder using double sided tape. This 

sheet can also be used as a central 

point to fasten the wires coming from 

the insulated side (black wire) of the 

locomotive then to the decoder as you 

can see in the photo (Photo 3). The 

(continued on page 54) 


continued from page 53 

screw securing the sheet to the tender 

floor doubles as the wire contact (red) 

for the grounded side and then to the 

decoder. On each side of the terminal 

strip are the lighting connectors, one 

for the headlight and rear light, and the 

other for accessory lights which are a 

Mars light and firebox flicker. These are 

plug in terminals. The instruction sheet 

clearly shows each point for these connections 

so it would be pretty hard to 

make a mistake. The speaker plug in is 

on the rear. 

The speaker is just a flat 40 mm 

diameter but already wired with plug. 

As Gene mentions, and as pointed 

out in the instruction sheet, this open 

speaker will require an enclosure to 

properly hear those realistic sounds 

of a “live” locomotive. If you have a 

sealed tender with an opening for a 

speaker I suppose that might work 

but for me it was easier to use a piece 

of 1-1/2” vinyl plumbing pipe I had 

on hand to make a simple enclosure 

(Photo 4). You can make an enclosure 

in most any shape: square, round, or 

whatever, as long as it is sealed. There 

is a lot of info out there dealing with 

this particular subject. One odd thing 

with this speaker is that it is 4 ohm 

rather than the usual 8 ohm. 

The 2-8-2 I installed this decoder in 

has a rear tender light in addition to the 

head light. The lighting plug-in on the 

decoder board has three contacts, one 

side is for the rear light, center is the 

blue common, and other side is for the 

headlight. MRC furnishes two wired 

plug connections each with three colored 

wires, yellow, center blue, and 

white. The second furnished wired 


plug connector would be used for the 

accessory lighting. Photo 5 shows how 

I wired for the front and rear lights. I 

did not wire for the accessories at this 

time but that firebox flicker is too good 

to not use in the future. 

The wiring required for operation 

is not hard to set up but you will need 

to do some soldering for the connections. 

The connection between the 

tender and engine alone will have to 

have two wires for the motor, two for 

the headlight, and two for left/right 

pickups (Photo 6) depending how you 

have your locomotives set up for track 

contact. My engines have the loco and 

tender the same polarity, grounded on 

the right with wipers on the left tender 

trucks and a wiper on a left set of drivers. 

The drawbar is not insulated; it is 

part of the right side pickup. 

Operation 

Now came the interesting part of 

testing this decoder. The instruction 

sheet lists 40 CV settings and their 

values. But what is nice with this 

decoder is that MRC pre-programmed 

the settings with default values so that 

you can fire it up and your locomotive 

instantly comes to life ready to do 

its bidding! Chuff, whistle, bell, brake 

squeal, pop valves, air release, etc., 

is all ready to go. A NCE Power Pro 

system is my DCC system. I don’t use 

a programming test track as recommended. 

I do set the loco with tender 

attached, tender shell removed, on 

blocks on the work desk by the layout. 

I then use clips on the two track contacts. 

Some preliminary tests are made 

with the ProCab for motor control and 

a few sounds to ensure all is well. Then 

the loco was placed on the track to see 

just what this new decoder will do. 

When power is turned on, right 

away the engine comes alive with 

pop valves releasing, the air pump 

thumping, and there is some hissing 

too. (The generator maybe?) Now, 

my hearing isn’t the best but the first 

thing I had to do is program down 

some of the CV values dealing with 

the volume. It was way too loud for 

me. Then a trip around the track loop. 

Starts and stops were gradual and 

smooth with the big Pittman motor. 

There are whistle sounds that are really 

clear and sound like some of the 

actual whistles I remember as a kid. 

But there are some that do sound a 

bit strange. I did not try all 34 sounds. 

The bell is sharp and clear and also 

has a couple of odd sounds, but 

with eight bell tones, you will have a 

choice of what sound best to you. 

The 12 types of exhaust chuff 

included a double chuff enabling 

feature for an articulated locomotive. 

Again there are some sounds you may 

not care for but most of them sound 

very prototypical. There is one that 

sounds like it might be for one of those 

industrial locos that ran on compressed 

air that were used around factories 

that manufactured flammable products. 

There is no provision for a cam 

operation but the chuff rate is programmable 

and works just fine. The chuff 

rate increases/decreases with applied 

power and as you come to a stop 

there is a brake squeal and then an air 

release. When the loco is standing, the 

air pump thumps on occasion and a 

pop valve will release now and then. 

This decoder is programmable with 

all of the usual CV settings such as 

speed steps, 2-digit or 4 digit addresses, 

acceleration/deceleration rates, kick 

start voltage, etc. 

Summary 

I can definitely recommend this 

decoder. The set up is not too hard, the 

sounds are suitable for engines large 

and small, and the sounds are realistic. 

You will have fun trying out the different 

sounds that are available to find the 

combination you like. This is a quality 

product.

REVIEW: AtlasO 55 Ton Panel Side Hopper; MSRP: 

$57.95AtlasO, LLC, 378 Florence Avenue, Hillside NJ 07205 

908-687-9590 •www.atlaso.com 

Reviewed by Richard A Madonna Jr. 

Prototype 

In a world where the laptop I’m typing this on is two 

years old but is already yesterday’s technology, the story 

of the 55 ton hopper is one of continued reuse. The 55 ton 

hopper came from the USRA designed World War I 50 ton 

hopper. These were 30 feet long and had a capacity of 1880 

cubic feet. The bracing was on the exterior and consisted of 

seven posts. The panel sides came later as they were called 

in for rebuilding. Railroads were looking to expand the 

capacity of these hoppers, and modified them by applying 

panel sides between the vertical posts. This gave the cars 

their unique look and increased the capacity by 5 tons. 

The Model 

I was quite eager to see this model in person. Having 

built many Intermountain hoppers in the ‘90s, I was curious 

to see how AtlasO was able to match the details of the kits. 

I was never able to completely build one of these kits without 

breaking some detail part. The box was quite large. I’d 

say Atlas could save some natural resources by going with a 

smaller box; although, in their defense, the car was well protected 

and was held securely in place. Trying to unpack the 

car took a couple of minutes as Atlas takes great care to get 

it to you safely. On pulling the car out of the foam, I did hear 

a “crack” and realized I pulled out a brace on the inside of 

the car. There goes my hope for having a complete hopper 

with no damage. I let it sit on the kitchen table for a general 

overview. I was quite impressed by the level of detail. The 

REVIEW: The Railroad Never Sleeps: 24 hours in the Life of 

Modern Railroading; MSRP: US$35, Can$38.50, UK £25 

Voyageur Press, PO Box 1, Osceola WI 54020 

800-826-6600 •www.voyagerpress.com 

Reviewed by Gene Clements 

“The railroad never sleeps.” 

How true this statement. As I start 

my thirty-second year of railroad 

service, I can personally attest to 

the truth of this book’s title. 

Composed by popular railroad 

author Brian Solomon, 

who has written more than 30 

books about railroads and motive 

power, and who has also given 

us many articles and photographs in railfan publications 

such as Trains, Railway Age, Passenger Train Journal and 

Railnews. 

This book is a 176 page hardbound photographic journal 

of American and Canadian railroading taken by a large 

group of rail photographers over a 24-hour period on May 

10, 2007. Does the date ring a bell? May 10, 2007 was the 

138th anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory, 

Utah. 

The photographers literally covered locations from the 

grab irons were not oversized, the airlines looked right on 

and overall, it appeared close enough to scale size for me. 

Note for Atlas: Put up a QuickTime movie on your website 

to show us how these are built. 

Fidelity 

I thought the paint was evenly sprayed. Atlas covers the 

car with a nice flat finish, but I’m planning to add a little 

weathering to age this car. The lettering is very clear and the 

paint is not too thick. This car came with scale couplers and 

metal wheels which were very shiny. The wheels need to 

be painted rust brown as do the couplers. The only criticism 

of the car was that the truck side frames appear to be quite 

thick. I may be wrong, so feel free to correct me on this. 

Performance 

In terms of rolling characteristics, I didn’t test for friction 

of the bearings, but this car rolled smoothly on any surface, 

even off the track. As for weight, the car is quite heavy and 

will not require any additional weight to keep it on the track 

in pushing or pulling operations. A nice long, weathered 

string of these would go great with a coal facility, dock, 

small factory, yard, etc. The uses for this hopper are limited 

only by your imagination. 

East to the West coasts and many points in between. The 

rail systems represented vary from the Class 1 systems like 

the Union Pacific and BNSF to commuter lines such as 

MARC and MetroLink, as well as shortline operations like 

the Green Mountain Railway. While the trains may be the 

center of attraction, special attention is given to the people 

and crafts behind the scenes that keep the trains moving, 

giving the reader an overall look at what it takes to keep any 

rail system operating. 

The book and clock starts at 00:01 a.m. with photographers 

in place to capture operations at various locations 

and continues chapter by chapter through the 24-hour 

time period until 23:59 p.m. While some photographers 

maintained their location through this day, others moved to 

different locations to present an overall view of the area. A 

unique feature of this book is a set of photographs taken at 

12:47 p.m. MDT across the country to commemorate the 

time the telegraph buzzed with the announcement that the 

United States was now joined by rail from coast to coast. 

The chapters of the book continue through the evening 

commuter rush into the night operations until the day ends 

at 23:59 p.m. 

This book gives us a unique look at modern day railroading 

on a commemorative day of the not so distant past. 

Loaded with fantastic photographs, this book would be a 

welcome addition to any modeler, railfan or railroad historian’s 

collection. 


