# National Model Railroad Assocation Convention



## Bodie Bailey (Jan 22, 2008)

Hello All, 

This is just a reminder that the NMRA convention in Anaheim California. It is open to the public and it will last most of the week with tours. All scales will be there from Z to large scale. 

I have a personal interest, part of the tours during the week will take people all over Southern California area. 
One of the tours will take you to the Athearn factory and to Alpine Division Scale Models. Alpine Division Scale Models is where I have my large scale set up. If any of you remember my story about the large display I built for a store years ago. Well this is were it is and its up and running with a newly built section. I will be there during the tour so if your in the area and take the tour come by and we'll have a talk. 
Here is a link to the tours. 
http://www.nmra.org/2008/Prototours/Prototours.htm


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Look for us on the Wednesday tour. Also, we will being having open house for all who want to come on Saturday, 7/19 from noon - 8:00 PM. 
E-mail if you want directions. 
Todd 

http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Not an NMRA member, but I am hoping to make it to the *National Train Show* on the 19th or the 20th


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Vic 
please take some photos and post us a report .... I'm interested to see if any LS stuff is there. Model contest etc.


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

I arrive Tuesday for the week and will be showing the latest combined DCC/RC/Battery/Track technology during two clinics. 

Stan


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Marty, OK, If I get there.


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## Bodie Bailey (Jan 22, 2008)

Here are the specific dates for the Athearn- Alpine tours Monday and Tuesday Afternoon July 14 and 15. 

I hope somebody comes by I built this layout for the public to enjoy. The last few years only the employees at Alpine Division Scale Models have been able to see it. 

Since I have been out of work this has been the only train work I have been able to do. That is one of the reasons I have been scarce around here. Still trying to start up my own business.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Ah, yes, look who will be there. 
Wonder if he gets to announce the Davenport, the high-side gondola, and the caboose? 

Hey, Greg, better get your team together again. 
Maybe you can correct a few dozen more misconceptions. 

Notice those were two distinct paragraphs, without any correlation to each other.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

David,be good some.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Now Dave, be nice. Let's wait and see what will show at the convention! I, for one, am curious what will be shown as "latest" in r/c battery technology! Afterward, I'm sure that there will be lively discussion!


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Posted By Steve Stockham on 07/07/2008 7:21 PM
Now Dave, be nice. Let's wait and see what will show at the convention! I, for one, am curious what will be shown as "latest" in r/c battery technology! Afterward, I'm sure that there will be lively discussion! " border=0>




If that person is involved, I am not curious.


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave 

The NMRA National is a great place to exchange ideas. Large Scale and Narrow Gauge are both very much present. 

I expect whatever is anounced at the convention will show up on this forum as is the custom of other large scale gatherings. 

In September the Narrow Gauge convention is in Portland which is not so far from you. Perhaps this is a good time to see what progress can be made. 

Stan


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Mayhaps. 

However, what we have in print does appear to have been true. 

Bachmann's paid consultant warned us the next issue out of the gate would most likely have a different socket, and if reports out of Japan are true, that is what has happened.


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## K27_463 (Jan 2, 2008)

Since this is a local show for me, and is a national event(read lots of vendors and a huge hall) I signed up for a table or two. Should be interesting -large scale in a huge sea of HO and O scale.!!! 

Jonathan/EMW


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Spent the afternoon wondering the show floor. 

There appear to be 5 items of interest for the large scale railroader. Not everthing was out yet so I may have missed something. 

As expected Bachmann has its 3 new items promently displayed. The Gas Mechmanical, The Mallet, and the long caboose are all in the booth. The caboose is breaking some new ground and I was most impressed. 

Not as well reported is that Missouri Locomotive Co has its Fn3 Bear on display and ESU has its DCC/Sound board for both the basic and extended socket as being used by AristoCraft and Bachmann. 

