The Express
Newsletter of the Tinplate Trackers, Austin, Texas
May/June 2002 – 35th Edition
A newsletter will be sent out every two months to the current members, past members, and visitors of the club. Please contact Steve Wise at 512-444-3310 or E-Mail him at swise@aoot.com if you have any information you would like to have included in future newsletters. All comments/submissions welcome!
From The Editor
Hello O-Gaugers!
Summer is busy for all of us, and trains sometimes come in second (or gosh-forbid third) on our priority list. Oh well.
Enjoy this (very late) issue!
Stevo.
PAST
CLUB EVENTS
June 18th
Board Meeting Minutes
[Editors Note: These minutes are available on-line in our
members area of the club web site at www.trainweb.org/ttat]
The meeting was held
at 11:30am at the Fuddruckers on IH-35 and St. Johns. Jim Smiley, Ira Schneider, Scott Smiley, and Ron Fiebelkorn
attended the meeting. The following items
were discussed.
I. Upcoming Events in the next 100 days
July 12/13 - Club Fun Run at BCE –The clubhouse
has been reserved but so far only two members have indicated that they can
attend. A reminder will be sent out to
all the members to see if anyone else can make it. If 5 or 6 members cannot attend we will cancel.
August 10 – Work Day – We have several events
scheduled between August and November.
The board decided that it would be a good idea to have a workday before
the Burnet show to finish up several projects that have been suggested and/or
started. Preliminary inquiries indicate
that August 10 would be a good date.
More details to follow.
Aug 24/25 - Railfare in Burnet – Bob Stettner
is working on this. We have a formal
invitation but so far not a lot of details since we do not know which building
we will be using for this show. We will
also see if we can hold a raffle while we are running trains. The club will not be receiving any money for
attending this show but any member that works at this show will have an opportunity
to ride the Hill Country Flyer and have a Bar B Q dinner Saturday night.
Sept. 12
- Annual Club Meeting at Luby’s on MoPac and Steck. 6:00pm til ??
More details further at the end of these minutes.
Oct 5/6 – AMRE Show at Live Oak – Pending –
We have accepted an invitation to the show and they will donate $100.00 to the
club to help cover our expenses. We
will also see if we can hold a raffle at this event. We may try setting up an ‘L’ shape layout at the show.
II. Review status of other events
scheduled in 2002/2003
Oct 26/27 –
Czhilispiel in Flatonia – We have accepted an invitation to set
up a layout at this event. They will pay us $100.00 to help cover our
expenses.
Oct 26 – Austin
Jamboree – We have accepted an invitation to set up the
4x8 layout at the Jamboree again this
year.
Dec 6/7 – Club Fun Run at BCE Clubhouse –
Confirmed. Jim has reserved the clubhouse.
Feb 1 & 2, 2003 – SAMRA Show at Live Oak – We’ve
been invited and plan on attending this show.
June 7 & 8, 2003 – GATS at Live Oak – The show is
scheduled but GATS is not accepting applications yet.
III. Treasury
Report
Current Balance as of 6/30/2002 - $299.72.
Expected Income:
Dues: $40.00.
Income from shows/raffles:
AMRE - $75.00
Flatonia - $100.00
Expenses:
Bills to be paid:
Scott - $25.00 GATS trailer tow
Adrian - $25.00 trailer tow
Upcoming Expenses for the remainder of 2002:
2 Trailer tires - $100.00
Corner cradles in trailer - $25.00
Spot trailer for BCE runs on 7/12, and 12/6 - $40.00
Trailer tow to New Braunfels - $50.00
Trailer tow to Burnet - $50.00
Trailer tow to Flatonia - $50.00
IV. Other Money Issues:
Joe Maverick has produced a summary of the club’s financial information
from January 2000 to June 2002 and a summary of Dues Paid for 2002. Copies of these reports were handed out at
the meeting. If anyone else wants a
copy of these reports you can contact Joe Maverick or Ron Fiebelkorn.
The status on eliminating the area where we store our trailer has not changed. No official notification has been sent out yet.
