BoxcabE50, you are correct is stating that in G scale track is the biggest expense when building a G scale layout because of the type of materials used. There are only 2 types of materials used in G scale train tracks that I have seen which are brass and stainless steel. G scale does not use Nickel silver type track because it would never hold up under the rolling weight of G scale trains, especially when usuing metal wheels on freight cars. Stainless steel has a better conductivity advantage over brass, but it doesn't have the expansion and contraction ability of brass. I myself have choosen brass track only because the way I've seen it hold up on outside model layouts. The disadvantage of brass is that it doesn't look very realistic to the purist railroader which is why they made stainless steel track, it does look more real, but I don't plan on switching over to stainless, I will keep what works for me. Both materials hold up real well, I have seen 10 year old brass track layouts and the track still looks in very excellent condition.
G scale equipment reference chart Hi, today we are going to discuss track requirements of some G scale equipment. As in the previous post, we learned about the different track feet diameters. Now I will list some railroad equipment and what requirements are as to what diameter curve you will need. Lets start off with Locomotives first Aristocraft Locomotives Lil Critter 4ft dia Center Cab Diesel 4ft dia Alco PA 4ft dia U25B 5ft dia 2-8-0 Consolidation 5ft dia 0-4-0 Rogers 4ft dia 2-8-2 Mikado 8ft dia SD-45 8ft dia USA Trains F3-A 5ft dia GP-30 5ft dia GP-9 5ft dia GP38-2 5ft dia NW-2 4ft dia SD40-2 8ft dia SD-50 8ft dia Special Note: I only listed equipment I'm most familiar with, I have been told by many people at train shows that LGB makes all of thier trains to run on the smallest curve availble which is 4ft diameter, so basiclly you don't have to worry about what LGB product you buy, it will negotiate a 4ft diameter curve.. I also know that all Bachman trains will also run on 4ft Diameter curve, but not sure about the new 1:20.3 scale K27 steam locomotive they just came out with. Here is a very small list of freight cars USA Trains Ultimate series passenger cars 10ft dia USA Trains Ultimate series 55ft Tank car 8ft dia USA Trains Ultimate series 55ft Hopper car 8ft dia Aristocraft Heavyweight passenger cars 8ft dia Anyone who wishes to add to the list is more than welcome to.
I remember HO years ago, when they had brass track. It would at least oxidize, if not corrode. Is this a problem on G rails? Does the engine weight help overcome needing to keep rails cleaned? Boxcab E50
G scale coupling problems Does everyone remember what I told BoxcabE50 about how nothing is standard in G scale, well today we will discuss G scale couplers and if you plan on getting into this hobby you should follow along closely. There is only one type coupler that is standard in G scale and that is the "hook and loop" type coupler. I myself not being a big fan of the hook and loop couplers I run "knuckle type couplers instead and here is where the problem comes in. Lets take another scale for example, in the O scale world, you can buy a K-line, Lionel, MTH, Atlas 3-rail trains and hook them all up together with no problem, the same in HO, Atlas, Athearn, Bachman, Kato, etc, the all hook up together. This is not so in the G scale world as far as knuckle couplers go. Aristocraft makes their own type knuck couplers, Bachman makes thier own type, USA Trains makes their own type, MTH does, Hartland does and guess what? None of them are a standard style and these different manufacturers will not couple with each other. Another words If you buy a USA train car and a Aristocraft train car, because of the different design knuckle couplers, they won't couple to each other. What do you do? One alternative was to run all hook and loop couplers, but was not for me and was ruled out. Another alternative which maybe familiar to some HO modelers was to run Kadee couplers. There were some huge disadvantages for me to run these kadee couplers. First of all let me explain that all G scale commercial rolling stock mounts their couplers on the trucks of the car. Since how many railroad purist said this wasn't realistic, Kadee came out with body mounted couplers, the one huge disadvantage to a body mounted coupler was that now you need a bigger diameter curve to negotiate a curve so you don't throw the car off the track. Another disadvantage is that because there are so many different scale ratio G scale models out there you have to shim the kadee body mounted coupler to the right height with plastic styrene not included in the coupler kit. You also have to buy the kadee coupler height gauge to measure the right heaight for each railroad car to your track you are using. Now I own 85 freight cars, can you image how much time I would have to spend doing all of this, that wasn't for me either. So I came up with my own idea