Progress report #2

[ginzokid]

I locked the other thread. There is some good stuff in there that probably has been reposted in other threads. I'll check. In the meantime, here's another place to write. B-)

[dl85vette]

I uploaded couple pics to my "Projects" folder. My cement plant in progress. The blue conveyor has been since painted. And the long awaited loco for Doug. His latest aquisition to his fleet. New England Central Rail GP20.

[beastranger]

Once again Dave you have outdone yourself !!! What a beauty, I'll take twenty more just like it, LOL. I think you need to retire and paint trains for a living. Great job, can't wait to see it in person. Doug

[ginzokid]

Dave, Fresh from the paint shop and it's dirty? You could have at least given it a bath before you delivered it to Doug. Is it my eyes or is that a rapido coupler on the rear? Nit pick, nit pick, nit pick. B-)

[dl85vette]

No Pete. that's dirt I speculated that would have gotten on the loco on its journey to VT. Yes that is a rapido. My loco shop builds locos to exact specs of customer's demands. dave

[ginzokid]

Punk? MT on front, rapido on rear? You following in Gene's footsteps? ;) B-)

[g-pa1]

Huh? I have several transition cars in several different consists - front of car knuckle and rear of car rapido. Only one Loco with rapido's pulling rapido (four cars actually) on the quarry/coal track. (Though the Marklin mine steamer and four cars have a coupler similar to a rapido. The DCC long main is all knuckle couplers on both the five car Super Chief and the nine car freight train. Gene

[ginzokid]

So you do have rapido couplers on an engine! Confess Gene! See how you are influencing others?

[barrysfp45]

A friend of mine insisted rapidos were great until he ran a train with 12 cars on it, guess what, Micro Trains trucks were his next aquision and got me to convert his locos to M/Ts as well, I have over 1,000 freight cars and they are all either M/T or M/T equipped and here the cheapest I have been able to get a pair of trucks is $7.50 usually buy 10 pair at a time for around $60-$65 for the pack, I just can't understand why anyone would want to run junk. Barry....]:)

[g-pa1]

Chaulk it up to hommage to the ancients. If you can't run rapido couplers successfully then you might just as well glue the couplers together with MT's. Or to put it another way you don't have a hair on er ah well you get it I'm sure.

[dl85vette]

I'm guessing Doug has a bunch of cars that he may prefer not to convert to magnetic. Or just lots of cars period. Whatever works for him is all that matters.

[ginzokid]

"If you can't run rapido couplers successfully then you might as well glue the couplers together with MT's." Now that is a very funny statement. It really should read the other way around. If you can't run your cars with MTs, you might as well glue the rapidos together. Most cars now come with some sort of "realistic" looking coupler, be it MT or Accumate or McHenry. Why in anyone's right mind would they settle for the old style rapidos when it is so easy to convert to something more realistic looking and operationally so much better. Sure money is a concern, but the 10 packs are a good buy and I'm sure everyone of us can budget the cost into the hobby allowance, a little at a time. Of course there are some cars that just cannot be converted without a lot of effort. But I have not found a car yet that eventually can not be converted to body mounted MT coupler. Maybe Doug is in transition as you say. I was just poking fun as was indicated by the devil. Gluing MTs together? The reasoning is beyond me. B-)

[dl85vette]

There is a guy here that buys Atlas and converts the accumates to MTL. WHY???? But i don't care. I'll gladly buy the baggies of 10 pair of accumates for $10.

[g-pa1]

Pete, The reference to glue is that usually when the knuckle couplers are used they are so reliable that it's like gluing them together. There are some cars and Loco's I suspect that just are plain ornery to change over. Also as some people believe,if it works with no problem why tempt fate. I remember a number of Bachmann and Con Cor passenger cars that I switched the trucks out and put trucks with knuckle couplers on and had nothing but problems. They now are in the drawer. The Kato and Micro Train factory equipped cars and Loco's are so reliable that the only time I have a problem is of my own doing. Also if someone comes over to look at my layout they have not even noticed that the DC tracks sport rapido and knuckle couplers. No one looks that close and not being a rivet counter probably some of my cars are not of the transition era either e.g. railbox etc. but it's my party you can cry if you want to! Gene...the multi scale adventure series railroader

[barrysfp45]

Dave I too convert atlas to M/T trucks mainly because I run 80+ cars on the club layout and the accumates fall apart with the weight, yea you can run them at the rear but why restrict your options, besides which I find the atlas wheel sets seem to fall out of the trucks a whole lot easier than the M/T wheels and trucks, and I haven't found any thing that can't be converted even if it takes a little engineering, I do know not every one is that interested but I feel the investment in my railroad is worth the effort. Barry.....;)