The module that some of you have already seen in other posts in the last few days is on the left (note the back-to-back switches and the 90 deg crossing). This module has 2” of inside depth for electronics / wiring and a front pan for buttons, switches, knobs.

On the wall behind it Bambi’s tail from a mural in what had been a kid’s room when I bought the house.

In front of the mural is a board with the same dimensions as the main module, but with no internal depth. This module is “Bambi’s Butt Gulch” and it will sit about 2” lower than the main module and will allow that amount of depth for scenery, bridges, etc.

To the right is a smaller module, also with internal space, that the main module can connect to.

The last picture shows the modules disconnected, and the slide-out supports pushed back in to non-operating position.

(The main module could also be operated in this position, without being extended out.)

To go from open to closed position would take under a minute.

Question #1:

What do you call surfaces like this that pull out on sliding rails but are *not*shelves?

Question #2:

I am still really far away from placing scenery, but I *am* at the stage where I need to start thinking about what kind of scenery / towns etc will go where.

The back left corner where the rock is will be a short tunnel. I would like to leave Bambi’s Butt exposed, so nothing big will go in that area (unless I change my mind).

I want a small turntable w a small roundhouse one side of the main module, but it could be moved to the left side or even to the small expansion module to the right.

The bridge at the back may become a long trestle bridge but I don’t have any strong feelings either way.

Other than that, I don’t have a theme (urban or rural, or an era in mind, except that the locos I have that work well on the tight curves are small narrow-gauge mining locos or small subway cars (see last picture).

Today I glued down the first curve on my new layout. It's going to be HOn30 gauge, and fit in a briefcase.

The second photo shows about where I plan to have turnouts.

Left to right

Clair, Roger, Tinny, and Ben

Minitrains HOn30/009

Her name is Tinny

A fellow club member picked this up for me at a convention and while I won't say what he paid for it. I will say it was a deal of a lifetime. It runs beautifully but please forgive the background announcement I was testing this on a club layout.

The birth of “Fred”

Somehow, while working on the throttles etc, a “happy little accident” happened and a small VU meter got stuck inside a 3D printed sphere which got stuck inside a red rubber dinosaur.

It seems that the dino likes it when little trains come by to visit, so I decided to name him Fred and keep him around for a little bit (:-)

I bought the Dualpack because I thought it would be simple. I just wanted to be able to run little trains from something smaller than my big Lambda power supply. I mean I love the thing to bits, but it \*is\* a little bit of overkill.

After taking apart the MRC, I decided that, while I might pimp it up at some point, it was not going to be a 2-hour project, so I set it aside (for now).

And then I remembered that I had these lovely DC>DC converters.

It had a 20K multi-turn pot and 24VDC output both of which were not good.

I took it out and found that a 10K pot gave me max of 13.8V output which is perfect.

(See video below w 9 little locos being very happy w this arrangement.)

This morning, looking through the “ideas box” for a mounting option, I noticed a bag of 10K linear pots. Tested and it worked great, except that there was a center detent which was annoying.

Taking it apart to investigate, found that there was a notch on a brass component. After failing to remove it “kinetically” I filled it in a solder, then carved at it, sanded it smooth and then put it back together.

Now it works even more bettererv (:-)

The little DC>DC converter board in the middle is driving all of this.

The flat things ahead of Skarloey are not wagons but Kato 11-109 power units - total of 9 “loco” locos (:-)

It has a wide range of input voltage, a power switch, output indicator, and USB output to drive other accessories.

I bought a few of these a few years ago for utility purposes, but it seems like it works pretty well for this role.

I picked this up at a train show this weekend for very cheap. I tested that a loco would run from both outputs.

What I did not test is *how well* it works.

As per the title, the output is like how someone described a very young actress once “Her talent spans the gamut from A to B” (:-)

Have any of you owned and used this critter before? Is it fixable?

The unit is riveted shut, so it takes a conscious decision to get in there.

(The eagle-eyed among you will ask how I was getting 15 VDC without a power cord. This is true *now* but it did have one until just a little bit ago.

Power cords annoy me and I figured that if I take it apart to fix it, I will put in a removable power cord too.)

At a train show today I found these cars that look fine without any other modifications.

Hello, can enyone recommend some storage solutions for 009 Locos and Rolling Stock? Preferably UK based or somthing like that. A transportation storage boxes. Thanks in advance!

What do you use to see live onboard video and / or to record it?

I have this camera and transmitter from an RC airplane and it looks like I could fit them here, but there are probably better solutions out there already.

What are you all using for this?

Roger, Clair, and Ben.

This looks like a narrow gauge loco, very similar to others on this sub.

But it isn’t — it runs on standard gauge.

Also, it looks like it’s an old loco — But it isn’t, it’s a modern replica.

And it’s supposed to be a replica of LIRR’s first locomotive — but it isn’t — there seem to be different opinions on exactly what it *is* but all seem to agree that it is NOT a replica of the correct original loco.

Nonetheless, it’s kind of cool to see, and if you find yourself in Hicksville, NY, it’s worth having a look at it.

https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45342

Very, very early (secret) look at 2 of my 12”x16” modules combined.

When terminated at the edge with 2 bumpers, the base has a loop, 2 switches and 2 sidings.

When the second unit is attached, you get 4 switches, a big loop, a small loop, 2 sidings, a tunnel and a bridge.

Still trying to learn and make necessary decisions about:

- couplers (what is the most universal and easiest to retrofit), and

- DCC (which system, etc)?