Bad train day went to no train's running except Cheap LL

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Last night blew, every thing seemed to want to derail. All I could do to stop my self from throwing Rolling stock and engines.

Tonight things where going a lot better till the disaster happen[:(] MRC DC transformer took a dive off the board for the last time. Yes it was made tuff but not the first time it took a dive. I cannot get it open to try to fix it yet! I have star heads but the shanks are way to short to open it. I tried to drill the opening bigger but the bite hit the cicurt board. Pretty sure it is DOA now.

I am sure that some of you have heard about the storms that hit ST Louis, 500,000 homes with out power up to 7 days. I was lucky and with out power for only 2 days. My customer base was not as lucky. I work on straight commission and to say I am broke is a understament.

Does anyone had a DC MRC transformer they don’t need? I wish I could say I could pay fair market vaule for it but like I said I am broke. Not sure how to make the house payment at this point.

I don’t have much to offer being new to this hobby, but I have a few good engines PK and Athearn’s BB and some rolling stock.

I have a Am Track passanger car set, engines are FP-45’s Blue Boxes and cars are Riverossies (sorry about the spelling) Cars have had weight added and up grade the wheels to PK’s and Kadde.

They still have the stock couplers but cars roll if you blow on them.

If anyone can help it would be a appreciated. I know some peoople besides me help with the Katrina Relief. Think of it as a MRC Cuda Ken Reilef

Thanks in advanes, Cuda Ken

2

I sure wish I could help you out but I don’t have a MRC transformer but I do have 2 life-like power packs and one tyco.(you can have them if you want them).

3

Dekruif, man thanks for the offer. I have 4 LL blue transformers that I either use for lights or testing and cleaning engines. I hooked one up and it will move 1 cheap LL FP-45 engine I have. Must be the missing link between Pan Cake Motor LL and the PK’s has a low draw can motors and 2 drive shafts but only 8 wheel drive and no weights. Yes only 8 of the 12 wheeels are driven.

Throw on a Athearn it shuts down fast.

Cuda Ken

4

A couple of strips of VELCRO under the MRC and where it sits, should fix one problem permanently.

MRC’s don’t open up easily - a safety thing. Best to pack it up and ship for repairs, and add some VELCRO…

Athearn will eventually reissue their FP-45. In the meantime there are some very nice FP-40’s out there - especially the Kato’s. ONE may spoil you.

5

Hey,

I bought an MRC Railpower on ebay and am expecting to get it very soon. It’s an 1300, so it should supply sufficiant power until you get yours fixed…if you’re really broke, I’ll send it to you for free(unless you’re one of those people who won’t accept anything for free, and then I’ll take one of your passenger cars). If you can spare the shipping costs for me, itd be beautiful. Anything to help out a fellow modeler. BTW, I wouldn’t mind shipping, but I’m 12 and I am tight on money!

If you’re willing, email me your shipping address, and I’ll whip it up to you asap.

Thanks,
Spit

6

On MRC Tech 4 power packs the feet are “hollow”. I drill in a small screw where each of the feet goes (in the table the pack is sittin on) and leave enough of the head showing and the pack sits right on them.

7

Ken,

I was able to open up a MRC 1370 with a modified screwdriver. (Tool that is - not drink.) With a small Craftsman flathead screwdriver held in a vise, I used a standard hacksaw blade to notch the center of screwdriver blade about 1/16-3/32" deep. Worked like a charm.

Tom

8

SpitFireV12RR, Hum seems a 12 year old knows WW II fighters. My self, I like a P-38 L, hard to beat 4 50’s and a 20 MM cannon in the nose. Will out climb a Zero is at shallow rate, out dive and throw in 50% flaps, drop the power to 50% and kick the rudders will out turn them as well.

Of the Brits fighter, I perfer the Hurricane, handles tighter in the turns and if you get on a FW-109 tail it is going down.

I will let you know about the MRC 1300 and thank you for such a kind offer. I will let you know if I need to take you up on the offer. I still think I can fix the MRC 1440 after I hack it open. If I have to take you up on you offer, how about a Blue Box FP-45? I will post PIC so you can pick the shell you want and I wil send you the best chassie I have with it.

Tstage, thanks for the tip, but it is pretty well hacked up at this point so I guess I will finshes it that way. Rather save the screw driver than a broken MRC.

Thanks again and Spitfire you are one of the best.

Cuda Ken

9

My grandpa likes the P-38…Even though it’s a great plane, I just really don’t like it. I don’t know…there are some things you like, and some you don’t. As for American Planes, I’m going to have to go with either the P-51C(I like the hatchback, even though it was harder to see out of), or the P-40 C model, which was MUCH more streamlined than the P-40 A, and had about the same power. I don’t like the Nazis, but I am German, and I like the German engineering that was used for the Nazi’s. The FW 190 comes to mind as one of my favorite.

About the railpower. If it is at all possible, can I request a 2 axel diesel, or a small steamer? I wouldn’t have a problem with a 3 axel, it’s just it won’t look or run that well with my 18" curves. If you can’t, I can always run the 3 axel on my club layout. BTW, what is “Blue Box”?

I know I’m the best…ROFL!!,
Spit(Todd)

10

Ken,

See my reply on your other thread.

Darrell, quiet…for now

11

Far as the P-51, way harder to fly than the P-38. Very twitche, to much power and you are fighting the the rudders to keep it level. Plus I like the guns in the nose, no worry about the sweet spot where the guns cross.

FW-190, well I need a P-38 or a Corsar to go after that. Great power and climed like heck. Luckly not to many where made. But dont for get the Rocket planes, if they made them in mass the war would have went driffrent. ME 262A-1A (Swallow) could tear up a Bombing formation. I forget the rocket plane numbers, the one that used a drop off skid for take off. If I am right it could hit 600 MPH but power span was 3 to 4 minutes.

