Newsletter. Arizona Big Train Operators. President s Message. July 2006 Volume 14, No 7. Club web site: http//azbigtrains.org/

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1 Arizona Big Train Operators Newsletter Club web site: http//azbigtrains.org/ July 2006 Volume 14, No 7 For more information on John s presentation, see page 6 for instructions. Well, on another note, please see the banner on the right. Yes, the 2008 National Garden Railway Convention is coming down the pike and faster than you think! Significant progress is being made behind the scenes with all the committees, and soon we will be more actively calling on club members to get involved. President s Message Hello Garden Railroaders! For those of you who came to this month s meeting, you had a treat in store for you. I m speaking of John Meyers demonstration of working real stone. John is working on a model grist mill and showed us both the building and the stone foundation. As you can see by the pictures, it s a pretty tall wall which supports the mill over the water wheel, which is placed below the mill building and in the center of the wall. John has found a source for the water wheel as well. John showed several material sources for stone, not just the commercial vendor s offerings. The good news is that this isn t high tech stuff; the bad news is you ll need some specialized tools, namely the tile saw. This process is worth exploring; see page 6 for details. As evidenced by the photo on the right, John Osborn was able to attend the meeting through the courtesy of Bob Clark. John is one of our original club members who just celebrated his 90 birthday this last January at Dennis Sirrine s layout. Bob Clark and John Osborne enjoy the potluck and meeting in the cool M & M rec. room. Next month s meeting will again be at the M & M recreation hall. Note the time change: 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM for a breakfast pot luck. This will be a change of pace for all of us. I will be demonstrating how to make corrugated roofing panels for your buildings. You don t have to pay the price of commercial products after watching my demonstration. Photos courtesy of Bob!

2 Edited by Foxit PDF Editor Copyright (c) by Foxit Software Company, 2004 ABTO Newsletter July 2006 For Evaluation Only. Page 2 ABTO Board Members President Bob Rauperstrauch Vice President Glenn Sampson Secretary Roy Towne Treasurer Don Halver Member at Large Gerry Pfeiffer gerry_pfeiffer@msn.com Newsletter Editor Sandy Rauperstrauch Note the time Calendar of Events July 3-9 National Garden Railway Convention Bay Area Garden Railway Society 15 8:30am - 11:30am ABTO General Meeting M & M Mobile Home Villa - Mesa See page 11 Aug 5 8:00am Board Meeting 2730 W. Bell Rd. - Phoenix 19 12pm - 3pm ABTO General Meeting Ed and Mary Fishencord Sept 2 8:00am ABTO Board Meeting 1312 N. Scottsdale Rd. - Scottsdale 16 11am - 2pm ABTO General Meeting Mike Temenski Tehachapi Rail Fan Trip See page 8 LAST MINUTE CHANGES PLEASE NOTIFY the PRESIDENT or a BOARD MEMBER, or the NEWSLETTER EDITOR with information concerning a time, date, location change or cancellation, in order that all members can be notified by and the Calling Tree can be activated in a timely manner. Constructive comments are always welcome! Oct 7 8:00am ABTO Board Meeting McCormick Stillman Note the Date 7 McCormick Stillman Rail fair Modules Phoenix Botanical Garden Pumpkin Festival - Modules 28 11am - 2pm ABTO General Meeting Tim and Karen Schlax Nov 4 8:00am ABTO Board Meeting 1312 N. Scottsdale Rd. - Scottsdale 18 11:00am - ABTO & AGRS BBQ Adobe Mountain 22 Turkey Meet Jerry McKenzie s modules at Centennial Hall 22 Botanical Gardens Modules

3 ABTO Newsletter Pictures of Dioramas at the Queen Mary There were some new dioramas presented by the ABTO module group at the Big Train Show this year. Some were whimsical, and some were for the serious train buffs. In addition, the route 66 dioramas were part of the setup and always bring back memories for many folks. All are fun to look at while the trains go by. July 2006 Page 3 Mini Park with fun rides for kids has a small amusement park sized train. This is a great addition to the modules. Made by Glenn Sampson. The Tee-Pee Hotel is part of the module Route 66 theme, also made by Glenn Sampson. Do you remember the Tee-Pee Hotel on Apache Blvd. in Tempe? The round house on the inside loop was made by Sandy Rauperstrauch a few years ago and the turn table was made and donated by Dan Hoag. Because it is 1:24 scale, the structure is huge, but nicely detailed with Precision Product stone sheeting used on the walls. Dan Hoag and Rob Trygg created Saturday in the Park. This is a well done diorama that needs to be studied to catch all the goin ons From the band complete with speakers, to the BBQ, to the low riders, there is a lot to see.

