More Fun With Non-Derailing Turnouts

One of the goals for my redesigned FUN Lines layout was to provide plenty of action with simple controls for my twin 7 year old boys. The inside loop of the layout features a common O27 track layout in a combination figure-8 / oval. This provides a great deal of operating possibilities in a small area with the option of using either of two reverse loops, a 90 degree crossing, and the option of simply running laps on the outside oval. However, when a simple wiring scheme is added to Lionel's non-derailing switch feature a new level of interest is possible with automatic, hands-free dispatching over the different routes.

Electronic Magic

As described in an earlier post (How Non-Derailing Turnouts Work) Lionel's O27 turnouts from the #1122 of 1952 through the MPC era's #5121 and #5122 turnouts all feature an internally-wired non-derailing feature. The wheels of the train itself become part of the electrical circuit to throw the points of the turnout in the direction of the oncoming train. What many operators do not realize, however, is that this same mechanism can be used to operate additional electrical circuits as well.

In this case, I have run two wires between the turnouts at the right side of the layout so that the binding post for the curved leg of one turnout is wired to the binding post for the straight leg of the opposite turnout. The result is that when a train engages the non-derailing feature of one of the turnouts the second turnout throws in the opposite direction at the same time. This works even though the two turnouts are from different eras of Lionel production (a #1122 of the Postwar era and a #5122 of the MPC era). The remaining turnouts are left alone. This causes the train to circumnavigate the layout in a complex pattern of in-and-out of the figure 8 while repeatedly reversing direction. While the pattern does repeat, it takes the casual viewer some time to recognize the pattern and so the train seems to be changing paths at will!

Which Way Will It Go?

Observe the video and notice how the train changes routes automatically. All of this action takes place with NO SWITCH CONTROLLERS wired to the turnouts. Only the automatic non-derail and the two wires previously described are used!

If you want the ability to turn the automatic function off at will simply add a DPDT (double pole, double throw) switch into the circuit between the two connected turnouts. 

Hopefully this will inspire you to create other new and exciting options for your layout. 

Happy Railroading!

Redesigning the FUN Lines

My rebuild of the FUN Lines (Fantasia, Utopia and Northern) O27 layout was about two-thirds complete when I came to a terrible conclusion: The redesign was all wrong for my needs. Actually, the redesigned track plan fit my goals for the future of my railroad perfectly. The problem was in satisfying modeling needs of my twin 7 year-old boys. I had attempted to quench their growing train desires with a 4' x 4' layout of their own, thus leaving the "big layout" to Dad and his plans - or so I thought - but as I watched them yearn to work and play with the FUN Lines more and more, I realized that a new design was in order - one that met THEIR needs instead of mine.

Setting Goals

One key to any successful model railroad is to start with the end in mind. One should determine as much as possible beforehand the type of railroad one intends to build. Will it be a "Tinplate" toy train layout, a modern scale-inspired "Hi Rail" layout, or something in between? Will it feature mainly loop running or imitate prototype operations? What type of track and power supplies should be used? What is the budget? All of these are important questions to ask before the first lumber is cut and the first screw is turned.

To make the FUN Lines more appropriate for my boys the following goals were set:

• Lower the table from 40" to 24" to be more child-friendly. A lower table means shorter arms can reach trains and accessories anywhere on the board. It also means shorter and less damaging falls for any equipment that might find itself leaving the table involuntarily.
• Simple track plan with lots of action.
• Mostly loop running with only a siding or two.
• Independent track loops with simple wiring and control schemes.
• Room on the table to incorporate a Carrera Go! slot car set and a K'nex roller coaster as well for more visual appeal. Our home is the gathering place for most of the kids in our neighborhood. I wanted a train/car/toy table that could entertain 4 or more little one simultaneously.
• Budget is tight, so recycle as much of existing benchwork as possible.