V. Status of Projects
Projects Completed
Projects
Being Worked On:
2 Trailer Tires – 7.00/15LT (Trailer Weight is 3500 lbs) – Jim/Ron will shop.
Cradle for storing corners in the trailer – Scott – high priority for next workday
2 additional corner modules – The corners were tested out at the June run at BCE. Some modifications to the leg pockets on one of the corners and additional wiring harnesses are needed but the corners worked great. We were able to set up an ‘L’ shape layout without any major problems.
Review of SOPs – Ira – converting current document to MS-Word for club review
Review of Module Specs – Ed has completed a new version of the straight and corner module specs and they are on the web site for everyone to review. Comments received from the members will be added to the document and Ed will try and have it all updated by the end of July.
Add reflective tape to trailer - Bob is coordinating. Tape has been bought.
Plexiglass around corners/entire layout – Steve has built a prototype for one of the corners and it was tested out at New Braunfels show. There were no complaints or suggestions from anyone who viewed the plexiglass corner. The board agreed that we should continue with the remaining corners.
Confirm sidings and main powers are in phase – Scott – This will be an item for the next workday.
Inventory items in the trailer – Ira has a list of modules that are in the trailer.
List of Items we need at events – Ron has started a list and it was
sent out to the members for comments. A
few enhancements need to be made and then a copy of it will be placed on our
web page.
T-shirts/hats for the club and
Logo/Template for the trailer and newsletters – Adrian has sent a copy of a new logo to a patch maker and has ordered
100 patches. Members will be able to purchase the patches for their hats,
shirts, etc. The logo is also available
in Adobe illustrator format, which means it can be enlarged as big as you want
without the image going bad. We can
make it larger for the trailer, banner, sign, etc. An image of the logo can also be created as a transfer for a
shirt (see Ira’s picture at the New Braunfels Show).
Items still on the list. Contact one of the board members if you want to work on any of these projects or if you have already done some work on one of the projects and we’ll update the list at our next meeting.
1. Number modules and sky boards so set up is easier
2. Standard Road Bed
3. Folding Legs
4. Label boxes and containers
5. Build/purchase an item that will hold all of the misc. items in the trailer.
6. Review work groups – modules, trailer, advertising/PR, etc.
7. Club Car
8. Easier entrance/exit - Walk-thru bridge module
9. Looks for a permanent location for the club.
10. Train Exhibit Signs – (TinPlate Trackers Layout Inside)
11. Truss Bridge Module
12. Tunnel
13. Raised City
14. Banner with club’s name on it that can be a part of our layout.
15. Bar Stools or some other ‘high’ chair so we can view trains on the layout better.
16. Build a shelf in the trailer over the switch modules for more storage space.
17. Come up with a better way to monitor our trains from the inside of the layout.
(trim sky boards, eliminate some sky boards, mirrors, shorten legs, etc.,)
18. Add new track (like the track on the two new corner modules) to the club’s 2 corner modules.
19. Fix curve track on one of Jim’s corner modules.
VI. Board Member Elections
The board decided to hold the club’s annual meeting and board member elections on September 12, 2002 at the Luby’s cafeteria on MoPac and Steck Avenue. We’ll gather around 6:00pm.
We reviewed the make-up of the current board and the amount of time
that each board member has served. For
the past several years we have had volunteers serving as board members instead
of holding elections. It wasn’t by
design but the number of years that that each current board member has served
is the same as that described in our By-Laws.
Ira and Buddy have served for 1 year, Jim and Scott have served for 2
years, and Ron has served for 3 years.
Since our membership has grown over the past couple of years, the board has decided to hold an election this year. Since Ron has served on the board for 3 years his seat on the board has expired. We’ll check with Buddy to see if he wants to remain on the board for two more years. This/These seats on the board will be up for election.
In order to make sure everyone has the opportunity to participate we will be taking nominations/volunteers for the new board members before the meeting. Ballots will be mailed out a couple of weeks before September 12 so they can be returned either by mail or brought to the meeting. We’ll announce the winners at the meeting.
VII. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held 11:30 Wednesday, August
14, at Fuddruckers, IH-35 and St. Johns.
BCE Fun Run – June
7th/8th, 2002
At our June 7th & 8th BCE run, we used the new corner modules for the first time and set up an L-shaped layout. Thanks to Ed for driving the completion of these new corners! Thanks also to all who helped complete these new corners! Despite some skepticism as to the usefulness of this type of layout, all who attended were convinced this is a good thing for the club. It was interesting to see a long freight train snake around the double-reverse-curve inside the L!
