RailRoadFan.com

Hi All,

Site is up and testing as I post this. Still adjusting but video and audio are working.

ENJOY!
Bill

I'm shooting a Canon XSi. The 18-55 3.5-5.6 IS is good, but I find its range to short and its apture to high. I agree on the 100-300 usm lens, but I am happy with it. Tamron 28-75 2.8 I've added this lens and I'm very happy with it. Focusing seems a bit trying sometimes, but the speed more than make...

Welcome to DCC Tod! The Athearn locos are a great conversion. I too have many older custom units and most will be DCCed. Right now I have 15-20 done. I advise hardwiring the decoders. I have found that the Digitrax Athearn kit good for first time install, but it leaves a lot to be desired, mainly th...

Anyone else crusin Woodward between now and the actual cruise? If so contact me BILL@RUSTYSPIKES.com maybe we can get together whatch some cars while bs'ing cars, trains, models and "?". When we're parked we are usually north of 14 mile on the east side, although I may go to the west side just for p...

Great pics Mike! I finally switched to digital and I went with the XSi. SO far I am very happy with it, although I still haven't had time to learn much about it yet. The old nothing but time when I ordered it, now everything but time to play. I was on Woodward last night playing with it, but I haven...

Hi Charles, I would use16 or 18 guage wire for my buss and to feed my drops. For feeder wire I would use that good old Bell wire and I would have at least 2 drops per block. Use 1 color wire for all your common drops, busses and feeders. Use another color for all you power drops. Yes, use another po...

Mike, I just finished programing and hooking up the scanner. Give me some timr to see what all I can hear. I ran both AGIs into the house, but I haven't had a chance to hook them both up to the system yet. I am going to use the box you brought, but I am putting inside instead of 50' up in the air! W...

I've used stiping tape with good to fair results. I believe Practa brand, comes in a tube with stipes from thin to wide. Sad to say there are no pics on my web site with the roads in them. Note to self, take new site pics and post!

Bill C

Sorry for the spelling, this is what I get for trying to post while watching TV.

Bill C

If you are looking to hold the track in place and even permamently I would sugest a god latex caulk. If used sparringly you will be able to remove the track for changes and reuse in the future.

Bill C

Razor saws usually cut slightly big. Then filed and sanded to fit as needed. I have tried many other ways, but I have also learned that this works the best in the long run.

Bill C

I like it Mike, especially the back!
Plus it stands out when it is mixed up with other cards, always a plus. The back is great and it to will catch an eye as well as be remembered.

Bill

Welcome to the site and back into the hobby Brian! There is plenty of information for a/b cab wiring out there. A good basic place to start would be the Atlas wiring book. Most Atlas layout books have some info on the basic wiring. ALso, thier sysem of collectors, seletors ... is a good place to sta...

Chris, I feel that the best start for DCC is the Digitrax Zypher. I know that I have stated this before in this post, but I feel it is well worth repeating. The Zypher is compatable and expandable with the complete Digitrax system. Plus you can add 2 regular power packs to it for 3 cabs. There also ...

Good post Mike. One thing though, does the NCE sytem run a DC loco? I know there is one system out there that doesn't run DC, I'm just not sure which one. I know that Digitrax does, because we do it often. Chris the advice of trying the different systems while talking with the people that use and ma...

I like it Chris, looks like you guys have a good start. Being an HO'er I'm not sure how it will scale out to the room, if it fits then it should be lots of fun. I'm assuming that all the spurs are industries. I really like Howell, is that going to be an active interchange? Good Luck and keep us post...

Hi Mike,
THANKS, great site! I have joined it and I am looking forward to being able to spend time on it.
Looks like the Rebel XSi has hit our shores, so now I am just looking around trying to find the best deal from somewhere I hope I can trust.

Bill

DCC is money well spent no matter how small your layout is. I use Digitrax and after having used most of the others, it is the system I prefer. YES, it was a pain to figure out originally! Digitrax's instuctions are not very user friendly, but once you know them everything you need to know is there....

Yes there is a lot of switching. We are debugging the car card system right now. Once that is done we should be able to support 7-10 opperatetors running at least 13 frieghts with 2-7 passenger trains. All I can say is thank God for DCC! The web site too is a work in progress. I do have some drawing...

I only use the nails to hold my track down so I can get everything working right. Then I ballast and once the glue has dried the nails are removed. Water proof wood glue holds my cork down and the ballast/glue holds the track. This has worked on every layout I have built or worked on. See some shots...