Tuning an ESU LokSound Decoder

An unanticipated consequence of replacing #10’s decoder was that performance would degrade. It says right on the box that your locomotive needs to work flawlessly before you go installing decoders, but still, a certain amount of back EMF compensation is known to smooth out the occasional foible. The old Zimo decoder worked fantastic right out […]

Before you can program a decoder…

Now that #10 seems to be running as well as I can make it mechanically, it’s time to stop running it under address 3. Okay, where’s the programming track? The truth is, there isn’t one yet. Being in a bit of a rush to make things run, and because it’s a little inconvenient to access […]

The knob killer

In response to my post, Time to kill the knob, the ever-insightful Trevor Marshall asked … but if we get rid of the knob, what do we replace it with? Are you thinking along the lines of a miniature backhead? I assume it would have to be something hand-held… Yes, exactly. The knob killer will […]

Time to kill the knob

Over on Mike Cougill’s excellent blog, he asked a few weeks ago I wonder, what sorts of hare brained ideas are we dismissing today, that we’ll take for granted tomorrow? What sacred cows are we clinging to that will soon be as antiquated as outside third rail power distribution? Naturally, he has us all thinking […]

Debugging #10

It seems to be two steps forward, one step back on #10. No sooner had I fixed the quartering issue that had popped up, than I discovered that the engine truck weight was dragging and catching on guard rails. After I resolved that, I triumphantly placed the engine on the track. Where it sat. Silently. […]

In situ quartering tool

I mentioned earlier that #10 was operating with a bit of a limp due to an out of quarter driver. As it takes about 30-45 minutes to disassemble or reassemble the locomotive, and every time I risk breaking something or knocking paint off, I thought I’d have a go at quartering the driver without disassembling […]

Feedwater power connection resolved

It took three tries, and there is still room for improvement, but I did manage to reconnect the tender electrically to the engine. Essentially, I made a very small connector, and soldered it to the end of the wire, then replaced the old wire completely. The small connector is a piece of brass rod about […]

Cubicle-top Railroading

During the day, I manage a team of software developers. It’s a role I really enjoy: not only do I get to work with my team on difficult technical problems, but I also get to help really creative people reach their own goals. I’ve never kept my hobby a secret. Even in high school, if […]

Problems with feedwater connections for power

#10 has split-frame power collection. This means I had a choice of locations to connect the decoder and pick up power. To keep non-prototypical connections between engine and tender to a minimum, I decided to connect the tender electrically with the feedwater hoses. On the engine, the pipes are solid wire, with tiny collars soldered […]

Andrew C Stadden Figures

While searching for a heavy crew to add to #10, I recalled that Andrew C Stadden had introduced HO scale figures into his line of pewter figures a couple of years ago. A search through my email turned up his website. Although they are not inexpensive, and the Loonie is in the dumps right now, […]