Archive-name: model-railroad-faq/techniqueăăThis is part of the rec.models.railroad list of Frequently AskedăQuestions (FAQ). It is maintained by Ralph Marshallă(rjm@cs.brown.edu) All contributions and corrections are welcome, butăI'm ultimately responsible for what appears here.ăăChanges since last posting:ăăăTrain setsă----------ăăQ. What should I buy as a gift for somebody who is new to the hobby?ăă(This answer is tailored to HO, since that's what I know about) ăăThe cheap packaged sets make by Bachman and Life-Like are not a goodăway to get started in the hobby. The equipment is cheaply made and asăa consequence will tend to stall and derail frequently, and is alsoălikely to break early. While you'll spend slightly more by buyingăindividual items, you can assemble a starter set from better equipmentăand still spend under $100. The following list is a suggestion ofăspecific items which will make a nice set for somebody new to theăhobby, either adult or 8+ year old child.ăă - Athearn diesel locomotive with "superpower" drive. They makeă a wide range of locomotives, so pick whatever looks good.ă The "superpower" drive means it has flywheels and a heavy ă weight, both of which make it run better, and it only runsă about $5 more than the base models. $26-33ăă - Several Athearn car kits [very easy to assemble]. They makeă both freight and passenger, so pick whetever interests youă (or the recipient). Freight cars are $4-5, passenger $7. ă ă - MRC Tech II Railpower 1400 power pack. You'll need a fewă feet of wire and an Atlas terminal track section to attachă it to the track. $41 (+ $2 for the terminal)ăă - Enough Atlas Nickel-silver track to make an oval. 4 packsă of 18" curves and 2 packs of straight will do. $2.80/packăă - A copy of Model Railroader magazine. The December issueă always has articles aimed at newcomers, but most issues willă have introductory-level articles. $2.95ăă The stuff above will make the minimum starter set, for justă over $100, depending on the engine and cars purchased. If youă want to go for something slightly more advanced consideră adding some of the following items:ăă - 2 or so Atlas Snap turnouts (track switches), $6 eachă unpowered. Get both left and right handed.ă ă - An Atlas pier set combined with one of their bridge kits.ă To make an over-under figure-8 layout you'll also needă another package of curved track. $10 for the pier set,ă bridges are $4-10.ăă - Some building kits. The Atlas passenger station kit is aă classic kit which is well manufactured and can be built intoă a nice looking kit with a little time. Probably not tooă good for a young child since it has lots of parts. Kits rună $5-15 for simpler ones, much more in some cases. Includeă some Testor's liquid glue [in a cubical glass bottle. Theă thicker version in a orange/white tube is junk] (also notă great around young children; for that matter, it give me aă headache sometimes) and an X-Acto knife. ă ăI have picked these items from personal experience - there areăundoubtedly equally good choices from other manufacturers. Everythingălisted here should be available at most hobby stores which carry trainăequipment. Your best bet is to find a hobby store which specializes inămodel railroads and tell them you want to assemble something likeăthis. They should be able to show you the items listed here as wellăas alternatives which you might prefer.ăăQ. What should I buy if I'm willing to spend more money?ăăHigher quality locomotives can be purchased from Atlas, Stewart, andăKATO (who make the mechanisms for some other brands as well). Theseămodels run very well, have more accurate and refined details, and willăcost about $100 for a single locomotive. Life-Like has a premium lineăcalled "Proto 2000" and Bachman has one called "Spectrum" which offerămedium level products in the $50-75 range.ăăIn addition to Athearn, MDC (Model Die Casting, also known asăRoundhouse) makes good quality kits in the $5-10 range, and they areăabout as easy to find as Athearn. They make more of the modernăequipment than does Athearn.ăăPeco makes better quality track switches, for about $15 unpowered.ăThey have a spring which keeps the switch rails firmly in the selectedăposition and an under-table power unit which is easy to installă(although you have to cut a hole in the table). They come ină"Electrofrog" and "Insulfrog" versions - the Insulfrog ones are "powerărouting," which means that the track power only flows in the directionăthe switch is set. This can make it much easier to wire stub sidingsăin a block scheme, since you don't need a separate block for theăsiding. Electrofrog switches have a live metal frog (hence the name)ăand are not electrically interchangable with the Insulfrog version.