Great review of Athearn’s HO MP15-AC (May 2008). I have two of the Milwaukee units, and it is indeed an excellent model.
However, my prototype knowledge is shown to be lacking in that I can’t identify one of the three objects located on the cab roof. I recognize the horn and the electronic bell speakers. But the third object just looks like a little dimple — it can be seen in a couple of your pictures of the Milwaukee and Soo units. Is this an antenna base of some sort?
Henry Hurley
Seattle, WA
Athearn MP15AC Question about DCC
I just finished reading the May 2008 issue and have a question regarding the DCC on the Athearn MP15. I do not know a whole lot about DCC and that is probably the reason I still model with DC. My question is about the Picture on page 30 of the SOO LINE MP15. You say that the locomotive’s quick plug board is covered up with tape and a NCE Decoder is installed to prevent a short. Isn’t the purpose of the 8-pin plug to connect up a decoder by just simply plugging it in and you’re ready to go, or is there more wiring to it than that? I am interested in DCC, so this picture looks a little confusing. How is the NCE Decoder hooked up? Is that particular decoder not used with a Quick Plug?
Matt Fisher
Grove City, OH
The NCE decoder is a bare board type, so the tape is used to prevent any contacts on the bottom of the decoder from shorting against contacts on the main power board. It probably would have been fine, but better safe than sorry. I hope this clears things up for you. —John
N-scale N&W Cabooses
I own four N&W 2-8-8-2 N-scale locos by three manufacturers, coal hoppers by four manufacturers, but no N&W two-window or as I call them 2-1/2 cabooses. I know they varied from one to another. I read somewhere that N&W made their cabooses from wrecks and whatever they had on hand to keep down the expense of non-revenue cars. I’ll bet there are a lot of us out there would buy them when somebody decides to make a steam era N&W caboose in N scale.
Lee Martin
Newport, KY
I just finished reading your article “A Mutualistic Relationship?” (“Thinking of DCC, May 2008) While your discussion was mainly with DCC decoder manufacturers and their relationship to the model locomotive trade, there was an error in your article about the “prototype world” consortiums, namely Alco and GE.
Yes, it is true that those two companies terminated their sales and marketing agreement in 1953. However, Alco did not seek another partner but continued to rely on GE for their electrical equipment right to the last day of manufacturing in 1969. This odd relationship no doubt placed Alco at a competitive disadvantage, allowing GE to become #2 in locomotive sales.
Paul G. Lessard
Manchester NH
This is from the old Santa Fe retired conductor out in Kansas. In the story on the BLI’s RSD-15s you stated that the Santa Fes were all low-nosed. Wrong. The 602 class were high nose RSD-15s. They were built in 1955 ahead of your time frame of 1959 to 1960. The point of this: If a modeler wants a high nose Santa Fe RSD-15 then number it 602 to 611. The low noses were 800 to 849.
Robert Harris
Marion, KS
As a follow up to John Sipple’s interview with Ken Silvestri and Bob Grubba of Broadway Limited Imports, please could you ask these guys:
1. What was the reasoning behind the decision to no longer manufacture locos (specifically N scale) with LokSound decoders?
2. What brand of decoder will be used in the forthcoming N-scale releases?
3. What are the specific reasons for the extensive delays (now counted in years) for release of the N-scale E8, PA/PB, and PRR M1a / M1b 4-8-2 locomotives?
John Colliver
Australia
1. Between the falling dollar and other considerations, the ESU product’s price more than doubled.
2. They will be using their own decoders.
3. They won’t construct a product until it generates a sufficient number of pre-orders to make the venture profitable. In the case of the products you mention, that level has yet to be reached. —John
I just received the June 2008 issue of MRN. As a life-long modeler in S scale (1:64), I was excited to note in the index that you had a review of some new diecast vehicles in my scale (“Auto-Thentic excitement brings back the glorious ‘50s”). However, in the first paragraph of the review, Mr. Cawthon states “Since S is the only model railroad scale that matches a popular miniature vehicle collector’s scale (1:43 scale), . . . “. Suddenly I started thinking these models were closer to O scale than to S. Later in the article there is a reference to 1:64, but also another reference to 1:43.