Construction Begins

The existing benchwork consisted of the "big layout" which utilized two 4' x 8' plywood sheets connected in an "L" shape with an extra 18" x 48" shelf attached to one side and a separate 4' x 4' table. The first step was to detach all sections from one another. The small table had 24" legs so I then cut the legs of the large layout down from their 40" height to match the smaller table. I reattached to original twin 4' x 8' tables in their "L" configuration and added the 4' x 4' section to one end, giving each side of the "L" dimensions of 4' x 12'. Meanwhile, I reinforced the entire perimeter with 2" x 4" x 12' studs because I anticipated the new 24" high table would be a tempting surface upon which to lean, stand or crawl. Also, the old 4' x 8' tables were originally constructed as a "temporary" layout more than 15 years ago and utilized only 1" x 3" and 1" x 4" framing which had begun to sag after years of use.

Next I temporarily set up the Carrera Go! slot car track. At its widest the slot car track is nearly 5' wide so I determined the proper location and reattached the "shelf" section to accommodate the slot cars. Then I removed the slot car track from the table.

Surface Prep

Now I had a hodge-podge of tables of varying ages and surfaces. One was only a few weeks old while two had seen the construction, destruction and rebuilding of nearly a dozen railroads over a decade and a half and featured remnants of several layers of scenery. To even things out I applied a coat of latex paint over the surface of all tables. With a limited budget I combined the remains of several household painting projects into one gallon. The resulting color is a bit more of a mint green that I desired, but this will all eventually be covered by other scenery.

Laying Track

I began with the slot car set. The Carrera Go! cars are scaled at roughly 1/48, so they work well with O scale trains. I reassembled the track, cleaned and vacuumed it thoroughly, and tested all electrical connections. This quickly gave me a means of occupying two boys while I continued work on the railroad portion of the layout. Also, I measured and located a suitable location for the K'nex roller coaster which also scales out to roughly 1/48 and provides added activity to the layout.

The inner loop plan of the redesigned FUN Lines.
Plan made using Anyrail software.

For the train area I envisioned two independent track loops. The inner loop consists of O27 curves and turnouts making a "figure eight" crossing with the turnouts providing the option of staying exclusively on the outside oval. One of the inner figure eight tracks features a turnout leading to twin industrial spurs. The main feature of this loop is the center 90 degree crossing - always a hit with the kids - which gives the engineer the thrill of watching the locomotive nearly hit the caboose of the train as it meets on the crossing. Also, the outside turnouts serve as double reverse loops so that train direction may be reversed at will. I also plan to wire some of the Lionel turnouts so that the non-derailing feature of the turnouts will produce a complex automatic train routing circuit.

The 90 degree crossing requires that I abandon my usual practice of using only Marx turnouts on the layout because, while I have figured a means of modifying Marx turnouts to accommodate Lionel electrical pickups, Marx crossings are totally incompatible with Lionel pickups and Lionel crossings are incompatible with Marx "fat wheel" locomotives. Therefore, I am using Lionel turnouts on the inner loop and my small fleet of incompatible locomotives are relegated to the outside loop only.

On previous layouts I had always utilized O42 curves for both their aesthetic value and the ability to "crank up" the speed of trains with less fear of derailment. However, to add some operating interest to the outer loop I have included a long passing siding so that the operator may easily switch between two trains on the loop. The necessary turnouts for this plan precluded the use of O42 curves in favor of Marx O34 curves on one end of the loop and O27 curves on the opposite end as the loop must detour around the end of the K'nex roller coaster. Still, by using only smaller O27 locomotives and cars most problems associated with tighter curves will be avoided.

Each loop has a separate control panel with a conventional power pack and necessary turnout controllers. The outer loop will use Atlas electrical controls to switch power between the siding and the main line.

As of this time, the inner loop is complete and basically operational, although I have not added the remote turnout controls yet. Track is laid for the outer loop but it is not yet wired.

Eventually, operating accessories such as the classic Lionel cattle car, milk car and operating dump cars will be added. In the mean time, the boys are having fun with the cars and trains, and also with the various Hot Wheels and other vehicles delivering freight from the trains to various points on the layout. So far, the plan for the kids' layout seems to be a success!

