| As seen in N-Scale July/August 2009 Issue |
Traction. No, not the overhead wire
variety, I mean grip. Sand. It's
what has been missing from N
scale since the beginning. Without traction,
we have toys; with traction, we
have model railroads. We try to com-
'pensate by adding weights wherever
we can hide them. Ah, but we also
sometimes have traction tires. Those
rubbery O-rings, an inherent genetic
curse on N scale, which will wobble, rot
away with age, and often pop off the
drivers under load. (Aproblem with the
beautiful new GS-4 and GG-l.) Good
luck replacing them. Some manufacturers,
such as Kato, graciously offer traction-
tired drivers as owner installed
extra-cost accessories for their USRA
Mikado, and the same for Model Power.
The traction driver bearing block shim
fix to the Bachmann 4-8-2USRAlight
Mountain transforms it from just a looker
into a nice little freighter, if you have
the stuff for this level of surgery.
Generic traction driver 'kits' are available,
but making it work without a
wicked hop? Shrink tubing? Gosh, how
do you install this stuff? You mean I
have to disassemble valve gear or
power trucks? Machine a groove in the
drivers? Use a heat gun? Are you kidding
me? Two-sided tape has been used
with some success, by the skilled and
very patient among us. Even the red
goop used to dip tool handles has beer,
suggested, but that's too thick and does
not want to stick to metal drivers.
Powered boxcars? OK, who makes 'em
and how much? A power tender woulc.
. be cool, but it isn't out there either and
would be costly and a pain to adapt.
Follow the threads in on-line forums
for our hobby and you'll see this issue
come up frequently. Typically, it goes
something like this: "I just laid down
big green for a new 2-8-4, and it won't
pull more than 9 cars! Help!" Yeah, I
hear ya, buddy. Try getting the MP 4-4-0
teakettle to haul its own weight up a 2%
grade, forget the passenger cars, or
those cool monster Centuries that have
Photo 1 The proper sized drop of BULLFROG
SNOT for N scale.
52 N-Scale Magazine
Photo 2 The basic BULLFROG SNOT work station.
variety, I mean grip. Sand. It's
what has been missing from N
scale since the beginning. Without traction,
we have toys; with traction, we
have model railroads. We try to com-
'pensate by adding weights wherever
we can hide them. Ah, but we also
sometimes have traction tires. Those
rubbery O-rings, an inherent genetic
curse on N scale, which will wobble, rot
away with age, and often pop off the
drivers under load. (Aproblem with the
beautiful new GS-4 and GG-l.) Good
luck replacing them. Some manufacturers,
such as Kato, graciously offer traction-
tired drivers as owner installed
extra-cost accessories for their USRA
Mikado, and the same for Model Power.
The traction driver bearing block shim
fix to the Bachmann 4-8-2USRAlight
Mountain transforms it from just a looker
into a nice little freighter, if you have
the stuff for this level of surgery.
Generic traction driver 'kits' are available,
but making it work without a
wicked hop? Shrink tubing? Gosh, how
do you install this stuff? You mean I
have to disassemble valve gear or
power trucks? Machine a groove in the
drivers? Use a heat gun? Are you kidding
me? Two-sided tape has been used
with some success, by the skilled and
very patient among us. Even the red
goop used to dip tool handles has beer,
suggested, but that's too thick and does
not want to stick to metal drivers.
Powered boxcars? OK, who makes 'em
and how much? A power tender woulc.
. be cool, but it isn't out there either and
would be costly and a pain to adapt.
Follow the threads in on-line forums
for our hobby and you'll see this issue
come up frequently. Typically, it goes
something like this: "I just laid down
big green for a new 2-8-4, and it won't
pull more than 9 cars! Help!" Yeah, I
hear ya, buddy. Try getting the MP 4-4-0
teakettle to haul its own weight up a 2%
grade, forget the passenger cars, or
those cool monster Centuries that have
Photo 1 The proper sized drop of BULLFROG
SNOT for N scale.
52 N-Scale Magazine
Photo 2 The basic BULLFROG SNOT work station.
to be run together, because two
just won't get it done for a decent sized
coal train Helix? Don't be silly. I built
my layout with operation in mind, but I
really just like to run long trains. Must
long runners be condemned to build
layouts with track gradients no more
severe thanl the N-Trak main line? Sigh.