Review: Crossing Signals, Model CS-2; MSRP: $ 69.95 

Custom Signals 27 Gellatly Dr, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 

845-592-1302 • www.customsignals.com 

Reviewed By Gene Clements 

The Prototype 

Custom Signal’s CS-2 crossing signals are modeled 

after the prototype signals currently in use all across this 

country. Photo 1 shows a residential crossing on the BNSF 

main line not far from my home that protects a two-lane 

road. The only additional items you would need to model 

a scene like this would be an instrument case that houses 

the electronics, power supply and battery back-up for the 

crossing system and the guardrails protecting each mast. 

The Model 

The CS-2 set comes with one GCF-1 (Grade Crossing 

Flasher/Detector) for 3-rail, two AWS-1 (Advanced Highway 

Warning Signs) and two WPS-1 (Whistle Post signs), 

and two 4-light (bi-directional) crossing masts. One mast 

has a bell the other does not. (As a note, the CS-2 set is 

modeled with a mechanical bell. Prototype mechanical 

bells are currently being exchanged for the new electronic 

bell.) The signals come with an RJ-12 plug on the end of 

a 22 inch lead wire which should allow the signals to be 

positioned for a multiple track crossing. The crossing mast 

appears to be metal with attached metal and plastic castings 

to complete the assembly. As with the searchlight 

signals, each flasher housing contains an LED with a diffused 

red lens. You can even see the white flash of the signal 

head as you would on a locomotive approaching the 

crossing. 

Fidelity 

The signal stands approximately 16 scale feet above its 

simulated concrete base. Each flasher head is a detailed 

casting of the newer, large target housing in use today. 

The unit is pre-painted in a Silver/Aluminum color with 

flat black target rings. The crossbucks and track plate have 

a white face with black lettering (an industry standard). 

The track plate (which designates the number of multiple 

tracks) is removable, but decals are included when the 

signals are used to protect up to five tracks. No track plate 

means the signal system protects a single track. 

Compatibility 

I happened to have an older version of the CS-2 signal 

on hand. Photo 2 shows the older CS-2 flanked on either 

side by the new versions. Take a moment to view the differences. 

While similar in concept and construction, the 

new CS-2 is much-improved with a detailed flasher housing 

and the correct light diffusion pattern built-in. 

Performance 

The GCF-1 control board is designed for a prototypically 

slow flash rate with the “Ramp up-Ramp down” 

effect of the real low voltage lights. Connections are made 

through plug-in and screw down terminals. Connections 

are provided for multiple zones and detection circuits as 

well as output terminals for a bell or other external accessory. 

While the board has a built-in detector for 3-Rail 

operation, the unit can be used in a 2-Rail application 

by installing a “Start & Start” current sensing detector in 

each direction, for each track that the system will protect. 

Optical-sensing or Infrared detection appliances can be 

used as well and would simplify the wiring and detection 

necessary for a multiple track installation. The GCF-1 is 

designed to operate on either 12-volts AC or DC. Included 

is a detailed set of instructions for all board connections 

and information on various detection circuit scenarios. 

Conclusions 

Once again Terry Christopher and the people at Custom 

Signals have given the O Scale marketplace a highly 

detailed and prototypically functioning model of a crossing 

signal appliance. The CS-2 signal set is only the beginning 

as a CS-1 (Single Set of Flashers) and CS-3 (Triple Set 

of Flashers), for use with a roadway that parallels the track 

to an intersection at the crossing, is also available and 

can be substituted for one of the units in the CS-2 set for 

a minimal fee. A CS-4 (Quad Set of Flashers) is slated for 

future production. 

As an O Scale Modeler, if you’re in the market for a set 

of crossing flashers to protect those 1:48 scale motorists at 

your road crossings on the layout, then check out Custom 

Signals and their line of products. I can promise, you will 

not be disappointed. 


REVIEW: Dr. Ben’s Realistic Weathering Stains, Set #1; 

MSRP: $44.95 

DEBEN LLC, PO Box 465898, Lawrenceville GA 30042 

770-985-2896 • wwwDEBENLLC.com 

Reviewed by Mike Cougill 

Back in 

the 1950s, 

John Allen 

rocked the 

world of 

model railroading 

by 

modeling 

the effects 

of age and 

weathering 

on objects 

such as 

structures and rolling stock. Since that time, a model doesn’t 

look complete without some dust, grime, peeling paint or 

rust. Today, weathering of models has become an art form 

in its own right (see our feature article on page 4). 

Award winning modeler and dioramist Richard “Ben” 

Bendever has created a line of weathering stains and products 

based on his NMRA Clinic techniques. 

I’ll give you the bottom line up front: I have no idea what 

this stuff is, but I like it. This particular product is designed 

to be a matched replacement for the long defunct, but much 

loved, Floquil weathering stains. My samples consisted of 

a thick liquid pigment base of some kind in a 70% alcohol 

solution. Colors are: Aged Driftwood®, Hardwood Maple®, 

Knotty Walnut®; Natural Basswood®, Natural Pine®, Nautical 

Teak®, Realistic Oak® and Rustic Barn Red®. A 12 page 

How-To Guide #1 was also included. 

These stains can be handled in a variety of ways. You 

can brush them on full-strength like a heavy bodied opaque 

wood stain or as a transparent wash which enables many 

transparent layers to be built up. Wood or some other 

porous material is the obvious first choice for these stains, 

and I tried them out on a piece of scrap wood siding with 

excellent results. However, I mainly use styrene as a modeling 

medium and I was curious about how they’d respond on 

a nonporous surface. 

The photo above shows two applications to a sheet of 

styrene. On the left, I simply brushed on the full-bodied 

stain with a soft bristled brush. As you can see, the coverage 

is spotty with a bit of streaking since the stain is just lying 

on the surface and not soaking in. To the right, I pre-wet the 

area with some denatured alcohol and dropped the stain 

into the wetted area. The alcohol allowed the pigments to 

disperse at random, letting them do what nature and chemistry 

dictate they do. Similar to laying down a watercolor 

wash in a painting (something I have a bit of experience 

with), the effects are marginally controllable by the amount 

of alcohol or wetness the area has. The How-To Guide 

suggests pre-wetting plastic models, then dropping or dabbing 

on varying amounts of the appropriately colored stain, 

letting the area dry for a few minutes and seeing what the 

results are. (You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised.) The Guide 

book stated that the weathering effects do not have to be 

sealed, but be aware that the colors aren’t permanent on 

nonporous materials like styrene. I was able to completely 

remove the color from my test piece, even after several days 

had passed, by rubbing it vigorously with an alcohol dampened 

paper towel. However, I did successfully apply another 

layer of color without disturbing the previous one. 

A use I hadn’t planned on was coloring the existing 

scenery on the layout. I use sisal twine extensively for tall 

grass and wintertime weeds. The sisal has a natural yellow 

tan color that works okay but can be a bit boring en masse. 

Trying the Natural Pine® and Realistic Oak® Stains gave a 

convincing color to the twine that I really liked. 

The twine soaked up the colors in a random fashion. 

Some areas were more intensely colored; other spots had 

the natural color of the sisal showing through, giving the 

effect of grasses going into dormancy for the winter. Vigorously 

shaking the container will put the pigment into 

suspension just like a bottle of regular paint, but it doesn’t 

stay in suspension long. This can be used to advantage by 

dipping the brush to the bottom of the jar to pick up the full 

strength pigment or just slightly dipping it to get a weaker 

semi-suspended coloring. I also used a spray mister filled 

with isopropyl alcohol to dilute areas of the grass where the 

stain was too dark for my liking. Once I got going, I colored 

half of the existing grassy areas on the layout in short order. 

They now blend in with the rest of the scenery and look 

much more natural to my eyes. I’m certain that I’ll find a use 

for this product on other parts of the scenery too. 

I think Dr. Ben has a winner with these products. Other 

products in the line include weathering powders, building 

materials and scenery items. Check them out. 


REVIEW: USRA 40’ Single-Sheathed Boxcar 20-933XX, MSRP: 

$49.95; and 2-Rail Bettendorf Freight Trucks #20-89001, 

MSRP: $12.95 

M.T.H. Electric Trains, 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, 

Columbia MD 21046 

410-381-2580 • www.mth-railking.com 

Reviewed by Joe Giannovario 

The Prototype 

By now, most every model railroader should know that the 

U.S. Government took over America’s railroads during World 

War I and operated them under the United States Railway 

Administration (USRA). USRA committees were tasked to 

design standardized locomotives and rolling stock that maximized 

the use of common parts in order to make the most 

efficient use of materials at the time. These designs were so 

well-executed that the railroads continued to use them after 

the government ceded control back to the individual roads. 

Among the designs produced were a steel underframe 

50-ton single-sheathed 40’ boxcar and a steel underframe 

40-ton double-sheathed 40’ boxcar. The carbody designs 

were identical in dimensions except for the extra layer of 

sheathing on the 40-ton car. The 50-ton car had a straight 

steel underframe while the 40-ton car had a fishbelly underframe. 

Plans and elevation drawings for the single-sheathed car 

were published in the December 1986 Model Railroader. 

Elevations for both the single and double-sheathed cars may 

be found in Gregg’s Train Shed Cyclopedia No. 3 (Box, Stock 

& Refrigerator Cars from the 1931 Car Builders’ Cyclopedia). 

The Model 

The MTH model of the single-sheathed car is made of 

mostly plastic with separately added details, such as hand 

grabs and brake staff. The underbody of the model is also 

plastic with die cast metal 3-Rail trucks and couplers. 

MTH also makes 2-Rail Bettendorf trucks to convert this 

and other MTH rolling stock to 2-Rail. The truck conversion 

requires removing four screws from the underframe (one in 

each corner) and then removing the floor to unscrew the 

3-Rail trucks. The 2-Rail trucks were screwed into place and 

the floor re-installed. The whole process took less than 20 

minutes. Just for grins, I attempted to replace the wheelsets 

in the 3-Rail trucks. After an hour of scrounging for flying 

springs, I concluded that for the same cost as NWSL wheelsets, 

the MTH 2-Rail trucks are a bargain. 

