Model Forum / General / Railroads / January 2005

Has anyone ever tried using expandable foam in their landscaping?  You know,
the kind that sprays out of the pressurized can....
I'm thinking about trying it and I'd like to hear from others who may have
tried it at one time or another.  Obviously, the pros and cons are the

hi again all
is it possible to remove decals from a Hornby loco or carriages in order to
refurbish the units without losing these?
thanks

Can anyone put me on the right track (pardon the pun).
I have a layout of Peco Setrack and everything works well, but I do find
with an older loco - probably ten years or more, that I get a stutter at
certain places - a turnout.  As all my fairly new locos (Bachmann and Hornby

Ok, it is time for me to start purchasing rail and points. I believe PECO
CODE 100 is the way to go generally, or items that will marry into them
without any drama. What I would like to do is buy used items if possible and
am asking here for guidance. I am not looking for ...

no new photos on Hornbys site, just the same list as we had seen last week,
and no news on pats site, off to bed!
Happy new year!

Hi again all
Is it possible to buy Locomotive bodies and Tenders for a reasonable sum?
From time to time I see damaged items for sale and am wondering if such
items are available or do I have to try my hand at repairing the existing

Call me stupid, but I just noticed on Insulfrog turnouts that the 2 metal
check rails each side of the frog are not connected to any other part of the
track. Would it make for better running if these were connected to the thin
wire under the turnout? Most of my stock is new ...

Hello lads,
What is the correct (or most common) term for the posts that hold up a
station canopy ??  I'm looking for white metal 'posts', typically from the
ER.   Looked at the usual places (hattons, mainly trains, langley's,

I'm looking for some help.  I have installed Decoderpro onto my pc and
attempted to use it with my NCE DCC system.  Every time I attempt to read
the decoders, I receive a time out.  The manual for decoderpro states that
for NCE you may need to create a special serial cable for ...

ok, so I am no longer 14 and able to hold something 2 inches away from my
face to work on it!
BUT I don't want to go out and by head-mounted magnifiers and find out they
are crap. I don't want to buy a lamp that isn't the right one.

Hi all. I'm about to start building a new baseboard for a new small layout
(4 ft x 15"). My woodworking skills are pretty poor, so need something
simple and open plan.
I've posted a picture of how I intend to build it at

Atlas remote switch machines are giving me trouble. They keep getting
stuck. They don't switch completely and I have to press the button
several times back and forth to get it to engage. sometimes I have to
wait several seconds. I found that loosening the screws helps making

I'm building a OO  mailcoach / kirk coach kit and need some wheels to fit to
the bogies.  I've tried various Bachmann /hornby wheels but the problem is
that the axle length all the wheelsets are all slightly too short!
Does anyone know of any with slightly longer axles?

Hi again all
Just wondering if these steam beauties ever existed and if so are there
details available including images ...... Also, were models ever made of
them? I understand the artists have used licence to make them look the way

A while back I saw a photograph in a magazine, of an Austerity saddle
tank that had been rebuilt as a tender engine running on a
preservation line.
Can anybody confirm this, and say which line?