What did you do on your layout today?

@Dave Ripp. posted:

That's odd. Anyway thanks Mike. I think the carpet looks better in person. You can get little samples at Menards by the carpet rolls but I ordered mine on line after looking at it there. I have also seen it at Sam's Club but I'm not sure if they still have it. Nice Mikado I had a Frisco Mikado  that I wish I'd kept.

Thanks Dave, I will be going to North Dakota next month and will check things out at Menards as that is the closest one to me! LOL But I also make a special trip there while visiting the in-laws to see what train stuff they have!

I hope the Mikado turns out to be a good buy as its will be my first and only PS 2 steam engine!

I have a PS2 B&O Mikado.  It runs great, but has an slight noise coming from under the boiler shell at slow speeds.  I have not figured it out, but put the cover on and put it on the shelf until another time.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I have a PS2 B&O Mikado.  It runs great, but has an slight noise coming from under the boiler shell at slow speeds.  I have not figured it out, but put the cover on and put it on the shelf until another time.

I was only able to find one video of the 2-8-2 but it was HO and hard to see things! But it does look sharp!

@mike g. posted:

I was only able to find one video of the 2-8-2 but it was HO and hard to see things! But it does look sharp!

Mike, it is.  Mine is the Premier.  Is yours Premier or RailKing.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, it is.  Mine is the Premier.  Is yours Premier or RailKing.

Its a Railking, I couldn't afford a Premier!

@mike g. posted:

Its a Railking, I couldn't afford a Premier!

I took a chance on the Premier which had the noise, and the seller offered it at a ridiculously low price.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I took a chance on the Premier which had the noise, and the seller offered it at a ridiculously low price.

Nice, I hope when the time comes it's an easy fix!

@mike g. posted:

Nice Crossing Dave! But the big question is where did you get the tall grass?

For the rest of you I pulled the trigger on an MTH 2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 2.0 - Pennsvlvania RR at what I thought was a good price. Should be here Friday!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to make it BN, SF, or UP! LOL

Looks good Mike. I do have to take exception with the repaint though

Not sure which model you bought but just make sure it doesn't have 5v boards. They tend to flame out. I'm sure several of the experts will provide advice. If you have the model # you can check the MTH site for details.

Bob

I took a first jab at the ground cover for the yard. Not too pleased with the results but it's a start. I want the areas between the tracks to be slightly depressed from the rail head so I may go old school with plaster cloth and gravels. I can still use this stuff as a base between the tracks and have areas exposed to look like old asphalt that has been covered over by years of dirt and grime.

To be continued.....

Not being sure what you used for ground cover, but if it's soft enough, just run a vehicle back and forth over the area pressing down moderately hard. This could give you some ruts, tire tracks, etc. Keep blackening it. Just yesterday i rode Amtrak from Boston to Albany. For the first 20 miles all you saw were yards and industrial sidings. Take a short train ride down there on L.I. and bring your camera along. It will give you firsthand knowledge of the look you want.

@modeltrainsparts posted:

Not being sure what you used for ground cover, but if it's soft enough, just run a vehicle back and forth over the area pressing down moderately hard. This could give you some ruts, tire tracks, etc. Keep blackening it. Just yesterday i rode Amtrak from Boston to Albany. For the first 20 miles all you saw were yards and industrial sidings. Take a short train ride down there on L.I. and bring your camera along. It will give you firsthand knowledge of the look you want.

The board is corrugated sign material we had left over from Covid signs we had made up last year. It's too rigid to create ruts in, but I understand where you are going.

The journey continues !

Thanks

Thanks for the information Bob, I tried looking it up but couldn't find what board it has. It's a 30-1164-1, maybe some one will chime in! LOL

I had to recover my iPad.  I hadn't backed up my iPad to my other iPhones or iPads so for my DCS Wi-Fi, I will have to re-add a bunch of engines.  Oh well.