The 3-Rail trucks have the brake gladhand attached to 

them. I clipped these off and screwed them to the underframe 

next to the scale coupler boxes. 

Fidelity 

The MTH model is a very accurate. Every dimension I 

checked was spot on or within acceptable tolerances. Even 

the ride height of the car was correct with the 2-Rail trucks 

installed. 

The roof on the car seemed to deviate from the drawings 

but it matched the roof on the double-sheathed cars. In 

checking around I found that many roof designs were used on 

these cars, so I cannot say this roof is incorrect. 

The only thing I can find really wrong on the car is the 

dimensional data. At least it is incorrect on the Reading R.R. 

car I have. Not only is the dimensional data incorrect, so is 

the capacity data. A 50-ton car should have a capacity of 

100,000 lbs. and a volume of 3098 cu. ft. The Reading car 

has a stated capacity of 135,000 lbs. (70 tons?) and a volume 

of 5100 cu. ft., clearly at odds with the prototype. If you don’t 

look too closely, you won’t notice it. 

Compatibility 

I checked the wheelsets with the NMRA O Scale standards 

gage and they pass. Coupler mounts for Kadee® style 

boxes are provided and, once installed, the scale couplers 

were at the correct height without the need for shimming. 

Conclusions 

Overlooking the dimensional data inconsistencies, MTH 

has done an excellent job of reproducing a very common 

boxcar found on just about every railroad in the U.S. Both the 

single and double-sheathed cars will be right at home on any 

layout since they were used into the 1970s. 


REVIEW: SceniKing R017 Treeline Background; MSRP: $46.95 

BPH Enterprises, 4 Palmer Dr, Barrie, ONT Canada L4M 6V9 

705-739-4878 • www.sceniking.com 

left margins. Photo 2 shows how we placed one image to 

overlap the previous one. 

Reviewed by Joe & Jaini Giannovario 

Making Backgrounds 

When we ran the article on Andy Romano’s Ironbound R.R. 

(OST #33), many people asked about Andy’s backgrounds and 

how they were made. Andy treated us to his method in OST 

#38. I am sure there are some that feel they don’t have the skill 

or time to make their own backgrounds. That’s where SceniKing 

Backgrounds can save the day. Les Mavor of BPH Enterprises 

was kind enough to send us two sets of their Treeline continuous 

background (#R017) for this review. 

The Images 

The SceniKing backgrounds are all made the same way. 

High quality photographic images are inkjet printed on 24 

pound legal size paper. Each image overlaps the previous 

and succeeding image by a fair margin. You choose how 

you want to mount the images and where. We used the 

entire package and one sheet from a second set, but you 

can use any subset of images. The background we assembled 

was a hardwood forest. SceniKing backgrounds range 

from pastoral settings, to suburban, urban and heavy industrial 

scenes. Prices vary according to overall length. Almost 

all SceniKing backgrounds can be made into very long continuous 

scenes, either by combining them with other kits or 

simply using multiple copies of the same kit as we did. 

Assembly 

We decided to mount the images on a continuous surface 

as the wall along the area of the OST layout we wanted 

to cover is not flat. We purchased several sheets of Crescent 

brand cold press illustration board. This is a heavy cardboard 

that runs 0.050” to 0.060” in thickness. We trimmed 

the boards to be 13 inches high to match the image area of 

each image panel. We butted the boards end-to-end and 

used hot glue with the board trimmings to make lap joints. 

We ended up with a continuous flexible board just a tad 

over 10 feet long. Photo 1 shows the board test fitted in 

place on the layout. 

We used solid stick glue to hold the images in place. This 

was a little messy but worked out fairly well. Jaini remarked 

that if we still had our waxer from the “old days of prepress” 

it would be the perfect tool for applying the images. 

A waxer puts a thin coat of sticky wax on the back of copy 

and images that were stuck to large boards in the days 

before computers and desktop publishing. We could also 

have used a spray adhesive, but that would require extremely 

good ventilation or spraying outside. As it was still winter 

when we did this, working outside was not an option. 

The only real difficulty was handling 10 continuous feet 

of flexible board. The Crescent board was sturdy enough 

that it did not break or crack while we slid it around and carried 

it back to the layout. 

We placed the assembled background up against the 

wall. The right side is wedged behind a piece of scenery that 

you’ll see in a later issue. The left side is not attached at all 

but we plan to secure it with hook-and-loop tape for easy 

removal. 

Photo 3 shows the background in place with an AtlasO 

MP15DC (see the review in this issue) in the foreground. 

Check out the tree immediately to the right of the MP-15. 

We think it looks real. 

We took the board to a large table and supported both 

ends with chair backs. We then started to assemble the 

images. BPH recommends taping images together in groups 

of three and then assembling these into the final image. We 

started this way but found it awkward handling the three 

sheet modules. So we started placing individual sheets. BPH 

also recommends trimming the right and left sides of the 

images before placement. We ended up trimming just the 

Conclusion 

We were very pleased with the way the treeline background 

worked out for us and we’re looking at the rest of 

the SceniKing line to use on other parts of the layout. Even 

though we have the capability of making our own inkjet 

prints, we would still buy the SceniKing backgrounds since 

BPH has taken out all of the hard work by making sure the 

images overlap one another. 


REVIEW: AtlasO 2-Rail Gold Series MP15DC; MSRP: $479.95 

AtlasO, LLC 348 Florence Ave., Hillside NJ 07205 

908-687-9590 • www.atlastrainman.com 

Reviewed by Joe Giannovario 

The Prototype 

The EMD MP15 succeeded the SW1500 with the notable 

exception that the MP15’s rode on standardized Blomberg 

trucks like those found under road engines such as Geeps. 

This allowed the MP15s to operate at road speeds so they 

could be used outside of yard limits. This was part of EMD’s 

continual upgrade program and the MP stands for Multi- 

Purpose. 

The MP15 made its debut on the Missouri Pacific in 

1974, making it a relatively modern locomotive. The MP15s 

were bigger and longer than their SW sisters allowing for 

an additional 300 gallons of fuel (1400 gal. max.). An MP15 

is 48’ 8” over the couplers and has a wheelbase of 24’ 2”. 

The MP15 is also boxier than its SW siblings and looks more 

modern. 

MP15s came in three classes having major to minor internal 

variations: DC Type 1, DC Type 2, and AC. The Type 

1 and 2 designators are arbitrary labels applied by writer J. 

David Ingles, an assistant editor at Trains magazine. The difference 

between Type 1 and 2 is an improved air filter box 

on the Type 2 housed directly in front of the cab. The AC 

designation refers to a unit that generates and uses Alternating 

Current. 

Some of the major roads that purchased MP15DCs were: 

C&NW, Conrail, KCS, L&N, MoPac, P&LE, Frisco, Southern, 

and SP. 

For a more detailed discussion of MP15s please see J. 

David Ingles’ article on page 83 of the October 1978 issue 

of Model Railroader. If you go to the MR Magazine Index 

[index.mrmag.com] and search on MP15 you will get 12 

additional references. 

The Model 

As you can see in the photo, the model Atlas sent for 

review is a Type 1 without the air filter box. However, Atlas 

does offer the Type 2 if you pick the correct road. You’ll 

need to refer to the Atlas catalog to figure out which road is 

which type. 

I was impressed with the packaging for this locomotive. 

Besides the standard expanded Styrofoam packing, 

there were two heavy plastic inserts around the 

trucks that kept the model from moving at all in its box. 

Beggars can’t be choosers but I’d have rather had almost 

any other paint scheme than the Alaska R.R. It is rather garish 

but then that’s how the prototype looks. The paint was 

applied smoothly and the lettering was crisp. 

Some of the details are quite delicate. The horns are cantilevered 

from the roof and a careless swipe will knock them 

off. I broke a wing window on the cab but was able to glue 

it back in place, one advantage of plastic models. The handrails 

are sturdy yet did not seem overly large. 

At one point during the review process, the center of the 

hood came off. I snapped it back in place and then could 

not figure out how to get it off again. I finally realized that 

gently squeezing the hood sides below the removable section 

is what allows it to be removed. 

Fidelity 

Using the plans published in the MR article cited, the 

model appears to be an accurate rendition of an EMD 

MP15DC in every respect. I could not find any significant 

deviation in any dimension I measured. There may be some 

out there reading this that have more info and know more 

about MP15 than I was able to dig up. If there is something 

amiss with this model, let’s hear from you, please. 

Compatibility 

The model checked out on the NMRA O Scale Standards 

gage. The Atlas couplers mate with Kadees® but not always 

with success. As this is a Gold Series locomotive, it is operable 

on both straight DC as well as DCC. 

Performance 

The MP15, like the AtlasO SW-series, has one can 

motor mounted horizontally driving both trucks from dual 

shafts. I ran the MP15 on straight DC at first. Even with all 

the electronics on-board, the loco started up (i.e., the sound 

came on) at 5 Volts DC and 400 mA. The slowest reproducible 

constant speed under DC control was at 9 Volts and 

600mA which calculated out to 1.25 smph. This is excellent 

speed control. 

Running at 12 Volts DC under load (towing 12 freight 

cars, 11 lbs.), the current draw ranged from 900 mA on level 

track to 1100 mA on grade. The speed at these settings was 

16 smph. 

Running under DCC, the slowest speed (on 128 steps) 

was 6.5 smph. I am not sure why I could not get a slower 

speed under DCC. Even at that speed, I had no trouble 

doing switching moves around the yard area. 

I coupled every car on the layout (16 in all) and ran the 


MP15 around the layout until it was in the middle of the 

3+% grade and stopped it there. The locomotive had no 

trouble starting up again and pulling the train through the 

rest of the grade. 