Are we cursed to trod this vast slippery
wasteland forever?
Well, maybe not. Imagine a cost-effective universal traction
improvement that installs in minutes (and can be removed
with equal ease), without any risky, taxing schemes of
disassembly or specialized tools, and is almost invisibly
thin,yet will dramatically improve the
pulling power of your locomotive roster.
A product humorously named
"BULLFROGSNOT" does exactly that.
Of course, it's not really an extract from
a protected magic amphibian with a
sinus problem. It is a sophisticated, specially
formulated room temperature
curing, one-part "green" liquid plastic
with unique properties that allow it to
stick like snot to metal drivers and
remain 'grippy' like a race car tire.
BULLFROGSNOT is great because: it
is easily applied, and easily removed.
Just a toothpick is all you'll need to
install, and an Xacto knife to remove it;
it's ready to go. No multi-part mixing.
No witches brew of acetone, RTV,buffalo
glue, snake oil, belt dressing, twosided
tape, shrink tubing, chicken
bones, eye of newt, or dilithium crystals;
no disassembly, no special tools, no
surgical skills; it cures at room temp in
moments; no baking; no nasty fumes.
It's benign and friendly; it's easy to see
your work, and it cures to virtually
invisible; it is thin - only .0055" or less
when cured; it's tough and durable and
has a good service life; leaves no
residue on the track, and no gunk in
your engine and it is universal - works
for any loco from any manufacturer in
any scale.
About the only trick required for use
of BULLFROGSNOT is the preparation.
The drive wheels of the locomotive
must be turning during installation, so
you'll need a workstation to hold the
patient belly up, and available DC
power. The box your loco came in is an
excellent candidate; it will cradle and
protect all the fine details while your
hands are otherwise occupied. Apply
power, about 1/4 throttle or less to get
the wheels turning at a moderately slow
yard speed. Be sure to select wheels that
are actual drivers, and not idlers or
those only moved by valve gear for
appearance purposes.
The best universal applicator tool is a
round wooden toothpick, aligned parallel
to the long dimension of the victim.
Set the direction of power to rotate the
wheels away from the point of the
applicator. With a drop - not a blob - of
BULLFROGSNOT on the tip of the
toothpick, touch the rotating wheel and
allow a bead to form, covering the full
circumference. Excessive amounts will
gum up your brake hangers and other
gear, so apply sparingly, and resist the
temptation to overdo things. Work the
toothpick just enough as to cover the
wheel with an even coat - it's an easy
skill to acquire.
To prevent an out-of-round tire, let
the locomotive continue to run as you
watch the BULLFROGSNOT cure,
maybe 10 minutes or so until the color
is gone, then allow to fully cure for a
few hours, overnight for best results.
BULLFROGSNOT in its natural state is
a slimy green color, goes on 'fat', and is
easy to see where it has been applied so
you can check your work. In a few
moments, the color all but disappears as .
it cures thin and tight and forms your
new traction tire. Once scuffed with use,
it's virtually invisible.
just won't get it done for a decent sized
coal train Helix? Don't be silly. I built
my layout with operation in mind, but I
really just like to run long trains. Must
long runners be condemned to build
layouts with track gradients no more
severe thanl the N-Trak main line? Sigh.
Are we cursed to trod this vast slippery
wasteland forever?
Well, maybe not. Imagine a cost-effective universal traction
improvement that installs in minutes (and can be removed
with equal ease), without any risky, taxing schemes of
disassembly or specialized tools, and is almost invisibly
thin,yet will dramatically improve the
pulling power of your locomotive roster.
A product humorously named
"BULLFROGSNOT" does exactly that.
Of course, it's not really an extract from
a protected magic amphibian with a
sinus problem. It is a sophisticated, specially
formulated room temperature
curing, one-part "green" liquid plastic
with unique properties that allow it to
stick like snot to metal drivers and
remain 'grippy' like a race car tire.
BULLFROGSNOT is great because: it
is easily applied, and easily removed.
Just a toothpick is all you'll need to
install, and an Xacto knife to remove it;
it's ready to go. No multi-part mixing.