FUTURE CLUB EVENTS
Proposed Work Day Aug 10th,
2002
We have several events scheduled between August and November. The club decided that it would be a good idea to have a work day before the Burnet show (Aug 24/25) to finish up several projects that have been suggested and/or started. Preliminary inquiries indicate that August 10 would be a good date. More details to follow on the club email reflector.
Burnet Railfair – August 24th/25th, 2002
We signed up for this event in Burnet again this year. Should be fun! Bob Stettner is working on this. We have a formal invitation but so far not a lot of details since we do not know which building we will be using for this show. We will also see if we can hold a raffle while we are running trains. The club will not be receiving any money for attending this show but any member that works at this show will have an opportunity to ride the Hill Country Flyer and have a Bar B Q dinner Saturday night. Please stay tuned for details…
Club Event Schedule
The following table shows the events and shows that the club is considering.
2002 Schedule
|
|
DATE |
SHOW |
PLACE |
STATUS |
|
|
July 12/13 |
Club Fun Run |
Branch Creek Clubhouse |
Canceled |
|
|
Aug 17/18 |
Train Show |
Canceled |
|
|
|
Aug 24/25 |
Rail Fair |
Confirmed |
|
|
|
Sep 21/22 |
Temple
Train Show |
Canceled |
|
|
|
Sep 12 |
Annual Club Meeting |
Confirmed |
|
|
|
Oct 5/6 |
AMRE
Train Show |
Confirmed |
|
|
|
Oct 25-27 |
Club Fun Run |
Branch Creek Clubhouse |
Canceled |
|
|
Oct 26/27 |
Czhilispiel |
Confirmed |
|
|
|
Oct 26 |
Austin Jamboree |
Round Rock |
Confirmed |
|
|
Nov
30/Dec 1 |
GATS |
Canceled |
|
|
|
Dec 6/7 |
Club Fun Run |
Confirmed |
2003 Schedule
|
|
DATE |
SHOW |
PLACE |
STATUS |
|
|
Feb 1/2 |
SAMRA Train Show |
Pending |
|
|
|
June 7/8 |
GATS |
Pending |
OTHER NEWS
World’s Greatest Hobby – Update
Last year Kalmbach Publishing launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the hobby of model railroading and to make it easier for new comers to get started. They named the campaign World's Greatest Hobby and established a web site at www.GreatestHobby.com. TTAT is a member of the campaign. We are listed as a club on this web site and you've probably noticed the Worlds' Greatest Hobby logo on our club's web site.
Recently our club received their promotion package. It consists of two videotapes:
'Model Trains - The World's Greatest Hobby' and 'Building Your First Model
Railroad'. Both of the videos are narrated by Michael Gross and are very
well presented. The promotion package also includes a magazine, 'Welcome
to the World's Greatest Hobby'. The videos and magazines will be at our
next couple of events for everyone to review.
Kings Hobby Announcement
[Editor’s note: Originally the Kings had announced that
they were going to retire and close their hobby shop on August 31. Now it looks like they will retire but the
hobby shop will stay open.]
July 8, 2002
Dear Friends,
We have very exciting news about the future of King's
Hobby! Rudy Cline and his wife, Janis,
have decided to take the reins. They
are dedicated to continuing the King's Hobby tradition, and we could not
imagine a better scenario.
We thank all of you for your kind thoughts and support. Special thanks go to Greg Swartz for
volunteering to recover our computer system and data base. He worked miracles.
Even though we are retiring, we will maintain a close
association with the hobby community.
-Bob and Alice King
Club Patches Available
[From
Adrian Elliot]
Hello All!
The patches are in. The patch is 2.5" tall by 2.25" wide.
Looks like a good size to go on a cap or a shirt pocket, maybe even an arm
sleeve. If I remember correctly my cost was $1.27 per patch plus
shipping. If anyone wants one let me know and I will bring to the next
event, mail, or whatever.