One of the hight lites of my life was flying in a B-17 G, now that was a plane. That was 26 years ago but I remember like it was yesterday.

Here are a few links to my videos. Not the B-17 but I was pretty jazzed. (means happy).

On the 4 wheel trucks, well they would be junk LL pancakes. I like 12 wheelers. I still have a few 18’ turns and the FP-45’s will handle them.

P-40, is that the Air Corba? Boy you are making me think, I like that.

To me that is prettire than a doubled head E-6 hauling 200 cars. If you like details on the P-38 I will PM you about it.

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/cudaken/?action=view&current=warmup.flv

12

Very Very cool. About the FP-45, if you say it can handel 18" curves, that is mighty fine with me.

About the P-38…I would love details on it. BTW, I just realized another thing about the P-38. Even though you get the reliability of 2 engines, if you look at when the guy is flying it, you can see the props are spinning at diffrent speeds. I don’t know much about 2 proped planes, but I know that had to be a PITA to fly strait, just using trim controls and not on the stick.

As far as the FW190s, they were great planes. Now, Correct me if I’m wrong, the Me-262 was the German’s first jet, not a rocket. I know what you’re talking about, but I’m thinking it was called the Me-162…About the rockets though. They were fast as hell…for about 3 minutes. They were loaded with about 200 lbs of explosives in the front, so it was a suicide mission. When Hitler sent a good many into England(Like 2,000 or something like that), the English had come out with thier jet(Don’t remember the name), so they could catch up with them, and stay with them. They were finding that shooting them down took too long, so they would fly next to them, and tip them over, and the rockets would spin into the English Channel. The Germans found this out, and they equipped the rockets with gyros, so when it was tipped, the rocket would flip back over.

The Corsair was a good plane, however, the French didn’t produce many…typical Frenchman, right? They expect us to help them, yet they don’t help us…

Anyways, I have been told the P-51 was hard to fly, but it was the fastest out there, and it was key to the bombings in Germany. Had is not been for the P-51 fighting off all those German planes with ease, since they were starting to run out of resources at that point, those bombers would have never been able to get into Germany and stop the war(By blowing the shit out of them).

If you’re wondering why I know so much about these planes, is that since I live in Central Florida, I live not too far from Fanta

13

I’ve been following your thread with interest and had to chime in. The P40 was the Warhawk (of Flying Tigers fame). The Aircobra was the P39, most of which I believe were sent to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease.

And Spit, how can I get my 12-year-old son interested in such manly crafts as model railroading and WWII combat aircraft? You are OK by me!

14

Well, I don’t know. I might be what you call a geek, but I think I’m the opposite of that. Anyways…I did some research on the Aircobra, and found out that you ARE right, mononguy, it’s a P-39. I also found a picture and discription, but the discription was copywritten. What is very interesting, is that the engine appears to be in the middle of the plane, as you can see the air intake and the exaust ports in the middle of the hull. Here is the picture, and it looks very much like a P-40 B/C Model.

Thanks for all the kindness twoards me,
Spit

15

The engine IS in the middle of the plane ont he P39. There’s a shaft running up front to turn the prop. Not something I’d want to be sitting on top of - they can and did fail catastrophically with predictable results to the health of the pilot. Sorta like a siderod failure on a camelback locomotive.

–Randy

16

This is getting away from trains, but I thought I would point out the correct name of the P-39 is “Airacobra”.

17

Yes, the Me 262 was the jet fighter they had. I must not made my self clear, I knew it was not the rocket plane I think it was called the Comet.

I think you are confusing the Comet with the V 1’s and V 2 Buzz Bombs that Hitler was throwning at England. Comet was a fighter that did land after it flew. Well they tried to land that is, I think about 50% crashed after there flight.

The F4U-1A Corsair was a US made fighter. It was used in the Pacific Theater.

With you being into WWII planes Spit, do you know of any makers of 1:87th scale planes? I have a lot of F-7’s, E-6’s and Erie bulit engines. With them being from the WW II era I was thinking about combine the 2 hobbys.

Have section that is dropping off planes to a air feild.

And it is Airacorba, not Air Corba as I missed posted. Not a good fighter but great on grond assults.

On the P-38 I posted vidoes of due a Key word (Lost Squadron) and you should find it story. Flight of B-17’s and P-38’s where fly to Europe and became lost. Ran out of fuel and laned some where in Iceland I think. Pliots where picked up but planes where left. They found them 40 years later buried under 40 feet of ice. They bored a tunnel down to the planes using hot water, made a cave and took that P-38 a part under the ice and brought it up a 12 foot wide tunnel.

Cuda Ken

18

I could only find this. It’s 1:87, just it’s German. BTW, the Comet you are talking about is spell Komet, since it was German. Also, the reason they had the TNT up there was so that if the plane crashed, it would at least destroy something along with it.

Thanks,
Spit

19

The F4U is probably my favorite WWII plane, mainly because the very first plastic model plane I put together as a kid was one, and then I was additect to Black Sheep back in the day, too. I don’t remember which squadron I decalled the plane as, it was long before the TV show came along, at the time I just thought it looked neat.
Now someone dared make a Corsair as one of those battery-powered foam radio controlled planes… I do NOT need another hobby, I do NOT need another hobby…

–Randy

20

Rrinker, boy I know the feeling about another hobby. My LHS K-10 trains all so sells RC Air planes. There is a 3 foot wing span P-51 hanging in the show room. I was all so there when a P-47 showed up, my God it was big! Fuselage was 7 foot long and wing span was 14 feet?

I don’t know the buyers name but I see him all most every time I am there and spends $750.00 +. Also into trains.

Spit the link did not work.

Ken