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PULLMAN 12-1 SLEEPERS IN ABS Golden Gate Depot is producing These 12-1 Sleepers in ABS Plastic, in all the roads listed below for your enjoyment. These Sleepers have the best interior detail of any car in this class. The underbody detail is only matched by brass models. The trucks are tried and true, with machined metal wheels that are nickel plated. Full Interiors with many figures per car. Overhead Constant Voltage Lighting. Available in June 2007 for $119.95 per Car. PULLMAN HW HEAD END SET IN ABS 70’ BAGGAGE, 70’ POSTAL BAGGAGE, 70’ COMBINE B&O - B&M - C&O - CB&Q - CPR - GN - N&W - NH - NP - NYC (TTG) - NYC (GREEN) - SLEEPER ROADS PULLMAN - SF - SP (G,TTG,D) - PRR - UP (TTG,Y) - UNLETTERED GREEN Coaling Tower Available in Summer 2007 for $379.95 (RESERVE PRICE) per 3 Car Sets 54’ STEEL REA REEFER HEAD END ROADS NYC Empire State Express Santa Fe 1937 Super Chief Black, Redwood and Brown Coming July 2007 for $199.95 NEW VARIETY 40 SEATED FIGURES 1930s - TODAY - Scale Trucks (Diecast) - Heavy Underbody (Diecast) - Opening Roof Hatches - 042 Track or Larger (48” Radius 2R) - Kadee Ready Mounts (Close Cpl.) - REA (Green), REA (Original) - REA (ACL), REA (GN Coming 2007 for $74.95 1930’ - 1950’ Little People “Little People” Seated and Standing Figures for O Scale Highly Detailed, Variety of Painted Men and Women Package of 40 Seated Figures for only $29.95 Package of 15 Standing Figures for only $19.95 www.goldengatedepot.com / FAX: (408) 904-5849 2 Rail or 3 Rail FULL LENGTH SCALE 6 CAR SETS PLUS 2 Car ADD ONs - Scale Trucks (Die Cast) - Scale Underbody - Scale Interior Details w/lighting - 054 Track or Larger (48” Radius 2R) - Kadee Ready Mounts (Close Cpl.) Coming Fall 2007 $549.95 Reserve 15 STANDING 50 • O Scale Trains - July/August ’07
DCC For Traction Layouts David Gairo 1 I was born and raised in Philadelphia when there were still a lot of trolleys operating. I rode them all over the city. I have been building and operating model trolleys since 1965, and I am very much involved with the trolley museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and one of the organizations that became a part of the volunteer group there. With a background of operating and riding the real thing for many years, I want to have my model trolleys operate as much like them as possible. I like city trolley operation with complicated trackwork in the streets. A previous layout, measuring only six by eight feet, had 21 blocks and 30 track switches incorporated into it. Before digital command control (DCC), I was limited to carefully running two trolleys at a time. This was accomplished with a lot of block-toggle throwing. Now, with DCC, I can have a car pull up behind another car at a car stop and have multiple cars at an intersection at the same time. The limitation is the number of throttles available and people to run them. Even that can be gotten around with a computer! A decoder is the controller for every powered unit on a DCC layout. It recognizes commands addressed to that car (trolley or locomotive) and controls its motor. For my O Scale trolleys, I use HO decoders rated for 1.2 to 1.5 amps because most O trolleys use HO motors in their power trucks. Even the older open-frame motors (DC-60 size) will operate well on these decoders. I have used decoders from most DCC manufacturers. I generally select the basic models, as I do not require a bunch of functions since I wire the car’s interior lights on all the time and only use the forward and reverse headlight functions of the decoder. All decoders include the two headlight functions. Everyone who writes about selecting decoders tells you to test the ”stall” current of your motor. I cannot remember ever stalling a motor. I weight my cars to slip the wheels if the load is too much. I then select a decoder that handles the ”normal” motor load. I have not lost a decoder yet. You decide! By the way, don’t forget that any lights driven by the decoder have to be added to the total load. Since I detail the interiors of my passenger trolleys, I usually mount the decoder under the floor with double-sided tape. The decoder gets enough air circulation, and most of the car’s wiring is under the floor already. Photo 1 shows the bottom of a singletruck car with the decoder near the left platform. This is a small car, but it has little