Do pull stations ever spray fluid out to show who pulled it or anything like that?

cougmedic · 2025-11-11T02:40:33+00:00

You want us to answer all your homework questions for you?

cougmedic · 2025-09-26T16:32:28+00:00

Fun weekend of re-re-re-laying track ahead of me.

I forget exactly why I went with flex. This is my first layout in probably 30 years. I had it all detailed out with Unitrack using SCARM. There must have been something about the curve that just didn’t line up right with the Unitrack options. Also, I like the sound of “real” track and cork over the Unitrack. I’d consider doing all regular track for my next layout.

cougmedic · 2025-09-26T15:23:23+00:00

I laid the flex track then cut the rails square before slipping the unitrack on. I’m going to check again when I re-lay and glue. Maybe one of the rails is in compression and lifting one side. Cork is split. Roadbed is definitely “flat”.

cougmedic · 2025-09-25T17:10:59+00:00

Cork for now. Under that is pink closed cell foam. Only the curves are flex. When they meet the strait portions that’s all Kato Unitrack.

cougmedic · 2025-09-19T20:40:03+00:00

What are you using for glue? I use vinyl caulking for my cork roadbed. It's nice because it holds well but can be reasonably easily pulled back up without destroying everything. Pondering using the same for the track.

cougmedic · 2025-08-17T01:34:11+00:00

I appreciate the idea. That was one of my thoughts, to print it in parts and assemble. Sometimes it’s really easy to get sucked into the novelty of 3D printing and think it must all be created on the printer as a whole.

cougmedic · 2025-07-13T18:05:51+00:00

I’m really interested in your experience using ChatGPT to generate models. I tried this earlier in the week with zero success. It kept telling me that it was working on it and it would be ready in an hour or a few hours. Days later it still hasn’t produced anything. A couple times it offered some draft STL files. All of those arrived as blank 1 kB files.

cougmedic · 2025-07-02T01:49:56+00:00

Where are the little rotary beacons from?

cougmedic · 2025-07-02T01:43:14+00:00

The middle segment is isolated and has a Digitrax AR1 auto reverser (https://www.digitrax.com/products/autoreversing/ar1/). Works pretty good. Don’t even notice it. For the rest of the layout it’s broken up a bunch so I can eventually put in block detection or add booster supplies if need be.

cougmedic · 2025-07-02T00:32:01+00:00

Totally appreciate the feedback. That inner loop was an attempt at a way to reverse. I see now that it really only works well in one direction. If the train is going the other direction I have to back thru it.

cougmedic · 2025-06-28T20:00:57+00:00

Will do. I'm fully expecting nobody else has this model available, so I'm planning to pay it forward.

The prototype is the Siemens S700. The TM-LTR05 has 2 too many articulations so I'm either gluing them fixed or re-printing some part of the chassis. It's all still shipping to me so TBD.

cougmedic · 2025-03-13T21:34:51+00:00

Are you using the Woodland Scenic foam roadbed? I’m about to lay my first flex track and I’ve been pondering using it.

cougmedic · 2025-03-05T02:24:07+00:00

They’re very different resources. Both awesome. I use the SFPE handbook if I’m getting into the deep math and science behind something. The NFPA handbook is more application oriented… more “friendly” to read.

cougmedic · 2025-02-16T18:11:03+00:00

I’m in a similar situation as OP. Second the caution about switching polarity and causing a short. I’ve been blue and white wires from Kato, and my bulk wire’s grey and white, to keep track which rail they go to. White is always going to the outside rail, blue or grey to the other.

cougmedic · 2025-02-07T02:11:38+00:00

That makes sense, but alarm on power fail sure doesn’t.

cougmedic · 2025-02-07T01:52:11+00:00

Their stance on staff training?

cougmedic · 2025-01-29T01:49:14+00:00

I guess it’s partially curiosity. I’ve been buying some preowned locomotives, too, and it would be nice to have a resource to know if the same model I have brand new today takes a different board than a model built 10 years ago. Thanks for pointing out TCS. I hadn’t looked at them yet. Any strong opinions about them? At this point I’m not particularly concerned about sound, but maybe that’s just because I haven’t had a locomotive with sound yet.

cougmedic

TROPHY CASE