Garden Railroad:

Modification, Repair, Maintenance, Parts & Tips

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Contents for this page:   (Click the link to view topic)

Locomotives

• Accucraft Daylight (GS-4)

  • Kadee #820 (#1 Scale) coupler to front and tender

   

• Aristocraft Dash-9

  • 3 Axle motor block noise / running choppy / rough - (Applicable to Dash-9, SD-45, E-8 and all Aristocraft 3 axle motor block engines)

  • Lowering Project

   

• Aristocraft E-8

  • 3 Axle motor block noise / running choppy / rough - (Applicable to Dash-9, SD-45, E-8 and all Aristocraft 3 axle motor block engines)

   

• Aristocraft SD-45

  • 3 Axle motor block noise / running choppy / rough - (Applicable to Dash-9, SD-45, E-8 and all Aristocraft 3 axle motor block engines)

• Aristocraft Mallet

  • Drivers turning on the axle and getting out of quarter

  • Drivers out of quarter fix - rework connecting rod holes

  • Rod pins impacting main rod as engine runs (unexplained 'clinking' sound)

  • Connecting Rod Pins screwed in crooked

  • Painting the drivers

  • Motor defective

  • Power pickup problems from some drivers: power transfer strips missing 

  • Power pickup problems from some drivers: power pickup ball missing on axle to ball power pickup

  • Install a Kadee #835 on the front pilot

  • Vandy tender custom drawbar replacement / improvement

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

  • Recurring plastic 'creeking' noise while running  - (Twice per revolution of the wheels)

   

• Bachmann Big Hauler (& 10th Anniversary edition)

  • Traction Tire added on Center Driver

   

• MTH Big Boy

  • Front Pilot Spring replacement to get the front engine to sit more evenly

  • Adding 1 lb 5oz weight to front of boiler to get rear engine to sit more evenly

  • Loss of track power pickup from front engine set - (Shorting on Aristocraft 19.5 Degree cross-over & switch fix)also Slider & Slider screw modifications + Shimming the axles

  • Adding fuses between front and rear engine power pickup wires to protect from short damage

  • Wheel power pickups - (possible short potential)

  • Firebox light frame - (possible short potential?)

  • Electrically isolating the motor diode from the frame

  • Removing the green flags

  • Sliders getting caught in switch frogs. (Particularly #6 switches)

  • Driveline binding / not running smooth (Drivers out of quarter)

  • Boiler cracks - from the marker light screw hole

  • Brake shoes facing the wrong way

  • Kadee #789 (G Scale) coupler on front pilot

  • Drawbar upgrade and modification

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

   

• MTH Challenger   

  • MTH Challenger - Smoke unit not puffing

  • MTH Challenger - Tender Plug Problems

  • Boiler bouncing&shifting/running smoothness (Part 1)

  • Boiler bouncing&shifting/running smoothness (Part 2)  - Updated 01/11/05

  • Boiler bouncing&shifting/running smoothness (Part 3) 

  • Added weight to the front drivers

  • MTH Challenger - Front Drivers Binding Fix / Driveline binds

  • MTH Challenger - Steam Delivery Tube Cracks

  • Kadee #830 (G Scale) coupler to tender

  • Kadee #789 (G Scale) coupler on front pilot

  • Drawbar upgrade and modification

  • Added weight in the Tender

  • New weight transfer spring assembly between boiler and front engine

  • Sliders getting caught in switch frogs. (Particularly #6 switches)

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

• MTH GS-4 (Daylight / Freedom)

  • Elimination of the power pickup sliders (Installing Ball bearing pickup wheels and tender wheel power pickups)

  • Adding power pickups to the tender

  • Sliders getting caught in switch frogs. (Particularly #6 switches)

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

• MTH Hudson

  • Front Coupler replaced with functioning #1 Scale Kadee (#822)

  • Sliders getting caught in switch frogs. (Particularly #6 switches)

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

   

• MTH Triplex

  • Front Coupler replaced with functioning G scale Kadee (#830) coupler

  • Adding a wire pair to allow power pickup sharing between the engine and the tender

  • Improving sound volume and base levels via modifications in the tender

  • Improve the chuff and whistle volume by loading the updated MTH Protosound 2 sound file (New and Original files) provided