4 ABTO Newsletter July 2006 Page 4 NEWS ARTICLES FROM THE RR WIRE by Mike Lewandowski THINKING OF DCC???? READY OR NOT, HERE IT COMES!!! PART IV In April we reviewed two major DCC manufacturers with their products specific to the Large Scale industry. They included NCE Engineering ProCab and LGB MTS systems. This month we will continue with the review process focusing on Lenz and Digitrax manufacturers. Both have their pros and cons. LENZ Digital Plus Set-01 V3 Set ( Complete 5 or 10 Amp DCC System Command Station, Power Station, Cables, Connectors, and Handheld unit. Lenz Elektronik GmbH, the world's leader for Digital Command Control, is celebrating their 26th year in business. They have manufactured DCC products for a number of fine model railroad companies including ROCO, LGB, Con-Cor and Atlas. Lenz GmbH also produces, Digital plus, their flagship line of Digital Command Control equipment for model railroads. Set-01/10 V3 is designed for the power hungry O and Large Scale markets. This set comes with an LH100 Handheld, an LZ100 Command Station, a 10 amp LV200 Power Station and a complete manual. The capabilities of DIGITAL plus are, to a large extent, determined by a software program running inside each component. The advantage of this approach is that new functions can be adopted simply by changing the software. It is not necessary to purchase a new system. It is also easier to implement suggestions for improvements from model railroaders this way. Lenz strives to make their systems 100% compatible with all NMRA DCC decoders so you never have to be concerned if your DIGITAL plus equipment will work with decoders produced by other DCC manufacturers. Decoder Availability Currently Lenz does not have a high current decoder on the market. This is a major issue for the Large Scale industry. However you can use NCE (D808) or Digitrax (DG583S) decoders with the Lenz system and be fully compatible with all functionality. Zimo decoders can be used but there is a question of reliability. On the plus side: Affordable Wireless Technology!!! Using our XPA (XpressNet Phone Adapter) you can convert any wireless phone into a fully functional throttle providing a wireless option with excellent range & reliability. The command station converter LC100 connects the input devices from other manufacturer's digital systems with the XpressNet of the DIGITAL plus system. Only LGB MTS system can be used. Strong customer support and several great user groups. User friendly handheld throttles. On the minus side: No large scale high current decoder presently available.

5 ABTO Newsletter July 2006 Page 5 DIGITRAX Super Chief Premium Set ( The Super Chief Starter Set is designed for the model railroader who wants all the latest features available in command control today. Super Chief can run up to 120 locos & throttles at the same time. Set includes: DCS100 Command Station/Smart Booster (5 Amps) (DCS200 station has 8 amps). DT400 Super LocoNet Radio Equipped Super Loconet Throttle and a UR91 Radio/IR Receiver. Digitrax LocoNet is a Peer to Peer local area network (LAN) designed specifically for model railroad operation. LocoNet wiring is cost effective, flexible and expandable to accommodate almost anything you want to do with your railroad today and in the future. LocoNet uses a slower network speed, it s free-form wiring scheme is simple and flexible. On the plus side: Strong customer support and several great user groups. Powerful command units. Best decoders. On the minus side:handheld throttles are NOT very user friendly. Too many buttons; need to have manual near by. Decoder Availability DG383AR (3.0 Amps -5.0 Amps Peak) or DG583AR (5.0 Amps-10.0 Amps Peak) fits locos with AristoCraft DCC plug arrangement. Use with locos that have one or two motors per truck. DG583S fits all large scale locos. It has easy installation with screw terminals for all wire connections. (5.0 Amps Amps Peak), 1.45 x 2.23, 8-2 Amp function outputs). New for 2006, a regulated power supply that delivers more power with less heat for more efficient booster operation. It operates up to 4 five amp boosters with the PS2012 supply. Controls include scale selectable for use with N, HO or large scale, DC Ammeter, and On/Off switch with integral cooling fan. New for 2006, a Utility Throttle which provides the optimum features requested for model railroad operation. Operators nationwide let Lenz know what they expected from an affordable, easy to operate DCC throttle and their input was incorporated from the beginning into the design of the UT4. Design features are: 4-Digit Addressing, Standard Infra Ready, UT4 upgradeable to UT4R radio version. Functions F0-F12 for sound decoder operation Direction switch with center brake position Improved battery life Large knob for precise throttle control Automatic Selection and Speed matching features Photos and technical information courtesy of LENZ and DIGITRAX websites. Until Next Month, Happy Railroading!!!! fun2rr@cox.net