No witches brew of acetone, RTV,buffalo
glue, snake oil, belt dressing, twosided
tape, shrink tubing, chicken
bones, eye of newt, or dilithium crystals;
no disassembly, no special tools, no
surgical skills; it cures at room temp in
moments; no baking; no nasty fumes.
It's benign and friendly; it's easy to see
your work, and it cures to virtually
invisible; it is thin - only .0055" or less
when cured; it's tough and durable and
has a good service life; leaves no
residue on the track, and no gunk in
your engine and it is universal - works
for any loco from any manufacturer in
any scale.
About the only trick required for use
of BULLFROGSNOT is the preparation.
The drive wheels of the locomotive
must be turning during installation, so
you'll need a workstation to hold the
patient belly up, and available DC
power. The box your loco came in is an
excellent candidate; it will cradle and
protect all the fine details while your
hands are otherwise occupied. Apply
power, about 1/4 throttle or less to get
the wheels turning at a moderately slow
yard speed. Be sure to select wheels that
are actual drivers, and not idlers or
those only moved by valve gear for
appearance purposes.
The best universal applicator tool is a
round wooden toothpick, aligned parallel
to the long dimension of the victim.
Set the direction of power to rotate the
wheels away from the point of the
applicator. With a drop - not a blob - of
BULLFROGSNOT on the tip of the
toothpick, touch the rotating wheel and
allow a bead to form, covering the full
circumference. Excessive amounts will
gum up your brake hangers and other
gear, so apply sparingly, and resist the
temptation to overdo things. Work the
toothpick just enough as to cover the
wheel with an even coat - it's an easy
skill to acquire.
To prevent an out-of-round tire, let
the locomotive continue to run as you
watch the BULLFROGSNOT cure,
maybe 10 minutes or so until the color
is gone, then allow to fully cure for a
few hours, overnight for best results.
BULLFROGSNOT in its natural state is
a slimy green color, goes on 'fat', and is
easy to see where it has been applied so
you can check your work. In a few
moments, the color all but disappears as .
it cures thin and tight and forms your
new traction tire. Once scuffed with use,
it's virtually invisible.
Yes,you will lose some electrical contact,
so expect to maybe do some tweaking
and tuning. SNOTing one axle per
locomotive is generally very sufficient.
After curing, you can also trim BULLFROG
SNOT from the flange area if
desired, gaining a bit of electrical contact,
but leaving a traction patch where
the wheel meets the rails.
BULLFROGSNOT stays where you
put it, and needs no grooves in the
wheels. It can also be installed over
existing traction tires to secure them in
place and improve their grip.
Dramatic performance improvements
were realized on the MP 4-4-0by applying
BULLFROGSNOT to both drivers.
It now pulls 10 cars, mixed trains -
including a track wiper car - up hill,
and 35 hoppers on level track! On the
Bachmann 2-6-6-2- with those cool
smoke box mounted dual air pumps
and tiny drivers - application to two
wheels per engine (four total) and
you're soon watching a long coal drag
chug by - I've run 40 loads/55 empties.
The Life-Like 2-8-8-2Mallet with a similar
treatment is transformed into a genuine
freighter, on pulse DC, easily
pulling 75 cars on a level test track. At
that point, the engine could do more,
but the train was pulling apart. (The 2-
8-8-2 has electrical tender pick-up
which connects only to a lamp. Hardwire
this direct to the engine and watch
this baby creep with ;-long train!) It
works on smaller diameter diesel
wheels as well. Atlas's FM H-14-44
becomes a snappy commuter hauler,
and the new RSD-4,hobbled with one
idler axle per truck, gets the grunt a real
Aleo delivered. Shelf queens and roundhouse
scenery get new lives. Most users
report doubling the length of their
trains and more.
Steamers have "independent suspensions"
- axles floating in loose tolerance
bearing blocks - and seem to benefit
more from an additional traction tire.
Diesels have tighter power trucks and
therefore require a more selective application;
the outer axles seem to work
best. Experiment in stages to determine
the best placement and quantity of traction
tires for your particular loco. Like
learning to paint, more is not necessarily
better, and what does not work out is
easily removed with no permanent
alterations. You'll actually prefer
engines without factory traction tires,
because an application of BULLFROG
SNOT works better.