What I really like most about this locomotive was the 

sound. I am not at all familiar with Diesel sounds so I cannot 

tell you whether the model really sounds like an MP15DC 

or if the horn and bell are correct. What I can tell you is that 

under both DC and DCC, sound makes all the difference 

for me when running a Diesel. In my way of reasoning, if 

you have a soundless steam locomotive at least you get to 

watch the rods and valve gear move while it’s running. With 

a Diesel, there’s nothing. I turned off the sound on the MP15 

and it glided around the layout effortlessly with almost no 

Product Review: Bachmann’s Easy Command® Dynamis® 

Wireless DCC System; MSRP: $300 

Bachmann, 1400 East Erie Ave. Philadelphia PA 19124 

www.bachmanntrains.com 

Reviewed by Mike Cougill 

The System 

Bachmann has introduced their Dynamis® System, a 

wireless DCC command control system that uses infrared 

technology to communicate between the handheld controller 

and the base station. 

Rated at 2.3 amps and touted as a full-fledged DCC 

system, the box consisted of: a base station, various wiring 

clips, a wall transformer, and four AAA batteries for the 

handheld controller which utilizes a joystick to control the 

speed and some menu navigation functions. The controller 

also includes a lanyard or neck strap, an on/off switch, 

buttons to activate the various decoder functions, a button 

to reverse direction, menu buttons and an emergency stop 

button that will stop a train immediately. A large LCD display 

shows which functions are active, the loco or consist 

number currently in use, along with a speed graph and bars 

showing the signal strength. The size and shape of the controller 

is similar to those used in video game consoles and 

suggests two-handed operation. 

The base station is self-contained with jacks on the rear 

for the track power and the 110v. wall transformer with two 

LED indicators on top. The left-hand LED will flash when 

the STOP Button is on, or a short is present, and remain 

constant when the base station is powered. The right-hand 

LED will flash when command signals are received from the 

controller. Both will flash when the controller is out of range 

of the base station. 

The 28 page instruction manual covers the system setup, 

each button’s function and the programming sequences 

for changing things like the number of speed steps, a loco’s 

gear noise at all. With the sound turned on, I could hear the 

prime mover labor on the grades and ease off on the down 

slope which made operating it a lot more fun. 

Conclusion 

Reviewing a Diesel is a stretch for me, so be kind if I 

made a mistake somewhere. I had so much fun running this 

model I actually toyed with the idea of bringing the Coal 

Creek Railway from the 1940s and ’50s into the ’70s and 

’80s. Then, I regained my senses, but I would seriously consider 

adding a Gold Series SW1500 to the CCR roster. 

The MP15 ran extremely well under both DC and DCC 

while the addition of sound made the experience that much 

better. Atlas hit a home run with this one. 

address, consists and altering CV values. 

Installation 

Hooking the system up couldn’t be simpler. All that’s 

needed is a 110VAC outlet for the transformer and two wires 

connected to the layout. My layout was wired for DCC from 

the beginning, so all I did was pop the supplied batteries in 

to the handheld controller, disconnect my temporary power 

supply and hook up the Dynamis® base station to the layout 

using one of the supplied wiring clips. The system picked up 

my decoder equipped loco instantly and I was off and running. 

My Impressions 

The system does what it says it will do. Running a train 

was simple, just as you’d expect with any other type of 

control system. The joystick took a bit of getting used to 

along with the awkward shape of the controller itself. One 

thing I discovered quickly was the line-of-sight requirement 

between the controller and the base station. Even though I 

had placed the base station in a central location, it was still 

possible to lose the signal unless I was careful to keep the 

controller pointed towards the base station. The train would 

simply stop when the signal loss happened. The first time it 

happened I had no idea what was going on. Looking at the 

LCD display showed zero bars, no signal. The emergency 

stop feature would engage and I’d have to point the controller 

at the base station to re-acquire the two-way communications. 

For a large layout or a linear design, this aspect 

would likely prove frustrating. I wanted to focus on the train 

and its operations, not worry about which way I was pointing 

the controller. Another feature built into the system is a 

time delay between sending a command and the response. I 

discovered this when trying to switch cars. I’d back a cut of 

cars into position, stop to reverse direction and then open 

the throttle again. There would be a five second or longer 

delay before the engine responded. The instructions indicated 

this could be switched off, but weren’t really helpful in 

telling how. I never have figured it out. However, in all fairness 

to Bachmann, I’m not an electronics person. I had no 

trouble in changing decoder functions like the loco’s address 

or number of speed steps. 

Overall, I have mixed thoughts about this system. For a 

small layout or one where the operator will tend to stay stationary, 

the system would be fine. For a larger walk-around 

type of layout, the limitations of the infra-red signal may 

prove frustrating. 


Review: MTH DCS Commander; MSRP: $149.95 

MTH Electric Trains, 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, 

Columbia MD 21046 

410-381-2580 • www.mth-railking.com 

Reviewed by Mike Pitogo 

The DCS Commander is 

MTH’s entry level command 

system targeted mainly at HO 

modelers to accompany their 

recent foray into HO Scale 

locomotives. Its main audience 

is those who wish to unlock 

some of the basic features of 

MTH’s ProtoSound 3.0 equipped locomotives under DCS 

mode. The unit is specified to operate conventional DC and 

DCS locomotives and DCC with a pass-thru option. Similarly, 

MTH’s current HO offerings, such as the PRR K4 and Erie 

Triplex and soon to be announced SP models, feature three 

modes of operation: DC, DCC and DCS, making the system 

an easy fit into any power system. 

The Commander itself is a fairly small unit requiring an 

external power source to power both the unit itself and the 

track. Power can be a combination of DC or AC or DCC; 

however, in order to use the DCC pass-thru option, the 

unit must be initially powered by a DCC system or a DCC 

booster output to enable the pass-thru mode. The unit has 

a five amp rating suitable for most small to medium sized 

HO layouts. The DCS Commander is also advertised to be 

capable of powering and running O Scale ProtoSound 2.0 

equipped locomotives. 

For this review all testing and evaluations took place at 

the New York Society of Model Engineers O Scale railroad. 

The Commander has been installed and operates a mediumsized 

engine maintenance yard, turntable and freight passthrough 

line where engines are swapped at the NYSME’s 

Union Connecting Railroad. The Commander’s operation 

was mainly in DCS and DC, unfortunately no testing of DCC 

was performed (see Addendum). However, this review will 

also compare the DCS Commander against its older sibling, 

the full DCS system, TIU and remote (version 4.0) to get an 

idea of how they differ. 

The basics of wiring any command control system are as 

simple as getting power into the unit and onto the track. The 

DCS Commander was in fact just that simple. The block and 

toggle switch topology, the mainstay of 2-Rail DC, made 

it easy to wire since it conforms to most of the necessary 

requirements of a good DCS signal. The star or home run 

to each block ensures one signal path to the rails. The other 

small item to add is the DCS signal enhancing light whose 

purpose is letting the operator know there is current going to 

the rails. 

DCS Features and Controls 

Control of most of the features that make the PS2.0 locomotives 

fun to operate are included in the interface of the 

DCS Commander. There are three main button areas of the 

Commander. The left section is dedicated to system and 

engine configuration, the middle is dedicated to locomotive 

control and visual status and the right section is dedicated to 

the other PS2.0 locomotive’s DCS features. The system and 

engine configuration are where we added PS2.0 locomotives 

to the system by turning on the block containing the 

unit we wanted, switching the Commander to DCS mode 

and then pressed Add. Within a second the engine will 

appear with a numerical address designated to that unit. 

Dealing with address numbers instead of names can get a 

bit confusing, so it’s best to write this information down if 

you will be working with more than a handful of units. One 

issue I found with this system, the addresses are automatically 

chosen and in one case I had two locomotives using 

the same address number. The addresses of individual locomotives 

can be changed after they’ve been added but do 

pay close attention to this one step. 

With all the locomotives added, move onto the middle 

and right button areas where all the fun is controlled. On/ 

Off toggle control of smoke, headlights, Doppler and passenger/freight 

yard sounds are in the main center panel with 

LCD display symbols of their status. The big bell and whistle 

buttons and the Aux1 for short, SC1 and Aux 3 for SXS used 

on newer sound sets are the most used sound buttons. If 

you are familiar with DCC, DCS or TMCC these areas are 

where most of the control takes place and are similar to the 

other command systems except for a couple buttons dedicated 

to PS2.0 or PS3.0 only features. 

Taking DCS control of a PS2.0 locomotive involves two 

basic steps: turn the toggle for the block(s) the locomotive 

is in and set the Commander to “DCS” mode. If you wish 

to operate more than one unit, the best method to do so 

would be to turn the toggles on for each PS2.0 locomotive 

and then press the DCS button. This will ensure all of the 

units you wish to operate will start up in command mode. 

The startup sequence includes a watchdog signal the DCS 

Commander presents to operate in command. Additionally, 

the Commander reads the locomotives from the track and 

puts it in the active list of engines. If startup is not done in 

this manner, simply turning the toggle on will immediately 

present the locomotive with constant voltage minus the 

watchdog signal. The unit will accelerate to Mach 1 speeds 

and it also won’t be available to the DCS Commander since 

it wasn’t “read” during the initial startup. 

With the active list of locomotives added and in the 

normal state of command operation, we can select a locomotive 

from the active list of addresses and start it up. 

Describing the rest of what the buttons do is best left to 

your imagination... notch the throttle up, blow the whistle 

and you’re down a path to locomotive bliss. Past the startup 

sequence, the intuitive layout and ease of use make it a natural 

extension of the DC throttle. One fellow NYSME member 

commented: “The DCS Commander makes it easier to 

perform switching operations.” Utilizing a single direction 

button, there are no toggles to move. In command mode 

you also benefit from a finer degree of control versus conventional 

DC. The PS2.0 units are able to achieve nice slow 

speeds. You set the dial and you are assured the locomotive 

will try to move at that speed setting without fear of stalling. 

