For all of You Train Lovers

[YY1]

Next to you, I know nothing!! I'm already getting more in a few minutes than I ever knew in my lifetime. This started out as an art project with a 50 dollar used DC train set. Theresa said I need a train that makes sounds and the rest is history!! LOL. Lake with a waterfall in the left back corner and a train yard up front with multiple buildings. Mountains along the left, front to back with two tunnels, one in each of the turns. I have about three hundred trees for the mountainness areas.

View attachment 1938768

I see you have a "reverse loop" in your track.

Do you know how to electrically handle that?

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

Actually, most passenger consists did not use an observation car.

Those were reserved for special "named" trains like those mentioned above.

OBS cars are "one way" and required turning, unlike other passenger equipment that could simply be shuffled and run the other way.

You are correct for most of the short passenger trains used in towns and cities. But it seems like 99% of model trains are modeled after one of the more famous ones that did use an observation car, including the Rio Grande which was also the Zephyr I believe

 

[Hey-O]

I see you have a "reverse loop" in your track.

Do you know how to electrically handle that?

I have two side tracks that are isolated with a switch in each one, one to park the DC the other for the DCC. All the turnouts have switches to operate them. Switch on the DC controller and switch on the DC side track and vice-versa for the DCC.

 

[YY1]

So the reverse loop needs isolated rail joiners and a reversing switch.

 

[YY1]

They make automatic ones now.
Specifically for DCC but I don't see why it wouldn't work with DC.

 

[YY1]

Rio Grande did have a few oddball things.
One of two RRs to run these diesel-hydraulics-

 

[YY1]

In case you haven't found it yet, there's a free online MRR magazine in pdf format-

Model trains, model railroad fans - get Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine! | Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

 

[YY1]

They also have a forum with a few members layout pics threads.

Some of the stuff posted is crazy good-

 

[Richard Cranium]

The grandkids are train lovers. The youngest watching one come under a bridge near our house.

Next we go to a station the next town over to watch 2 commuter trains stop and 2 Acela trains blow through the station (one northbound and one southbound) going by about 100 mph The northbound train is only 10 feet away from us sitting on the bench.

Good fun!

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

Rio Grande did have a few oddball things.
One of two RRs to run these diesel-hydraulics-

View attachment 1938774

The other was Southern Pacific. Alco DH643. I actually have an unpainted brass ho scale one. Only 3 of the real locomotives were made and none remain.

ALCO DH643 - Wikipedia

 

[YY1]

SP also had Krauss-Maffei (sp) units like the one I posted.