by experimenting. Since how the majority always wins the vote, I experimented with the couplers in which I had the most equipment of and in this case is USA Trains. Since how I had all 1:29 scale trains, the truck height was pretty much the same between manufacturers. So I tried a pair of USA knuckle couplers on my Aristocraft trains with slim modifications and it worked out well, so I moved on to my LGB cars in which hardly took any modifications. Now I have seen some people have a string of Aristocraft cars and just installed USA couplers on either end of the string instead of each individual car, the only down fall to that idea was you couldn't seperate the string and run it with other cars. With me changing all non USA train cars over to USA couplers, now I can run any car with any train.. The USA trains coupler at first glance is smaller in comparison to the Aristocraft, but don't let the size full you. I have run any where from 10 to 30 car strings and had only 4 USA knuckle coupler failures since 1999, I think that is a good record, especially when you are pulling 10lbs or more of rolling weight
BoxcabE50 I have seen many outdoor brass G scale layouts, some as old as 10 years old. The nice part about brass is that it doesn't corrode, it just oxidizes. Now again, track maintenance depends on what you want to run and where. Lets say you live in Arizona and ran a track powered layout, it would take a long time for the track to oxidize bad enough to loose power. Now lets say You lived near the shore in South Carolina, running track power, your track maintenance would be higher. When I say track maitenance, I mean keeping the track clean of oxidation and wheel dirt. Some of us G scale people make our own home made cleaning tool for track maintenance. For instance, taking a old mop with a swivel sponge end, you can remove the sponge head and fabricate a new piece from plywood to hold a fine grit scotchbrite pad you can get from a hardware store, You take the swivel from the spone head, mount it on the plywood you made and then mount it back to the mop handle, now you just made track cleaning easier. Engine weight I noticed really doesn't help to keep track any cleaner, but one thing will help out though. The one thing that will help is to change any and every freight car over to metal wheels because plastic wheels will get a track dirtier faster. Not all G scale cars come with metal wheels. If you run DCC battery operated trains, you never really have to worry about keeping the tracks clean other than keeping the big dirt pebbles of the tracks with a small broom.
Wow, what a read! You certainly have an empire in progress! I have lusted over a garden layout, but I don't have a place that I can call mine permanently yet.
Inspired I'm glad you started this thread and have taken the time to explain all the differences in manufacturers equipment and track to couplers. I collected some LGB 40' reefers 25 or so years ago with intentions of someday running them around the ceiling you have inspired me to get moving on that project. I intend ordering this week from St Aulbins a USA brand, GP-9 which will be 1:29 scale and a woodside caboose which will be 1:24 I have 8 LGB Reefers(1:22:5) which are hook/loop couplers same as whats on the the caboose I will purchase, The loco comes equiped w/knuckle coupler, I will make one LGB a transition car w/ Knuckle coupler on one end and hook/loop left on other end. I will sell my 4' dia. LGB track and will go 5' at the min. for radius. Do you see any problems with what I am about to do? I have a few LGB brass straight track which I will keep and use. What is your opinion of compatable track to usewith the LGB straights?
Rouute 66 I have good news for you, USA Trains EMD GP-9 you are about to purchase actually comes with hook and loop couplers installed on the locomotive, USA gives you a set of knuckle couplers in a kit bag which is in one end of the box, so in your application you can just leave the hook and loop couplers on the locomotive and should hook right up to your LGB equipment with no problem. USA Trains show all of their locomotives in pictures with knuckle couplers installed, but is actually opitional. I can't remember if the USA woodside caboose has hook and loop couplers on it or not. Unfortunatley track brands will not inter mix with each other. If you have LGB track for example and buy Aristocraft there could be some compatability problems. Also if your sticking with LGB track you have to know what profile you have already. For example if you have a 250mm profile track and you buy Aristocraft 320mm profile track you will have major troubles. So in this project you may wanna bite the bullet and sell all on ebay and just go all Aristocraft. Since how you want a ceiling train system.
HemiAdda2d Thanx, It took a long time to get to this point only because of the expense, I never thought in a million years I would own a railroad G scale model layout this big indoors.
