A new engine has entered the roster at the Euclid yard of THE GREATER NICKEL PLATE. Thanks to help from friends on this site, much sweating, swearing, soldering, testing, re-soldering, re-testing and ​praying. S-4 Number 12 is alive and running after installation of a new motor and a Z scale decoder. 

Alcohol - 1; Oven Cleaner - 0 !! They must not make off-brand oven cleaners as good as advertised. In short, it didn't work after several good coatings and left in a plastic bag overnight. 

I need some help in running an electrical problem to a hole. I have installed a decoder on an Atlas S-4 and have a light but no motive power. This unit has been checked twice by myself and another person.

1. All wires are attached correctly and the decoder is good.

2. Contact shoes are in place and universals are correctly installed with no binding.

3. Positive and negative leads are soldered and there are no kinks nor bare "cuts." 

I just purchased a trolley for a static display on a non operational track on the city street scene on my railroad. The body is plastic and the windows consist of painted silhouettes on a semi-translucent film. I want to repaint the body and roof in two different colors and re-letter the trolley.

On the advice of a club member, I went in search of an electronics shop yesterday for supplies needed to help convert my older engines to DCC. Not being well versed in electronics, I use a association memory tool to ask for things I am not familiar with; thus, on arriving at the shop, the conversation went like this:

" I'm here on the advice of a friend and need some 'Eric Claption' tape."

" We don't carry anything like that; this is an electronics parts store.

I have a question regarding the possible use of jumpers on Shinohara switches. It appears that positive ground throws have solved most of the electrical contact problems. However, thre are several switches where engines stall when crossing. I tried the "pushing the blade tighter against the stock rail" trick with my bamboo uncoupler, but with no results.

It looks like the stall occurs just past the frog, but it is hard to determine as the drivers block the view.

To all in our railroad community for your support, suggestions and ideas so freely given:

While working to correct track connections for power, I ran into another problem. I have several sections of track working just fine and thought I'd try out the jump power packs I have wired. Here's the scenario and the problem:

Ok, I've got most of the "short" problems solved. However, there is a problem with the code 70 switches not having good steady blade contact and I'm not sure how to solve it. When the engine hits the switch, I can push against the rail with my wood uncoupling stick (to a point the engine hits it) or press down on the ties or the throw bar plastic piece and the rail makes better contact.