Welcome to Motown Models! My name is Tom, and I've been in the hobby since 2004. Way back in 2008, I started this RU-vid channel, known as Spazman13579. In 11 years, the channel amassed 3,000 subscribers and 800,000 video views. In 2017, I decided to take my hobby to the "next-level" and offer high quality model train services to customers; the beginning of Motown Models. Since most of my modeling time is now dedicated to work for others, I thought I may as well make videos on the projects! So in September of 2019, the channel received the new name. Look for new videos coming soon!
Since I build my own flat cars from Tichy Train Group, I found that you can add wood grain to the plastic with a razor saw. I use it constantly beating up the plastic to look like an old used deck. My last flatcar I painted each board on the deck (40 foot car) a different shade of brown to grey mixing the acrylic paint as I went. I use little plastic communion cups to mix paint then just give 'em a toss. Cheers from eastern TN
I don't understand - if the operating voltage is 8-14 V, with a resistor, how do you get them to light up with the typical 1.5V lighting circuit on a DCC decoder board? Why are your installation videos silent about this?
@@muchfunwithtrains most decoders output about 14 volts for the lighting functions. The only boards that normally put out 1.5V are those found in older Athearn models. You can't just hook up the led and have it work; LED's work starting at around 2.5V. 1.5 is not enough
tom.. hope you remember me and all is well with you !!! you painted several carload express/avr engines for me a few years back and they are great. i saw sparky107107 commented in jlw2100 review of the rapido gp 9/slug set where stated he is looking for someone to paint a set for him... i sent him your way w/company name and phone number. blessings to you my friend !!! denny armes springville,ny
I do like my old Atlas engines. I've got several. One is an RS-3 and another one is a Fairbanks-Morse H15-44 in the Central of Georgia livery. I also have a couple of Atlas GP-7's in the Central of Georgia livery. Just hope they perform as well as my old Athearn engines. I do the same thing when modeling a certain engine. I always print out a hard copy of the engine I'm modeling. Cheers from eastern TN
That's a wild difference in sound and a dead simple install! I'll be in touch for a set of speakers!!!! Great video for us all to help with changing those speakers!
The problem I have had lately, is some of the metal underbody rolling stock (Atlas and Walthers 89' TOFC flatcars) the Kadee fiber washers will not fit over the metal lips, not even close. I've tried reaming the hole out and still can't get them over. What I need is a fiber washer with a larger hole. I have rolling stock on the bench for weeks looking for a solution. There are companies that sell fiber washers but it's hard to tell which I need that still have the 0.010 and 0.015 thickness I need, Probably 0.020 would come in handy too.
That darwin likely made the NS engineer's heart skip a beat. If that driver crossed a second later, his car would be totaled. It's not worth going through the flashing lights and ringing bell to try to beat the train.
@@MotownModelsgood enough for me, I’m a fan of scalesounds but not a fan of when they take off for a month and you can’t place any orders during that month. Looks like I’m going to need to pick up a few of these speakers for a couple of my rapido units
I don't know exactly, I haven't worked on those before - you'll have to take your shell off your model and measure it up to see wat will fit. We already have a drop-in kit for the Rapido F40 on the website.
@@tyhik9338 I would first get some measurements off a ScaleTrains speaker. Theirs are buried between the two chassis halves and can be a pain to access
Guess that is not honest, because your video is not about ANY, but DCC only. Try do the same for DC Locomotive, it would be much harder not to damage LED.
@@MotownModels that works with DCC perfectly, with DC mode that could be a problem because motor work easily broke LED after some time... This problem is well known more than 15 years.
@@Alexander_Sth I don't understand. How can a motor break an LED? You're just applying a voltage to an LED, it's even more simple than DCC. Manufacturers use LED's in quite literally all new model trains being made today, and they last longer than bulbs.
@@MotownModels I guess because motor produce reverse pulsations from motor coils, also perhaps because motor can work as generator (back-EMF). Also, you change polarity which LED doesn’t like. All of that usually take care DCC decoder, but with DC you need to take care with yourself. Otherwise, while motor running LED could flicker or even get damage. You can look theme: “Directional lighting using LED's and DC- is it possible?” “LEDs in DC Locomotives” “LED Lok-Fahrlicht wechselseitig flackert“ Take a look there: “reverse voltages” “I would still put a "normal" diode in series if doing this as the PIV (Peak Inverse Voltage) ie the maximum reverse voltage the LED can stop is not great on most LEDs and they can get degraded and/or fail.” The problem that many modelers make a lot of idea how to save LED with diodes, capacitor and so on, but for 20 years yet I didn’t see one common standard variant for that. "Manufacturers use LED's in quite literally all new model trains" Yes they are, but we need to see which components they use in motherboard of DC locomotive for them.
hi tom !!! it was a pleasure talking to you last night !!! i wish you could make more phone calling mistakes !!! fyi, the carload express and avr engines you painted for me are absolutely the most popular engines when they are run in front of any and all friends !!! even though the 3 carload express engines are soundless, we communicate by small radio shack radios on my layout, and they always steal the show !!! the avr engine ( scale trains) has sound and that engine is always the most popular during an ops session !!! i mix and match the 4 engines as an "as needed" consist... absolutely beautiful, tom !!! blessings to you , my friend !!! denny
Dude, this was one of the best Installs ive seen, easy, quick, but also very informative, plus easy to follow. ive got way too many blue box locos, and i struggle sometimes to find clear, aswell as informative videos that can show step by step like you just did. Once i get my Aurora you can bet im coming back here to install a speaker like that. Have a good day my friend!
WTF....I tried this. What a mess up way to do sound. I ruined my Broadway Limited locomotive. You own me $10K and a new...oh wait, this is not real. oh sh&&&&T!!!!!🙃
Those sugar cube speakers makes a whole lot better sound. Just wished they had a bit more bass/allow some lower frequency sounds. Is the $30 price in USD for the replacement speakers?
Hi. I have a question for you . I installed a led light on a ho locomotive, it works well when moving forward and goes out when reversing (normal) but it flashes...why? THANKS
IF the driver was in a hurry to get to a bathroom, I'm sure seeing that huge engine out the passenger window probably cured the problem. WOW, that was as close you can get w/o being actually tagged.
Quick note: Looks like you've got a website issue. When I click on the "preorder" banner at the top of the main motownmodels site, I get a "page not found" error page. I'm also seeing that error page if I click on "order" in the GP9R pull-down menu from the top of the main page.