Jonathan, CVP, Lenz and a few others have large scale as part of their displays. Marklin is also there and talking about LGB but all I saw in their booth to date was their HO product line. 

So while the show is small from a Large Scale perspective, there appears to be quite a few items of interest to our community. 

Stan Ames 
www.tttrains.com/llargescale


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By StanleyAmes on 07/17/2008 9:29 PM
Not as well reported is that Missouri Locomotive Co has its Fn3 Bear on display and ESU has its DCC/Sound board for both the basic and extended socket as being used by AristoCraft and Bachmann. 
Stan Ames 
www.tttrains.com/llargescale




So, where can we learn about the specs for the "basic" and "extended" sockets?


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

What's an Fn3 Bear? 

Matthew (OV)


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## Rich Schiffman (Jan 2, 2008)

Matthew, 

An FN3 Bear is another Gypsy locomtive. Unlike the Falk, this has an open cab and is primitive. I have several photos of the prototype and model if you want to drop an email. 

Rich Schiffman 
[email protected]


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Posted By Del Tapparo on 07/17/2008 9:48 PM
Posted By StanleyAmes on 07/17/2008 9:29 PM 
Not as well reported is that Missouri Locomotive Co has its Fn3 Bear on display and ESU has its DCC/Sound board for both the basic and extended socket as being used by AristoCraft and Bachmann. 
Stan Ames 
www.tttrains.com/llargescale

So, where can we learn about the specs for the "basic" and "extended" sockets?




Del- That's the problem. 
This was supposed to be a standard developed by the nmra standards committee working group, but if you were to pick up the phone and call anyone ON that working group, and ask them about the inclusion of the 8-pin socket, you would get a "huh?". 

Granted, it appears someone yanked the 8-pin, one-amp H0 decoder socket from the files and planted it, but unless you are part of the "select group", the actual data will have to be waited for. 

I recall folks who had to sort out the "With Integrated Production Electronics" part to figure out how to make it work. 

Recent communications have indicated that the inclusion of all the extra electronics on the "dumbie" board do not appear to have been run through said working group.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

"What's an Fn3 Bear?" 










Its a model of Bear Harbor #1, and I have never been so sad to be so poor as this is one of the locomotives that tempted me back into model railroading in the first place, but at again close to $800, its way out of my budget. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Missed the first time through the show was the Kadee electricaly activated couplers for Large Scale. The prototype is here and the eventual product due out at the end of the year will be based on the 830. 

They have an RC system that can control individual couplers and turnouts. You can also activate the couplers using most any control system. 

Below is a link to the Bear 

http://www.moloco.biz/html/gypsy_2.html 

Its larger then their first Gypsy locomotive. 

Both the basic and extended socket look the same as they both have two rows of pins. The basic socket only uses the first rows of pins. AristoCraft has been using this socket for years and it is in most of their locomotives. The extended socket defines the purpose of both rows of pins and is being used by Bachmann in its K27 and the reciently anounced mallet. 

The ESU sound decoder is built to work on both the basic or the extended sockets. 

It appears that Dave is a little confused so perhaps I can assist. The basic and extended Large Scale socket is designed for the larger locomotives whick draw more current. For lower current applications there are a variety of other well defined and widely used standardized options. 

http://www.nmra.org/standards/DCC/standards_rps/RP-9.1.1 2008.01.pdf 

Bachmann is using the standard NMRA 8 pin socket in their newly anounced caboose and their Gas Mechanical. They use the same 8 pin socket in most of their ON30 and many HO scale models. 

More later 

Stan


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Posted By StanleyAmes on 07/18/2008 2:29 PM
Bachmann is using the standard NMRA 8 pin socket in their newly anounced caboose and their Gas Mechanical. They use the same 8 pin socket in most of their ON30 and many HO scale models. 
More later 
Stan 





Not confused at all. 
Like I said, an nmra 1 amp H0 decoder socket. 
The Standards Committe Working Group doesn't appear to have had that option run past them. 

