Digitrax HO scale DCC sound decoders New to the ever-expanding market of Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoders is the Digitrax SoundFX. These decoders produce realistic sounds, come with a 28mm, 32O speaker, and are designed to fit newer Kato HO scale locomotives that feature fuel-tank speaker enclosures. The firm’s first three SoundFX decoder offerings […]
THE TPC3000 FROM IC Controls offers operators a 1-2-3 combination that’s going to shake things up for fans of Lionel’s TrainMaster system: compatibility with MTH ProtoSound-equipped locomotives, the ability to utilize more than 135 watts of transformer power, and refined control of locomotives in conventional mode. The TPC3000 (Track Power Controller) is not a transformer […]
MORE THAN A YEAR ago Lionel announced its intent to offer portions of its TrainMaster technology to other manufacturers to broaden the reach of Command Control operation. TrainAmerica Studios responded to Lionel’s offer, and now, for the first time, there’s a readily available way to convert any locomotive to TrainMaster Command Control. TrainAmerica Studios is […]
IC CONTROLS HAS taken another step to enhance the flexibility of the Lionel TrainMaster Command Control system. IC Controls’ BPC3000 is a block power controller that allows operators of larger, multi-block layouts to run a combination of conventional and command-equipped locomotives at the same time using shared command control components. The BPC3000 acts like a […]
CTT PUBLISHED A pair of crossing track wiring diagrams in the March and July 1999 issues. Since then our office has received a minor deluge of calls about wiring diagrams to prevent trains from colliding at crossings. If you’ve always wanted a protected crossing on your layout but are intimidated by wiring and electrical relays, […]
THE QS-3000 SOUND and control board is the newest update for locomotives with MTH ProtoSound, Weaver-installed QSI systems, and earlier QSI units. The QS-3000 board also is designed to work with Lionel’s TrainMaster system in conventional mode (some older ProtoSound systems don’t work properly with TrainMaster) and with TrainAmerica Studio’s Universal Command Upgrade Board (UCUB). […]
IN THE WORLD OF TODAY’S souped-up, turbocharged O gauge trains, electronics rule. And where electronics rule, a steady flow of electricity is king. In conventional-control operation, most sound systems require a backup battery to avoid those irritating audio drop-outs when cycling a reverse unit or passing through switches with electrical gaps. In the case of […]
OKAY, SO YOU’VE invested in a few European-style metal trains by Ace, Bassett-Lowke, or ETS. All your pals, though, are running their O gauge Mammoth Train Co. steam locomotives with Magma-Sounds, or their Electro-Lines diesels with Vibra-Tronics. And you don’t even have a lousy whistle to toot. So what do you do? Well, in Merrie […]
SCOTT’S ODDS-N-ENDS has come up with a bright idea – mate modern LED technology with old-fashioned screw- and bayonet-base bulbs. The result is as successful as mixing chocolate with peanut butter. LEDs are “light-emitting diodes.” As electricity flows through these specialized semiconductors, photons are released and focused through a lens, creating light. LEDs don’t have […]
This wooden column supports the control center. Leads have been neatly attached to it. Marc Horovitz Small trains give the illusion of traveling long distances in a garden railway. Marc Horovitz With our trackwork complete, we could now turn our thoughts toward wiring the Colorado & Pacific. Since ours was a small railroad, wiring would […]
Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz There are several ways of connecting a lead wire to the rail. Perhaps the most positive is soldering it. The wire can also be connected mechanically. Screw-on connectors are not too reliable outdoors. However, a wire can be screwed to a clamp-on rail joiner. Split Jaw Rail Clamps offers […]
Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz There are several ways of connecting a lead wire to the rail. Perhaps the most positive is soldering it. The wire can also be connected mechanically. Screw-on connectors are not too reliable outdoors. However, a wire can be screwed to a clamp-on rail joiner. Split Jaw Rail Clamps offers […]