I tested models with smooth slow speeds as low as 1smph 

from large steamers and 3smph with most diesels. 

DC Features and Controls 

The next best thing of the DCS Commander is the abil- 


ity to run an analog DC throttle. The DCS Commander’s 

throttle is a continuous scrolling wheel with no locking 

position for max voltage and zero voltage; instead you get 

solid state control. Controlling DC voltage with the wheel 

is very different from DCS where each click gives you 

incremental movement allowing 1smph changes. In DC 

mode each notch moves the voltage up or down in increments 

of one tenth of a volt. This may be both a positive 

and a negative attribute. As a negative attribute, you don’t 

know exactly where you are on the throttle through tactile 

feedback. Instead you must rely on watching the locomotive 

and the built-in voltage/ammeter. A positive attribute 

of having the scrolling wheel allows both granular voltage 

changes with very small throttle increments and very fast 

large voltage changes. Move the throttle slowly and the voltage 

increments slowly, great for getting locomotives started 

at a creep. Move the throttle fast and the voltage will also 

jump in big increments. This gives you both great control 

in slow, wide throttle movements and immediate control 

in fast, short throttle jumps. One of the other positive attributes 

of the Commander’s DC mode is having the voltage 

and ammeters displayed with 0.1 resolutions allowing you 

to know when the locomotive is stalled due to no electrical 

continuity or shorted. In addition to the throttle, the other 

control feature is the direction button. This button allows 

you to change the polarity without the need to toggle all the 

associated blocks. There is one minor thing to contend with 

in operating non PS2.0 equipped locomotives. DC mode 

momentum doesn’t slow the loco down and then flip the 

polarity; it just flips the polarity right away. With this mode 

of operation, non PS2.0 locomotives will instantly reverse. 

PS2.0 locomotives sense the polarity change and begin the 

slowdown sequence, stop and accelerate in the reverse 

direction. Although it is a great feature of PS2.0, it would 

also be nice to have that included in the momentum feature 

of DC mode control. 

Comparison to full DCS system 

In DCS mode, the system performs as well as a full DCS 

system but with a much more limited feature set. For operations 

on the engine yard and maintenance facility, the system 

was more than adequate to operate the locomotives. 

However compared to the full DCS system there is one thing 

the DCS Commander can’t do. It cannot power up a PS2 

locomotive in command mode under DC while the system 

is already operating. In DCS AC with the full system, we are 

able to power up a PS2 locomotive sitting on a dead block. 

It will power up in conventional AC neutral, perform a shutdown/startup 

cycle in DCS and it’s ready to go. In DCS DC 

mode operation, the PS2 locomotive will start then fly off 

not sensing the watchdog signal. 

The pros to the system are: fast responsive controls, 

control of most of the DCS functions, easy to use and the 

analog DC mode with digital volt and ammeters. Cons are: 

it suffers from the same signal issues as the full DCS system; 

DC mode momentum doesn’t slow the loco down and 

then flip the polarity, it just flips it right away. DCS to DC 

mode switch defaults in max voltage causing flying locos; 

sometimes the panic button is not responsive and there’s no 

access to additional soft key features other than aux 1, 2, 3. 

Comments 

I purchased the DCS Commander from a local hobby 

shop for $129.99 plus tax. It’s not too bad for what you pay 

for. As a controller alternative to DCS I think it’s pretty neat. 

You don’t get all the bells and whistles of the full system and 

it may not be the most full featured but right now its perfect 

for basic yard duties in DC or DCS. 

Addendum 

I tested the DCS Commander in DCC Pass-Thru mode 

and it worked flawlessly. The DCS Commander automatically 

sensed that there was a DCC system attached and started 

up in Pass-Thru mode sending the DCC signal from my DCC 

handheld to a DCC locomotive. The DCS Commander will 

also take a DCC input signal, convert it for use by the Commander 

and output it as rectified DC or a DCS signal. In 

effect, when powered by a DCC system, you have three 

different types of control systems in a minimum amount of 

volume. You can switch between the control modes as long 

as you power down whatever type of model is on the track 

at the time before the switch. - Joe Giannovario 

Stevenson Preservation Lines 

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Bob Stevenson, 2326 230th St. Ames, IA 50014 

http://RailsUnlimited.ribbonrail.com/ 

email: railsunl@sbcglobal.net 

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RPO 4# 79 Roads as above 

VO 1000 Cmd/EOB/RS 249 

WP, C of GA 

MOW Troop Cars 50 2/$95 

Monon, N&W, CB&Q, Guard, 

C&O, GTW, Erie, WM, L&N, Lack 

Wartime Gondola w/Die-Cast Trucks 

$25 each or 4/$90 4# 

N&W, MEC, Sou,LN,B&M 

New Haven I-5 TMCC/EOB 1049 

O-54, 24” L, Script or Block 

NH Green Coach 4-Pk 375 6-Pk 550 

UP Gray, SLSW, KCS,LV4-Pk 299 

Brass Switch Tower $55 3 Colors 

If Weaver has it in stock, 

We will get it for you 

at a discount & ship 

over $200 for free 

K-Line Tank Engine $399 

Lionel 2008 Volume I 

SP AC-4 Cab Forward 1425 

Pere Marquette 2-8-4 Berkshire 1109 

Legacy Scale Polar Exp. Tender 369 

Pennsylvania 4-8-2 M1b 1109 

U30C RI, MP Dash 8 ATSF 415 

D&H GP38-2 Power 368 Dmy 184 

GP7 368 PRR, DRGW 

2007 Volume I - Legacy 

11117 Sante Fe E6 Atlantic 499 

2826x UP Heritage SD70ACe 377 

WP, UP, RG,CNW,SP 

Shay Birch Valley, Cass Scenic 699 

Lionel Blow-outs 

7-11020 Hogwarts Express 225 

w/o Track & Transformer 175 

Steel Reefer 2-Pk 65 

Dubuque, ADM, National 

Frisco or CE&I Hopper 35 

SD40-3 Tunnel CN 

PS-2 Covered Hopper 32 NYC, PC 

18374 PRR GG-1 Silver 635 

27562 NYC Flat w/Trailers 53 

21921 Imco PS-2 Hopper 2-Pk 75 

U30C Diesel Dmy 119 MR 

C&O 4-Pk 250 2-Pk 140 Diner 150 

All seven cars for $525 

Op. Hot Box wRS 55 MDT, SF 

PRR F-7 Pwr B 160 Breakdn B 150 

24597 NYC E-7 Breakdown B 150 

Sante Fe F-7 Breakdown B unit 150 

MTH 2008 Vol II 2 or 3R 

Premier 

Madison 5-Pk 335 2-Pk 137 

JC, NYO&W, Reading RPO 77 

Erie, VGN 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex 1299 

Princess Coronation Steam 1079 

London, Midland, & Scot, British 

GP-35 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 3R 399 

PRR, NYC, GN, Alaska 

SD70ACe 389 Dmy 169 2R 399 

BHP Billiton, KCS, UP 

SD70M-2 389 Dmy 169 2R 399 

NS, CN 

SD40-2 3-Rail Pwr 359 Dmy 169 

UP, Marquette, IC, BCR 

F-3 ABA 649 Dummy B 139 

B&M, CN,SF,SP&S 

F40PH 3-R Power 389 Dmy 169 

Alaska, Amtrak, CAR, VIA 

E-8 ABA 649 Dmy B 139 

B&O,Burl,Lack,PRR 

Premier Passenger Cars 5-Pk 335 

2-Pk 137 Full Vista 77 RPO 77 

Alaska, B&O, Burlington, Lack, 

PRR, Sante Fe, VIA Rail 

GP-7 359 Dmy 169 BAR, Erie 

GP-9 359 Dmy 169 C&O, UP 

AEM-7 Electric 389 Dmy 169 

Amtrak x 3, MARC, Septa 

Amfleet 4-Passenger 277 2-Pk 142 

Septa, MARC, Amtrak x 2 

EP-3 Electric 739 NH x 3 

EP-2 Bipolar 615 MR x 3 

MTH 2008 Vol I 2 or 3 R 

NYC Transit R27 4-Pk 589 2-Pk 279 SP Cab Forward Freight Set 1389 

CNW E-4 Strm Hudson Pass Set 999 

4-8-4 Northern 999 ACL, SF, 

UP FEF w/Legacy Grey or Blk 989 Frisco Meteor, Frisco Will Rogers 

Alco S-2 359 CVT,JC,NP,SF 

F-7 ABA 649 B-Unit 139 

CP, Clinchfield, MR, SP 

PRR P-5a Box Cab Electric 739 

Diesels Pwr 389 Dmy w/Lts 169 

AC6000 NS, CSX, BNSF, UP 

AC4400cw CNW, KCS, Quebec, UP 

SD-80MAC NS, CSX 

SD-9043MAC CP, UP 

SD45T-2 Tunnel KCS, SP, SLSW 

SD-35 Chessie, PRR, Sou, W. MD 

Diesels Power 359 Dmy w/Lts 169 

GP-40 B&O, CNW, Rdg, WC 

GP38-2 BNSF, B & Pitt, MEC, W&S 

SD40-2 CN, Conrail, MoPac, UP 

GP-60M BNSF, Maersk, SF 

Premier Specialty Sets 

Flying Yankee Zephyr 4-Unit 649 

Burlington Zephyr 4-Unit 649 

Mark Twain Zephyr 4-Unit 649 

Maersk GP-60M Twin-stack 649 

NYC J-1e w/PT Passenger 999 

CNW E-4 Hudson Passenger 999 

SP Cab Forward Freight Set 1399 

C&O M-1 Stm Turbine Pass Set 899 

28250 N&W C420 Dummy 99 PC E-44 Tropicana 4 Reefer Set 475 

Lionel TMCC & Power 2-8-4 Berkshire 799 

#990 Legacy Command Set 259 

Chessie, Erie 

#993 Legacy Expansion Set 219 

TMCC Cab-1 59 Command Base 59 

TMCC Command Set 109 

Lionel ZW 365 180W Brick 75 

TPC 400 149 TPC 300 109 PM-1 62 

ARC 73 ASC 67 AMC 73 BPC 67 E44 Electric Conrail, PRR 385 

B&A 4-6-6 TMCC RS Cruise OTC 59 AVC 105 SC-2 Controller 74 E33 Electric N&W, VA, NH 385 