ăăQ. What if I just won the lottery?ăăBrass models are regularly imported by a small collection of companiesăbased in Japan and South Korea. These are limited run (~100 units)ămodels of specific prototypes, hand-made from brass. They are usuallyădelivered unpainted but some runs offer factory painted units at anăextra cost. The majority of these models are of locomotives, withăsteam more abundant than diesel or electric. Passenger cars andăcabooses are also fairly common, with occasional freight andămaintenance-of-way cars offered. The main appeal of these models isăthat well-made ones will be exact models of particular prototypes withăa high level of detail. They also come with high quality drives,ăsomething quite difficult to find in cheaper steam locomotives.ăăThe cheapest brass locomotives in HO are offered by Sunset Ltd., withămost models in the $200-300 range. They are reportedly good runnersăwith a fairly low level of detail. Highly detailed models are offeredăby the other importers, with steam prices in the $450-1000+ range,ădiesels in the $200-400+ range. O scale models can run twice as muchăas these prices. The best bet is to find either a local dealer or aăreputable mail-order importer who can advise you on what looks goodăfor the money.ăăMost of these items are sold by advance reservation, so by the timeăthe model actually arives there may not be any left for sale. Theămodels are advertised in advance of production so that you can placeăan order in time. Used models can be purchased and can be a good valueăif purchased from a reputable dealer who is honest about the quality.ăăQ. How come the affordable suggestions only include diesel engines?!?ăăIn general, steam engines are more expensive than their dieselăcounterparts. For example, the cheapest HO "ready-to-run" steamăengines cost about $100. If you are the type who likes to build kits,ăthe cheapest steam engine kit costs about $70 dollars. Below is aăshort description of several popular steam engine brands. The pricesăin square brackets are mail order prices provided by a second contributor,ăso may not be for the exact same models.ăăBachman: Sold as "ready-to-run" units, these engines usually costăabout $100 [$25 - $55 (RTR)]. The bodies are plastic. The runningăcharacteristics of these engines vary a lot. If possible, see it runăbefore buying. Bowser (Cary Logo. Works) sells a conversion kit forăthese engines providing a new drive train, however this upgrade willăcost nearly as much as the original engine.ăăMDC/Roundhouse: Sold as kits, these engines usually cost anywhere fromă$70 to $100 [$60 - $80 (kit)]. The boilers are metal, the cabs andătender are plastic. MDC makes smaller (and earlier-era) steam enginesă(4-4-2, 2-8-0, Shay, etc.).ăăBowser: Sold as kits, these engines usually cost anywhere from $80 toă$150 [$70 - $155 (kit), $120 - $170 (RTR)]. The kits are all metal --ăvery heavy. The casts usually require a fair amount of filing toăremove any flash. Running characteristics are good and the pullingăpower is very good. Bowser provides a number of PRR steam era enginesăas well as a Challenger and a Big Boy.ăăRivarossi: Formerly imported by AHM, these engines are soldă"ready-to-run". They cost anywhere from $150 to $500 [$120 - $250ă(RTR)]. The engines are all plastic. One or more of the drivers hasăa "traction tire" (rubber band) to keep the lighter weight engine fromăslipping. Running characteristics are good. Rivarrossi makes a wideăvariety of steam engines.ăăMantua: [This is based somewhat on hearsay] They seem to offer twoăgrades of equipment - the older designs such as the 0-4-0 switchăengine which are quite inexpensive ($20) but which run poorly, andănewer models such as the 4-4-0 Atlantic which seems like a very niceămodel for about $120. Some of the models come in kit form for lessămoney.ăăQ. What if I choose N scale instead?ăăDiesel locos: anything made by Kato. This includes the Kato brandăengines as well as the items recently offered by Atlas. The Con-CorăPA-1 was the first Kato diesel imported but most of their more recentăofferings have not been. These don't come cheap, most being in theă$80 to $100 range.ăăBachmann has just introduced their first Spectrum engine in N scale (aăDash 8-40C.) About the same price as the Kato and runs well but theăbody shell is not quite up to the standard of the Kato engines. Theăregular line Bachmann is less expensive than these but require someăwork to get them running realy smothly in most cases. In general,ăavoid Life-Like.