Channel Title: Model Railroading Channel Description: Learn more about model railroading and digital command control (DCC) from Model Railroader magazine contributing editor Larry Puckett. Although this channel provides a lot of information on DCC I also do videos on all subjects related to model railroading. I have been a serious model railroader since around 1980 and began working with and writing about DCC in 1994. I was a contributing editor for Model Railroading magazine from 1991-2006 where I wrote general feature articles, product reviews and columns on computer applications and DCC. Since 2015 I have been a contributing editor for Model Railroader magazine and also wrote the monthly DCC Corner column from 2015 until 2020. I have written over 250 articles and 4 books; Practical Guide to Digital Command Control, Wiring Your Model Railroad, Wiring Projects for Your Model Railroad, and DCC Projects and Applications vol. 4. <video> Hand Tools Pt2 & 50,000 Subscribers (368) Description: Well I finally topped 50,000! It has taken a few years to get here and I doubt I'll be doing this long enough to hit 100,000 so this will have to do. At any rate thanks to my subscribers for getting me here and I hope to see you for a few more videos. Speaking of which let's take a look at the tools with part numbers listed below. And don’t forget you can order these worldwide from DCC Concepts website, (www.dccconcepts.com), in the UK from any of their dealers, in the USA from Iron Planet Hobbies (www.ironplanethobbies.com), and in Canada from Kingston Locomotive Works (www.locomotiveworks.ca). Fine Sprue Cutter DCT-FSC Ultimate Track Cutter DCT-HTC Standard Track Cutter DCT-XTC Fine Wire Stripper DCT-FWS Bus Wire Stripper DCT-BWS Power Supply 18VDC 5Amp DCP-18.5.US </video> <video> World's Smallest DCC Keep Alive-Let's Test It (362) Description: and Keep Alives are great little DCC devices that provide backup power to allow locomotives to glide over dirty or unpowered sections of track. However in a lot of cases they are too big to fit into small HO/OO switchers and shunters, especially N-scale. TCS has addressed this issue with their new keep alive designed for N-scale models but I wanted to see whether it would have enough power to at least allow a HO-scale loco to get over dirty and dead spots. So in this video I'll install one in a HO-scale loco and give it a test. </video> <video> Is This The Last Run Of The Piedmont Southern? (365) Description: You've been asking where I've been so here's an update. </video> <video> Install A SoundTraxx Mobile Only Decoder (361) Description: Although I have done a lot of videos showing how to install sound decoders I occasionally like to do a mobile only decoder installation for those folks who don't prefer or can't afford sound. So in this video I'll show how to install a SoundTraxx mobile decoder in a older LifeLike F3 diesel, now made by Walthers. One reason for using the SoundTraxx decoder is that the drive settings are essentially the same for these mobile decoders as they are for Econami and Tsunami decoders. Therefor you can install one in a second loco in a consist with a Soundtraxx Econami or Tsunami decoder and they will operate essentially the same since they all have the same control equations. They even have F11 braking. The other advantage is they are relatively inexpensive compared to sound decoders, allowing you to stretch your modeling dollars. For complete information and to download manuals visit the www.sountraxx.com website. </video> <video> I'm back with surface mount switch machines (366) Description: Everyone eventually runs into a situation where installing a Tortoise, iP Digital, or other switch machine just won't fit under the layout due to some interference. In this video I'll show you how to use DCCconcepts' Cobalt-SS surface mount switch machines with either DC or DCC power. And I'll show you a new model of the Westinghouse electro-pneumatic switch machines used by many railroads around the world during the first half of the 20th century and are still in use today. For more info on those still used in the Chicago area visit https://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/06/03/metra-studying-replacement-for-old-switch-machine-that-would-improve-reliability . </video> <video> New Toys For Your After Christmas Wish List (372) Description: I enjoy the opportunity to share new products with you and in this video I have 7 that I hope you will find useful for your model railroad. I'm going to just pop these out of the package and go over what they do and then at a later date, when we get around to building the new Piedmont Southern layout modules, I'll show you how to actually install them. Note--all prices are in British pounds. For more information on each item visit ww.DCCConcepts.com or www.ironplanethobbies.com (for USA availability and prices). Product List AEP-MSX.1 Master Switch £12.95 AET-FPC.1 Frog Power Control. £7.95 DCP-CMFP Cobalt Foam Mounts £11.95 DCP-CML Tie-Bar Labels. £5.95 DCP-RA3 90 Degree Adapters £12.95 DCF-BR.HO Bearing reamers HO £12.95 DCF-BR.NN Bearing reamers N £12.95 Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:22 Master Switch 8:53 Frog Power Control 10:54 Cobalt Foam Mounts 12:08 Tie Bar Labels 15:50 90 Degree Adapters 17:50 Axle Reamers HO&N 19:50 Wrapup </video> <video> Barrina LED Lights--Are They Safe? And 5 More Gadgets For Your Model Railroad (360) Description: In my last video on Barrina LED lights there were several comments questioning the safe of these products. So I got in touch with the company and asked them a number of pointed questions to try and get to the bottom of this issue. So in this video I'll share with you my findings. I also have 5 more great gadgets to help make your model railroading fun as well as safe. You can find a variety of Kill-A-Watt metes on Amazon. I purchased the SURAIELEC Watt Meter for about $13. For the Wago connectors just search for them on Amazon. The Logitech products can be found at www.logicrailtech.com/xcart/home.php?cat=281 The Alpha Meter can be purchased from Iron Planet Hobbies (www.ironplanethobbies.com) and when I checked he had 44 in stock and on sale. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:41 Barrina Safety 7:10 Kill-A-Watt 10:30 Piedmont Southern Amperage 12:58 Barrina LED amperage 13:48 Wago Inline 16:20 Light EFX-16HC 17:50 Light EFX-16 Output Adapter 19:40 Light EFX-16 Relay Board 21:10 Alpha Metre DC 23:56 Wrapup </video> <video> DCC Concepts Tools Pt1 & I Survived Hurricane Helene (367) Description: I am often asked about various tools for model railroaders so when I see some that I think will be useful I am happy to be able to share them with you. In this video and the one to follow I have about 10 different products from DCC Concepts that I think will get your attention. So let's jump in after I tell you about my experiences with Hurricane Helene. </video> <video> Want Wireless Throttles for Your layout—Don’t Skip This Video (369) Description: Adding a wifi interface to your layout can greatly increase your operating flexibility. You and your friends will be able to use their iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, as well as wifi capable throttles such as the TCS UWT-50 and UWT-100. And the WFD30/31 interfaces from WifiTrax make it so much easier to add a dedicated wifi interface for NCE DCC systems such as the PowerCab and Power Pro. In this video I 'll show you how quick and easy it can be to connect the WFD30 to your NCE system and then use an iPhone or UWT-100 to control locomotives on your layout. </video> <video> Creating Loco Rosters And Consists (370) Description: Last time I shared with you the WifiTrax WFD-30/31 wifi interface for NCE DCC systems and promised a followup video to look at some of the advanced features. Today we'll look at how to create loco rosters, edit functions, and create a consist. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:25 Webserver 2:34 Loco Roster 3:00 Functions 6:50 Drive Feature 8:40 Consists 10:40 Roster Download 14:00 Factory Reset 16:00 Wrapup </video> <video> Using the WWScenics Pro Grass Box (373) Description: For years we've been using the standard applicator to shake static grass onto surfaces we want to develop into lush green meadows and roadsides. However on a trip to England a couple of years ago I saw a demonstration of a new type of applicator that literally turns that approach upside down. This new device makes it easy to add static grass to trees, bushes, buildings, and even animals. IIn this video I want to show you how that works. </video> <video> Still Using a Bright Boy? Better Watch This Video! (363) Description: Bright Boys are a traditional favorite among model railroaders for cleaning dirty track. However they come with a downside in that they can scratch the surface of your rails, but that can depend on the type of abrasive used in the Bright Boy itself. In this video I'll show you a track cleaning bar that has aluminum oxide abrasive which will polish your rails instead of scratching them. </video> <video> Building the New Piedmont Southern Modules--Screw vs Glue, Plan Changes, Q&A (374) Description: Today I decided to do a short video to cover some plan changes, as well as answer some questions that came up when I built the modules 4 years ago. This will allow me to keep Friday's video a bit shorter. As I said in the video I have added a material list for the lumber used to build each module to this description,Let me know if you see any omissions or mistakes. Materials for each module 2 - 1”x4”x48” Sides 3 - 1”x4”x22 ½” Ends and mid support 4 - 1”x3” x22 ½” Leg spreaders 4 - 2”x2”x42 1/2” Legs 4 - 1”x2” x24” Leg angle support, cut one end 45 degrees 4 - 2”x2”x3 ½” Angle support offset 1 – 2’x4’x1/2” Plywood top 1 - 2’x4’x1/2” Foam insulation sheet 2 - 1”x3” x29”Shelf support, cut one end 45 degrees* 1 - 1”x6”x48” Shelf* 4 - 2”x2”x6” Wheel supports* 4 – Wheels* 1 – Box #6x1 5/8” screws 8 - #8x2” screws for legs *Optional The wheels are 2 inch Casters Load 800lbs, Set of 4 with Brake from the Abslimus store on Amazon. These fit the bottoms of the leg spreaders and wheel supports as shown in the upcoming video so watch that closely for tips on installing them. They are optional as you can use screw levelers or nothing at all. </video> <video> Bring An Old Athearn Loco Back TO Life (364) Description: One of the problems you are likely to encounter when digging an old loco out of storage or when you buy one at a flea market or train show is they may run poorly if at all. However the issue can usually be fixed quite easily with a little grease and oil. In this video I'll show you how to bring an old loco back to life using an Athearn F7A unit. However, these techniques will usually work with just about any model loco as manufacturers often us similar designs. Following is a list of the products that may be needed. Labelle 102 or 107 Oil Labelle 106 Teflon Grease Woodland Scenics Lite Oil Woodland Scenics HL657 Teflon Grease </video> <video> Designing the New Piedmont Southern Modules (371) Description: This time we're going to be taking a look at the initial design for the new Piedmont Southern modules. These will be connected to my existing Teignbury modules that I built starting 3 years ago and will have half loops at each end to provide a continuous run capability. I'm going to begin work on the modules now so the videos will be ready for prime time by early January. </video>

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Learn more about model railroading and digital command control (DCC) from Model Railroader magazine contributing editor Larry Puckett.

Although this channel provides a lot of information on DCC I also do videos on all subjects related to model railroading. I have been a serious model railroader since around 1980 and began working with and writing about DCC in 1994. I was a contributing editor for Model Railroading magazine from 1991-2006 where I wrote general feature articles, product reviews and columns on computer applications and DCC. Since 2015 I have been a contributing editor for Model Railroader magazine and also wrote the monthly DCC Corner column from 2015 until 2020. I have written over 250 articles and 4 books; Practical Guide to Digital Command Control, Wiring Your Model Railroad, Wiring Projects for Your Model Railroad, and DCC Projects and Applications vol. 4.

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