My name is Nick and I'm getting back into model railroading after a lengthy hiatus. I used to model railroad with my dad when I was a boy (from about ages 7 to 11ish) before we moved to a different town. While we intended to set up our trains again (track tacked to a 4x8 sheet of chipboard), it unfortunately never happened. Now I'm 30, employed, and a homeowner so I have the budget and space for some model railroading. As a start, I'm going to retrieve all the old HO trains (and the old 4x8 with track attached) from my parents' basement. While I want to model in N scale, this equipment should refresh my taste for the hobby and help me grasp the realities of the work involved. And maybe the old power pack can power an N scale effort before investing in DCC. My other hobbies are reading science fiction, sampling craft beer, and using programming to solve problems (whether computer-related of not!). My wife and I also collect mid-century furniture to furnish our house.
Welcome to TrainBoard! Some of the older power packs may not be good for use on N scale, so be careful. Also, if your old HO seems balky, it may be because the old lubricant has seen much better days. A good cleaning might save the motor from burning up, and also get things rolling smoothly again.
Hi Nick, welcome to the Train Board. What is the name and model of your old power pack? Many power packs from 25 years ago were well designed and reliable, and good for either HO or N. Regards your old engines, it should be fairly easy to remove the shells and clean up the mechanisms if you enjoy tinkering. Regardless, we'll be happy to help you in any way we can.
Welcome aboard, and good luck with the switch to N scale. I think you'll find that a newer power supply will provide you a much better experience. Many can be had reasonably second-hand from a number of sources, and the difference in the precision control and capability will be worthwhile.
Hi Nick and welcome aboard. I am curious about your "handle"--any Corsairs in your past? Airplanes, not ships!
Thanks for the kind welcome! My old power pack is labeled "Tech II" and I do have to original box. Unfortunately, I won't know more until I actually retrieve the railroad supplies. I'll be sure to test it on a small section of track and with very low power to start. Regarding my handle - no planes in my past. This is actually the name of a character I invented for a sci-fi role playing game about 15ish years ago - I've used it as my online alias since then. I have no idea how I came up with "Corsair" as a first name, but I liked the sound of it. As a handle, it also has the benefit of never being taken. :teeth:
A Tech II should do nicely (assuming it works) for quite a while. I think many of us may have feared you had one of the cheapy ones from the older train sets. MRC is still pretty much the standard, at least as far as conventional DC goes (meaning short of DCC)
An MRC Tech II was, and still is an excellent power supply, well suited to both HO and N. I had a Tech II that operated flawlessly for over 20 years. Yours should still be fine since it hasn't been used in 20 years when you and your dad stopped operating.
I was able to retrieve all of the old trains and (more importantly) the Tech II power supply the past weekend. Here are a couple pictures: The MRC Tech II is a "Railpower 1400" unit. And yes, that is the original box. It works perfectly, although I can't say the same for the poor, cheap, and neglected locomotives. The trains are mostly Bachmann units - the 2 Chessie System locomotives definitely came from identical train sets (they have the same road number, despite slightly different detail), the Amtrack and Santa Fe have the same internal mechanisms but must have been purchased individually. The 2-6-0 steam locomotive is from Life Like, but also came from a train set. The locomotives all hesitate strongly on the (tiny) test track I put together. Part of it is the poor conductivity of some loose rail joiners, but the mechanisms are old and I believe in need of lubrication. The 2-6-0 seems to have stripped gears inside. They seem to have old pancake motors, and based on what I've read are really only worth keeping around to display for nostalgia's sake.
