@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Of course, we already have Forums specifically for Lionel and MTH Tips-n-Tricks.
But what about a similar Forum applicable to all O Gauge trains?
Such a Forum could be very helpful to all of us, especially those new to our hobby.
I will share a couple of O Gauge 3 rail track tips-n-tricks.
Modern steam engines and tenders are usually connected by a tether or drawbar. Consider trying to minimize connecting and disconnecting them, maybe even connecting them only once. In my experience the pins and sockets are delicate, and can easily be jostled so they don't align correct, resulting in the necessity of a repair. Now, whenever I take the steam engine and tender off the track, or out it on the track, I try to do it as one unit without disconnecting them from each other.
How about smoke fluid. This has been my nemesis lately. I thought a good tip was to put at least 2 drops of smoke fluid (Lionel Premium for Lionel engines and Protosmoke for MTH engines) before starting up the engine, see how it smokes at start up and when first running it, and add more (3 or 4 drops) if it doesn't produce much smoke. The idea is to always have enough smoke fluid in the engine so it doesn't dry out, but not to flood the unit with too much.
Unfortunately the above smoke tip isn't infallible. Yesterday, I did this with my MTH Proto 3 B-6 switcher, which has been a terrific smoker, and it stopped producing smoke, and I can't hear any smoke fan running.
Would love to hear from you folks about your smoke fluid tips and your other tips and tricks related to our O Gauge trains and layouts.
Arnold
I overfilled an MTH smoker once. Even bought a replacement fan motor. When I took it apart, I blew off the oil and it started working properly. A sure sign of fan not turning would be smoke coming out of the engine from the bottom and sides. I generally apply 30 small drops from a squeeze bottle with needle filler.
I let it go around about 5 minutes before I fire up the smoker. As far as the drawbar is concerned, I like the plugs better.