MTH Premier 

SD50 3R 385 2R 399 Dmy 137 

Chessie, CSX, KCS, MP 

ES44AC 3R 385 2R 399 Dmy 142 

BNSF, CP, GE Demo, UP 

Dash 8-40C Narrow 3R 385 2R 402 

CNW, CSX, UP, NS Dmy $142 

GE U30C Power 3R 385 2R 399 

BN, NS, Rdg, UP Dummy $142 

UP Heritage Series 2R 399 

UP, CNW, MKT, MP, WP 

L-1 2-8-2 Mikado LNE 725 

4-4-0 American CP, UP 575 

64’ Passenger 3-Pk $222 Coach 79 

B&O, PRR, UP, CP, LI, Strasburg 

Diesel Locomotives 

Union Pacific #80 Coal Turbine 909 

Sharknose AB 488 A-Unit 135 

NYC, B&O, D&H 

R40 4-Car Set 439 Dmy 2-Car 168 

MTH Blow-outs, PS 2.0 

Premier 

N&W Class A $1150 Scale 

2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado 725 

CN, NYC, PRR, Pere Marquette, UP 

0-4-0 Switcher w/Slope Tender 475 

C&O, PRR 

0-8-0 Steam Switcher 449 A&S, Erie 

PRR P5a 3 Variations 535 

FF-1 Electric Locomotives 615 

GN, PRR x 2 

PRR High Cube Box 35 6-Pk 185 

Harley-Davidson 3-Pk x 2 99 

Premier Flat w/2 Police Cars 39 

OC, CT, Denver,AK,FL,Detroit,WV 

K-Line 2008 Volume I 

MR EP-5 TMCC, Railsounds 395 

MR Aluminum 4-Pk 355 2-Pk 185 

RS-3 Diesel w/TMCC & Smoke 299 

NYC, PRR, PE, E-Lack, B&M 

Southern FM 355 Caboose 52 

PRR or CNJ Boxcab 78 

PRR A-5 0-4-0 w/TMCC 285 

2-Bay DC Hopper 38 3-Pk 102 MR 

NP Aluminum Hopper 45 3-Pk 124 

Reading Alum Tank 45 3-Pk 124 

Overland Models $1800 

UP C44ACCTE #5735 Flag 

UP C44-9W #9700 or #9716 

UP C60AC #7567 or #7567 

UP SD90043AC #8024 

UP SD90AC #8201 

DZ Products 

DZ-1010 Crossing Gate Set 79 

DZ-1011 Block Signal Detectors 19 

DZ-1020 Crossing Signal Set 55 

DZ-1030 Wigwag Signal Set 79 

DZ-1040 UQ or LQ Semaphore 49 

DZ-1050 3-Light Trackside Signal 36 

DZ-1060 7-Light Trackside Signal 39 

DZ-1070 Track Sensor 15 

DZ-1080 Color Position Signal 39 

DZ-1200 Station Announcement 85 

DZ-1220 Trolley Stop & Control 79 

DZ-1240 Auto Stop & Reverse 38 

DZ-1260 Water Tower Animator 36 

DZ-1265 Fuel Station Animator 38 

DZ-2500 TMCC Switch Machine 25

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Atlas 2-Rail 

Atlas 2-Rail 

3 rd Rail/Sunset Models 

Discontinuing Engines 

& Rolling Stock 

20-3286-2 PRR 2-8-2 Mikado 725 

2110 BN GP-35, DC 250 

7840 BNSF Patch Job -8, DC 299 

7841 BNSF Patch Job Dmy 195 

7848 GE Demo Dash 8, DC 299 

2111 Reading GP-35, DC 3# 250 GP60M SF, DC 299 

SD45 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 2R 399 

MR, GN x 2, SF, UP 

SD70ACe 389 Dmy 169 2R 399 

BHP Billiton, KCS, UP 

SD70M-2 389 Dmy 169 2R 399 

NS, CN 

AA16 NOHAB 3-R 399 2-R 449 

GN, Denmark, GM Demo, Norway, 

Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary 

20-3288-2 UP 2-8-2 Mikado 725 

MTH Diesels Fixed Pilots 

SD70M-2 FEC, EMD 399 

SD40T-2 DMIR, BLE 399 

C&O “Heaviest Hudson” L-2/A 1155 

PRR “Old Rivets” GG-1 875 

Conrail, Bi-Centennial, Wiskers, 

Strasburg Grn 5-S, Loewery 5-S 

2112 SP GP-35, DC 2# 250 

2113 Savannah & Atlanta 250 

2114 WM GP-35, DC 250 

2115 NKP GP-35, DC 250 

GP-35 also in PRR, CNW, GA 

2235 MR Hiawatha Power B 250 

7890 Ann Arbor RS-1, DC 299 

GP60M BNSF, DC 349 

GP60B BNSF Red/Silver DC 325 

GP60B BNSF Red/Sil, Dmy 190 

2263 VT Railway GP60, DC 299 

Undec, SF 349 Dmy 185 

GP-9, DC WM 299 

MTH Steam 

Scale Wheel Steam w/PS 2.0 

Available w/Electrocouplers 

2-10-0 Russian Decapod 899 

ACL,Erie,PittShaw&N,W.Md 

FlecheD’Or2-3-1E Pacific 899 

PRR 2-8-0H-3 #1187 or #1188 625 LV John Wilkes 20” 4-Pk 399 

Orient Express 2-3-1 Pacifc 899 

5-Car Orient Passenger Set $419 

TRAXX F140 AC2 399 2R 449 

Demo, SBB Cargo, Veolia, Europe 

In-Stock Scale Wheels 

20-3130-2 Rdg T-1 4-8-4 825 

20-3131-2 Am. Freedom 4-8-4 799 

JC 4-6-2 P47 Baldwin Paciic 525 

NKP 4-6-2 P47 Baldwin Pacific 685 

UP SD40-2T Scale Wheels 399 

SD70ACe UP Heritage 399 

Z-4000 375 AIU 85 DCS 249 

Lionel 

Reservations available for 

Fall delivery 

2-8-0 TMCC & Railsounds 385 

NYC, Rdg, B&O, WM 

2-8-2 TMCC, RS, Odys 715 

WP, UP, MR, ATSF 


20-3176-2 GN 19 th Reading Company 20” 4-pk 399 

Cent 2-8-0 595 

SP M-6 w/Vandy Tender 899 

SP M-6 w/Whaleback Tender 899 

SP M-9 w/Whaleback Tender 899 

GN M-2 2-6-8-0 2 or 3R 1650 

NYC Dreyfuss 4-6-4 1175 

Scullin Disc Drivers 1938 & ‘40 

20 th Century Ltd 1938 4-pk 585 

3 different passenger sets 

UP 4-8-4 FEF, TMCC, EOB 1199 

CN U2g, GTW U3b, OC U3b 1175 

4-8-4 w/TMCC, EOB Cruise 

7892 Washington Terminal 299 

Other RS-1: NH, RI, C&O 

0-6-0 525 PRR, ACL, MP, NKP 

4-6-4 Royal Hudson 899 

BC, CP, Southern, CP-Royal Tour 

DRG, WM 19 th Century 2-8-0 595 

See Website for More 

Scale Wheel Steam w/PS 2.0 

K-Line 2-R Shay $499 

Lackawanna, PLC 

2-10-4 “Colorado” 2 Heaters 1425 

CB&Q, B&LE, DMIR 

N&W Y-6B 2-8-8-2 , EOB 1695 

CPR D-10 4-6-0, 2 versions 875 

7805 Jersey Central SD-35 275 

7807 SP SD-35, DC 275 

0-6-0 USRA Steam 519 

CB&Q, GM&O, MEC, RI, T&P 

4-6-0 Camelback Steam 819 

JC, NYO&W, Reading 

Cass Scenic, Weyerhauser Shay 925 

20-3197 Interstate 2-8-2 Mikado 695 

20-3199-2 L&NE 2-8-2 Mikado 650 

Weaver RPO 79 B60 75 

NH,SF,B&M,N&W,PRR, 

NYC, CN, CP, Undec 

Third Rail 

PRR O-1 2-Unit Electric, TMCC 975 

LIRR BB1 Rats (2), Conv w/Snd 575 

B&M R-1 4-8-2, TMCC, EOB 925 

7822 CSX SD-35, DC 275 

N&W 4-8-4 J-Class 999 2 #’s 

20-3216-2 NYC Dreyfus 4-6-4 875 

J&L Silver, Koppers Black 219 

A-4 Pacific “Mallard” 1695 

3 Types 

7823 Penn Central SD-35, DC 275 

Princess Coronation Steam 1079 

London, Midland, & Scot, British 

20-3300-2 SP Daylt GS-4 4453 975 

B&O Q4b 2-8-2, EOB 1125 

20-3255-2 JC P47 4-6-2 625 

Dash 8, DC Und, UP, BC, SP 299 

Dummy for above 195 

GP-35 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 3R 399 

PRR, NYC, GN, Alaska 

N&W Class A #1218 or #1242 1150 PRR “Doodlebug”, TMCC 675 

NSL Silverliner 3-Unit 

Pricing to Follow

Just Trains TM Free Shipping over $200 on most orders Orders (888) 453-9742 Info (302) 453-0465 www.justrains.com 

