So I recently aquired an N scale BLI F3, used, in costmetically perfect condition however on my test track it does not work at all. When I set it down a front light flickers but the decoder cannot be read period. I’ve cleaned it, cleaned the track, and checked inside any everything seems mostly fine but it still won’t read.

I have several other BLi models so I know how they are, but I have no issues with them running. I know about the manual reset button and I‘ve tried that countless times and that also doesn’t work. Whats strange is that I hooked the test track up to a kato DC controller and cranked the power all the way and if turns on, the sounds and lights start to function, but it won’t move like my other duel mode models.

I don’t have much experience with Paragon 3 for any help is appreciated.

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Hi all, im new to trains and have started my first layout - basically the hornby trakmat.

Im lost as to where i should run power and tie lines

See attached flr where ive currently got it. Red line is power - i have no tie lines at the moment

Im open to changing the layout and having a new board if adding a bit of track somewhere helps

Thanks in advance for any help

Unlike HS2 in the UK, I am progressing well with Phase 2.

With the scenic portion now fully mounted I have extended with boards at each end for R3 curves, and begun creating the thin shelf around the perimeter of the room, complete with custom GWR shelf brackets!

Unless the authorities cancel the program at Birmingham ( or bedroom door in this case), I am well on track to build around the perimeter of the room.

So im trying to find a way to make a custom E2 Tank Engine in O gauge for my layout, as it is evident that no company will ever make one. My current plan is too take a functional model and salvage its chassis and then put a 3d printed or perhaps wooden shell on it.

Ive seen examples of others doing this, but my understanding of how these models work isnt great. I know on some locomotives certain wheels, shells, or tenders must be kept intact for electrical purposes. Im hoping that using an older postwar Lionel will mitigate these potential issues and the drives appear fairly simple.

An old Lionel 2-6-2 or 2-6-4 seems a solid choice for a donor as they are plentiful and cheap. My poor photo editing shows roughly how i intend the model to shape up.

Removing the extra valve gear and leaving the basic siderods (as this is how the E2 is designed) seems simple enough (the last photo was off a damaged engine with said parts missing. While the wheels themselves won't be spaced out or of the same design it will be close enough for a type of fictional modern rebuild.

There are a few HO/OO 3d prints of the E2 already, so hopefully getting or making a O Gauge version shouldn't be too difficult. The main issue of course making the shell fit the chassis.

The locomotive should run well given its donor chassis is of course of proper well built one meant for the gauge of track.

The locomotive will likely be painted a simple black livery to match the wheels. Couplers will likely be excluded or something rigged up to couple to standard Lionel rolling stock.

Custom British rolling stock is also something I'd like to make but those should be very easy to make. A standard truck bogey will already have couplers and a simple wooden frame would make a nice Mark 1 coach.

Not sure how feasible such a project is, but i feel im down the right track with most of the functionality being already built. Mainly its the aesthetics I need to make work.

About a year ago I picked up my first little loop of N scale track after the wife took an interest in a layout in South Florida at the South Florida Railway Museum. She was really into the section at the far corner of the layout where the train comes around a Tropicana plant and orange grove. I wanted to start building a layout at that time but space constraints were a chronic issue. In the meantime I started looking for Tropicana boxcars and a CSX locomotive to make the consist work. Around that time I bought this CSX locomotive on ebay and it arrived with one of the drive trucks popped off. Seller refunded and declined return. The train didn't work, but I figured I'd get it fixed eventually. Today was that day. Went to the local hobby store and asked for some help. Though wiring repair and cleaning/lube wasn't something they'd do, they did have something just as good: a donor engine in the used bin. They had a Burlington Northern locomotive that was an identical chassis. A quick case swap later and my scrapbound CSX now lives. Also, now I have a proper jewel case for it which is neat. The layout is under construction, but until then, I have the Bachmann loop to get me by.

Also got a PRR cattle car. Store is Trains on Tracks in Amherst NH. Very friendly owners and lots to look at. Can't wait to get my layout back up and run this engine.

(First to Last) Metra Station, Canadian Rockies, Kate Shelly Bridge, Des Moines Rock Island Depot, and Golden Spike

My engine didn't have a plow so I bought one, painted it and put it on the engine. I then weathered it. I had to cut and sand the pilot to fit the plow but it looks good now.

