RRArtie

I have had continual problems with my Bachmann Climax power pickup. I hardwired the DCC decoder to the motor bearings as described in Bachmann Climax Tips by George Schreyer. I cleaned and reworked the plungers that pickup from the wheels. It still doesn't run more than a foot and then has to be pushed to get it started again. Plus the Phoenix Big Sound doesn't play. A couple weeks ago, my wife saw the Climax and said it “was a cute little engine”. It was time to get serious! I completely redid the electrical pickup from the wheels and now it runs without a hitch see the picture below. I have written a step by step description of what I did and it can be retrieved here https://1drv.ms/b/s!AjB9vifjJU2zgopkW1j6RjvFqrhI3w?e=4nfRaa Hope this helps some of you with similar locomotives. Art

Thank you for the replies. I got JAX Pewter Black for the body of the switch stand. I will see what the color looks like. Maybe not black enough, but was launching and order to Micro-Mark and just added it. I have seen picture from Choochoowilly and see a great paint job from those rattle cans. I also got a bottle of Model Flex Santa Fe Yellow (a little to the orange side of yellow) for the switch stand targets. A rattle can would be over kill for the targets which are about the size of a quarter. As Screwy Nick suggested I got a couple other colors (rust and grimy black) in the same brand. I may do a little weathering on the switch stands. Art

Hi all my first post, I am getting back to the garden railroad after a 5 year absence. Need to do track work for my garage full of locos and cars. I have track and switches from Sunset Valley RR laying in the garage ready to go. I have their hi level switch stands (brass) and would like to paint them. I have done HO since I was 10, but this is the first outdoor layout. I would probably spray paint the frame of the switch stands and either brush paint the targets or spray with lots of masking. What paint holds up out doors. Should I use some of the model paints like Model Masters or Tru-Color or go to Home Depot and buy rustoleum? Is there a UV inhibitor that should go over this paint? As long as we are on the subject what is best for wood bridges and structures? I am looking for color fastness, longevity, and a reasonable in-scale paint appearance. Thank you in advance. I searched through this forum and could not find a similar question. Art