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 Posted - April 09 2018 : 8:06:23 PM
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Dear All,
I have just bought one of these on US e-bay http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tu9tumtl.jsp
It is a manually switched Tyco US-1 Junction! Just to explain to those who may not know: Tyco US-1 junctions are usually spring loaded, so that a truck may pass by without diversion, but can reverse back in to the docking station, to load or unload, if you chose.
I have to confess I had no idea that manually switched junctions existed, although they are shown on ModelMotorist.com, so I should have done!
It appears that one was supplied in the G I Joe set, but no other sets had them. US-1 junctions are usually non isolating and I don't think the switch here isolates, but I am looking forward to playing with it when it arrives!
I am still looking for the rare 'non-box' version of one of these - http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tu9dtl.jsp
It is basically just an oblique double junction instead of a plain junction and a built on box dump. I have seen them on the Interweb, although they are not shown on ModelMotorist.com. I have never seen them for sale and think that they are just very early versions that were soon replaced by the box version.
I guess that along with the phone box section from the Wrecker set, the large radius curves and the grade crossings these must be the rarest US-1 roadway bits?
James
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 10 2018 05:19:46 AM
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Posted - April 09 2018 : 11:15:55 PM
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| Well that is pretty neat. I do look forward to seeing what you do with it!
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Posted - April 10 2018 : 04:32:22 AM
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Thanks Chops,
I will just include it when I do a display layout, probably on an accessory that I don't need to use that much, such as the gravel depot, (rather than the loader).
The main mystery for me is why they needed to make it, as the sprung junctions only work when you reverse through them.... So here we have a junction which you can reverse through and not be diverted?
I wonder what they had in mind? Presumably there might be some clues in the GI Joe set to explain it, but I don't have one of those or the paperwork!
Can anyone help here?
Janes
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Posted - April 10 2018 : 12:13:56 PM
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A mystery indeed- it would be interesting to know what
was going through the minds of these guys when they
dreamed this stuff up. From an interview Tony Cook
did with a former Tyco designer, production cost was always a
factor.
In point of fact, cost cutting measures in the last
decade caused a creative split where a bunch of the
designers split off to create the line "Pemco." I have
a Pemco piece, which looks a LOT like a Tyco with its
late PT motor, but unlike a Tyco with a PT motor, this
one runs superbly through all speed ranges and
has a strong draw bar pull. Alas, they didn't last
very long and it all went away.
The interview is probably imbedded in the TF
somewhere, if I can find the link I'll add it on
here. It is a superb glimpse into the creative
and fiscal evolution of Tyco.
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Posted - April 12 2018 : 08:34:34 AM
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I am indebted to my chum 'Top Down' from SlotForum.com who has been through his US-1 sets to seek out the truth:
He says: "There is no real reason for the turnout with a switch, it goes against the ethos of the US1 Trucking concept which is all "hands off" operation.
It does seem to be a 'GI Joe only' item with raised lettering saying 'High Adventure Turnout' underneath. I have several other sets, none have a switched turnout and I can't find a reference to any other set I DON'T have that makes use of a switched turnout.
The only thing I can think of is that it is meant to be driven INTO and backed out of. It does after all just direct the truck into a cardboard warehouse/parking bay - a non functioning bit of folded card scenery.
But this isn't how it shown on the box art, where the switched turnout is just operating the same as a non-switched one. Both trucks travel in opposite direction on the American side of the road with the rocket artic backing into the Rocket pad and the Troop Carrier …. backing into the warehouse!
Just seems to confirm my view that it was an aberration!"
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 12 2018 08:36:04 AM
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Posted - April 19 2018 : 05:08:07 AM
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Here is the unusual double junction I referred to earlier:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tyco-trucking-slot-car-double-turnout-532684392
My guess it is the earliest version? It has B3031 moulded underneath. I would love to find one. Need to check what is under the 'normsl' version with the attached dump yard!
Finally, here are the special items from the wrecker set - Phone box straight and hoarding. (They are usually clad in stickers). They seem to go fo CRAZY money!
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tyco-trucking-phone-booth-pickup-203572591
James
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 19 2018 05:09:00 AM
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Posted - April 19 2018 : 09:47:28 AM
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Most interesting permutations. There seems to be no end to what
the Tyco people dreamed up in the day. I am pondering putting
in a small oval of USA 1 trucking onto my Tycomania VII layout,
Highway Man. But how durable is this stuff? I don't want to
end up purchasing some burned out vehicle.
The wrecker phone booth is really a nifty piece- as phone
booths have gone the way of the wooly mammoth.