Gargraves Track For Sale
Adrian has some Gargraves shadow-rail flex track available if anybody is interested. Perhaps he’ll trade some for help with his layout! J
Member Review - MTH Digital Command System
Ira
Schneider
[Editors note: For those of you eagerly awaiting the MTH DCS system, here is Ira’s
review of the new system! Look for a
subsequent article discussing how DCS works with TMCC…]
I finally received my long-awaited MTH Digital Command System (DCS). Here are my first impressions of the system.
When I unpacked the box, I was impressed with the look and feel of the handheld remote control unit. It has a four-line LCD display and a myriad of buttons, including five softkeys whose functions are described by the bottom line of the display. My initial impression of the Track Interface Unit (TIU) was that it was huge – it measures approximately 8" x 10" x 2". However, after reading the instruction manual, I realized that this unit is the equivalent of the Lionel TMCC Command Base and four TMCC PowerMasters. The combined size and weight of the Lionel units far exceeds the size and weight of the TIU. In case you haven’t seen this, here is a picture of the DCS:
The TIU supports controlling four independent tracks – two in command mode and two in either command or conventional mode. Command mode is designed to work with MTH Proto-Sound 2.0 engines. Conventional mode can be used for any engine that responds to track voltage variations to set its speed. This system can also work with a Lionel TMCC to control Lionel TMCC engines.
My interest in the DCS was to control my two MTH Proto-Sound 2.0 engines, the Blue Comet steam engine and the AMTRAK Genesis engine. I connected the TIU in between my Z-4000 transformer and my control console to power my elevated track, which is where the Blue Comet and the AMTRAK passenger trains normally run.
The TIU itself requires continuous power. This power can be provided either by connecting a transformer to the Fixed Voltage In1 terminals (which powers one of the command mode tracks) or by plugging a Z-500 or Z-750 power brick into the Aux Power Input jack. Since I was planning on running my elevated track in command mode, I connected the Track 2 output of my Z-4000 transformer to the Fixed Voltage In1 terminal and connected the Fixed Voltage Out1 terminal to the track 2 input of my control console. As long as I have the Track 2 voltage of my Z-4000 transformer set to around 18 volts, the TIU is happy.
In order to use a Proto-Sound 2.0 engine, you have to introduce the engine to the DCS system. I put the Blue Comet engine on the elevated track, turned on the power, turned on the remote control (it has a power on/off button), and went through the sequence to add the engine to the list of MTH engines. This is a fairly simple sequence, which has to be done once per engine. The engine list is remembered between sessions. When you turn on the DCS system you can press the READ button on the remote control to have the system determine which engines are actually on the track. All engines which it knows about but are not present are placed on the Inactive Engines list.
After setting up the Blue Comet engine, I wanted to see what it would do. The speed for Proto-Sound 2.0 engines is controlled by a thumbwheel on the remote control and the actual speed is displayed in scale miles per hour (SMPH). I started turning the thumbwheel and the engine started moving. With a little experimentation, I found that the engine would actually start moving (but not very smoothly) at 1 SMPH. The engine motion smoothed out at about 4 SMPH. It was moving very slowly, but it was running, pulling the six-car Blue Comet passenger set. I increased the speed control until the train was moving at a normal speed, which was about 70 SMPH. The speed control is linear – doubling the SMPH reading doubles the speed, not like conventional control where the speed is related in some magic way to track voltage. However, I found the thumbwheel control to be a nuisance in that each click (and there are about 5 clicks when moving your thumb from bottom to top on the thumbwheel) increases the speed by 1 SMPH. Also, if you move the thumbwheel quickly, it only seems to register a 1 SMPH change in speed for the entire motion. It takes around 15-20 revolutions of the thumbwheel to get the train up to 70 SMPH.
I then started experimenting with all of the controls and settings. You can set many engine features from the remote control – including many features that are not settable but can be used in conventional mode. For example, you can independently set the engine sound volume, the horn volume, and the bell volume. These settings are remembered by the engine and carry over to conventional mode operation. Also, you can set a “clickity clack” sound which overrides the normal chuffing sound when the engine has been running at the same speed (over 30 SMPH) for over 30 seconds. You can also turn the smoke unit on or off and set the smoke volume, turn the headlights on or off, etc. When operating the engine you can fire the coupler(s) from the remote control, as well as trigger the Passenger/Freight Announcement (PFA).
