 | | First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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Pretty exciting news! This is posted on behalf of BayLTC's David (Zonker) Harris, with his permission (and request to so post), who related the following to me: - - - - My home machine has lost the cookie to post to LUGNET, and Todd's on a bus to (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.announce, lugnet.trains, lugnet.trains.org) !
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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(...) <snip> (...) <snip> (...) <snip> As an occasional lurker in .trains and owner of only 4.5V trains myself, my knowledge of 9V trains is limited, so perhaps someone could correct me if I'm misunderstanding (or misremembering) ... I thought that (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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I hate to get on someone’s bad side right away but isn’t this track cleaner cleaning the wrong part of the track? Unlike all other scales of trains Lego trains get the power from the inside part of the rail. So basically this track cleaner isn’t (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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Kinda funny that we both wrote the same thing at the same time isn’t it. Too bad spell check slowed me down. =) OnDrew (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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(...) Oh well, at least neither of us will be flamed alone! But I reckon that your spell check time was wasted: "...except make the track shinny" Shinny? ;-) Cheers Richie (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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It's true the power comes from the inside top corner of the rail, but if you look closer at the wheels on your train motor, you'll see that there is a rubber O-ring which makes contact with the *top* of the rail. I think most of the tractive force (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) But wouldn't a piece of clothing and water-soap do the trick? 104$ for a gadget that will probably take more time cleaning the track than what you'd take to wide it clean with a cloth, it seems expansive to me. Furthemore, isn't it a waste of (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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(...) Agreed! Having third party LEGO support products is an excellent step forward in the hobby of electric LEGO trains. The fact that this product exists is remarkable news! <snip> (...) Well, from personal experience in our club, I can tell you (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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(...) You haven't tried to clean a club layout at a train show. A double-loop, 15'x 30' layout is going to be over 180 running feet of track. Actually, since you have to do each rail separately, it's closer to 360 feet of track. That's not including (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) That would be my expectation too. Unless the pad is fuzzy enough to get at the sides a bit? Or the fluid picked up by successive flanges works its way down to the edges? The original report says they saw an improvement in performance. Maybe (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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(...) "you" in this context being Centerline(tm) (1), not Zonker (or any of the posters to this thread). What is most significant about this is that Centerline decided to offer this, not (believe it or not) whether it actually works or is a good (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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My first post. after re-reading it, sounds a bit too harsh. What I meant to say is that I don't, personnally, see the use of the cleaner for personnal uses. But as I said, maybe it didn't come out right, I wish good luck to the people who created (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) too (...) <grin> Yes, it does... But typically it's "elbow grease". :-) Mark (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I have to agree with Larry here in that the announcement itself is far more important than the product itself. It shows that an outside company has noticed the swell in activity around "L-Gauge" trains and they feel there is room in the marketplace (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Terry..... You.........Harsh......... ;-) Go figure......:-D Sharkey (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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Zonker still can't post but is reading the thread with interest... he sent me this (reproduced in it's entiriety) and asked me to post it. ___...___ As a follow-up to my first posting (and hoping to answer a few questions raised by other posters), (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) I can't possibly see how your original post was harsh, condescending or dismissive. You're just stating your opinion and you should. The only person who could be possibly offended is Centerline, and at that, you're entitled to your opinion (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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Fine. So we are all agreed track cleaning is a problem and third-party products are great. Personally I think what we need from a third party is track, DCC and lighting. Thats still leaves the chore of cleaning. My track cleaner is at (URL) uses a (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) whether (...) Everyone is talking about the inside or side of the rails as if that is the important area to clean. Take a piece of straight track and place a train motor on top of it. Hold it up to a light source so as to backlight where the (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Aw, man, but it's all about the coolness factor! Why do something by hand that can be done by a machine? Even if it's more work or costs more money. :) I thought it looked pretty spiffy zipping around the track*. And look how much dirt it (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Good point. But see Todd's post after yours. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. If it does, does that change your answer? (...) I don't need my track cleaned for 21 hours straight, though. I just need it cleaned. MichLTC layouts have been (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) If he's dumb enough meet all of your conditions, I'll bet he *will* still be in high school:-) Reminds me of a quotation from a famous, long-term collegian: "Seven years of college down the drain" JOHN (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) <snicker> ;) <snip> (...) If it were me, I don't think I'd use Goo Gone.. while the Centerline site claims it doesn't leave a residue, I've read on an indie model railroader's site that it does. I might just stick with isopropyl alcohol.. (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Lego track cleaner
