@ Shawn
Take a look at my test run video made under poor lighting conditions in my room. I think MAX will negotiate some grades as he´s heavily downgeared! I have no prototypical rolling stock in the moment but I have to “break in” MAX first!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn5jjkZhjLA
cheers Joe
Jo,
You need to resist those urges to just run in circles, you’ll never get anywhere doing that. I see you have also fallen into that live steam trap of running the engine without pulling anything. If you can get a set of those stationary rollers, you can achieve the ultimate goal of wasting a great amount of energy and go absolutely nowhere. 
Ric Golding said:
Jo,You need to resist those urges to just run in circles, you’ll never get anywhere doing that. I see you have also fallen into that live steam trap of running the engine without pulling anything. If you can get a set of those stationary rollers, you can achieve the ultimate goal of wasting a great amount of energy and go absolutely nowhere.
Well! to me “live steam” is neato, but NOT unless you are a fiddler, and also have good legs and kneecaps, and are about between the ages of about 20 and 35 which I am NOT! after that its Battery/Rc and or track power for me!! Oh and yeah a raised to at least 3ft elevated track layout in the near future! Hah LOL
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Pleased to meet you. Sounds like a lovely place you live in.
It really is ! only 5 miles to the coast line of the North sea ! I have set up a circular test track in my room as the weather conditions are not allways the best here at the northern shores ! A few sunday afternoons I have the chance to run my locos at the clubtrack at Leek in the Netherlands and they have a nice layout there! The president of the northern chapter of the Dutch Modelengineering society (Modelbouwvereeniging of the Netherlands) might be known by you : It´s Mr. R.E.M van Dort ! He is the publisher of the dutch live steam magazin “onder stoom” (Under steam) and wrote some very interesting tutorial books about live steaming. He is a very friendly and helpful guy and I´ve got the invitation form to the “Spring Steam Up” there in early May! It´s a honour for me to attend as I did the last ten years ! There my engines get the possibility to run on a wonderful garden layout. I am not a constructor more an operator : I am content to see my locos working : If they can do it in a nice scenery its ok for me, if not it´s the imagination that makes them running where ever I want them to be ! Another layout I can run my locos on is the K.G.B. (Kurt´s Gartenbahn) the line of a friend of mine who is an avid train collector (70 locos and 300 pieces rolling stock) Kurt lives in a toy museum with his wife Elizabeth and his dog Laika and they live in a small farm house packed full of different toys and the Barn is full packed with different trains ! It was stunning when I got there the first time ! Kurt is 75 years old, a retired construction engineer, but he´s not into computers so thereis no chance to get him involved here!
cheers Joe
Hi, Ric,
By the way , Max gets some rolling stock in the future, but he is brand new: I own him just a week ! He´s still running in . I am looking for adequate rolling stock and came into IP engineering . They have a lot of FRR stuff wich will suit “Max” very well but I only have a halfday employment and do not get too much money to complete a train within a day! 
I know that´s not good but I can´t help myself ! I must save every penny very hard to invest it into my hobby and I know that american people think in bigger dimensions like native europeans ! So please accept that I can build up a FRR indoor layout only as a long or should I better say very long term project !
cheers Joe
PS Until than imagination will help me out
Jerry ,
please give live steam a chance as many/ most of the clubtracks are risen, so you can run your equippement there without getting pains in the back ! 
Shunting with trackpowered locos works only simple when you have electro -magnetic driven uncoupling devices. I know there is something on the aftermarket for LGB style couplings but what´s about with knuckle couplers I don´t know!
cheers Joe
Jo,
Don’t pay Jerry any attention. He’s mechanically challenged 
And probably challenged a few more ways we can’t even imagine :lol:
Ralph
Joe,
Great looking engine with an industrial purpose about it. I would imagine a couple of small estate coaches or some type of industrial carts would go very well with your equipment, “MAX”. Enjoy the experience, it is the best part of this hobby.
Thanks Ric,
as money is tight, the next possible investment into the hobby will be some matching rolling stock for “MAX” as a loco alone makes no train !
Jo,
Look at the “Articles” section of this site. We have a lot of talented people that may give you ideas of how to build some coaches or carts out of wood, which would probably be correct. If you think about it, “Max” himself is the perfect dimensions of the carts he would pull.
Hi Ric that´s a good Idea !
I have some plywood and some square strips of wood and four pair of small FRR wheelsets lying around: Workbench, dremel ,saw and a pillar drill are at hand Now i need axleboxes and the JB Coachworks is at duty ! I do some research on axleboxes now .Building the rolling stock yourself is the most accepted method of modelrailroading on a budget : I hope the rough appearance of the endproduct will not upset anyone as happened on another forum, they buggered me off because my first trials were not finescaled enough! I am a bit bodily disabled and exact work with steady shivering hands is a bit difficult. Now you might ask: Why did you choose a hobby wich is about the absolutely exactness ? I like the challenge to overwhelm my illnes tweaking me since my childhood! So lets do it !
Yes Jo just do it! I am new to all of this but am trying to build some rolling stock too. Our time is nothing and if we have the basic raw materials then go for it.
Joe and Randy and any others out there, DO NOT be afraid to show off your work. Every one of us had to learn at some time. Experience will make you better and those of us who have been building for a long time usually end up being our own worst critics. I have been building models since very young and every time I think to myself that maybe I could have done better. But I don’t stop trying, and I don’t stop learning. Study the masters, learn from them and be proud of what you accomplish. Above all, don’t be afraid to ask for advice and don’t close your mind to constructive criticism. Most good modelers that I know have huge egos and love to talk about their techniques. And, last and most important, modeling ( of any kind) is supposed to be fun.
Enjoy, Ron