ăăFor freight cars, the best quality is MicroTrains. These range fromă$8 to $10 for cars with basic paint schemes up to $30 for the TOFCăflats with semi trailers. Their couplers are also a great improvementăover the Rapido couplers. The easyest conversion is the trucks withăcouplers mounted, but I prefer to body-mount couplers. MicroTrainsăalso hase conversion kits for a large number of steam and dieselăengines.ăăQ. What companies make good equipment in G scale?ăă[The description of G-scale equipment was written by John Haskey]ăăIn my opinion, Bachman track should be avoided like the plague. Ifăyou don't want to spend big bucks on LGB track, check out the REAătrack. REA makes very decent track and is usually cheaper than LGB.ăThe Bachman track will do nothing but disappoint you.ăăOn the other hand, the Bachman Locos and rolling stock are a very economicalăway to get into G-scale railroading. Their locos are noisier than their LGBăcounterparts but consider this: a Bachman 4-6-0 can be had for as little asă$80 mail-order and it comes with lights, smoke, & sound. A similiar LGB locoăwill cost over $500. Granted, the LGB loco will probably last a lifetime butăfor someone getting started the Bachman loco represents a good value. Makeăsure you avoid the Bachman battery powered remote controlled locos though.ăI have friends who have been less than thrilled with them. Bachman's rollingăstock is serviceable out of the box and, as others have mentioned, can be ăvastly improved by replacing the trucks and couplers. Their kits have greatăpotential for kitbashing, etc.ăăI personally own both Bachman and LGB and don't regret purchasing eitherăbrand. If you're rich and have disposable income, by all means go out andăget that LGB starter set, a few hundred feet of LGB track, and lots of carsăand locos. On the other hand you could start with a loop of REA track, aăMRC throttle, and a Bachman train and be well on your way as well.ăăTrack ă-----ăăQ. Nickel-silver vs. brass: what are the issues?ăăNickel-silver is a copper-nickel alloy (mostly copper), considered toăbe metalurgically similar to brass but superior in corrosionăresistance. Brass oxidizes rapidly to a non-conducting surface, whichămeans that power will not reach the locomotives or cars, resulting inăstalls. Both forms of track will accumulate other gunk on them,ărequiring some form of cleaning. In general, nickel silver is muchăbetter than brass, and is worth the small extra cost.ăăThe more recently developed alloys used in high-quality G scale trackăare much less corrosion-prone. Brass is sometimes favored overănickel-silver for outdoor use, because it expands and contractsăsomewhat less with changes in temperature.ăăQ. What does the number associated with a turnout mean? What's theădifference between, say, a #4 turnout and a #6 turnout?ăăThe number is based on the angle between the straight and divergingătracks. Skipping the exact definition, a #4 turnout is generally theăsharpest practical size and is equivalent to an 18" curve. #6s andă#8s are more gradual and are typically used on larger layouts bothăbecause they look more realistic and because longer equipment willăwork better on them.ăăTraction models and models in the smallest scales (N and Z) can oftenăget good results with much smaller turnout numbers, down to #2.5 inăcommon usage.ăăQ. What does the "code" associated with track mean?ăăThis is the height of the rail, expressed in thousandths of an inch.ăCode 100 rail (common in HO) is 0.100 inches high. This is equivalentăto prototype rail weighing 152 pounds per yard, which is larger thanăalmost all rail used by real railroads in the United States. Advancedămodelers typically use rail sizes closer to that used on theăprototype, as shown below:ăăNominal | Mass | Scale | Scale | Scale |ăScale | Market | Mainline | Branch | Mining |ă---------------------------------------------------ăG, #1 | .330 | .250 | .175 | .125 |ă---------------------------------------------------ăO | .175 | .148 | .125 | .100 |ă---------------------------------------------------ăS | .148 | .125 | .100 | .086 |ă---------------------------------------------------ăHO/OO | .100 | .083 | .070 | .055 |ă---------------------------------------------------ăN | .080 | .055 | .040 | n/a |ă---------------------------------------------------ăZ | .062 | n/a | n/a | n/a |ă---------------------------------------------------ăăQ. When handlaying track, how/when do you folks glue down the ballast?