How many more sockets do you intend to introduce to keep the smaller manufacturers hopping to produce compatible items? 

So much for a Universal Large Scale Socket. 
It's now "Universal Large Scale Sockets, quantity unknown".Or, Universal Stanley's Electronic Large Engine Scale Sockets. 

Fun to watch, anyway. 
Getting empty boxes lined up now.


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

Rowr! The bear is an interesting contraption! Not exactly my flavour in locomotives.... but interesting nonetheless. The logging guys are gonna love it! 

Matthew (OV)


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave 

Strange, I was not aware that the 8 pin socket was an HO decoder socket. The 8 pin socket is one that is currently used in N scale, HO scale S Scale, O Scale and Large Scale. There are several control systems that have used this widespread used interface. The NMRA and the industry approved this use long ago. No need to reinvent the wheel. 

What do you say we get this thread back to lthe NMRA National show and what is being shown here. If you have concerns on the electronics perhaps a different thread would be in order. 

Stan


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Did anyone get to the Airwire booth? I'm curious if they were showing anything new. There are supposed to be some new items on the way.


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## jlyans (Jan 2, 2008)

Stanley Ames: Missed the first time through the show was the Kadee electricaly activated couplers for Large Scale. The prototype is here and the eventual product due out at the end of the year will be based on the 830. They have an RC system that can control individual couplers and turnouts. You can also activate the couplers using most any control system. 


The electrically activated couplers were not working, (some type of interference problem), and they are not yet ready for release. These are not going to be simple "swap the coupler" change overs. It is going to require installing a servo motor in the car with linkage rods from the servo to the couplers and will also require battery power or track power pick-ups to power the servos. 

Paul Burch: Did anyone get to the Airwire booth? I'm curious if they were showing anything new. There are supposed to be some new items on the way. 


My friend talked to the folks at Airwire (CVP). They are coming up with a way to control a turnout with their hand-held controllers. They told him it was going to run about $50. per switch. 


John


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Gang, 
FYI and FWIW and All Things to the Contrary Notwithstanding, I just posted some pics of the Kadee rig, the Falk and Bear Harbor models, and a few other "G" things from the NMRA show at 
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/13/postid/39971/view/topic/Default.aspx


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By jlyans on 07/19/2008 11:21 PM
Stanley Ames: Missed the first time through the show was the Kadee electricaly activated couplers for Large Scale. The prototype is here and the eventual product due out at the end of the year will be based on the 830. They have an RC system that can control individual couplers and turnouts. You can also activate the couplers using most any control system. 

The electrically activated couplers were not working, (some type of interference problem), and they are not yet ready for release. These are not going to be simple "swap the coupler" change overs. It is going to require installing a servo motor in the car with linkage rods from the servo to the couplers and will also require battery power or track power pick-ups to power the servos. 
Paul Burch: Did anyone get to the Airwire booth? I'm curious if they were showing anything new. There are supposed to be some new items on the way. 

My friend talked to the folks at Airwire (CVP). They are coming up with a way to control a turnout with their hand-held controllers. They told him it was going to run about $50. per switch. 
John




Been there, done all of that already. 

Next please???


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary, 
Thanks for the report. I was hoping the Airwire people would be previewing their other things that are coming. Patients I guess.


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## Bodie Bailey (Jan 22, 2008)

Some photos from the NMRA show if they come through. 

 

The Brass Gypsy 


 

On30 4-6-0 


 

On30 motorcar and trailer 


 

Side angle On30 motorcar and trailer 


 

1:20.3 F scale Davenport 


 

Davenport 



 

Kids and trains 



 

1:20.3 F scale Caboose 


 

1:20.3 F scale Mallet 


 

1:20.3 F scale Mallet 


 


1:20.3 F scale Mallet 





If this works there should be a few more toys to play with.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Posted By Bodie Bailey on 07/20/2008 10:55 PM
test




test failed. 
Try Again.


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