Does anyone have experience with this? I saw it in action (I think it was the Faller system) at the Milwaukee TrainFest this year and really loved it. I'd like to put something together for my own layout. The sections of roadway are priced out of this world, tho. Does anyone have any technical information relating to how the system works? For example, could I buy some vehicles and Faller electronics (starter system?) and then embed my own "guide wire"(14 gauge? who knows) in my roads and have it still work or is there something magical about the Faller roadways and/or guide wires?
I'd appreciate hearing from anyone that has put together their own system without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on Faller parts.
Well, if you feel like checking out a large combined Märklin H0 train and Faller car system in a large display layout, I can recommend a well-maintained German web site. If you read German, you get all the fine details, if you don't you can still enjoy a large selection of photos of both commercial and home made vehicles, all specially adapted to this particular layout with fine features such as computer controlled trafic, lights, blinkers, stop lights etc. The layout is in Hamburg, Germany, the web site is right here:
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In the menu at the top, go to FOTOS then CARSYSTEM-GALERIE. Each pic you see is a link to a thumbnail picture gallery. Once inside, note that below each picture you will find a small dropdown box which gives you alternative pics of the same vehicle. And if you read German, below the dropdown box you will find all the facts.
The layout extension with a large US section opened in December 2003 with both runninig US trains and US vehicles.
And the small trains galleries...? In the menu at the top go to FOTOS and then GALERIE. Alternatively go to SLIDESHOW which opens a slideshow section with all the train pics. "Vorheriges" = Back, "Nächstes" = Next, "Slideshow beenden" = Stop and close slideshow.
Oh, and finally - I did note you asked for technical help, but even if somewhat off topic I thought you might be interested in seeing some impressions of what you can actually do with the Faller Car System. A lot!
Good luck with your project.
Best regards Padillos
"Vince Guarna" skrev i en meddelelse news:Xns9468887388E2Fvinceguarnacomcastne@216.196.97.136...
The cars and trucks have a small rechargable cell internally, run for a limited time. Tracking is via a set of strong magnets mounted unter the front end controlling live steering. Wires can be surface mount or embedded, piano wire will do the trick.
I'd suggest you ask about this on uk.rec.models.rail.
There was an article in one of the magazines a few years ago where somebody placed the mechanics from a pair of Faller vehicles in kit built vehicles, and finished up with a mostly home-built system that was closer to scaler and more realistic.
The cars/trucks follow an iron wire laid under the road surface. Ordinary florists wire is perfect. You can make your own roadway as you see fit. Plaster works well except that it tends to cause the wire to rust. Too great a separation from the vehicle's steering magnet can allow the vehicle to lose contact with the guide. I got around that possibility by laying a second guide wire a little further out on curves and a "Y" catching wire after a level crossing.
Vehicles are stopped by an electro magnet actuating a reed switch in the vehicle - you can easily make your own electro magnets with a nail, cardboard formers and a reel of coated wire from an electronics shop. AFAIK the complete steering gear is readily available from Faller's spares department, along with other (mechanical parts. I've done a number of conversions of Faller buses and trucks, basically to produce a different variant of the offered vehicles by using the differently finished vehicle from the same original manufacturer. (Faller uses Herpa, Brekina etc vehicles) I was surprised to find that there were major variations between the Faller and OEM chassis components so that the outer/upper bodies could not easily be exchanged.
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