Chuck

Well I've been having problems with the smoke unit on this thing. I'll start explaining here. Do not exceed 24V DC!! And here... And here... Okay, I get it...Do Not Exceed 24V DC. What mine does is with 22V DC on rails according to the volt meter via a Bridgeworks MAG25TDR and confirmed with a multimeter is after say a few minutes of use the smoke control board shuts down. To reset kill the track power and re-apply. Then it works fine for a few minutes and shutsdown. The Marklin BR50 instruction manual states that after 5 minutes their smoke units will shutdown and need a re-boot. Is that relevant?? I don't know except the 2 smoke units look very similar. Okay if I turn down track power to say 16V DC the smoke unit is happy and will stay on until unit runs dry or I've had enough smoke inhaling indoors and shut it off. I removed the smoke unit operating board and put under a 12X stereo microscope to read the chip numbers. Ends up the board design utilizes PWM with timer and temperature circuits among many others. I think a glitch in the programming is causing it to prematurely shut down. Mike @ USAT parts said "no parts available" and "no idea as to reflashing the firmware"...typical for that outfit. Since my trains run in a command control environment with track power anywhere from 22V to 30V keeping power under 16V is unacceptable. So I added a Buck Converter between the smoke board input and power switch. It's set at 16V output and now smoke unit is happy! I do see the smoke output varying from good full smoke to partial then back to full. I did find the instructions, free software and hardware needed to access the main chip on electronics but I'm not a programmer. Here's the smoke control board.... The twenty pin board in center is main culprit. If anybody wants to know it's a 063AC voltage regulator. Here I added a adjustable Buck regulator under the driveshaft. Good for 24V DC my ass. Then again the manual doesn't specifically state what the smoke system max voltage is rated. I'm not done with this yet!

Nick, Could be just copied by the chinese! As far as replacement parts from USAT well think I can come up with them. Smoke heaters just order same size/ ohm in wire wound resistors, put in vice and crush off the porcelain. Thermistors just cross reference at Digi-Key which I already did. Gaskets well you know...homemade! Fan motors I'm sure can cross reference.

Quite the wall of snow! Nice sunny day!!

Nick, Very nice as it looks real! Well I guess it is!! What fuel does that use?

Oh, the color is black but the flat clear really dulled it. I think the lighting and the camera makes it appear more grey than it really is. Yes about the size of real ones! 844 was the very last steam locomotive that the U.P. bought.

Found this pic of 844 when she was brand new!

Well I swapped out the engineer and fireman figures for the more realistic MTH style. Also added cab interior lights. Cab was made for a pair of lights and lighting board has extra plugs to add them so why didn't they??

Now here's something I find a bit interesting! Seems the USA FEF-3 smoke unit is a copy of the Marklin design or USAT had Marklin design the smoke system. Infact I wouldn't be surprised if Marklin made these FEF's as nowhere on the engine is it labeled as "USA Trains Malden Mass. Made In China". These pictures I'm posting are of a KM BR50 smoke unit and comparing to the USAT smoke unit. Marklin bought out KM. Besides the smoke units looking similar I seen where Marklin uses big thumbscrews to mount their locomotives to the wooden shipping shelf and this FEF uses same. The USAT Hudson and Big boy used hex head allen bolts. Here's a KM (Kiss) 2 chambered smoke unit for stack & cylinder steam made out of plastic... Here's the USAT 3 chambered smoke unit for stack, cylinder and whistles smoke made out of die-cast metal (Zamek). Note, I have the 3 heaters removed. Here's the KM smoke unit fan end...This one has 2 fans. Here's the USAT fan end..3 fans. Fan mounting looks identical right down to fan wire colors! Here's the KM heater, wicking and fan motor. Heater, thermistor and gasket. Same parts from USAT smoke unit. BR fan motor... To me everything looks way to identical for just a mere coincidence.??

Whew that's good! Glad it helped out a bit!

Looks great!!

I always thought that is what USA Trains based their RTP-10 on as it looks identical like maybe they bought the rights to it?? USA_RTP10 Here's the RTP10 instruction manual...hope that helps? RTP10_Manual

Well...looks like a big vacuum would help with the leaves...or are there lil' people and cars under it all?

