DC - Electrical
Break in engine on rollers or figure 8 of track?
I have an old Bachmann Spectrum GE 44-Ton that I want to clean, lube and get running well. Does not appear to have run much if at all. Can I break it in by running it on rollers, or should I find a way to create a figure 8 of track and run it around in circles to break-in the truck swing too? It is DC, for a small switching layout. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
Measure motor RPM with a smartphone
I wanted to know the operating characteristics of the old open-frame Pittman motors in my brass engines so I could replace them with can motors. I wasted several months ordering and testing various motors that were too slow. A multimeter could measure voltage and current draw. But how to determine the RPMs?
Fortunately, other people know how to measure RPM, amperage, and torque, and posted it all on YouTube.
Middle School Model Railroad: turntable power
Like many of my middle school students, our Park Day Railway is in the midst of a growth spurt.
Soldering joint in a minute
I'm a subscriber to a general technicals news site.
They show up the following link and I just found this product, never try it but seems very easy to use and for sure a great help for any electrical connection job…….knowing we have just a few to do on a layout 
What's on your workbench? March 2020
It might not look like much, in fact it may look a little odd, but this will be the first locomotive I've installed ditch lights on. Here the SMD LED's are fished through the shell, and they've been wired to the DecoderBuddy (one of the very early ones).
The ditch light mounts are Details West DL-229 parts, currently having the canopy glue holding the lenses in drying. 
Crossing DC Blocks
Old AHM steam engine(2-8-8-4) stops going from 1 block to the next. Works great within a block. Other engines work fine crossing blocks. Both MRC packs are postured correctly for continuous movement.
Block detection for signals on a DC layout
Kia ora fellow modelers,
Down here in New Zealand, I'm building a small DC layout recreating central California in the late 1950s, and want to set up an operating signal system that a) interlocks with turnout position b) shows red if the block ahead is assigned to another cab (remember this is DC).
I have two DC controllers, with 12 blocks assigned by 3 Atlas 215 selectors.
New in Review: 16-Port DCC LED Scene Controller II, from Model Train Technology
This is an independent review of an accessory lighting controller for layout structure LED lighting; the unit provides automatic current matching without resistors, supports up to 64 LEDs, supports any of 100 different lighting effects on each of 16 ports, and can be programmed from a front panel or using a DCC throttle.
What's on your workbench? February 2020
January was a rough month to start the year off with and I'm ready for work this month, albeit a few hours early. That extra day on the end will certainly make a difference! Let's see what you've got.
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