Running G scale multiple loco lash ups Hi, today we are going to discuss running a multiple G scale locomotive lash up. In the HO and N scale world if you want to run multiple lash ups, they sell dummy units so you can do so. Well in the G scale world there are only 2 manufacturers that have diesel locomotive dummy units which is LGB and MTH Trains. All USA trains locomotives and all Aristocraft locomotives are fully powered. Lets take my USA EMD F3 ABBA lash up for example in the previous post. In HO or N scale only one locomotive would be powered, but all 4 of my USA EMD F3 locomotives are fully powered. This gives me a huge advantage in my opinion and let me explain why. As I said I run the F3 units as a ABBA set, but I have the option now to break this set down and run 2 different AB unit powered trains, or I could run just 2 AA units, or I could run just 2 A unit powered trains, now I have a nice locomotive power combination available to me. I also can pull all 85 of my cars if I had the room with no problem with all 4 units. So let me take this even further with more options. The USA Trains GP-9, GP38-2, GP-30 and F3 locomotives all use the same power trucks on all 4 models. Now I can take one of my GP-9 locomotives and lash it up to a F3-B unit and run it without damaging any gears or motor blocks, or I can take my GP-9 double header and lash it up to my GP-30 double header and have an awesome 4 locomotive train. The options are endless to me with the USA Trains that I run. I can't comment on ay Aristocraft locomotives because I haven't had any long enough to know. The only downfall to all of these powered units is you better have some serious transformer power to run all of this which we will discuss next time. Now lets talk about a break in period time. Don't be surprised if you buy 2 GP-30 locomotives for example to run as a double header and they seem to fight each other when you first put them on the track together. This is a perfecdtly normal action and you just have to be patient and they will eventually break in together and run smooth together. I seen so many people get into the hobby and rush into it, the next thing is they are unhappy how the double header lash up runs and they wanna take the motors out of one of the units because they came from a HO world that has dummies ( no pun intended). The only locomotives so far from USA that ran together smoothly out of the box were my SD-50 units. I just love having of all my locomotives being powered only because it gives me so many endless options on how to mix the equipment up to run with. Special Note: I also wanted to mention that some of the cheaper HO model locotives only has one powered motor block in it. All USA trains and all Aristocraft trains use 2 fully powered motor blocks for each locomtive. Also the new USA Train SD-50 uses two motors in one motor block which gives you 4 motors per locomotive
Us N scalers have all powered units also, No un-powered units(dummies) Thanks for the track compatibility info and USA loco couplers info. I will look into track, When I started out buying, LGB was the only game in town for large scale,than Delton came and went which I also have a few cars. I suppose each manufacturer decided what G scale should be and confused us more then helped and they still haven't decided. LGB is pretty much gone,after it's takeover so maybe it's 4th &10, time for me to punt and re-think my large scale dreams.
Roue 66, I did not know that N scale used all powered units, that is neat. You are correct in stating that LGB was the only G scale trains around for the longest time. They have been argueing in the G scale world as to what the standard scale ratio size should be with no resolutions in sight. As a note Delton is also no more and was taken over by Aristocraft, Delton is a 1:24 scale ratio G scale train. I chose 1:29 scale only because there were more choices available to me for railroad items that I liked. I also liked the fact the USA trains and Aristocraft trains modeled all of their trains after American railroads. I know there are people that say LGB is a standard 1.22.5 scale but I'm not so really sure that LGB really standardized in modeling in that scale. I can take a LGB woodside box car and measure it out and will measure out the same as a USA American series 1:24 cale ratio woodside box car. If you put these 2 cars side by side you would think that one or the other copied the molds because they look that much the same in details. Also if you measure out the LGB 2 bay hopper car, that also measures out to a 1:24 scale this LGB hopper looks the same as a MDC hopper car is size, MDC when they were in buisness modeled in 1:24 scale ratio. The LGB caboose definately measures out to a 1:22.5 scale. I remember my hobby store owner before he closed down always complained it looked like LGB didn't stick with one scale ratio in making equipment, LGB freight cars just looked off in scale ratio from each other it, at least the 8 wheel freight cars. LGB America was bought out. I did some investigating and according to some articles I read LGB America is in turmoil. So here is what is happening with LGB America, all licensed items such as the Peanuts, Walt Disney, Coca Cola have been dropped. Nothing LGB American wise are being produced right now. The LGB vinyl roadbed I talked about has also been discontinued. The LGB MTS will be provided by Mossoth thru LGB dealers. All LGB toytrain products will no longer be produced. LGB America US type trains will be produced in China in the future, they still have to move everything there. The downfall to all of this is that I'm seeing is LGB items on Ebay are going crazy, everyone is buying anything and everything LGB wise at very high prices I may add. Even LGB parts are going crazy. This was the latest news as of June 08
Years ago in N scale, there were a few dummies. Back in the early 1970's, I owned a Bachmann powered and dummy GP40(?) pair. But dummies just were not popular. I believe that back then, NTrak helped influence most people wanting powered units, to pull long trains. At least that's how it was in our group. Boxcab E50
G scale working part1 When railroad modeling I think some modelers over look having some kinda Maintenance of Way train or MOW as we know it. Back we I first started building my G scale I had bought a USA EMD NW-2 calf and cow switchers, but I bought them with a purpose, I needed a way to switch the trains from the smaller diameter curved track yards and get them to the bigger curved track mailine so the bigger trains can pull them. Well, when I switch everything over to the bigger curves, this meant the bigger trains could go any where on my layout they wanted to go, including into the yards. Now my NW-2 sat at idle and me wodering if I should just sell the set. I went to one of the East Coast large scale train shows and there was one guy who was running a work train with a NW-2. I thought this was a neat idea, so I went home to plan on what I was going to run in my MOW train or work train, either term is the same to me. So here is my MOW train in action. Picture #1 My MOW train lashed up and ready to go. Picture #2 The EMD NW-2 Cow and Calf switchers, both of these USA locomotives are needed to pull this train as they don't have power trac motor blocks Picture #3 is a Aristocraft covered gondolla that was just sitting on a siding that I no longer ran on the mainline, I took the covered top off and inserted a premade scrap load also made by Aristocraft. Picture #4 Is a Aristocraft Flat stake car I also no longer ran and sat on a siding, I removed the stakes and glued a railroad tie load on it Picture #5 I just bought a set of USA Trains Ultimate series depressed center flat cars. They are sold as a 2 pack car set. This car has a 1/32 scale loader on it. I picked 1:32 because I was afraid that the 1/24 model wouldn't fit and there isn't any 1:29 scale diecast models out that I have seen.