SILVIS, Ill. (Jan 10, 2022) ­– Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RHMA) DBA: The Friends of the 261, will expand operations in the former National Railway Equipment (NRE) shop complex in Silvis, Ill. The 90-acre facility was once the main shop of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The historic Rock Island Silvis facility has over ten miles of track. The main shop building is 400,000 square feet with multiple overhead cranes. The complex includes a wheel shop, warehouse space, a locomotive wheel drop table, multiple overhead cranes and several other smaller shop buildings. The complex is served by Iowa Interstate Railroad, BNSF Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway. Personally I see nothing but good coming from this! With Iowa Interstate serving this facility and with II being very steam friendly as they own the 2 steam J's and run them, I can see possibly some Railfairs in the future held at Silvis with high speed passenger excursion trains running to like Des Moines and back! That complex is huge! How it was in the steam days.... The erecting floor where the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific built their locomotives...

That is cute!

Right as looks good! Has that nice glow esp. in first picture.

Came across a Dome and Sleeper car. The train is growing!

I'll get a video posted maybe later in the week as currently it's on the workbench getting a PS3 conversion/ install. Good question about current draw! PS3 (and PS2) converted engines will actually reduce current draw as the electronics are more efficient. I've seen that happen time after time. My last test was comparing a RailPro to PS3. PS3 beat it hands down with the smoke unit on! RailPro had no smoke unit wired to it.

Wow! What a difference! Very nice

Recently found a combine car! Charles Ro Supply also have the 2 coach cars and diner in stock so bought those. Bought a FEF-3 which can also use to pull this train with.

Jan, Don't count MTH being out of the picture yet as Trainworld is taking pre-orders for MTH One-Gauge tank cars for later this year. MTH has publicly stated that they'll continue producing a few One-Gauge items every year. I wouldn't be surprised to see another run of the SD70's as those things sold out at MTH rather quickly.

Sad news indeed. Over the years he bailed me out more than a few times with decals. Spoke with him a few times on phone and yes was always cheerful and helpful.

Mike in parts retired right after Sr. passed away which is bad as he knew where "stuff" was in that place. I did talk to Butch at Ro yesterday and I'm getting a bit of a refund from them...or so I was told. I also asked about whether or not they're going to re-stock all the depleted inventory and got a bullshit response of "we have some some big huge shipments that were due to arrive but because of the ongoing situations and the way things are that's all been pushed back until at least June 2022." Yes some auxiliary water tanks would be nice! Back in my brain also want to make some nice DDA40X's in 1:29. Not some weird looking 3D printed thing with extended truck frames to fit USA drives into. That looks goofy. Aristo SD45 bodies are damn close and the AML GP60M cab is also close. Also thinking of chopping up a USAT Big Boy and making a Challenger out of it...I'm not a 4014 fan.

Sean, You know I don't think Ro even showed at the TCA Eastern Division York, Pa. Show last October? Trainworld backed out of that show at the last minute because Ken Bianco Jr. claimed he got Covid but a few days later he made a video of him hosting some kids hospital train races...go figure? Nick Jr, Yeah that's too bad that they jerk customers around like they do. Seems that since Sr. passed away the business is taking a dive. I mean USA Trains inventory is very low. On Ro's site there's product pages that are blank. SD70's, 4-Bay Centerflow Hoppers & Modern Tank Cars pages are a blank. In the past there'd at least be artwork up with pre-order announcements and some random future shipping date. Absolutely no mention of the Intermodal Shipping Containers. Cabooses are very low stock along with most of the Ultimate Line. Now I see passenger cars that are sold out being removed from listings. Absolutely no new announcements at all this year. Seems all that's happening is decisions that Sr. made are being fulfilled and that's it. Is USA Trains winding down?? Like others said back some 15 years ago when Lionel was stumbling..."Lionel is a rudderless ship." I'm starting to wonder if USA Trains is a "rudderless ship?"

Nick, Remember years ago on MLS where some poor USAT GG-1 owner went round and round with USAT "Service"?? Seems that either the pantographs quit raising up and down or the QSI soundcard crapped out. Either way he got jerked around by them pretty good and they never did make it right. I gave up on USAT "Service" when I had a problem with a #6 switch that wouldn't change frog polarity. Service guy told me that switch frogs don't change polarity. He also said that all switches that went in for warranty work were returned as a manual switch. That told me all that I needed to know about their excellent "Service Department"!