ăăBallast is added in the same fashion for both handlaid andăprefabricated track. The roadbed is prepared and the track laid inăposition using your favorite method before any ballast is added. Theămethod described below also works just as well for grass, dirt, etc.ăin the rest of the layout.ăăThere are several methods, but the basic idea is to spread the ballastăin place (I use a cheap 1" paintbrush to shape it), soak it with someăsort of wetting agent, and then flow a fixative into it. Variantsăabound - this is a FAQ in the model railroading magazines as well, soălook there for alternatives.ăăThe most common wetting agent is tap water with a drop or two ofăstandard dishwashing liquid added to cut the surface tension (theăwater will just bead up otherwise and won't soak the ballast). Thisăcan be sprayed on with a *fine* mister or carefully dripped on with anăeye dropper. The most common fixative is a 50-50 mixture of whiteăglue and water, again with a drop of detergent. This is dripped ontoăthe ballast and allowed to dry. All of the water will evaporate, soăthe ballast should be as wet as possible without floating it away;ăotherwise you may just glue down a top crust which will chip awayălater.ăăQ. Also, who makes good ballast material, and do you mix/combineă several coarsenesses or make it uniform? ăăWoodland Scenics is probably the most popular brand, but at least oneăposter described it as looking like kitty litter; a bit harsh but notăfar from the mark in my opinion. Their finest grade should be used byăN and HO scales, and it's really too coarse for N. ăăThe other major source is actual rock. You can just walk outside ifăyou live in the area you model, you can try the local quarry or gravelăoperation to see if you can get a small sample, or you can order ităfrom several operations which advertise in the model railroadingămagazines. If you use real rock you must crush it, sift it to size,ăand then remove any ferrous particles with a magnet.ăăNote that most real railroads use ballast that is available locally,ăso the color of your ballast will differ based on the area modelled.ăMost of it is a standard gray, but iron ore roads have a distinctăreddish hue, and RMC just finished a series about a marble quarryingărailroad which used marble chips!ăăRoadbedă-------ă[The following description of Homasote was written by Gregg Fuhriman]ăă My Experiencesă -------------- ăHomasote is a material made of densely compressed newsprint, and isăusually sold in 4' x 8' x 1/2" sheets. It is also available to theămodel railroad hobby as precut roadbed strips. My experience is withăthe large sheets, which I purchased from a building supply store. Ină1987, one sheet cost around 25 dollars.ăăI cut it into many 8' strips, using a rotary saw set at 45 degreeăangle to get the "ballast slope". The ascii drawing below shows anăedge-on view of how I cut the Homasote sheets:ăă | |<---- wide enough for trackă ___________________________________________________________ă |\ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \|ă -----------------------------------------------------------ă <---------- 4' ---------->ăăThese strips were then used as-is for straight roadbed. To make curves,ăI cut dozens of kerfs crossways about 3/4 of the way through the strip andăabout 1/2" apart. The strip could then be "bent" into the desired curvatureăby compressing the kerfs on the inside of the curve. The purpose of thisăexercise was to reduce wasted Homasote; it is not a cheap material.ăăThe homasote strips were then glued to plywood sub-roadbed using carpenter'săglue and clamps. I also drove small nails through the Homasote into theăplywood to help hold things in the right position while the glue dried.ăSpecial shapes, like around switch stands, were shaped by hand using aăutility knife to carve the homasote.ăă Summary of My Experience and Netter's Commentsă ----------------------------------------------ăBenefits of Homasote are that it holds spikes and nails well, and it isăa sound-deadening material to reduce train noise. It glues easily, as ităis a porous material. It is relatively "soft", so it cuts easily.ăăCutting this material with a power saw generated piles of fluffy, grayădust that went everywhere and proved to be a pain to clean up. Iăreccommend wearing a dust filter to avoid breathing in the dust andăfluff. Cutting with a utility knife is neater, but more difficult andătedious as the homosote tends to "grab" the blade (just as it "grabs"ăspikes and nails).ăăForming curves with the kerf-and-bend method was not 100% successful.ăAt least half the time the strip would break in two. Also, the resultingăcurve is not super smooth ... they are actually several short straightăsections. Heavy sanding can smooth out some of this (but with more dust).