302 One Stall Diesel Shed w/Shop 69 

901 Action Machinery 6 x 8 25 

917 Gen Lt & Power Sub Station 32 

959 Midland Supply 8x6 35 

304 3-Stall Roundhouse, 30”D 189 

304A Xtra Stall or 304B Extender 45 

902 Jaybar Company 6 x 8 27 

921 JLC Manufacturing 65 

960 John’s Cutlery 6x8 25 

305 Sandhouse, 16 x 6 45 

966 Lehigh Engineering 6 x 8 25 

903 Skyline Steel 6 x 8 25 

950 American Flag Co. 14x9 69 

306 2-Stall Diesel Shed 25 x 11 69 

306A Extender 12.5 x 11 27 

905 Blackshear Refrig. Transport 59 

967 Shoe Co. 7 skylts 20 x 9 x 11 69 

307 3-Stall Trolley Barn 23 x 11 95 

953 Joe’s Pickle Factory 14 x 9 69 

968 Freight Terminal 8 x 15 49 

308 Quincy Mining Co. 47 

908 Shanahan Freight 20 x 8 x 9H 75 

954 Buck Island Canning 8 x 12 49 

969 Gen Lt & Pwr Office 6x13x12 65 

310 Mitchell Textile Co. 39 

911 Perfect Tool Co. 8 x 16 55 

955 RJK Tool & Die 9 x 14 65 

P56 Cut Stone P81 Random Stone 10 

3115 Grain Silo, 7 x 34 x 22 H 135 

912 Roller Bearing Co. 9 x 28 89 

P83 Concrete 10 P57 Double 13 

957 Lewis & Sons Machine Shop 25 

915 Quaker Foods 9 x 12 49 

D929 Roof Top Water Tank D30 12 

315 Grain Silo, 7 x 19 x 22 H 85 

956 James Company 13 x 8 x 9H 55 

320 3-Stall Roundhouse 26” Deep 159 

916 General Light & Power 48”L 175 

958 Mill Works 11 x 7 w/Tower 49 

New Modular System Kit 74.95 

Unlimited configurations 24 walls 

Just Trains (888) 453-9742

Buy–Sell–Trade Events 

Buy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information. Additional words are $0.25 each. Subscribers are permitted one 

free ad per subscription cycle . All B-S-T ads are prepaid. You may send ads by postal service with a check or money order. Ads sent by 

email or called in must use a credit card. See our contact info on page 2. 

WANTED: Small N&W custom-built or 

scratchbuilt steam, 4-8-0, 2-8-0, 4-6-0. Also 

looking for N&W brass parts, e.g., pilot, 

cylinders, domes, tenders, etc. Contact Joe 

Giannovario, jag@oscalemag.com or call 

610-363-7117. 

FREE O SCALE LIST: List of O Scale shows 

for 2008. Send LSSAE to Bob Retallack, 

Dept OST08, 2224 Adner Ct, Columbus, 

OH 43220. 

FOR SALE: Large Estate Sale of over 400 

models from the late Tony Ambrose. For 

printed lists please send $5 to Bob Anson, 

2520 Spring Lake Rd West, Jacksonville 

FL 32210. For a list via email, contact Ron 

Dettmer at [roscaler@bellsouth.net]. 

September 2008 

5-6: Indianapolis, IN 

Indy O Scale two day swap. Tables: $60. 

Admission/registration $20 per person. Contact 

Jim Canter, 1203 Rotherham Ln. Beech 

Grove IN 46107. Phone 317-782-3322. 

6: Merchantville, NJ 

Cherry Valley Model RR Club open house: 

10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Admission$5, 

tables$16. Grace Episcopal Church, 7 Maple 

Ave, Merchantville, NJ. Model railroad 

open from Noon to 6:00 PM. Info: John P. 

Dunn, Sr., 609-484-8125, [jdunn8888@ 

hotmail.com]. 

October 2008 

4: Gardner, MA 

Southern New England Model RR Club’s 

O Scale train show with fully sceniced and 

signaled, 21’ X 63’, DCC operating modular 

layout plus permanent layout under construction. 

Hours 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at the 

United Methodist Church, 161 Chestnut 

Street, Gardner, MA. Dealers and displays 

with available food and beverages. Ample 

FREE parking. $5 per Adult, max $8/family. 

Dealer tables available. Call Larry Grant, 

347 Balcom Street, Mansfield, MA 02048, 

508-337-6661 evenings for table prices and 

availability, BigBrotherLar@netzero.net 

11: Wind Gap, PA 

Eastern O Scalers 2-Rail swap meet at the 

Plainfield Fire Hall, 6480 Sullivan Trail, 9 

AM to 1 PM. Adm. $5; (spouses & children 

under 14 are free), $16 for the first table 

(includes one admission) and $12 for each 

additional table. Dealer set-up Friday evening 

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturday 7:00 

am to 9:00 am. Info, SASE to EOS, PO Box 

1781, Bensalem PA 19020; (215) 264-9623. 

Contact: [eostrains@comcast.net]. 


WANTED: Fred Icken castings for the PRR 

O1 electric - any condition, from running, all 

the way down to missing and cut pieces. I 

have one, but they tell me these things run in 

pairs! Also looking for a single Lobaugh stock 

car side to use as a pattern. Bob Turner, 7237 

Werner St, San Diego CA 92122. 

FOR SALE: Large mint-condition book collection. 

Also, Modular Railroad Structures 

product line for sale. Contact: john@pecosriverbrass.com 

WANTED: OMI EMD FL-9, new or used, Call 

Roy, 909-822-5057. 

FOR SALE: 2-Rail Sunset/3rd Rail PRR N1s 

2-10-2, like new in box, dated 12/99, $1100; 

2-Rail Sunset PRR Q1 “A” 9860 4-4-6-4 like 

new in box, $1200; 2-Rail Sunset/3rd Rail 

set of five (5) P54 commuter cars: 1xBM62 

baggage, 1xPB54 combine, 3xP54 passenger 

30-11/2: Napierville, IL 

RR Prototype Modelers Meet. Details TBA. 

Holiday Inn 

November 2008 

8: Kirtland, OH 

2008 Western Reserve “O” Scale train show 

and Lakeland Community College, 190 and 

State Rt. 306. Admission: $6. Tables (6’): 

$37. Show hours 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Contact 

Bob Frieden, 440-256-8141. 

8: Orlando, FL 

Fla. O Scaler’s 9th Annual O Scale 2-Rail 

Meet held at the Airport Holiday Inn, 5750 

T.G. Lee Blvd which is just off SR-436 (Semoran 

Blvd) and the Beach Line Expressway 

(SR-528). Room rate is $99 per night, ask for 

code SLR when making your reservation. The 

swap session will be from 9:00 am to noon. 

Set up will start at 8:00 am. Table rental will 

be $15.00 ea., (6’ x 30”). There is only space 

for 20 tables so get your reservations in early. 

Clinics will start about 1:30 pm. Registration 

for the meet is $20 in advance or $25 at the 

door. Wives and children free. Contact: R. 

W. Dettmer, 2756 Connie Circle, Orange 

Park, FL 32065, 904-269-2445, roscaler@ 

bellsouth.net 

28: North Haledon, NJ 

Model Engineers Railroad Club of North 

Jersey - Annual Open House will be held 

November 28 - 30th, December 5-7, and 

December 12-14th, at 569 High Mountain 

Road. Hours will be from 7:00 pm to 10:00 

pm on Fridays; and from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm 

on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission: $5, 

adults; children admitted free with adult. For 

more information, contact: Paul Harbord, 

(973) 427-4905 before 9:00 p.m.; or visit: 

[www.angelfire.coom/nj4/merrcnj]. 

coaches (B-2) $1250 the set plus shipping. 

Call 626-791-5300. Dennis Bagby, 2233 N. 

Suree Ellen Ln, Altadena, CA 91001 

FOR SALE: READ THE FIRST new railroad 

novel in a generation, the exciting story of 

the great Spirit of St. Louis train wreck on 

September 11, 1950. Read “Smart Boys 

Swimming in the River Styx” by Robert Phillip 

Bomboy. Get it at [www.amazon.com]. 

WANTED: Ambroid special run 50’ Milw. 

boxcars, Hallmark comp gons, Sunset WWII 

emergency boxcars, PRB WWII comp gons, 

Lobaugh 50’ reefers, WWII era boxcars what 

have you? Mail only. Jim Seacrest, PO Box 

6397, Lincoln, NE 68506-0397 

December 2008 

5-14: Merchantville, NJ 

Cherry Valley Model RR Club Xmas open 

house at 7 Maple Ave., Merchantville. Friday 

nights, 12/5 & 12/12, 6 to 9 PM; Saturdays, 

12/6 & 12/13, Noon to 8 PM; Sundays, 12/7 

& 12/14, Noon to 6 PM. No admission but 

donations accepted. Info:John P. Dunn, Sr., 

609-484-8125 email:[jdunn8888@hotmail. 

com]. 

March 2009 

7: Wind Gap, PA 

Eastern O Scalers Swap Meet Eastern O Scalers 

2-Rail Swap Meet at the Plainfield Fire 

Hall, 6480 Sullivan Trail – 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 

p.m. Adm. $5; (spouses & children under 14 

are free), $16.00 for the first table (includes 

one admission) and $12.00 for each additional 

table. Dealer’s set-up Friday evening 

6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday morning 

7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Info/reservations, 

SASE – EOS, PO Box 1781, Bensalem PA 

19020; (215) 264-9623. Bring an index card 

with your name, address etc., for $1 off your 

admission. Contact [eostrains@comcast.net] 

June 2009 

18-20: Towson, MD 

2009 O Scale National Convention to be 

held on the campus of Towson University 

just north of Baltimore, Maryland. Event 

sponsored by Baltimore O Scalers and the 

Baltimore Society of Model Engineers. In 

addition to very comfortable trading halls 

(about 400 tables), convention features 

clinics, layout tours (June 17 through June 

21), model contests and Friday (June 19th) 

banquet. Early set-up for dealers on June 

17. Visits to B&O Transportation Museum, 

Baltimore Streetcar Museum and much 

more. Check [www.oscaleeast.com] often. 