It doesn't look bad. I'd bet that many people would not even notice. I agree that m-o-w is often overlooked. It's an area manufacturers seem to often overlook. Boxcab E50
G scale working part 2 Picture #1 is a 1:32 excavator loaded up on the other USA Ultimate series depressed center car. Quick lame prank to pull on your train friend, call your train friend up and ask him if he has a depressed center flat car, if he says yes, tell him to cheer it up. Picture #2 is a USA 25ton crane tucked away on a crane tender. Now todays railroads use motorized cranes and equipment with train wheel attachments, but MOW items in G scale are very limited, so we use whats available to us. Picture #3 There was a major derailment on track #2 (actually staged) Picture #4 The MOW train is on its way to the crash site Picture #5 The crane arrives to the rescue
G scale working part 3 Picture #1, We got the crane started and it's moving into action Picture #2 we are now in position and ready for our chain Picture #3 Our chain is hooked up and ready. The chain I used for this photo is actually flourecent light hanging fixture chain sold cheap at a hardware store, my chain was left over from installing lights in my garage, although not scale perfect, it's still about having fun and not if it's scaled correctly. Picture #4 we are lifting the derailed car back onto the track. Please note that this crane is really lifting this heavy car, I also have metal wheels on this car and didn't really expect the crane to lift it. The crane itself uses manual hand crank controls for actual raising or lowering of the mast and hook Picture #5 the car is back on track again safe and sound
Not all goes well in any gauge Nothing runs perfect all of the time although we would like it too. Most of the mishaps that happened to me were mailny my fault. For example a train jumps the switch, you are upset a little until you realize it wasn't the trains fault because I forgot to throw the manual switch back. See on my railroad I don't have electric or pnuematic switches, they all have to be turned manually. This may sound awful considering I model on the floor, but you will find I run my layout in my bare feet and for a reason. I can walk over and throw the switch with my toe and now there is no bending over. In doing this I can't use the switching signals on the throw switch, so I have to manually check the switches to make they are going in the right direction. See modeling indoors with electirc switches just won't due, how would you hide the wires? Sometimes we are just too embarrased about things going wrong especially when you have guest over. Now it doesn't bother me as much, things just happen and nothing is 100% perfect. Well right after the above photo shoot with my work train my NW-2 calf broke down. This is the 1st break down I had with my USA train locomotives ever and these units are the oldest, around 8 years old and were used for heavy switching in the begining on my layout. One of the power trucks quit working on the NW-2 calf unit. Me being a Mechanic and having a advanced electrical training certificate, I opened up the locomotive to perform some tests. First I check all internal wiring for loose connections - ok, Then I took the motor block apart and applied transformer power to the leads on the motor and nothing, I rotated the motor and you could feel it was not smooth, my first burned up motor but I'm not complaining, it lasted a long time. Just to make sure I took a good spare motor I had from a failed project that I was working on which origionally came out of a F3-A unit and applied the same power and it worked fine. The only problem is that the NW-2 uses a different motor and block than a NW-2 in USA trains. Picture #1 is the motor out of the block and ready for testing Picture #4 Make sure you take pictures of the wiring before you tear anything apart so you can put it back the same way, especially if you don't have a wiring schemetic Picture #2 On the left is the USA NW-2 motor and on the right is a USA F3-A motor on my work bench, notice the big differences. All USA GP-30, GP-9, F3 and GP38-2 use the same motors on the right. Picture #3 I though about using my failed project good motor truck bloacks in the NW-2 but as you can see the NW-s on the left and the F3 on the right, it just won't work, the F3 block will never fit into the truck side frames of the NW-2 I'm not sure at this time if I wanna fix this or just sell it as is on E-bay. Not that it would be all that hard to fix, these motors are availble from USA and USA trains has a nice parts illustrated list on there website so you know you are picking the right item. I just been looking for an excuse to buy the USA Also S-4 that just came out even though I'm a big time EMD trainman. I think my NW-2 and a new S-4 would look great together. The calf should sell well due to the Rio Gande name has been discontinued on the calf unit.
Question: You have 3 power supplies (transformers). 1) Is each transformer running a separate isolated main-line? 2) with your 10 gauge wire are you running multiple feeders to your track every few feet?