ăăOther netters have suggested painting the Homasote with a latex paint toăhelp seal it against moisture (introduced mostly during ballasting, butăalso to guard against ambient humidity). Its dimensional stability withărespect to temperature and humidity has been panned, though I have notănoticed problems with my layout so far.ăăQ. How do you lay flex track over a cork roadbed?ăăA1 - How do I get the cork to go around curves?ăăCork roadbed is typically provided in a split section, thin enough toăfollow normal curves in a given radius. One netter suggests soakingăthe strips in hot water first. This makes them flexible enough to doăabout 8" radius curves before breaking. ăăA2. - My track doesn't have holes in the ties for nails. How do I holdă it in place?ăăA construction cement called "Liquid Nails" will hold the cork andătrack in place. Just a thin coating of this with the track pressedădown onto it will set in about 30 secconds... even with the 8"ăradius curves which the flex track will not hold on its own.ăăAn alternative is to use white glue spread with a finger over theăsurface of the cork. You will need temporary pins along the track toăhold it in place while it dries.ăăăA3. - How do I make the curve reasonably regular?ăăUse a pencil on the end of a string and tack the free end of theăstring to the track base at the center of the curve (i.e. center ofăthe circle formed by the curve). Then keep the string taught and drawăthe centerline of the curve on the track base with the pencil.ăSimilar methods use a solid beam instead of string.ăăăA4. - How do I keep flex track from kinking when I have a joint in the ă middle of a curve?ăăOne simple way to REDUCE kinking is to stagger the joint (tends to happenănaturally in curves anyway) so that the actual break in one rail is an inchăor two (or more) away from the break in the other rail. Sliding the rails ăso that the break occurs over the ties of only one of the sections willăalso help.ăă jointă ================== ============================= <- railsă } } } } } } } } { { { { { { { { <- tiesă ============================== =================ă jointăă } = tie from left section ă { = tie from right sectionăăELIMINATING THE KINKăăI solder the two sections together to ELIMINATE the kink. I lay theăfirst section, and glue it most of the way, leaving a few inches atăend unglued. Then I solder both rails of the two sections togetherăwhile the ends are straight. Then I finish gluing the rest of theăfirst and as much as necessary of the second section.ăăConcerning soldering rail, still use a metal rail joiner, but then flowăsolder into the outside edge of the joiner/rail area. Don't solder theăinside edge, or it will create problems with wheel flanges. The railăjoiner helps hold the rails in alignment while soldering, and will keepăthem together should the solder joint fail (due to thermal expansion orăcontraction).ăăA second note about soldering on flex... You'll want to be careful not ăto melt the plastic "spikes" (I've melted entire ties). Melting themăwill naturally exacerbate kinking/gauge problems. How do you melt solderă(374 deg F) without melting plastic?? good question. If you are an expertăwith a soldering gun, no problem. I've found that using a 100 watt gunăhelps because it heats the rail fast, so you can get it and out quickly.ăPlasitc meltage seems directly proportional to time, rather than temperature.ăăHandling flex: I try to keep the sections straight until I really needăthem, and then I only bend the section for fitting purposes in the oneăplace where it's going to go. This way, no pre-kinking gets into theărail and the rail will on its own seek a smooth curve between the endpoints.ăThis also helps in making STRAIGHT mainlines. Of course for old, somewhatăoverused yards or spurs, you might deliberately kink up the section first,ăand then try to lay it as straight as possible... this produces a goodăeffect when sighted along at track level.ăăLayout planning softwareă------------------------ăăQ. Could someone please give me the name of the Abracadabra productă that is like "flight simulator for trains", i.e., the one that letsă you simulate being the engineer on a layout you program into it.ă There are several products on the market with similar sounding namesă and when I call around to try and find it at one of the local softwareă houses I want to make sure that I'm asking for the correct one.