More information available by email: [info@ 

oscaleeast.com]

AAA Turntables 23 

Allegheny Scale Models 29 

AM Hobbies 30 

AMS Accucraft 64 

Arttista 43 

Bachmann 12 

Backdrop Warehouse 30 

Baldwin Forge & Machine 28 

Banta Modelworks 23 

Brummy’s Ballast 30 

BTS 16 

Buffalo Creek Graphics 23 

Caboose Hobbies 25 

Crusader Rail Services 47 

Custom Signals 32 

Deichman’s Depot 47 

DM&M Railroad Co. 23 

East Gary Car Co. 28 

Gorilla Glue 47 

Hackworth Model Trains 46 

Irish Tracklayer 47 

Just Trains 65,66,67 

Keil-Line 28 

LaBelle Woodworking Co. 40 

Model Building Services 25 

Model Tech Studios 51 

MTH Electric Trains IBC 

Mullett River 48 

NCE Corp 46 

O Scale Realty 51 

O Scale Trains 14 

Old Pullman 64 

PA Heritage Models 14 

P&D Hobby Shop 11 

Pecos River Brass 50 

Public Delivery Track 40 

Rails Unlimited 63 

RGSRR Hobbies 23 

Ross Custom Switches 33 

San Juan Car Co. 28 

Scenic Express 47 

SceniKing 50 

SMARTT 44 

SMR Trains 64 

Stevenson Preservation Lines 63 

Sumpter Valley Depot 40 

Suncoast Models 63 

Sunset⁄3rd Rail 

BC 

Toy Trucker 48 

Turner Model Works 47 

Twin Whistle Sign & Kit 51 

Valley Model Trains 40 

Wasatch Model Co. 48 

Weaver 25 

Advertisers Index 

Get Real Productions 69 

QSI Solutions 44 

Westerm Reserve Meet 30 


IFC 

Raggs to Riches 14 

Williams by Bachman 24 


Standards? Standards!? 

“We don’t need no stinkin’ standards!” 

In the last six months I have examined four locomotives 

that did not meet certain NMRA standards. Three did not 

meet S-4.2 Wheels, Standard Scales. Two did not meet the 

S-9 Electrical standard. One did not meet S-2 for couplers. 

Of the four, I declined to review two because of a myriad of 

issues beyond mere non-conformance to NMRA standards. 

Does non-conformance pose a serious problem for a manufacturer? 

No. The three locomotives that did not meet the 

Wheel Standard functioned perfectly fine. The two that did 

not meet the Electrical Standard operated perfectly fine. The 

one that did not meet the Coupler Standard operated perfectly 

fine. Why? Because, for the most part, those locomotives will 

only be operated with others from the same manufacturer. 

Thus, as long as one is operating engines from only one manufacturer 

together and those engines are all consistent, then 

where’s the problem? 

The problem is that O Scale is a small market and manufacturers 

need to sell as many units as possible. By conforming 

to existing standards one is assured that equipment from 

different manufacturers will operate together reliably. DCC is 

a great example of this. One should be able to use any manufacturer’s 

decoder with any manufacturer’s base unit. For the 

most part this is true. If I am assured that a Diesel from Manufacturer 

“A” will run with a Diesel from Manufacturer “X”, 

then both A and X are potentially going to sell more Diesels. 

So, what standards conformance should modelers expect? 

Certainly, S-4.2 for wheels (and drivers) on O Scale models 

that operate on two rail track. That means check gauge, flange 

depth, and tread width. I think S-2 for coupler height should 

also be expected. I’ll go one step further and say that Kadee® 

couplers are the de facto standard for O Scale standard 

gauge (not On3, On30, or P48), so any model made for the O 

Scale standard gauge market should either have provision for 

mounting Kadee® couplers or should provide couplers that 

are fully compatible. All of the NMRA Standards are available 

online for free at [www.nmra.org]. 

That’s a minimum. If a manufacturer isn’t giving us that I 

think we’re being short changed. The last thing I want in O 

Scale is a manufacturer with a Microsoft mentality who thinks 

standards be damned, we know what’s good for you! It’s why 

I’m a Mac user. 

Now we get to what I’d like to see as standard. I’d like to 

see more DCC-ready locomotives. I believe that, eventually, 

all of O Scale will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 

twenty-first century and DCC will be the control system of 

choice. It would be nice if O Scale locomotives came with a 

plug for a DCC decoder. Next I’d like to ban the use of visible 

screws with slotted or Phillips heads. Most locomotive gear 

was held in place with castellated nuts. These would be difficult 

to accurately model but hex head screws would be better 

than Phillips. 

Enough about me, what would you like to see as standard 

practice on O Scale models? Write to me or Mike and let us 

know. 

Miscellaneous Musings 

- Just when I think I’ve got everything in hand, Fate comes 

along and knocks me upside the head with a 2x4 to remind 

me the Murphy’s Law prevails. Once again the mailing labels 

had incorrect subscription expiration dates. I thought I’d corrected 

the problem after issue #38 was mailed. Turns out I just 

shifted it to other issues. But, I do believe that I have corrected 

the problem for certain this time. It may take another issue 

for the correction to work its way through the system but be 

assured that I do have your proper expiration date in the database. 

- You may also recall that last issue I said we would be 

going to 64 pages as a cost saving measure and here we are 

back at 72. We had so much review material for this issue that 

72 pages were needed to get it all in. Review material can go 

stale if it is not published in a timely manner. So, here’s what I 

promise: we’ll never put out less than 64 pages. When needed, 

we will bump up the page count, like we did in this issue. 

- In case you have not heard, Lionel is going to reproduce 

some of their great trains from the 1950s. They’re calling them 

Postwar Conventional Classics. These trains will run on pure 

AC, no command control here. Full sets will range in cost 

from $415 to $610. While this may be good for Lionel’s bottom 

line, it’s a poke in the eye to Williams by Bachmann. I’m 

also not sure it does O Scale, in general, any good either. 

- I read a newspaper article that claimed with fuel prices 

so high it no longer made economic sense to have goods 

manufactured overseas and then ship them to the U.S. With 

oil at $140 a barrel, it could be that manufacturing here at 

home could get restarted. Toys (and therefore trains) might be 

a good place to start. Of course, if you like your trains made 

in the U.S.A., nearly all of Weaver Models’ production (except 

for their brass and die-cast) is made right here in Pennsylvania. 

- I was really surprised we did not get more response to 

my kit building pieces. To me, kit building, kitbashing, and 

scratchbuilding are part and parcel of the enjoyment of model 

railroading. For me there is no fun in opening boxes of ready 

to run equipment. I want my model railroad to be a reflection 

of me and my tastes. I’m not knockin’ how you all enjoy your 

hobby. I’m just sayin’ how I enjoy mine. 

Keep Highballin’ 


O Scale Trains mth 9-2008.qxp 7/2/2008 11:18 AM Page 1 

Premier Line 

Canadian Pacific Hudson Steam Engine 

Royalty on the Rails 

Die-Cast Boiler & Tender Construction 

Remotely Controlled Operating 

Coupler 

Operates On 2 or 3-Rail Track Under 

AC or DC Power 

Synchronized Puffing Smoke Timed To 

Driver Revolutions 

Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH 

Increments 

Digital Proto-Sound ® 2.0 Sound Effects 

1:48 O Scale Proportions, Operates On 

O-42 Curves 

Canadian Pacific (Pilot Train 1939) - 4-6-4 Royal Hudson Steam Engine 

20-3313-1 w/Proto-Sound 2.0 (Hi-Rail Wheels) $999.95 

Canadian Pacific (Pilot Train 1939) - 4-6-4 Royal Hudson Steam Engine 

20-3313-2 w/Proto-Sound 2.0 (Scale Wheels) $999.95 

SEE IT IN 

ACTION 

ON THE WEB 

www.mthtrains.com/cp3steam 

©2008 M.T.H.Electric Trains 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046

NYC DREYFUSS & 

20TH CENTURY LIMITED 

From the Collection of R. Cady 

Photo by John Ryan 

Sunset Models is Proud To Announce The All Brass NYC Dreyfuss 

Hudson. Coming in Fall 2008 only 70 will be produced in 2 Rail. 

In a coordinated effort GGD will be producing the 20th Century 

1938 Train to scale in Aluminum. Since there are only going to be 

70 sets of engine and cars available we suggest you call in your 

reservation early. The locomotive is $1199.95 and each set of 4 

cars are $599.95 + S&H. There are 3 sets to choose from, but we 

highly recommend getting all 12 cars to have the complete train. 

Come Join The Fun. 1940 Paint Scheme Available. 

20th Century 1938 Train 

By GGD - Aluminum Construction 

Full Interior Detail, Lighted, Scale 

Set A: 

RPO/Baggage 5018 

Diner 681 

4-4-2 Imperial Highlands 

Observation Manhattan Is. 

Set B: 

Dorm/Club Century Club 

17-Roomette City of Albany 

10-5 Cascade Dawn 

13-Double Bedroom Cuyahoga County 

Set C: 

Diner 682 

17-Roomette City of Chicago 

10-5 Cascade Glory 

4-4-2 Imperial Falls 

CALL 

408-866-1727 TODAY! 

SUNSET MODELS INC. 

37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com

Sept/Oct 2008 - O scale trains

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