Also, did USA 1 track come in both single and double
slots? I see foot long straight sections of plain straight
track with a slot, but not curved sections with one
slot. I am baffled.
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Posted - April 19 2018 : 7:33:52 PM
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Chops,
The chassis are really good and very durable. I have had US 1 for around a decade now and have bought around 40 vehicles. I run it a lot at shows and have only had one motor go bad in all that time.
If you keep them oiled up the gears will last almost forever
There is basically one type of chassis for most vehicles in the range, although some have a metal pivot point where trailers are attached. There were two special electro mechanical chassis for the fire engine and the wrecker and a later higher chassis for the '4x4' stomper
See the chassis here: http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tuscl.jsp
http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tudtl.jsp
http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tuftl.jsp
http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tuttl.jsp
http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tyussttl.jsp
However they all share the same motor and pick ups. Parts can be swapped from one chassis to another quite easily and tires and pick ups are available on e-bay or from some US specialists.
The only real issue in keeping them running today is getting tires for the stomper, as nothing I have found is high enough, so I settled for reducing the depth of the guide pins slightly and now mine runs really well.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US-1_Trucks
and: http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycous1trucking/
The track system was entirely two lane. It was largely Tyco Racing Quick Klik track molded in gray, with 6", 9" and 15" straights, plus 90 and 45 degree curves in 9" radius and 45 degree curves in 12" radius but these are seriously rare, in fact more so than the highly desirable Rail Road grade crossing! Normal black Tyco Quick Klik sections can be mixed in freeely with Gray US1 track if you wish, but they do offend the eye!
There were special junction rails where one 90 degree or two tracks 45 degree diverged, they did a variety of special docking stations. All as single track units, but they never did single lane plain roadway sections.
See the track here: http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/idtrktyu.jsp
Make sure you scroll down to see it all!
However if you look on e-bay, enterprising folk are offering cut and shut double 90 degree junctions and both 6" and 9" single straights, but sadly, no curves! I guess they would be too difficult.
The main drawbacks to Tyco US-1 track is firstly that sections can age and discolor differently to each other and even with blood, sweat toil and tears, the electrical connections to the next length can be pretty ropey. I use several feeds on most circuits I set up, strategically placed to avoid voltage drops, but I still need to spend a few minutes tweaking of many of the sections to get the best connections every time!!!
If you just want single lane track in straight and curved, the best range was sold by Faller, but main reason to use Tyco US-1 Track with the trucks is the fact that you can use all the wonderful docking stations to automatically load and unload, or even launch and land a plane!
You could run the most basic circuit in a 9" circle, but adding the docking stations increases both length and width. If you look at the videos I have posted links for, you will see the room these need and take up. The Custom double junction on e-bay is great and it means that you can have accessories inside and outside of the same 9" section, which saves a lot of room. I will be buying more of them!
Adding in a grade crossing takes up more room too, but it is SO worth it for the spectacle! I used Life-Like Power Loc track, but the crossing and the roadway fits in with any railroad track that follows the Atlas Snap Track geometry and many that dont too!
Be warned though, be very careful if you want to run your Tyco US -1 trucks on other makes of track. Wider track such as Life-Like is fine, but older stuff like Playcraft or Aurora Model Motoring is just too narrow for two trucks to pass each other!!
James
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 20 2018 03:51:36 AM
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Posted - April 20 2018 : 12:05:54 PM
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Thanks James! An excellent tutorial. It gave me enough information
to pop on an eBay auction, where I picked up a reasonably complete
set, which will be grafted into Tycomania VIII layout.
It will be a fairly small and simple affair- an elevated interstate, or
perhaps I may just create a second tier entirely. In any event,
I shall probably end up with a couple of extra unloading stations
that I have no foreseeable use for.
Looking at vintage Aurora was interesting, but Holy Cow, that
stuff ain't cheap and there's like a dozen bidders on every
item I looked at.
Among other things your tutorial showed me is that the
pick up shoes appear especially long, which bodes well
for electrical pick up, and the motors are the traditional
frame type, and not the dreaded pancake disk.
I didn't know about the tow truck pulling the
dummy fire bird, and will keep an eye out for it.
On the Tycomania layouts one will see automobiles
in various states of disrepair, which is a visual
pun regarding how we have abandoned fine
passenger service and become enslaved to our
automobiles (I drive a Hyundai, which I bought
new, and it has 200,000 miles on it. It came with
free oil changes for life, and everytime I pull
into the dealership they are desperately trying
to get me to buy a new car- hehheh, my goal
is to break even on the oil changes for the price
of the car- hehehehehe).
A trucking sub theme will underscore the relationship
between interstate trucking and the demise of
so many Fallen Flags.
