ToyTrains1's Blog

I had the time today so I shot the video of the model Blue Comet with its ten car passenger consist. It actually came out rather well.  In response to a request, toward the end of the video I panned the camera to follow the train as it receded into distance on the layout.  As I usually do, I've made the video available in three formats, Real Media, Windows Media, and MPEG-4, which should allow just about anyone on any computer platform to view them.  They're found on the Multimedia page of my main web site.  Enjoy!

With the arrival of the three additional Blue Comet cars (which makes a total of ten) I thought that I'd shoot a video of the classy blue CNJ Pacific locomotive hauling its expanded ten car consist.  Putting it on the track however showed one small problem.  The set is quite old (mid-nineties) and the original five cars had 12 volt bulbs in them.  Since I converted the locomotive to PS2, I now run using a constant 18 volts, so those old cars light up very brightly, especially compared to the newer cars which use 18 volt bulbs.  Fortunately, when I relamped my PRR cars after some of their 12 volt bulbs were blown out at the last show, I got lots of extra 18 volt bulbs.  I've just finished relamping the cars that had the old bulbs and while I was at it, took the opportunity to people the older cars with passengers.  It should make for a nice video, which I will (hopefully) shoot this weekend.

I'm impressed — in less than 48 hours, the video of the Big Boy with its new auxiliary tender has been viewed more than 500 times!  I'm even more impressed that the MPEG-4 version has as many views as the Real Media version — up until very recently, that wasn't the case!  The Windows Media version, of course, has more views than both of the others combined.  Since that's been the case for a while now, I changed the encoding parameters so the last few train videos that I've shot have looked better in the Windows Media format, albeit at the cost of making substantially larger files. According to Google Analytics, about 90% of my site visitors now come in on broadband, so that's no longer as big of an issue as it used to be.

I've now posted a short (40 second) video of the Big Boy in action with the PS2-converted auxiliary tender.  You can find it on the Multimedia page of my main web site .

I've been hunting for a long time for a 20-3022 UP auxiliary tender for my UP Big Boys.  I finally found one at a decent price and it came in the other day. Since I've converted both Big Boys to PS2, I needed to convert the new aux tender over as well.  Fortunately, when I converted the SP GS-4 Daylight aux tender to PS2 some time ago, I ordered two sets of parts, so I already had the parts I needed.  Or so I thought. Opening up the aux tender, I just followed the instructions that I had written down when I did the conversion on the Daylight aux tender.  No big deal, in and out in all of ten minutes.  Now, which Big Boy should I get ready for the aux tender.  Hmmm, interesting … the newer DAP Big Boy tender has neither the main/aux tender switch nor even a cutout for the switch.  Gee, I wonder if I can use the aux tender on the Challenger or the FEF?  Nope, those tenders don't have switches or cutouts either.  So, I guess the aux tender is going to go with the original Big Boy, for which it was originally manufactured.  Open it up and surprise!  While I have a switch cutout, I have no switch.  And then, it all comes flooding back — that Big Boy was purchased used and had a QSI 3000 board installed rather than the original equipment.  No switch, no wiring harness, no nothing.  Ever have one of those days? Going through all the PS1 parts that I kept after doing all the conversions (boy, am I glad I don't throw things away), I found a harness with a straight plug that would work with the socket on the aux tender.  Great!  Then I scavenged a switch out of another locomotive that no longer needed it (when you convert a steam locomotive from PS1 to PS2, the smoke on/off switch in the locomotive, if there is one, becomes superfluous), discovered the mounting holes in the aux tender were a little off for that switch, drilled a new mounting hole, got the switch mounted, got it wired up, set the switch for AUX, put it on the track and fired it up.  It started up fine!  Fire the rear coupler and the backup light blinks.  Oops!  Silly me! Why would I ever assume that the wiring harnesses would have the same color codes as the one in the Daylight tender?  Ripped everything open again, traced the wires, and fortunately only had to exchange/splice two wires in the main tender to get things connected where they're supposed to be connected.  Once again on the track and, this time, success!  It works like a charm! I'll film it in action and post a video when I have the chance.

MTH has announced that certain steam locomotives in their 2007 Vol. 1 catalog will have enhanced details (such as scale-sized smokebox door hinges) and will also have the tether connections between the locomotive and tender concealed in the drawbar.  This is a major step forward in terms of appearance and has been keenly anticipated by many hobbyists.  I look forward to seeing the first one when it's released.

To go along with the CNJ Blue Comet RPO car mentioned below, MTH has now released a two-car add-on set which contains a baggage care and a coach.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the coach includes people preinstalled so that I don't have to add them.  The two cars have the same enhanced features that were found on the RPO car.  I've done a mini-review that can be found on my Train Reviews page.  Here are photos of the two cars.

According to a newsletter that I recently received, MTH hasn't received enough orders from the 2007 Vol. 1 catalog to justify the production of four of the cataloged Premier steam locomotives (the kind that I tend to enjoy).  Those four are:

• 20-3271-1    N&W Class A (2-6-6-4 )
• 20-3275-1    CN Mountain (4-8-2 )
• 20-3277-1    C&O Greenbrier (4-8-4 )
• 20-3278-1    GN Z-6 Challenger (4-6-6-4 )

The first two I really don't care about as I converted my PS1 versions to PS2.  That last one hurts however, as I have it on order to go along with the GN R-2 and S-2.  MTH is extending their ordering deadline by a few months and the last time they did that, with the PRR A5, they got enough additional orders to produce the locomotive (and it turned out beautifully).  Hopefully, they get enough additional orders this time around to produce at least the Challenger.

As I previously mentioned, there's a Great Train Expo show this weekend at a new location in Somerset NJ.  We (CJDCS) were supposed to be there but, alas, Bob's family roped him in for a family function and doing the show is just too much for Ed and I alone, so we had to cancel.  Bummer!