MotorMax 1:64 Dioramas

These came out a while ago, but over the last week, I have run across two variations of this products that I had not seen before -- Bustling Metropolis has a subway stop with a Ford Crown Victoria yellow cab, and Down Town has a Savings & Loans with a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird. Here's the complete selection of 1:64 dioramas I have run across -- but there have been numerous variations from what I understand...

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Hinkle's Package Store

A new kit from Bar Mills Scale Model Works in S Scale  is Hinkle's Package Store. Available from your friendly S scale dealer who carries Bar Mills' products, or direct from Bar Mills, Hinkle's footprint is about  2.75"w x 3.5" deep. Of course you'll need a little additional room for real-estate.

This little "package store" comes complete with everything from window signs to a fire hydrant. Bar Mills tried to keep this one "simple", making it a quick & fun-build for modelers of almost any modeling skills. A small footprint combined with colorful graphics & an awning help to make this type of structure versatile... whether using it in a small eastern town or a "narrow-gauged" setting it's generic enough to look right at home pretty much anywhere. The figure does not come with the kit... but anything from the mailbox to the sidewalk does. At MSRP $37.95 for S scale it's a good deal.

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Stairs, Stairs, Stairs...

Recently the Bristol S Gauge Railroaders visited for our
monthly meeting. During the course of the afternoon some of them noticed some kits for stairs that I had in stock. They were not aware that these S scale stairs are available, nor where to get them. So in the interest of  providing greater visibility...

The S scale stair kits are produced by fellow S scale modeler Mike Fyten at Kaw Valley Designs. Mike has four different S scale stair kits available:

• Kit #301 - Straight Stairs
• Kit #302 - U-shaped stairs
• Kit #303 - 2 pair of straight stairs
• Kit #304 - L-shaped stairs

The kits sell for $11.95 each plus $2.00 for shipping. Buy any three kits and shipping is free. These make a really nice addition to any structure where stairs are needed and not included. Stair kits can be ordered from Mike at: Kaw Valley Designs, 6801 Nolan Rd., Shawnee, KS 66216 USA. If you have questions, you can contact Mike via email (remove all spaces) mike   @    kvrr-usa   .com.  Here are some photos of the available kits.

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S Scale Stockade Fencing

If you're looking for stockade fencing for your S scale layout, you don't need to look very far! Branchline Trains offers S scale 6 foot tall stockade fencing. Available is a package that provides 88 feet of fencing for your layout.

BRA #705 includes 10 sections of 6 foot tall by 8 foot wide panels as well as 2 sections of 4 foot gates. These can be laid out to separate one yard from another, or by using multiple packages, to enclose the entire back yard or property. The fencing can painted or stained as desired.

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Using iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices as Wireless Cabs on DCC

Over the last few months I've received a number of inquiries regarding the use of the almost ubiquitous Apple iPhone's, Apple iPod Touch's, Android phones and Android MP3 players as wireless cabs on a NMRA DCC system. Some model railroaders are interested in supporting these in addition to a DCC manufacturer-produced wireless cab system they already have installed to provide support for additional cabs and/or supporting visiting cabs. Other model railroaders do not yet have wireless cabs for their DCC system, and are considering this approach as an alternative to DCC  manufacturer-produced wireless cabs.

So to assist others with understanding this option, we're developing a white paper on this area. As we prepare the white paper we'll be posting pieces of it here as blog entries, and invite readers to share questions, comments, and experiences in this area. Wherever possible we'll try to incorporate the reader input into forthcoming white paper wherever it will strengthen the white paper.

Right now the basic structure of the white paper will be:

• Overview of Need and Solution options
• Solution components  - what are the components needed, what role does each component perform in the solution, why is it required, how it connects to other components
• Pros & cons of this solution
• General solution configuration information
• Solution elements - products, models, where to obtain, and general pricing
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

After the core of the white paper, we'll include a number of appendices specific to a number of major manufacturers' systems. At the moment, we are only planning to include appendices on systems where we have access to the actual manufacturer system and are able to actually configure and test the solution. Right now we have these appendices in our plans:

• Appendix A: Solutions for Lenz DCC
• Appendix B: Solutions for Digitrax DCC
• Appendix C: Solutions for NCE DCC
• Appendix D: Solutions for ESU DCC

Just as it is important to specify what will be covered, it is also important to be clear about what will NOT be covered in the white paper. This white paper (and related blog entries) will NOT cover any of these topics:

• DCC manufacturer-produced wireless cab systems/solutions/products
• Interoperability of DCC manufacturer-provided wireless cab systems

as they are already and/or better covered in existing materials from the manufacturers, various book authors, and/or numerous Internet forums.  Readers who are interested in detailed information on the DCC manufacturer provided wireless cab systems should consult the various sources of information already available.

If you have specific questions, comments, etc., please don't hesitate to let us know.

Our plan is to complete Version 1 of the white paper by July 2013.

Regards.

PS To modelers reading this that model in scales other than S -- the solutions here should work equally as well in any scale where NMRA DCC compatible systems are in use.

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