Group, as some of you know I have an old AHM/rivarossi “Big Boy” engine that i want to run on a layout, my question is this?
what track would be best to run it on? IT IS NOT DC or DCC equiped that i know of, as it is over14yrs old. Someone told me they thought it would run on code 100 track, but i’m not sure? Has any one run this model and if so what track are you using?.
and my secound question is what dose the code designation of track indicate? ie what is the differance betwen code 83(?) track and code 100 track.
Code 100 is the largest HO track. If your big boy has the big wheel flanges then code 100 is what it will run on best. Code 83 is a little shorter in height and the big flanges of some older equipment hits the spikes.
The diffrence between code 100 and 83 is the hight in .001s of an inch from the tie (I think it’s the tie) but, I do know the .001 part. It should run on code 100 and posibly code 83. I have a AMHriviossia 2-8-8-2 that runs on power lock track (which is from LifeLike). Does anyone know what code POWER LOCK track is, no not ez track from bachmann, POWER LOCK TRACK. Yes I know that ez track is a general term but I want to know about LifeLikes power lock.
EZ Track is not a general term, but refers to a track in roadbed product from Bachmann. EZ track, Power Lock and all other toy train set track systems are CD100.
To the original poster, you state that you don’t think the engine is DC or DCC. Your engine, despite its age, must be either DC or DCC if it is in HO, unless it is of a type that uses AC. But it must be one of those three or it cannot run.
If you’ve got the older AHM “Big Boy” it has the deeper European weel-flanges and is strictly DC. It will work on Code 100 track very well, since Code 100 has the greatest rail height of HO track. Code 83 is a more ‘prototype’ scale rail height, however the deep flanges of the locomotive will tend to ‘bounce’ on the molded spikes, and derail on turnouts. Code 100 would be the best bet. And Code 100 can be painted and weathered to look like ‘smaller’, more prototypical rail.
I have a couple of old Rivarossi engines with very deep flanges. They won’t even run very well on Code 100 track. The flanges bottom out on turnouts, right at the frogs. These are probably 40-50 years old, though. They are DC engines.