- Happy Railroading!

How Non-Derailing Turnouts Work

One of the advantages of trains that use a three-rail track system is the ability to use the third rail in clever electrical circuits. Under normal circumstances the center rail is used as the "hot" power of the electric train circuit while both outer rails serve as the "common" side of the circuit. However, when one of the outside rails is electrically isolated from the other it may be used as an electrical switch when the metal wheels of locomotives and cars complete an electrical connection to the isolated rail. A common use of this feature is the non-derailing turnout.

Finding Common Ground

A Lionel service diagram showing the internal wiring of
a #1122-E turnout.

Since the introduction of the #1122 turnout in 1952, all Lionel O27 remote turnouts have been pre-wired for non-derailing operation, and it was a feature in Lionel's Standard O turnouts long before then. The wiring schematic as seen to the left is still the standard in today's Lionel remote turnouts. The two outside rails serve as the common "ground" of the track circuit. The inside rails however are electrically isolated by the frog on one end and by an insulated fibre track pin on the other. 

When the metal wheels of a car or locomotive complete the circuit from the outside rail to the insulated inside rail the turnout throws in the direction of the train to avoid a possible derailment. This operation works only for trailing point maneuvers [from diverging route to single route]. Since these turnouts are wired to receive power directly from the track this operation occurs even when no turnout controller is present. One should be certain that a train does not sit for long periods of time on these activation rails as continuous use may burn out the switch motor.

Other Uses

In addition to the safety of avoiding unnecessary derailments, the electrical properties of non-derailing turnouts can be used for other purposes as well. In the example on the left two turnouts are wired together so that they throw simultaneously either with a switch controller or by train activation by connecting the electrical posts controlling switch motor movement to one another. 

If connected together identically, throwing one turnout will result in identical motion from the other turnout. In this scenario one can select either Track A or Track B by simply throwing one turnout and the other will snap to a safe exit automatically.

For a bit more excitement the turnouts can be connected opposite one another so that when one turnout throws straight the other goes to curve. Looking at the diagram above, a train traveling from the top of the track layout reaches a curved turnout at the right side of Track A. Initially the passing of the train activates the opposite switch to throw straight for Track B. However the arrival of the train at the left turnout throws it safely back to the train on Track A and simultaneously throws the right switch to straight toward Track B. After completing the loop the train now finds the right turnout thrown towards Track B and its exit on the left side returns the right turnout to Track A for the next loop. In this way the train continuously and automatically switches between the two options on each loop.

Once this concept is understood it may be used for a variety of purposed in various track designs. The uses are limited only by your imagination! Layout visitors will be astonished at how the train automatically changes routes with no operator input. 

Happy Railroading!

New Posts Coming Soon!

Fellow modeler railroaders...

Things have been very busy on the FUN Lines this month. While my posting has been sparse many new and exciting updates have occurred on the Fantasia, Utopia and Northern and a flurry of new posts and videos will be coming soon.

Look for:

• Kid-friendly layout design tips
• Fun layouts using non-derailing turnouts
• Examining the MPC Spirit of '76 set
• and much more!

Stay tuned and Happy Railroading!

RMT Closing Its Doors

Sadly, RMT trains, maker of the popular "Beep" and other O27 locomotives, rolling stock and accessories has announced it will be closing in early 2016. Here is the release on the RMT web page:

January 18, 2016

READY MADE TRAINS, LLC President Walter M. Matuch announces retirement in 2016.

After a lifetime career on actual railroads (Jersey Central, Rahway Valley, Erie-Lackawanna, Conrail, US Navy) and in model railroading that spanned almost 50 years, I’m coming to the ‘end of the line’ says Walter M. Matuch, president of Ready Made Trains LLC. On February 24th, I will be 67 years young and will retire.

RMT, the company, will remain online, perhaps until the end of April 2016, as the remaining in-stock RMT inventory is sold on the RMT website. All existing current orders and those new orders placed online will be processed and shipped by warehouse operating staff during that time, then RMT will be done and the doors closed.