@mike g. posted:

Thanks for the information Bob, I tried looking it up but couldn't find what board it has. It's a 30-1164-1, maybe some one will chime in! LOL

It was released in 2000 and has a 5-volt board.  https://mthtrains.com/30-1164-1

That early release date would indicate a 5-volt board, but I looked up the manual on the MTH page.  Lots of folks, including me, have engines with 5-volt boards and haven’t had a problem, but it is true the failure rate is higher than with 3-volt boards.

Mike G - the 30-1164-1 RAILKING L-1 MIKADO  has an 8.4 V battery and was released in 2000.  Easy to find in the manual section on replacing the battery.

I have not had a problem with either the 8.4 or 5 volt PS2 boards except for one I blew without replacing the battery. Found a note from the seller after the fact warning of the battery condition. Everything I have gets a BCR before ever getting on the rails. good luck with the engine - tender looks too short to me - but I know nothing about those engines. ; )     Jeff

Thanks Mark, I know I have a couple 5v engines and haven't had a problem yet! Fingers crossed! LOL

@mike g. posted:

Thanks Mark, I know I have a couple 5v engines and haven't had a problem yet! Fingers crossed! LOL

Mike, you’re welcome!  

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, you’re welcome!  

Hi Mark, dont they sell BRC for this engine? If so where would I get one?

@mike g. posted:

Hi Mark, dont they sell BRC for this engine? If so where would I get one?

Mike, you are right.  The BCR is for the 5-volt boards and the BCR2 is for the 3-volt boards.  They are made by J&W Electronics.  You can but directly from them or lots of hobby shops (online and brick and mortar) carry them.  I put them in all my PS and PS2 engines.
https://www.jandwelectronics.com/bcr

So should I wait until I get my new to me engine to see what it has?

Dad and I on Memorial Day continued on building his new layout. It's a little hard to see here but we started building the high line on the raisers that will be a commuter service line. I'll try and get some better pictures tomorrow. This was an instance when the picture looked better on my phone and looked bad on a computer screen haha. Have a great day!

@mike g. posted:

So should I wait until I get my new to me engine to see what it has?

Good idea Mike. Also- don't power it up until you install the new BCR.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Good idea Mike. Also- don't power it up until you install the new BCR.

Bob

Ok I will have to order one, when I figure out what one I need.

@mike g. posted:

Ok I will have to order one, when I figure out what one I need.

Mike, if the engine still has the original boards, it would take the BCR, which had the capacitors in a plastic can the same size as a nine volt battery.  However, if someone replaced the circuit boards along the way with 3-volt boards, it would take the BCR2 which has two wires and a plug attached to the capacitors.  Might as well wait to see what is in it.

I agree with Bob, don’t power it up until you change the battery for a BCR.  A old, bad battery could damage the board when power is applied.

@mike g. posted:

Ok I will have to order one, when I figure out what one I need.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, if the engine still has the original boards, it would take the BCR, which had the capacitors in a plastic can the same size as a nine volt battery.  However, if someone replaced the circuit boards along the way with 3-volt boards, it would take the BCR2 which has two wires and a plug attached to the capacitors.  Might as well wait to see what is in it.

I agree with Bob, don’t power it up until you change the battery for a BCR.  A old, bad battery could damage the board when power is applied.

The more important question is how did Mr. BNSF suddenly decide to start running Steam?

@RSJB18 posted:

The more important question is how did Mr. BNSF suddenly decide to start running Steam?

And Pennsylvania steam at that!!  🤔  It must have been his medication.  That’s what I tell folks who question my actions!  😆

Well THANK YOU Bob and Mark!

I believe it must have been the hit to my head when I had my last seizure back in December! LOL Of course the new meds they put me on doesn't help making proper decisions when it comes to trains! LOL

All in all I have been looking at alot of great layouts including your 2 and came to the conclusion that every layout should have one Steam engine as to that is where everything else came from!

I would rename it BN but I dont know if there were BN Steam engines! LOL

But thanks for asking! Along with all the help and information!