The remote control has a multitude of push buttons to easily control functions while operating a Proto-Sound 2.0 engine, including bell (starts or stops ringing the bell), whistle (blows the whistle or horn), direction (stops the engine then reverses direction), smoke on or off, global volume up or down, engine sounds on or off (i.e. mute), headlight on or off, labor and drift (changes engine sounds and smoke level to labored or coasting), boost and brake (temporarily raises or lowers engine speed), fire front or rear couplers, start up (plays start up sounds and turns headlight and smoke unit on), shut down (plays shut down sounds and turns headlight and smoke unit off), PFA (activates Passenger/Freight Sounds sequence), doppler (activates doppler sound effects), and emergency stop. The remote control also has a backlight which can be used to see the display in low-light conditions.
The emergency stop function is a nuisance because after pressing the E-STOP button (which removes all power from all tracks), you have to reset both the TIU (by turning off, then reapplying power to the TIU) and the remote control (by turning it off, then on) in order to resume operation.
There are also several ways of playing custom sounds through a Proto-Sound 2.0 engine. If you press and hold the MIC button on the remote control, you can speak directly into the built-in microphone and your voice is played by the engine’s sound system. In my small train room, about all I get from this function is acoustical feedback between the microphone and the speaker. The second way to play custom sounds is to press the PROTOCAST button. This activates the Proto-Cast feature, where an audio source plugged into the TIU plays through the engine instead of the normal engine sounds. The third way to play custom sounds is to download a custom sound into the TIU, either from the built-in microphone, a microphone plugged into the TIU, or an audio source plugged into the TIU, then play the sound through the engine. You can record up to 174 seconds of sounds, which can be broken down into multiple 11-second blocks. There is no volume control for the Proto-Cast feature, so you have to set the volume correctly when you record the sounds.
The five softkeys control many engine functions. The first four softkeys (S1 though S4) controls one engine function. S5 is used to scroll through the functions. If you can’t remember the 3-character acronyms used in the display, you can scroll until “MORE” appears. Pressing the “more” softkey produces an expanded list of all functions that you can scroll through and select the function you want. This list is in an expanded English format. You can also reorder this list (or delete items from the list) so the softkey functions you use most often appear on the first screen.
This was all interesting, but the main use of DCS is controlling multiple trains simultaneously. I added the Genesis to the DCS system. When I pressed the ENG button I now had a list of two engines to choose from. MTH very cleverly made the list operate like the “previous” button on a TV – when you press the ENG button the list is displayed with the previously selected engine highlighted. You just have to press the thumbwheel (i.e. the select button) to switch control to that engine. (Simply stated, to switch back and forth between two engines you just have to press ENG then press the thumbwheel.) You can also select ALL from the engine list to send the same commands to all active engines simultaneously. This makes it very easy to have a lashup without defining it to the DCS system.
I started the Blue Comet moving and uncoupled it from the passenger cars (via remote control, of course). I stopped the Blue Comet, opened both front and rear couplers of the Genesis engine, and moved the Genesis engine until it coupled with the Blue Comet. I then selected all engines and turned up the speed control. They moved together as a unit. I then backed them up until the Genesis engine coupled with the passenger cars, reversed both engines, and ran the train around the loop. Both engines maintained the same speed (remember, in command mode the Proto-Sound 2.0 engines’ speed is set in SMPH so when they are set to the same speed they move at the same rate.) As a curiosity, I uncoupled the engines and let them run around the loop for a while. The Blue Comet engine was slightly faster than the Genesis engine, but not by much. When they are coupled they stay together just fine.
I then defined the two engines as a Lashup. With this definition, you tell DCS which engine is the head engine, which is the tail engine, and which (if any) are middle engines. You then send commands to the lashup, not the individual engines. All engines in the lashup have their smoke units turned off and they all respond to the speed and direction commands. The head engine has all sounds enabled (i.e. engine sounds, bell, and horn or whistle), all lights are fully operational except the backup-light, and only the front coupler can be fired. The middle engines can only generate engine sounds (i.e. the bell and horn or whistle are disabled) and the lights and couplers are disabled. The tail engine can only generate engine sounds, only the back-up light works, and only the rear coupler is operational. You can change some of these default settings for the individual engines from the remote control.