We are sad to see RMT go, and hope that many of its outstanding products will be picked up by another  manufacturer in the near future.

Lionel MPC #6-8359 GM50

Lionel MPC "GM50" Locomotive from 1974

Recently I was fortunate to receive a like-new Lionel MPC #6-8359 "GM50" locomotive from 1974 as a gift. Not only does this locomotive have historical significance in real-life railroading, but also in the history of Lionel train production, particularly in the 1970's. Plus it also presents us with an opportunity to look "under the hood" and view the typical features of a Lionel MPC diesel of the 1970's.

The Real GM50

There actually was a Chessie System diesel locomotive painted gold and numbered "GM50". In 1973 the Chessie System, a holding company overseeing the assets of the Baltimore and Ohio, Chesapeake and Ohio and Western Maryland railroads was formed. To celebrate the new corporate identity a new paint scheme of yellow, blue and vermilion and incorporating a new "Ches-C" logo was created and was applied to new EMD GP-40-2 locomotives that were then being delivered to the new railroad system. Simultaneously, EMD (the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors) was celebrating it's 50th anniversary of diesel locomotive production. Since EMD was then delivering new GP-40-2 locomotives to Chessie System, and since the B&O would be celebrating its 150th anniversary as a rail carrier in 1977, it was decided that a specially-decorated locomotive would be painted to celebrate EMD's Gold Anniversary, and the B&O would be the recipient would be the B&O as part of its new locomotive order. Thus, the GM50 was created.

The short hood features
a simplified version of the
"EMD 50" logo.

MPC Sees An Opportunity

By 1970, the glory years of The Lionel Corporation had come to an end. Bankrupt, Lionel entered into an agreement with Model Products Corp, a division of General Mills, for MPC to produce Lionel trains under license. At first, MPC made due by producing retreads of Lionels' 1960's items in new paint schemes and focusing on the low-end and starter-set markets. By 1974, however, MPC began looking at the collectibles market as a new source of sales. One development in this new direction was the Spirit of '76 set featuring new tooling for a contemporary U-36-B locomotive with a prototype-inspired paint scheme, and newly-tooled wood-sided reefer cars for the Spirit of '76. Another was the GM50. Unlike the Spirit of '76, MPC did not create new tooling to represent the actual GP-40-2 locomotive, but rather chose to adapt the GM50 scheme to fit Lionel's existing GP-7 locomotive tooling. The result was a rather inexpensive gamble to target the collector market without investing in new tooling. It worked. Soon Lionel was producing commemorative and collectible trains decorated for special US Bicentennial celebrations, Burger King, Coca-Cola, Disney and others.

Locomotive Features

The GM50, like other Lionel
"Geeps", has no problem
navigating O27 curves.

Despite being targeted as a premium collector locomotive the GM50 is typical of MPC diesel locomotive production in that it lacks many features often associated with Lionel's Postwar-era trains. There is a single motor, like Lionel's Postwar "O27" GP-7's. There is no horn. There is no magnetraction, but two rubber traction tires instead. Some of the drive train uses plastic gears instead of metal. Electrical pickup is limited to a single pair of rollers on the power truck. The rear truck contains neither a motor nor electrical pickups.

The model does include front and rear headlights, operating knuckle couplers at each end, and a 3-position "E" unit for remote direction control. While the front and rear handrails are stamped steel, the side handrails are wire with plastic stanchions.

Lionel's model features a sharp
rendition of the Chessie System graphics.

In terms of pulling power, the GM50 and its MPC contemporaries are lightweights. With only a single motor and traction tires the locomotive can pull 10-12 modern freight cars on level track before the wheels begin to slip. Overall, if you are accustomed to modern locomotives with twin motors and diecast framesy ou will be disappointed. Also,the lack of any type of sound system may leave fans of modern production lacking as well. However, if you are looking for dependable, bare-bones power on a budget (most MPC era diesels may be found in excellent condition for $80 - $100) MPC models may fit the bill.

