2012 - The Year of TrainCraft and the water Dragon

New beginnings are here, Dear Fans and LGB Operators! Yours Truly is coming out of retirement and smack right into TrainCraft. "TrainCraft By Klaus" will be a full blown product, service and parts company starting January 1 and as soon as Klaus is back from surgery . That was my Christmas gift to Klaus and hopefully to the LGB community in the USA. Yours Truly would not mind you spreading the word if you have the time. We have been silently gathering products and packages over the last few months and are still adding.

The new price list is currently in the works and will double as a sort-of-catalog. Will also be on the web page. Main focus will be : Keeping Your LGB Trains Alive and Running" with the main product line in digital products and a second line for LGB loco spare parts. Analog electronic parts will be critical because they are getting extinct. But we will keep trying. New technology is also coming in helpful. - 

 

Our products will range from driving and sound decoders to operating accessories, loco maintenance parts, Original LGB spare parts and motors, all kinds of cables, service, restoration, repairs, installations, consulting and counseling, evaluations for collections and tax valuations (in case someone considers donations to your local or other charity). Simply a fully operational LGB trains maintaining entity. New or upcoming products that ensure the value of your LGB trains will be added over time and a few may be eliminated. Again, our  mantra is to keep your LGB trains running. And if a part is not available anymore Klaus will manufacture / re-produce it on his sophisticated machinery - if the price is right...!

 

Will we need help? You bet. For that matter it is very helpful to know that 2012 is the year of the water Dragon. "The water Dragon... is an intelligent and laborious worker who never puts aside work though sometimes this leads him to excesses. The water Dragon has enough courage to face challenges and easily finds weak points that stand in his way to success..."(quoted from www.gotohoroscope.com...).

Sounds mightily like an experienced LGB loco operator to me- don't y'all think??!!

 

Well then - All Aboard, come join and support us in our endeavor to keep LGB trains running. And if you happen to see a water Dragon invite him to your LGB layout- he might make a fantastic steam AND water engineer...

 

Happy New Year

Yours Truly and Famous Klaus

klaus@traincraftbyklaus.com

 

P.S. Next blog will be about the restoration of the old  original LGB turntable

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Testing, testing, one-two-three... - Klaus has been testing and working with the new decoders I have been talking about for a while. Yours Truly and Famous Klaus have been on the look-out for new and improved decoders and sound (decoders) to keep all LGB Operators running here in the USA. And the results are in.
Klaus decided on these driving decoders, which are in stock and ready to ship out of Santa's, ahh, Klaus' workshop
Uhlenbrock IntelliDrive Deluxe 77 500 , 3Amps continuous capacity and 5Amps in peaks for analog and digital operation. US$ 116.00
Most outstanding feature: works with old and newer LGB control systems like MTS and with the old LGB sounds. Plus: provides very smooth driving operation (no more studdering in slow operating mode)
Pros: SUSI Bus (to connect -via"plug"- to smoke or sound from "any" manufacturer), silent motor control, 8 function outputs, can control A/C motors (!) like in some Adlers or other. Address range 1-9999. No heat built-up. Various light functions. Mapping&dimming for outputs.
Cons: none so far
On second came in the Digitalplus By Lenz GOLD maxi: (US$ 110.00) with pretty much the same basic technical features as the Uhlenbrock, but no LGB compatibility to old analog sounds. Its most outstanding feature is a very well written and easily understandable American english manual that even Yours Truly can read and follow easily.
Pros: performance in slow speed (digital) operation is excellent, SUSI Bus, functions for many light effects like Gyra, MARS, Strobe etc, functions for fire box light, mapping+dimming for outputs
Cons:  limited LGB MTS operation (only parallel commands)

Klaus also tested the ESU LOKSOUND digital decoder which as of right now is a complete compare to the Massoth sound decoders (XLS), with a better price tag at US$ 244.00 and pretty much the same sound library. NOTE: ESU is working on an improved sound decoder version to be available in February 2012. That new decoder will combine the excellent driving operation features of the Uhlenbrock/Lenz decoders with the excellent sound quality of the ESU decoders. We don't know the price tag yet, but do know that ESU loves to compete....
By the way: all three manufacturers are German companies located in Bottrop (Uhlenbrock), Giessen (Lenz), and Ulm (ESU). Klaus is in personal contact with their resp. General Managers. All three of them come across as very professional and knowledgable about their own product and market(s) combined with a keen understanding of the future needs of G -Scale operation.
 
Well, LGB fans, that sums it up for today. Detailed information and photos will be available on our webpage, soon or a bit later- Yours Truly is preparing for Christmas as well....In the meantime just call Klaus (770-886-6670) for further information or ordering.

Merry Christmas to All - and to ALL a Mogul Good Night