ăă"Design Your Own Train" and "Run Your Own Train" are a pair ofăprograms that let you do what you say. RYOT gives you a "hogger's eyeăview" of the road; that is, the view is supposedly that which youăwould see from the cab.ăă"Design Your Own Railroad" allows you to create a layout complete withăscenery, then run trains on the tracks. You only get a bird's eyeăview, though.ăăI personally have used DYORR, and recommend it. I have not used DYOTăor RYOT, but have heard that they are less sophisticated products. Ofăcourse, if you are determined to have the flightsim-style view out theăwindshield, RYOT is your only choice.ăăAll three products are published by Abracadata software, (800)ă451-4871. It's cheaper to order the products from MicroWarehouse,ăhowever: (800) 367-7080.ăă[Editor's note: I've also seen advertisements for products which lookămore like CAD packages tailored to model railroading. A review wouldăbe most appreciated.]ăăPaintingă--------ăăWhile we don't have much on this subject yet, Model Railroader managesăto get a monthly column plus additional articles out of it each monthăso there must be something to talk about. As always, feel free toăsend in stories about how to paint, what color to paint it, etc.ăăQ. How do I paint this $1,200 brass model I just purchased?ăăWell, being handy with an airbrush is the "only" place to startăplaying with brass... if you don't already have some experience...ăpractice airbrushing on some less-expensive (and less detailed) stuff.ăăMy [Dennis Lippert] "system" for painting brass steam locos has alwaysăbeen basically the following:ăă(1) Test-run the loco... to make sure it ran before you took ităapart(!). Check all of the valve gear and rods for loose screws,ătighening if found. It might even be a good idea to fully break-in theăloco before putting it through the "trauma" of disassembly.ăă(2) Disassmble as follows: remove lead & trailing trucks. Detach theăboiler from the frame. Install the weight (if it was just wrapped upăand sittiing in the box). Remove the trucks and couplers from theătender, and remove its body from the frame also. If the smokeboxăfront is removeable, you might want to take it off also. This *should*ăbe all the disassembly that will be necessary.ăă(3) Inspect the model. Fix anything broken, and check out the factoryăclear-coat lacquer. If the lacquer seems to be smooth and isn'tăchipping off, use it as a primer for your paint. If the lacquer is noăgood, strip the loco (I use ScaleCoat's stripper).ăă(4) Wash the loco with soap and "water as hot as you can stand". Thisăis to make the surface clean so the paint will stick better. Don'tăworry about getting the motor/drive wet. As long as it driesăcompletely before putting power to it, it will be OK. Let the modelădry for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. After washing theăparts, always wash your hands before touching the model (or betterăyet, wear rubber gloves).ăă(5) If the loco was stripped, it needs to be primed. I use a PPGătwo-part epoxy primer (because a friend got it for me), code-namedăDP400/DP401. You mix equal parts of the two bottles, let sit for 30ăminutes, then thin with lacquer thinner and spray (it will only last aăcouple weeks in the bottle after being mixed, so don't mix much). Ităshould be noted that Floquil's "primers" are basically just paintăcolors with thicker pigment (for sanding). They DO NOT adhere to theăsurface any better than the normal paints (this from a PPG paintăchemist who has "chemically dissected" them).ăă(6) Prepare your paint. I like Scalecoat II because of it's goodăcoverage and shiny surface. You get the best smoothness if the paintăis slightly on the thin side, rather than slightly thick. But justă*slightly*. (if Scalecoat is overthinned, it will chemically "fallăapart".ăă(7) Adjust the airbrush to spray a very small amount of paint. Ourăfirst area of attack will be the chassis. Connect power leads to theăframe and the drawbar, and put about half-power to the chassis. Holdăit by the motor (assuming can motor), and spray all of the stuffăthat's moving, from various angles. sit the chassis aside, upsideădown, and leave it running for five to ten minutes (to make sure theăpaint doesn't stick anything together when it dries.) Since theăairbrush is turned down right now, we can also spray the lead truck,ătrailing truck, tender trucks, etc. Be sure to hit them from manyăangles, and to roll them around while painting them. ( A skill inăitself... hitting a moving target! :-) Possibly the single biggestătrick in airbrushing brass is getting paint on everything that will beăseen (a bare spot under a detail on a black plastic loco looks like aăshadow... on brass it looks like someone forgot to paint it!)