The Box

End flap of the GM50 box,

For collectors, a box can be even more valuable than the item inside. The MPC GM50 came in a red and white window box with styrofoam insert typical of the early and mid-1970's. The cellophane window is very thin and only lightly glued to the box. It is not uncommon for the window to be missing entirely after years of storage. In original packaging the locomotive should also be wrapped in a plastic sleeve. These are easily lost as well.




View of the top side of the GM50 box.

The box is decorated with illustrations of other Lionel locomotives, cars and accessories for those looking to expand their empires. Also look for the MPC / Fundimensions logos to date these items as MPC production. An item numer of 6-xxxx is also an identifier of MPC-era items.

Bottom view of the GM50 box.

Overall, these boxes provide no-nonsense packaging. Illustrations are used instead of photos. Simple red and white with blue illustrations are inexpensive but effective. A window allows you to see the item without opening the box while styrofoam provides cheap but effective protection on all but the top side.

Under The Hood

From time to time you may need to access the inner working of your locomotive for lubrication or bulb replacement. All MPC diesels of the era have similar features to those described in these photos.

- Happy Railroading!

To remove shell, first remove two
Phllips screws, one on each end of the shell.

Next, unlace the wire handrails from
the plastic stanchions on all sides. The shell
may then be lifted off the chassis.

Here is the locomotive chassis with the shell removed.

Here we see the features of the powered front truck.

The rear of the unit features a second headlight and the "E" Unit for reversing.

The underside details of the front power truck.

What Is A "Beep"?

While packing away my RMT "Beep" locomotive decorated as North Pole And Snowflake #1225 at the end of another successful season of circumnavigating the Christmas tree, the thought occurred to me: "What, exactly, is a 'Beep' supposed to be?" Clearly it is a fantasy locomotive with many features of an EMD GP-7 locomotive, but some of the details are clearly non-EMD in nature. I wonder, therefore, what the designers at Kusan (the original "Beep" maker) had in mind.

The GP-7 Similarities

A worn Chesapeake And Ohio GP-9 leads a Chessie System freight
through Hamilton, OH in February 1985. Note the similarities to the
general shape of the RMT "Beep" diesel. Photo by Michael R. Moore

My first encounter with the "Beep" type locomotive was Christmas 1982 when I was the lucky recipient of a Williams Army Train set powered by what Williams dubbed a "Mighty Mite" locomotive. The diesel was a short, stubby, four-wheeled contraption that looked somewhat like a shrunken GP-9 to me and so I dubbed it a "GP-4.5". I also thought at the time that Williams had originated the design which is now the basis of the RMT Beep. I was wrong.

In fact, the design goes back to the 1950's to a Tennessee toy maker named Kusan which was, like most toy companies at the time, trying to earn a share of the lucrative toy train market. Kusan's line included a handsome ALCO FA diesel (later the basis of K-Line's FA models) and also a fine-looking EMD F-7 model that it inherited when Kusan purchased Auburn Models (AMT) and its line of O gauge trains. Kusan's line of AMT F-7's and near-scale passenger and freight cars were popular with the modeling portion of the O gauge market. The FA's and "K Series" freight cars found a niche in the lower-middle portion of the toy train market. Kusan was looking for a model it could package into bottom-line sets for mass merchandisers and special clients and this new design was the birth of the Beep.

The engineer's-side view of an RMT "Beep" Note the small "F"

decoration denoting that the long hood is "forward".

Beginning with the side profile, it is obvious the Kusan's designers were using the then-new EMD GP-7 as the main inspiration for their compact diesel. The truck resembles what an EMD Blomberg style truck would look like if stretched out to twenty or so feet in length. The location of doors, louvers, and various hatches approximate those of the GP-7 design. The cab however, is both too tall and too wide, looking more like that of and EMD SW-series switcher in its relationship to the roofline. For a model that was intended to target the bottom-end of the toy train market it is quite detailed,.however.

A Little Bit Of ALCO?

The short-hood view of the Beep shows both
the GP-7 style carbody with the ALCO
inspired cab and steam generator placement.