  • Adding nylon washers to reduce frame on axle side to side play

  • Adding fuses between the front and rear driver sets on the engine

  • No smoke output from smoking whistle (no air velocity from fan)

  • Smoke unit smoke coming from inside the boiler

  • No smoke coming from the tender smoke stack

  • Marker lights on tender won't come on

  • Hard to separate tender from engine (Tender Drawbar pin loose)

  • Sliders getting caught in switch frogs. (Particularly #6 switches)

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

  • Removing the boiler sub-frame (For Reference)

Rolling Stock

• Aristocraft Heavyweight Passenger Cars

  • Install TIU in Aristocraft Heavyweight for running DCS engines on battery power

  • Kadee #789 Body-mounted coupler

  • Voltage regulation of lights

  • Aristocraft Heavyweight Passenger Car - Track Cleaner

  • Light base shorts - Prevent your heavyweight from going up in smoke by adding resettable polyfuses

  • Adding inductors to get better MTH DCS track signal

   

• Bachmann Coal Hopper Car

  • Turn truck into a track cleaner

  • Body mount Kadee #787

• Bachmann Passenger Cars (Jackson Sharp type)

  • Turn truck into a track cleaner

   

• LGB Steel Caboose (40790 CE-5) - Santa Fe

  • Kadee #831 truck-mounted coupler & problem of coupler lowering out of position when under load

   

• MTH Passenger Cars

  • Turn your MTH Passenger car into a track cleaner car

  • Add a light switch to turn lights on and off (on first run cars made without switches)

  • Adding inductors to improve track signal

  • Adding polyfuses to protect against shorts

   

Track / Roadbed / Layout wiring

• Cleaners

  • Turn Bachmann Passenger car truck into a track cleaner (same info as in "Rolling Stock" section)

  • Turn Bachmann Coal Hopper car truck into a track cleaner (same info as in "Rolling Stock" section)

  • Turn Aristocraft Heavyweight Passenger Car into a track cleaner (same info as in "Rolling Stock" section)

  • Turn your MTH Passenger car into a track cleaner car (same info as in "Rolling Stock" section)

  • Pole Sander for cleaning track by hand

   

• Aristocraft 19.5 Degree Crossover

  • 19.5 Degree crossover modification to eliminate the risk of electrical shorts from engine power pickup sliders

   

• Switch/Turnout Signaling

  • Adding a Tortoise switch machine to a Life Like Semaphore to designate turnout position

  • Removing the power from a #6 Switch with powered metal frog

   

• Power/Wiring

  • Switch power jumper/feeders for the Aristocraft #6 switch

  • Remote control for Power supply power cut-off - (great for emergencies)

   

• Securing track to ground or boards

  • Securing Aristocraft track with USA ties without exposed screws in center of tie

• Roadbed: Build solid roadbed with Hardiplank concrete fiber boards & Rolled shingle

  • My final preferred method for roadbed

   

• Bridge/Basement Ramp: Two different methods I used to build my ramp into the basement

  • Original Ramp (Built 2004)

  • New Ramp (Built 2006)

• Wiring:  Wire type and method of connection to track

  • Wire and connection methods

  • Feeder wire information and configuration (Focus on Stainless Steel track and voltage drop issue)

Power / Digital Control

• MTH TIU

  • Tips for better DCS signal and help with other DCS operations related problems - *** MUST READ FOR DCS USERS ***

  • MTH TIU & DCS Remote Antenna Add-on to Extend Remote Range

  • Install TIU in Aristocraft Heavyweight for running DCS engines on battery power

   

• MTH AIU

  • How to power and control Aristocraft powered remote switch machines with AIU and remote

   

• Battery power install (for MTH DCS)

  • Install TIU in Aristocraft Heavyweight for running DCS engines on battery power

• Bridgewerks Magnum S 15amp Power supply/Controller

  • Heat-sink w/cooling fans upgrade

   

• Cherokee Switching Power supply - (Fixed 24v DC - 40amp)

  • Power supply - 24v DC / 40amp

   

• Volt & Amp meters (aftermarket) for Power supplies

  • How to install and where to purchase

   

Parts & Part Numbers

• MTH (Engines, Cars, Accessories)

  • Part Numbers page

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