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What's With the Holes?I have to ask whether a peculiarity inthe design of some of the MTH steamlocomotives bothers 2-Railers as muchas it does some 3-Railers like me.If you look at NP Z-6 4-6-6-4, forexample, you will see that the pistonrod holes are drilled way toward the putside of the casting on all four cylindersinstead of being centered. I see no reasonfor this other than perhaps reducingoverhang if the cylinders were mountedcorrectly wider. Is this acceptable? Also,many of the MTH locomotives, such asthe 19th century 2-8-0 have the steamchest mounted above the centerline ofthe drivers. Just asking.Sincerely,Gene Hersch, Spokane WAJoe answers - If you will look at myPRR H3 to N&W G1 conversion from lastissue (OST#44) I noted that the cylinderswere above the centerline of the drivers.I can see no good engineering reasonto do this as the lowered cylinders workperfectly. As for the piston rod holebeing outboard, I would guess that thiswas done for clearance purposes, especiallyif the cylinders were made to scale.Remember, O Scale track (whether 2- or3-rail) is 0.073" too wide. Usually, manufacturerswiden the cylinders to keepthe rods all centered, but if they kept thecylinders at scale width then the rodshave to be pushed outboard because ofthe over-width of the drivers, side rods,etc. That would be my guess. I am notas bothered by the outboard piston rodsas I am by the cylinders being too high.MTH is aware of the cylinder issue andhas said they will correct it on futuremodels.Who Made That?I would like to see manufacturer'snames on the equipment photos in OST.I think it is a disservice. When an itemlooks good, we readers might like topurchase it. Your weathering article onthe covered hopper (OST #40) had nomanufacturer name.Dorian Nakamoto, Calif.Joe responds - You are correct. Wedid not identify Atlas O as the manufacturerof the cylindrical hopper usedin that article. We often are not givenmanufacturer information on items thatappear in photos submitted for articlesunless it's self-evident. However, we willstrive to identify items more clearly infuture articles.Another TakeOn StreetTrackageBeing in themidst of completing the interurban looparound my downtown business block, Iwas quite interested in the recent featureby Don Smith (Issue #42). I found myselfin agreement with Don until I got to cuttingflangeways with a (gasp!!) saw blade.If he says he can do it, fine, nolo contendre,but consider my technique.Using your Dremel with an abrasivecutoff disc, cut away the tip of a commonscrewdriver blade until you are leftwith a projection equal in width anddepth to your flangeway. Apply this toolto the street surface at a very low angleof attack and low pressure. You must goeasy to prevent it wandering off like DonQuixote. After your flangeway is started,increase the angle of attack until youreach the full depth. It's best to use fouror five passes to prevent chipping andsplintering. After your street is complete,you can use this same tool to scrapepaint from the rail heads. It’s safe andeasy to use for this purpose since it's selfguiding.Also, I think it's a good idea tokeep the street surface a few mils belowthe rail heads. If you don't, you'll find outwhy you should have the first time youtry to clean the track.Ralph E Yoder via e-mailWishing For O ScaleThis is a fan letter to say how muchI enjoy your magazine O Scale Trains;and how it has really got me wishingand thinking, about my old O Scalelayout that I used to have and how Imiss it and O Scale. I spent 30+ years inthe US Navy, mostly with the Marinesas a Corpsman; I moved around a lotand built and sold various layouts eachtime I was sent to a new duty station. Inmy lifetime you might say I was a rubbergauger: American Flyer S scale asa youngster, then HO,HOn3, On3, N, next a7½” gauge in 1-½” scalebackyard RR in GuantanamoBay Cuba, On30 andO Scale standard gauge.I went full size next andowned 3 different 12”= 1’Standard Gauge Fairmontand Kalamazoo MOWSpeeders as a member ofNorth American Rail CarOwners Association (NARCOA). Thensome 3’ gauge equipment.All this is past tense. Now it is 7/8n2or 7/8” = 1’ with one SR&RL #6 0-4-4Forney live steam (see photo) and oneEagles Creek Railway #5, a 7/8n2 modelof a Bridgeton & Harrison RR 2-4-4 Forneywith battery power, sound & RC,plus rolling stock. All motive power androlling stock is scratchbuilt. Only partsavailable are trucks, brake wheels grabirons etc. So you might say I am a bit of arailroad enthusiast (nut).Now that I am settled down with justmy 7/8n2 equipment, some times I justwant to RR no matter what the weatherand I like to be a total model railroaderand dioramist (buildings and scenery).And that is where Mike comes in. I havebeen reading his articles on his layoutthat he is building & writing about inO Scale Trains and they make me wishI would have figured out how to keepmy old O Scale standard gauge layout.It appears that we have much the sameideas. Although it seems that you haverefined them a bit more. I have a roomabout 20’ X 7’ which would give me 47’in a “U” shape with shelves 24” to 30” indepth. I envision a little coal hauler, witha GE 44 ton and a Climax 50 ton, with afew hopper cars, box cars etc. on Code100 handlaid track, maybe 12 to 15 turnouts,and point to point with a 5’ longtraverser plate offstage to interchangecars. “The Junction” done in the speedand style of your articles. This letter is tothank you both for the magazine and theinspiration. Scratchbuilding and kitbashingis where it’s at. Promise to keep youposted.Tom (7/8n2) Eagles via e-mailMike replies: Tom, I think you’ll discoverthat a small layout can be just asmuch fun as a larger one.July/Aug ’09 - O Scale Trains • 19