I've always liked it when the lights on a model actually work like the real thing. I rework the lighting in a lot of my models, even ones that aren't kitbashed as much as this one is. Now that ESU is offering decoders with 8 or more lighting outputs, it really opens up the possibilities for making all the lights on a model work in a realistic way. Thanks for watching!
I love your model railroading work and admire how no matter how advanced a project or build may be, you are always willing to take everyone through it step by step. Thank you for your work and expertise.
Awesome Dan, that Conrail unit is coming along nicely!!!! For all you modelers watching, as I told Dan awhile back you can get the 750ohm .25 watt resistors from a company called All Electric, you can get a sheet of 100 cheap, also you can get all the shrink tube at Auto Zone by the box cheap!!! Now is the time to collect supplies winter is coming and it will be time to get back to the modeling bench!!!
Thanks for the tips on where to get supplies. I used to live near an electronics store and I got a lot of stuff there, but I moved. I still have a stash but eventually I'll need to find more supplies. Thanks for watchiing!
Very cool. This reminds me of that Santa Fe SD40-2 Snoot build you did a few years back. I watched that entire series and documented most of the detail parts you used for a build I want to do some day. I gathered all the parts but still haven't attempted the build, lol.
I really love Kato mechanisms. Like you said, they're very quiet, and they tend to run really well for a long time with little maintenance. Thanks for watching!
DCC installation vids are pretty neat to watch. As of the past 2-3 years I really haven’t been seeing many hardwire installs like that on the internet, as many modelers have been switching to other designs like the Loksound Direct as well as the fairly new NixTrainz Decoder Buddy (which has an unpluggable light board) motherboard that takes a 21 pin DCC decoder like the ESU V5. It also has built in resistors so no need to futz with external resistors although it may not be for everyone who may prefer different resistor types. Good stuff!
I guess this one is a little bit "old school". I may try a decoder buddy in the future. I think the advantage to something like that is that if there are Loksound 6 or 7 decoders in the future, it should in theory make it easy to upgrade. On the other hand, it's more stuff inside the shell taking up space. That can be a problem on locomotives that have a lot of lights (and wires). I'm not a huge fan of on board resistors, as I think the lights look better when I use my own. Sometimes the on board ones are too strong, I think. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi yeah, no problem. i’m not sure but i believe special resistors can be requested from nick santo/nixtrainz, but i’d probably ask him to double check
I’ve also been doing DCC Installations for a Model Train Shop here in Southern California, I can relate to this install. Have you ever used Nix Trains Decoder Buddy?
@@DanielCortopassi Using the Decoder Buddy eliminates the need for external resistors on your LEDs. It’s a board with Integrated resistors. It makes DCC Installs a breeze
Quick question what is the difference between the esu lok 5 board and the esu lok5 power pack board? Does the power pack board just have more tabs for light functions and esu keep alives on or is there more to it?
I haven't tried either of those yet, but it looks like the power pack board is the same except that it has a built in power pack (capacitors). The ESU website says it has 10 function outputs. The regular Loksound 5 Direct board has at least 8 outputs according to the website, though it doesn't really say how many it actually has. The power pack version looks like a completely different circuit board so it's possible it may have a different number of lighting outputs. I'm curious now to get my hands on one! Thanks for watching!
Dan - I bought a cheap shell to practice painting. I also want to practice making a working engine. How do I determine what chassis, motor, trucks, etc. that will fit the shell? I don 't want to just by something that might fit. So just wondering how to find the right resources.
The easiest thing is to look for a chassis that's the same brand and locomotive type as the shell. Sometimes you can find a complete chassis with trucks and motor and everything basically assembled on eBay or elsewhere. You can also substitute a different brand chassis, but you'll probably have to do some cutting and filing to get everything to work together. I am looking at doing that on one of my other engines, an HO Proto 2000 GP38-2 that I detailed. The chassis literally cracked in two while the model was stored. I've heard this is a problem with some of the Proto GP38-2s, so a while back I bought an Atlas GP38-2 chassis that I want to use to fix it. I have not tried fitting the two together yet. Sometimes you can also substitute the chassis for a slightly different model. For example, the Kato SD40 and SD45 use the same basic chassis with the same parts. If you're looking to build from the ground up, Athearn trucks and drivetrain parts are fairly bulletproof. The Kato motor is also really good. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching!
Hi Dan I have been looking for someone who can paint an SD- 90 MAC to be painted either in the BNSF. STYLE or the SF red &silver war bonnet colors .Do you know of anyone who does this kind of work and also I am looking for the GP and the SD models in HO .Oh there is one more thing some places don't ship to AK .Do you . is there any extra fees as some places do because I live in a remote area of the State .Don't worry everything here is a hurry up and wait thing around here this time of year any way .PS I really like your video's , Hope you have a happy trick or treat .
Sorry, but I don't really know anyone who does custom painting. I'm glad you enjoy the videos, and you have a Happy Halloween, too! Thanks for watching!