Looking at the model from the end of the short hood the EMD-inspired styling continues with the rectangular body, headlight, marker light and ladder placement. On the roof, however, things start to get confusing. There is a detailed representation of a steam generator for passenger service (superior to Lionel's representation on its own GP-7 model). The exhaust for the steam generator is not in a typical EMD location, but rather next to the cab in the style of a steam generator equipped ALCO RS-3. This similarity continues with the high, rounded cab roof that projects much higher over the carbody than a GP-7 cab does, and the inclusion of two high windows on either side of the steam generator stack suggest an ALCO diesel as well.

The ALCO influence is even more noticeable at the long hood end. Once again, from the rail to the top of the main carbody the Beep looks like an EMD GP-7. At the top of the long hood is the biggest clue to the Beep's ALCO influence: a single, large, ALCO-style radiator fan.

A closeup of the Beep short hood roof
shows more steam generator details.

The long-hood end of the Beep reveals
more of the angular GP-7 body but more
ALCO details are visible on the roof.

A closeup of the long-hood roof
reveals the large ALCO type radiator
fan as well as the twin rectangular vents
as found on RS-3 diesels.

When I acquired my first Beep-type locomotive, the Williams "Mighty Mite", I assumed that the ALCO fan was simply a carry-over from Kusan's FA diesel design. However, after acquiring an original Kusan FA, I have found the Beep fan to be smaller but more detailed than its FA counterpart. So, inclusion of this type fan was not simply a carryover of existing tooling, but a deliberate decision on Kusan's part. Furthermore, the two rectangular vents found on the roof of the Beep do not resemble any rooftop details on the GP-7, but the RS-3 does indeed have vents of this type and location although not as pronounced as those on the Beep model.

The twin exhaust stacks are an enigma. GP-7's do in fact have twin exhaust stacks, but EMD used round stacks and they are always located parallel to the length of the locomotive in the center of the roof. ALCO RS-3's used exhaust stacks similar to those on the model, but only a single stack offset to one side rather than twins. Also, the ALCO exhaust is located closer to the radiator fan than to the cab. Perhaps the designer used a bit of artistic license to give the roof some symmetry in this case. It is puzzling, however, considering that all of the other locomotive details can indeed be found on a GP-7 or RS-3 locomotive.

The Beep, based on Kusan tooling of the 1950's is
dwarfed by this Lionel GP-7 utilizing tooling of the same era.

The Hybrid Diesel

So, when one carefully examines the details on the locomotive, a Beep is not simply a miniature EMD GP-7, but rather a hybrid of a GP-7 and an ALCO RS-3 diesel. Since the RS-3 and GP-7 were both new diesels on the rails at the time Kusan was designing the Beep, the hybrid nature of the locomotive could have been a deliberate attempt to provide buyers with a locomotive that looked somewhat like what they were seeing on their local railroad. However, most casual observers never see the roof details of a real locomotive, so this seems unlikely. Another possibility is that the model makers had photographs and / or diagrams of the GP-7 from all sides except the roof. Then, needing detailed information, they could perhaps have sent someone to the nearest railroad overpass to photograph the roof of a diesel to provide details and that diesel happened to be an RS-3. 

Here the RMT Beep poses with its Kusan cousin, an
ALCO FA diesel

The Beep Legacy

While Kusan's original Beep diesel never sold as well as Lionel's venerable Santa Fe F-3 diesels of the time, the design must be considered a success. The model has been produced in various forms over more than 60 years by three manufacturers, and the RMT model with its added details, directional lighting and twin motors is certainly the best-looking, best-running, and most-popular of all Beep varieties. While the prototype diesels that provided the inspiration for the model were the best-selling diesels of the early 1950's they are now nearly extinct, with only a few examples of each surviving in museums or on tourist lines. The model survives the original.

Happy Railroading!

Update: RMT Closing Its Doors

RMT has announced on its web page that it will be ceasing business in early 2016. Hopefully another manufacturer will carry on the legacy of this classic locomotive.