underbody detail so there is enough room for the decoder. It is an open car with running boards and they hide the decoder from view. Photo 2 shows the underside of two similar Philadelphia cars. The car on the left has its decoder under the front platform, out of the way of any detail. The other car’s decoder is mounted between the center-door steps and other underbody details. In both cases, the decoders cannot be seen when the cars are on the layout. Photo 3 is the car with the decoder under the platform. If you look really close, you may 2 3 be able to see a trace of yellow wire! (Yep! There are a few paint chips on that car. I do run them and no Philadelphia trolley ever went unblemished!) On freight motors and other large-motored cars, I mount the decoder inside the car. These decoders are usually larger, to handle more current. Now we get to the wiring of the decoders (see Fig. 1). Trolley models are typically wired to pick up power from the overhead wire, and the poles are set up to reverse polarity when they are changed. Pole-reverse required the motor to be isolated from the car, and so does DCC. DCC-equipped cars can also use polereverse, but only if they are operating on a DC layout. When running with DCC, the decoder controls the direction. It doesn’t matter which pole is up or what polarity is on the overhead. I used to wire my cars for pole-reverse, but I’ve pretty much quit. The few times my cars operate on DC, the layouts are in a loop configuration. Since the cars always go one direction, the pole reverse is not needed. Basic connection of a DCC decoder requires only four wires, two from the track and overhead to the red and black connections on the decoder, and two to the motor from the orange and gray of the decoder. All the other wires are for functions and are optional. To have reversing headlights requires three wires, white to the front, yellow to the rear, and the blue one is a common (for all functions) return. What can we do with any extra functions your decoder may provide Photo 4 is a Philadelphia snow sweeper. I used a decoder function to turn on the motor that runs the brushes. At train shows, it fascinates people when I bring the car to a stop in front of them and then start the brushes. I have also used extra functions to control marker lights and interior lights, separate from the headlights. You do have to be careful, though! Function leads can usually support a current of only 200 mA, and the maximum capacity of the decoder includes any function load plus the motor. So, how do we handle a heavy July/August ’07- O Scale Trains • 51
Page 1: O Scale Trains July/August 2007 u I
Page 4 and 5: Introducing Transfer Tables from Ro
Page 6 and 7: THE IRONBOUND RAILROAD by Andy Roma
Page 8 and 9: Vito Piancone takes a break from th
Page 10 and 11: Scrap metal litters Debski's yard,
Page 12 and 13: The Art of Finescale Michael Cougil
Page 14 and 15: 14 • O Scale Trains - July/August
Page 16 and 17: 3 3 /16 1 9 /16 .060 X .080 POSTS S
Page 18 and 19: Bill of Materials 40’ - 53’ Fla
Page 20 and 21: P&D 31280 Hobby Shop P&D Hobby F Un
Page 22 and 23: M ullet River odel Works 118 Huson
Page 24 and 25: Heavy Lifting As mentioned in the p
Page 26 and 27: Building a Small O Scale Layout Par
Page 28 and 29: 10 15 11 16 12 13 17 with liquid pl
Page 30 and 31: Custom Building, Repair & Painting
Page 32 and 33: 32 • O Scale Trains - July/August
Page 34 and 35: Joe Giannovario I am planning to bu
Page 38 and 39: East Gary Car Co. Dept OST 3828 St.
Page 40 and 41: Hill’s Hobby & Collectors’ Shop
Page 42 and 43: Nos. 16001-18500 O SCALE/PROTO 48
Page 44 and 45: sides are facing each other towards
Page 46 and 47: View of the deck from underneath sh
Page 48 and 49: More on Realistic Passenger Car Lig
Page 52 and 53: 2007 O Scale National Convention Ca
Page 54 and 55: 2007 O Scale National Convention Sp
Page 56 and 57: 3 6 4 7 5 8 motor and the bottom of
Page 58 and 59: *Shipping:$6.95 for 1 car; $7.95 fo
Page 60 and 61: NEWS: O Scale Grade Crossing, MSRP:
Page 62 and 63: Review: M.T.H. N&W Class A 2-6-6-4;
Page 64 and 65: Special Report: Atlas O Factory Ins
Page 66 and 67: Just Trains TM Free Shipping over $
Page 68 and 69: Buy-Sell-Trade Events Buy-Sell-Trad
Page 70 and 71: 2007 Convention News I goofed! I ne
Page 72: THE MIGHTY GREENBRIERS INCREDIBLE D

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