Since I also have two tracks where I run conventional mode engines, I connected the Variable IN and OUT terminals between my transformers and my control console. I set the transformers to maximum voltage and used the remote control to control the track voltage. In conventional mode, only the speed control thumbwheel, directional control button, bell, and horn/whistle button are used. I was a little disappointed to find out that the Boost and Brake controls don’t work in conventional mode. Also, there are softkeys defined for conventional mode to perform functions like “set track voltage to zero”, access Proto-Sound 1.0 programming options, set minimum and maximum track voltage, etc. I found one strange “feature” when controlling my MTH subway set. The transformer I am using for the subway, an MTH Z-750, only puts out about 12 volts at its maximum setting. When I set the track voltage using the DCS remote control, the track seems to receive the peak voltage at a setting of about 16.0 volts (the displayed voltage has absolutely no relationship to real track voltage!). Above that setting, the track voltage doesn’t change. However, the subway stops responding to the bell signal if the track voltage setting is above 17.0 volts, and the horn signal is ignored if the setting is over about 19.0 volts. By setting the maximum voltage to 17.0 volts, I avoid the problem since the system won’t let me increase the track voltage over 17.0 volts. It was important to me that the bell function works since the subway set uses the bell signal to activate the Passenger Announcement feature.
Overall, the DCS is pretty good. There are several features which make the user interface much better than Lionel’s TMCC, like the LCD display, the softkeys, and the one-touch command buttons. However, the user interface is not perfect. It is very tedious to get an engine up to speed. Having the “select” function tied to the thumbwheel makes it difficult to select the value you want. For example, when scrolling through a list of values (like maximum engine speed), it is too easy to accidentally trigger the “select” function (which is a press of the thumbwheel). In fact, it is almost impossible to enter a custom name (e.g. conventional track name, lashup name, etc.) without getting extra characters in the name. It is also annoying to me that the “voltage” display for conventional mode tracks have no relationship to actual voltage – they are just numbers, in 0.5 volt increments, that look like voltage readings.
One question I have been asked is
“Could the club use the DCS for one or two tracks so we can have both TMCC and
Proto-Sound 2.0 engines running in command mode on our club layout?” I haven’t tried the TMCC interface yet, but
I suspect the answer to the question is yes.
However, only two of the four channels on the TIU support variable
voltage (i.e. conventional mode) tracks.
Also, you have to supply power to one of the fixed voltage (i.e. command
mode) inputs to power the TIU. (This
can be done by running a jumper from one of the “variable” voltage inputs to
the fixed voltage input terminal.) We
would also need one DCS remote control for each track the TIU is wired to. It is fairly simple to operate a TIU
controlled track in conventional mode.
If we want to operate a TMCC command controlled engine from the DCS
remote control we have to define each engine to the DCS system. This is a one-time only, time-consuming
process. Once the system knows about a
TMCC engine it will remember it for next time.
The alternative is to use the Lionel CAB-1 to control a TMCC engine
running on a TIU controlled track. This
might actually be easier. If we wanted
to run both a TMCC engine and a Proto-Sound 2.0 engine on the same track, we
could use both remote controls, one controlling each engine.
2002 TEXAS TRAIN
SHOWS
August 17th, 2002 – New Braunfels Summer Model Train Show. 380 S. Seguin St. New Braunfels, TX - August 17, 2002 9:00am to 4:00pm - Admission: Adult $5, 17 & under $1, Family $8 - Contact information: Bryan Weidner, P.O.Box 134 Fischer, TX 78623, 830-935-2517
October 5th & 6th, 2002 - A.M.R.E. Train Show – Live Oak Civic Center, 8101 Pat Booker Road, Live Oak.
November 9 & 10, 2002 – GATS at the Pasadena Convention Center Complex, 7902 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena. All GAT Shows are open to the public both days from 11am to 5pm. For more information and a $1.00 off coupon go to www.GATS.com
November 30 & December 1, 2002 – GATS at the Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston Street, Fort Worth. All GAT Shows are open to the public both days from 11am to 5pm. For more information and a $1.00 off coupon go to www.GATS.com