Mike, I’m glad we were able to make a positive influence in your life!  😜

Mike - The Burlington Northern Railroad was the product of the merger of four major railroads in 1970: the Great Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific Railway, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. extracted from Wikipedia. So no there would not have been a steamer running under the BN flag.  One of the new sponsors has a production run of a Burlington steamer - MTH Premier.  Looks like it will be a nice engine. 

Oh - and the engine is PS3 no battery needed!

Mark, your all positive for me, but the wife thinks your corrupting me every chance you get!

Jeff, I will have to check Burlington Steamer. Anything has to be better then Pennsylvania RR! 😂

@mike g. posted:

Mark, your all positive for me, but the wife thinks your corrupting me every chance you get!

Jeff, I will have to check Burlington Steamer. Anything has to be better then Pennsylvania RR! 😂

DEMI'S FIGHTIN' WORDS SIR! 😂😂

@RSJB18 posted:

DEMI'S FIGHTIN' WORDS SIR! 😂😂

I'm sorry Bob! I am sure the wife doesn't mean anything about it! LOL

Mike, The PRR L1 Mikado has a Belpaire firebox, which was widely used (almost exclusively) by the PRR. The only other major class 1 RR in the country to use Belpaire fireboxes was the Great Northern. You're in luck as the GN class O-1 Mikados had Belpaire fireboxes. Have fun.

@modeltrainsparts posted:

Mike, The PRR L1 Mikado has a Belpaire firebox, which was widely used (almost exclusively) by the PRR. The only other major class 1 RR in the country to use Belpaire fireboxes was the Great Northern. You're in luck as the GN class O-1 Mikados had Belpaire fireboxes. Have fun.

Thank you so much for the information! My First engine was a GN! Look what I found! LOL
CLASS O * MIKADO * 2-8-2

The popular Mikado (2-8-2) was best exemplified on Great Northern by the celebrated O-8. The first three engines in this sub-class (3397-3399) were GN-built in 1932, and were the only locomotives constructed in the U.S. that year for domestic service. The O-8 was not only the heaviest Mikado type ever built, but the heaviest on axle of any steam locomotive, aggregating 81,250 pounds per axle. Originally designed steam pressure was 280 pounds, but this was later reduced to 250 pounds. Twenty-two rebuilt O-7's joined the O-8 class in 1944-46.

You guys are precious!  Being an old guy (but not quite retired) - I cannot imagine not having some sort of reverence for a bunch of the old line East Coast Railroads - New York Central, Reading and Pennsy. While I am rather fond of the BNSF and CN US acquisition Flags (Wisc Central, Chgo & NW, ICG) - dissing these East Coast flags is rather like rail road heresy. I assume this banter is just in the spirit of fun - kind of like dissing baseball teams among buds.

What I really need is a huge layout that allows me to run the entire national railroad from Chicago west to the coast. The East Coast Flags get to stop in Chicago from time to time so they are not being excluded from the mix.

Best to all ... Jeff  aka ScoutingDad

What I need is a huge layout also, Jeff.  Mine would be Western Maryland, B&O, P&LE, B&LE, Shawmut, Pittsburgh & West Virginia, Erie, oh I guess I would let PRR and NYC play also.  That makes a baseball team.

I don't know Mark, I think you need to add another for a relief pitcher spot. ; )

Erie and B&O and maybe Virginia would be other east coast flags I missed.  And maybe Lackawanna - but what the heck is P&LE, B&LE, Shawmut, Pittsburgh & West Virginia? I'll say nothing about Texas, Florida Coast or Southern since those I never saw in Chicago. BUT - I will give a shout out to N&W's 611 which I got a chance to see in Wheaton IL a number of years back - those shop guys made a great looking steamer and also the Southern Crescent Limited which was a slick looking passenger consist.

Jeff, I have a closer focus; only railroads that were in Western Pennsylvania.  That’s why I picked PRR and NYC last, they covered too much territory.  Relief Pitcher, hmmm Lake Erie, Clarion & Franklin!  😊

Mark, speaking of fallen flags, I get out to your area of the state. What company operated along Ohio River Blvd? It’s now NS of course. Thank you.