ăă(8) open the airbrush up to a "normal" spray pattern. Start to sprayăany part (boiler, tender, etc.) Begin by spraying from obscure anglesăaround all details. Then come back and lay a smooth overcoat over theăentire area.ăă(9) once done with the main body parts, you can come back to theăchassis. Spray all non-moving parts with the "heavier" spray pattern.ăTry to avoid spraying on the moving parts (since they're alreadyăpainted). Again, the motor is the nicest handle to hold with.ăă(10) Now you should notice that everything is painted (unless I missedăsomething). In the case of a PRR steamer, the boiler and tender bodyăshould be brunswick green, the chassis components should all be black.ăTake some time to look at all the parts from any angle that you can...ăthere WILL be bare spots somewhere (trust me!)ăă(11) Wait for things to dry. With Scalecoat I paint, this can takeădays to quit being tacky. Suggestions to speed drying include:ă -put it outside if it's a nice warm sunny day... in the sun.ă -put it in front of a forced-air furnace (warm, dry air is good)ă -bake it (I've never "baked" - don't look to me for suggestionsăăThe best idea is to do one of the above to remove the tackyness, andăstill let the parts sit for a week. This guarantees that everything isădry and hard.ăă(12) prepare for next color(s). On most steamers this would includeăgraphite smokeboxes, Oxide red tender decks/cab roofs, etc. Checkăyour prototype! Mask carefully, but prepare yourself for the factăthat you *will* get overspray under the masking. Luckily, black isăeasy to touch up. Always "overdo it" with metallic colors, and coverăup the overspray later. The metallics are incredibly hard to touch upăwithout it showing, so make sure everything that is to be metallicăgets sprayed the first time.ăă(13) Apply next color(s). Using a very low pressure (10-15 psi) toăkeep overspray to a minimum. Remove masking as soon as you are done.ă"Bake" again. [You can often do two or more "extra" colors at oneăsitting... as long as they aren't too close to each other on the modelă(overspray problems).]ăă(14) Clean paint from parts which must make electrical contact. Theseăinclude tender truck bolsters, wheel treads, drawbar, etc. withălacquer thinner and Q-Tips. The engine drive wheels are easiest toăclean if you again run the chassis on a power pack.ăă(13) Reassemble the loco. After reassembly, do any kind of touch-upăwork and details. (i.e. if you did a graphite smokebox, the railings,ăetc. will also be graphite, so repaint them [black]).ăă(14) Dullcote the loco (or semi-gloss) after decaling. This will sealăthe decals and give "an extra layer of protection" against chips.ăă(15) Weather the loco if you like, wrap it up, take it to the club,ăand begin to brag. This is the most important step, as very fewăpeople seem to realize that it takes more real effort to read thisămessage than it does to get a good paint job on a brass model!ăăAbove all, follow these simple rules:ă- have fun... painting your first couple of brass locos can be stressful.ă- take your time... it's not that important to get done today (or even ă this week!).ă- use a spray booth, rubber gloves, and possibly a respirator. A simpleă mask won't help much... as the pigment is the least of your worries. ă These may seem like overkill, but we are looking at a couple of hours ă at the booth... much more time than, say, painting a freight car.ăăMiscellaneousă-------------ăăQ. What are Kadee couplers and why should I use them?ăăMost locomotives and rolling stock come with an industry-standardăcoupler - for HO they are X2f (commonly called horn-hook) and for Năthey are Rapido. These couplers are only suitable for those who don'tăplan to do much switching and coupling/uncoupling of the cars, theirăprimary advantages being that they are free and require virtually noăadjustment.ăăKadee makes a line of more prototypical looking couplers that areăavailable in all common scales and which are used by most seriousămodelers. They are magnetically operated, allowing you to uncoupleăcars without touching them. Uncoupling ramps made of permanentămagnets or electromagnets can be positioned at strategic places onăyour layout to perform this uncoupling. Rix (another company) sellsăan inexpensive magnetic rod which can be held between the cars toăuncouple them without removing them from the tracks. Note that Kadeeăcouplers are not compatible with the standard couplers, so once youăswitch you'll have to convert all of your equipment. In HO the mostăcommon size (#5) costs $2.95 for a package of 4 (2 cars).ăă