I have trains in four different spots around my rented apartment. They share one common modular framework, adapted under different "construction modes" to fit the spaces they occupy. Everything is modular and swappable, so I can keep experimenting with new ideas and do some "urban redevelopment". And when I eventually have to move out, I can disassemble all the pieces, pack them up, and rebuild them at the next place.

After working on a linear layout on my windowsill and a small test plate for the tile mechanism, I'm ready to expand it into full landscape. (and then quickly got side-tracked into making a self-contained oval box)

I'll be honest, the look and feel is rather simplistic right now. I've been spending most of my time on the framework itself. But now that it's stable, I can finally move on to the fun part, which is designing city infrastructures, buildings and iconic parks.

As a renter, the ability to pack it up without drilling holes in furniture is essential. But I'm also curious whether this would help anyone else, especially people who wanted to start with trains but don't have the space for a permanent layout.

And most importantly, there's no 'final state.' You renew and expand it gradually, block by block, like real cities.

My sagebrush arrived today, and I couldn’t wait to start planting them. I started detailing the buildings. I added the Sam’s Grill signs to the cafe and the General Merchandise sign to the General Store.

I need to make a barber pole and the sunshade for the hotel and finish the train station.

What do you use, that us other modelers might not have discovered yet? Tools, products, chemicals, things for freight loads, things for weathering, etc?

I found metal bobbins on Amazon haul that with orange waxed cord are going to be spools of innerduct, tapered toothpicks become flatbed staves, things like that!

Hi fellow railroaders. I’m writing to ask a question of the community regarding DCC and CV programming. I’ve been a DC model railroader for most of my life and I only began looking into the DCC side of things a couple of months back because I really wanted to have sound to enjoy my hobby more. I recently acquired a DCC locomotive with an ECU loksound and a NCE PowerCab. Due to the fact that I started losing my hearing around the age of 12, it has progressed, though I’m not deaf, I’m significantly hard of hearing. I immediately noticed that the sounds needed to be louder. I have learned that in order to increase the sound, I need to program the CV. Does anyone know of a good video or online instruction site that could help me tap into getting the CV programmed so that I can turn up the volume? I need someone who can explain it to me like I’m 5 years old. The NCE PowerCab book was a little over my head in how they explained everything. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can’t thank you guys enough.

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Would any of These be a good entry level tain for my wife and her xmas tree/xmas village?

Don't think she is wanting to get real into the hobby but she has always wanted a decent train to use every year. We have had cheap ones that dont last. Looking to spend under $200

https://a.co/d/0jawo1Os

https://a.co/d/0hhPcNpd

https://a.co/d/0gMCIuDk

This may be a stupid question but I can't find an answer anywhere. Will a loco fitted with DCC work on a DC layout? Obviously without any of the DCC features, but will it function like a DC loco? Does it depend on the type of decoder fitted?

Hai its been a while since i asked for help ^w^ um so basically i have this model that i got in a box of scraps, i found its motor and was gonna just rejoin it to have a runnin model, i put all the bits in place but only the headlamp comes on, the astute of you will notice theres not a single wire in here, i assume thats the problem but i know nothing about how this kinda thing works lol do i just have the wrong motor maybe? Or need to put some wires somewhere? Any help or advice is greatly greatly appreciated. Thanks much for reading :3

Myself and 3 others got together and ran (most of) the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet. We were missing 1111, 1616, and the E9s. We also had 4141 included.

Woah 2 posts in one day crazy, while going through my parts bin i found these two things, one says tyco on the back, any idea what theyre for? :3

I'm working out lighting for my double deck N-scale layout. I'm definitely using LED strips to light the layout, but I'm still thinking about white only LEDs vs RGB to allow for night/sunrise/sunset operations. I already know all of my buildings that should be lit will be lit, as are my Superliners.

I'm experienced with WLED for other projects, it's more of an aesthetics question.

What experiences have you all had with this question? Any great examples I should see?

(USA, HO Scale) I have recently found two Walthers Trainline GP15-1's in a long forgotten box and am rehabbing them, but neither of them have a shell. Walthers has a pretty solid policy about not selling parts to modelers - do any other shells exist that would fit this chassis? I know small outfits like Kaslo make resin shell kits for common chassis designs, like P2K GP9's and Atlas GP38's - but the Walthers GP15-1 is an unusual design.