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Here is a lego track cleaner unit that Gary Quinlan created for our display. The cleaning unit is a cleaving cloth wrapped around a couple of weight bricks. it works great and with a run or 2 over the track great traction and shinney track is (...) (21 years ago, 28-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Speaking as someone who makes a living off of working with ABS, I though I should point out that long-term use of citrus-based cleaners will cause damage to ABS. Goo-Gone has a relatively low acid content, so it's less harmful than some (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Perhaps you could buy three track cleaning cars and solve the problem in one pass? ;-) Or maybe the manufacturer could make a triple rollered track cleaner? I know I can buy safety razors with three blades, so it is not without precedent! (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) And now we come full circle. Long time readers of this group will recall that I've opined against cleaning track at all in the past. :-) What delicious confusion. (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) <snip> (...) Wait! Why stick with human labour? Last time I checked, you could buy a guinea pig for about $A12, and lettuces for $A0.99 each. You tie a lettuce leaf to the back of your train, dip your guinea pig in your prefered cleaning (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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| | Re: Lego track cleaner
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(...) Bert Waters (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I've used a Centerline track cleaner for years with my N-Gauge trains. Their products are well designed and well made. And the people that own the company are a delight to deal with and always ready to strike a conversation at shows. But I have to (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) I already do offer DCC conversions, if you want to Email me for details... James Powell (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Cleaning the track regularly is still a good thing, as long as it's done right. I remember the instructions for my brother's slotless racetrack set specifically said that if you noticed a reduction in speed or performance, you should swab all (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Very cool, and very bright ... think I might modify mine to include a cloth based second pass ... any other contraptions out there? (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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In lugnet.trains, Steven House writes: any other contraptions out there? Yes, I built a machine that is all battery powered. It consists of a double bogie (truck) vehicle which carries the battery box. Underneath is a spinning nylon bristle brush (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) This sounds interesting and fun. (...) Any chance of a picture soon? (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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Gee, this sound a lot like 2 idea I have for something similar. I'll upload a page with another kind of equipment of this type. Sonnich www.hot.ee/sonnich/lego/ (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I uploaded the page - it is originally made my Joe Davenport. I was looking for it, and he sent me the pictures lately as he does not have a homepage anymore. (URL) this one too (URL) Jensen <sonnich@hot.ee> wrote in message (...) (21 years ago, 29-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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Now there's an idea. That's great. :^) Hey Larry, I think Andrew has a Hamster. :^p -Stefan- (...) (21 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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(...) That is cute ... and psychedelic! (...) ... and makes mine look a bit tame. Time for a rebuild! Any ideas for mechanical operations ... or a vacuum cleaner etc? (...) (21 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: First Third Party product for the LEGO(r) Trains market?
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One more followup from Zonker, with pictures - - - I've spent the evening jousting with bad bits on my hard disk, so no progress on the web page tnight (it's only half-ready...) BUT, I did take some more pictures, based on the discussions here. Most (...) (21 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I had the same thought. Here's a few more I did last night of the point at which the motor's wheel touches the rail. They're a bit closer. (URL) surprised at how small the point of contact is, but it does explain the incredible reliability of (...) (21 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I don't think our club has any problem with oxidized track. But some of our club track is pretty grimy. I mean actually, visibly grimy. Probably, it's 10 years worth of electrical carbon and finger oil and dust, combined to make a quite non- (...) (21 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.trains)
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I know I'm late in posting a reply to this, but I just had to speak out. First of all, I'm pleased that the 'mainstream' modelling companies/organizations are taking notice of the potential for L-gauge trains (figures they would, since Lego layouts (...) (21 years ago, 24-Nov-03, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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