I seriously considered a Pola Trolley Bus, but a small NOS
starter set retails for $300, if you can find one, and the
Aurora/Brawa postage stamp Grey Hound bus set, used
retails at $260. So, I won the USA1 set, after a round of
rather intense bidding (hope I wasn't getting sniped) for
$66.
Edited by - Chops124 on April 20 2018 12:17:13 PM
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Posted - April 21 2018 : 08:36:07 AM
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Hello Chops,
Glad to have been of service. Well done on your purchase too! 66 USD is good going!
You are right about the pick ups on US-1. With the effective double pins they are the key to the system's success.
I am familiar with other roadway systems too, including the British Minic Motorway series, which was also big on reversing, but had far less effective pick ups and a poorer guide pin system. The motors were nowhere near as good as US-1 either, but it was made 20 years earlier, so live and learn I guess.
I don't have an issue with the T Jet chassis with the pancake myself. It runs very well and is controllable compared to more modern magnetic chassis which tend to bog down at more realistic slow speeds, making it very hard to use them on roadways.
Love the 'Ideal' brand Dukes of Hazard set cars! i Have a pair of those along with Knight Rider vehicles and the van and Ford Capri from the British 'Professionals' set. Those last two are designed run on half wave, so you can run two cars on the same track under independant control -Clever stuff for the 1970s/80s, but let down only by the low quality of the chassis.......
It all you want is nice attractive ordinary looking cars to run, there is no need to spend loads on vintage collectible Aurora etc, as many are still producing nice no nonsense T Jet based models, including my favourite - Bauer who seem to have a stockpile of new original Aurora chassis that power them - Check out: http://world-of-slot.de/
James
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 21 2018 08:40:00 AM
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Posted - April 21 2018 : 09:32:19 AM
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Thank you again, James, I am indebted to your knowledge
and experience. I did check that link, and while in German,
I got the jist of it. I will give the USA 1 a good whirl, when it
comes, and if it just does't work right or look right, I'll put
it back on eBay and recoupe my costs. What is really leading me into
parts unknowis the vintage Brawa Faller Trolley bus...I may end
end exploraon there, ss ye.
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Posted - April 22 2018 : 01:17:49 AM
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A question, so this Tyco USA 1 rail crossing, does it
have some built in electrical mechanism to bring
the road vehicle to a halt? Some sort of diode?
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Posted - April 22 2018 : 3:34:10 PM
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This is a rough plan made in Ultimate Racer to help me prepare a combined TYCO US-1 and Life-Like Trains layout that I am taking to a Slot Car Festival at Gaydon, England in May 2018. As Anyrail can't show US-1 I have used Life-Like Racing Track sections instead, which follow the same geometry, although many of these will be replaced by US-1 junctons on the final version to allow the inclusion of the various US-1 loading and unloading docks. A helpful chum has enabled me to show the Life-Like Grade Crossing and the Life-Like Power-Loc Rail Road Track in the diagram too.
The large purple circuit of Rail passes over the lower deck supported on Life-Like Trains Hooped Gantries, whilst the smaller circuit of US-1 passes over the rail track underneath supported on Life-Like Racing full height peirs, some of which have been modified to improve the ground clearance to let the train through!.
Four trucks can be run at once : two on the upper circuit and two on the lower level, which can also visit the docking stations as required. The two grade crossings have automatic isolation activated by the approaching trains, which stop the trucks on either side, hold them there until the train is clear and operated flashing wig wag lights and bells.
Two trains can be run at once, whilst a third in held in the loop on the upper level. The train on the lower level can be stopped and held at a publicly controlled colour light signal, whilst the public can drive the train on the upper deck, within pre-set perameters, that fotunately does not include excessive speed, or the option to reverse!
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Posted - April 22 2018 : 5:36:58 PM
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Really cool!!! I can't wait to see the final product. FMI, are the trains and cars sharing the same track at A2-A6 and B3 - B6?
After further thought, I'm going to guess one of the tracks is elevated.
Edited by - Brian4321 on April 22 2018 5:42:41 PM
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Posted - April 22 2018 : 6:29:39 PM
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Hello Brian,
Thanks for the enthusiasm.
Yes the outer rail circuit is high level and carried over the roadway by the hooped gantries that Life-Like supplied in the Elevated City Rails set and with the elevated station. I'm was lucky to be able to buy a load on e-bay!
The inner roadway section is high level too, but this time Life-Like racing supports are used.
The only level action between the trains and trucks is at the two grade crossings.
James
Edited by - Highwayman97 on April 22 2018 6:31:00 PM
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