Gaylord Gill
Highland, MI
I read your “At the Grade Crossing” article in the May 2008 edition of Model Railroad News which discussed the microeconomics of model vehicle selection. Good story. Do you know of anyone that produces an HO-scale version of a crop duster? Modeling a rural farm scene set in a remote location, I was disappointed in the difficulty of finding a staple of the farming industry…crop dusters! I also flew in the Air Force and wanted to incorporate some flyboy stuff in my layout.
Richard Olden
Las Vegas, NV
I don’t know of anything short of scratchbuilding that will get you a Piper Pawnee, but I did some searching to see if I could find a biplane that might work. About the closest thing that turned up was a diecast toy made by Gearbox that’s a replica of a “Barnstormer” biplane. It’s a two-seater and about five scale feet too long, but with some work, it might be able to be converted to a stand-in for the Stearman 75 Kaydets that were used for crop dusting in the years after WWII. For four bucks, it won’t hurt the wallet too much if you decide to experiment. — Bill
In finally getting around to reading the February 2008 issue, I noted in the Athearn N mill gondola review it said to make sure and put the car back in the insert correctly or you will break off the brake wheel. Red Caboose has the same problem on the centerbeam flat cars. How hard would it be to make the insert so the car could go in either way? I cut out a notch in any offending inserts.
Don Spencer
Lee’s Summit, MO
I hate to nit pick, but in your review (May 2008) you say that the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears were “fierce” rivals in the 1950’s. Since the Vikings didn’t play their first game until September 1961, that would have been a little tough to have been the case.
Larry Gibbs
Gering, NE
You’re right, Larry, and I knew it — after I submitted. Meanwhile, the TC Hiawatha didn’t run to Green Bay. It ran to Milwaukee, 160 miles to the south and then up to St. Paul and Minneapolis, 268 miles to the west. Both Milwaukee and C&NW had service from Chicago to Green Bay, but on lesser trains. You also could change from the Hiawatha and vice versa. They also probably ran fan trains, too. Wouldn’t that have been fun! Maybe Walthers should crank out a pair of 1955 fan trains, one for the Bears and one for the Packers. —John
If you ever get a few inches of space, would you explain the difference between an inside frame steam engine and an outside frame steam engine?
Richard Myers
Friendsville, TN
Three-foot narrow gauge is three feet wide at the gauge faces and results in an inside frame that is only a couple of feet wide, so there’s the danger of accelerated wear on those bearings. As a result, some locomotives were built with the frame OUTSIDE the drivers for better bearing wear and overall stability. This also meant the wheel cranks, rods, and balance weights needed to be outside of the frame, resulting in a locomotive that was fascinating to watch. —John
An error managed to invade the cover review (May 2008) [regarding the electric cooling fans]. Whether an error by the reviewer (which I suspect) or a flaw by Atlas (which I seriously doubt), the high-shroud cooling fans are 34 inches in diameter, not 36. Reference General Motors EMD F-Unit Parts Manual. The cooling fan hatch is/was designed such that the 36 inch pan-top fans would drop right in, as stated. A minor discrepancy, however, one that is made all too often when reviewing F-2s and 3s.
Jerry T. Moyers
Huntsville, AL
This same fan was used in the F3, F7, F9, GP7, GP9, SD7, and SD9 along with miscellaneous other applications including trade-in F3 and F7 fans used in a few of the GP18s. Atlas has read the review and agrees with the terminology. Their shrouds measure a scale 36 inches and the drawing used by both us and them indicate 36-inch shrouds. Let’s put the 34-inch fan blades to one side and go with the standard external measurement. —John
Just wanted to tell someone about this problem, so that maybe it won’t happen to everyone else. I just got two of the Proto 2000 series GP20s without sound or DCC. Well in their nice manual it tells you how to install a decoder on the back.
1. Remove small circuit board from large board. No brainer.
2. Remove the screws holding large board...again no brainer.
3. Plug your DCC decoder into small circuit board and wrap with tape... this is where they messed up.
The small circuit board they talk about is only the 8-pin receiver for the decoder plug. After you do this, you will SMOKE your LED lights because there is no drop-down protection on that board. It is a direct wire to each light and motor. The large board that you remove has the drop down protections on it. There is no info telling you to protect the lights.
Chris Mueller
Gresham, OR
I’ve been reading the letters regarding DCC and wanted to say something to those who are scared off, thinking it is too complicated. All that talk about programming and CV’s is intimidating. Do not fear, I say. In fact, don’t pay any attention to all that techno-speak right now. I’m not technical. I’m one of those who likes to simply turn it on and it works. I have DCC. NCE ProCab radio. I’ve run seven or eight trains at one time, some MU’ed for nine or ten locos, all at once, and I’ve yet to read my owner’s manual.
In fact, I’ve yet to even wire up the layout. When the layout was only 10 feet of main line and one siding, I hitched up two wires to that siding for temporary running, and expected to have to wire the thing up “pretty soon” as the layout grew in size. Well, it’s over a year later, the layout now fills a 21 x 16 foot room, and I’m still running with just those two wires to that one siding. Maybe I’ll get around to wiring soon. Maybe I’ll read the owners manual soon. Maybe I’ll figure out what to do with all those mysterious CV’s soon. But all that will have to wait, because I’m having too much fun running trains.
Ken Silva
Brownfield, ME
The DCS-100 (and I also suspect the 200) can be set to turn on automatically by setting several Option switches, so you don’t need to turn on the unit with keystrokes. IIRC, the option numbers are either 33 and 34 or 34 and 35. The manual will have the exact settings.
I have set my DCS-100 for auto power-on. The whole system comes up when you turn on main power to the layout.
Roger Thomas
West Windsor, NJ
I read your “Thinking of DCC” articles every month hoping to find that somehow the problems with different manufacturers will some day be solved. I don’t have much hope. I have installed in excess of four-dozen decoders in my HO models, mostly the ESU, and have, in most cases had good results. The one problem that bothers me is the problem of trying to program a loco with two decoders. I would like you to address this problem in your article, and explain how this is done.
Brent Leishman
Bountiful, UT
The Blueline sound decoder does not have motor control CVs, so commands sent to change what isn’t there will simply be ignored while working just fine on the motor decoder. The sound system decoder has sound-specific CVs in places that aren’t used on most motor decoders, so commands sent to them will go to the sound decoder and not be obeyed by the motor decoder. A few CVs will be the same and need to match each other. These include the address and CV29, the configuration CV.
If you have two decoders and have to program them separately for some reason, you might consider giving each its own address and then put them together with Advanced Consisting, assuming both support that correctly. You can give the consist a third address number from 1 to 127 and run it from that address but program it from the individual addresses. I’ve never had this condition, so I’m just supposing here. Separate programming would be unusual. —John
I am just starting my second N-scale layout, my first layout was built during the intro of DCC, but I built it with DC. I am very interested in using DCC on my new layout which will be built using all new equipment, but I have a concern about choosing the wrong package. I really wish to avoid that mistake.
Can you recommend a DCC manufacturer or suggest the features that I should be looking for? Also is there a particularly good publication I should find?
My budget is in pretty good shape, so that is not an issue; but I’m disappointed in talking with hobby shops, they are lacking in knowledge of DCC.
Larry Stultz
larry.stultz@suddenlink.net
Regarding good publications on DCC, be sure to read MRN’s “Thinking of DCC” column every month, as well as several DCC books from Kalmbach. Also starting with the June MRN will be a 12 part series called “Project DCC.” In it we discuss three systems in particular (Digitrax, Lenz and ZIMO) as well as various aspects of DCC including turnout control, signaling and layout automation. Hopefully you’ll be able to read along every month! —Phil
On your comment about dealers, Digitrax does considerable dealer training and then lists its dealers on its web site, www.digitrax.com Look for the “Dealers” tab at the top and click on your state and surrounding states to get lists of dealers you might want to visit. Phone numbers are included so you can call before you make the drive. —John
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