BULLFROGSNOT, like any tire, will
eventually wear out. With extensive
use, it will glaze a bit and the grip
54 N-Seale Magazine
diminishes. Removal is easy using a
standard Xacto knife - use a sharp fresh
blade. Apply power as during installation
and use a 'lathe' action with optimum
tool angle and speed to cut off the
BULLFROGSNOT and re-tire as before.
Keep uncured BULLFROGSNOT
from freezing and Kryptonite (selfexplanatory).
Subjecting BULLFROGSNOT beyond
its natural Mojavinal temp range prior
to comfortable curing messes with its
proprietary
pesudoamphibianalferroequineprimordial
pentagonalpolymeric
structure. Freeze it and you get a slimy
silly putty slug in a jar.
Photo 5 Freshly applied BULLFROG SNOT.
Heating it, well just don't (you don't
want to know). Neither does it any
good; something in the riveting DNA.
BULLFROGSNOT comes in a hand,-
one-ounce bottle for $24.95 available at
your favorite retailer and www.bullfrogsnot.
com (join the blogs to report
your results). One ounce contains 100s
of SNOTy tires, enough to do your
entire fleet several times over and plenty
to share with your friends as well. Is
this the "miracle cure" we've been hoping
for? Is it a change we can believe in?
It will change the way you run your
trains. But then maybe it's Snot for
you.~
so expect to maybe do some tweaking
and tuning. SNOTing one axle per
locomotive is generally very sufficient.
After curing, you can also trim BULLFROG
SNOT from the flange area if
desired, gaining a bit of electrical contact,
but leaving a traction patch where
the wheel meets the rails.
BULLFROGSNOT stays where you
put it, and needs no grooves in the
wheels. It can also be installed over
existing traction tires to secure them in
place and improve their grip.
Dramatic performance improvements
were realized on the MP 4-4-0by applying
BULLFROGSNOT to both drivers.
It now pulls 10 cars, mixed trains -
including a track wiper car - up hill,
and 35 hoppers on level track! On the
Bachmann 2-6-6-2- with those cool
smoke box mounted dual air pumps
and tiny drivers - application to two
wheels per engine (four total) and
you're soon watching a long coal drag
chug by - I've run 40 loads/55 empties.
The Life-Like 2-8-8-2Mallet with a similar
treatment is transformed into a genuine
freighter, on pulse DC, easily
pulling 75 cars on a level test track. At
that point, the engine could do more,
but the train was pulling apart. (The 2-
8-8-2 has electrical tender pick-up
which connects only to a lamp. Hardwire
this direct to the engine and watch
this baby creep with ;-long train!) It
works on smaller diameter diesel
wheels as well. Atlas's FM H-14-44
becomes a snappy commuter hauler,
and the new RSD-4,hobbled with one
idler axle per truck, gets the grunt a real
Aleo delivered. Shelf queens and roundhouse
scenery get new lives. Most users
report doubling the length of their
trains and more.
Steamers have "independent suspensions"
- axles floating in loose tolerance
bearing blocks - and seem to benefit
more from an additional traction tire.
Diesels have tighter power trucks and
therefore require a more selective application;
the outer axles seem to work
best. Experiment in stages to determine
the best placement and quantity of traction
tires for your particular loco. Like
learning to paint, more is not necessarily
better, and what does not work out is
easily removed with no permanent
alterations. You'll actually prefer
engines without factory traction tires,
because an application of BULLFROG
SNOT works better.
BULLFROGSNOT, like any tire, will
eventually wear out. With extensive
use, it will glaze a bit and the grip
54 N-Seale Magazine
diminishes. Removal is easy using a
standard Xacto knife - use a sharp fresh
blade. Apply power as during installation
and use a 'lathe' action with optimum
tool angle and speed to cut off the
BULLFROGSNOT and re-tire as before.
Keep uncured BULLFROGSNOT
from freezing and Kryptonite (selfexplanatory).
Subjecting BULLFROGSNOT beyond
its natural Mojavinal temp range prior
to comfortable curing messes with its
proprietary
pesudoamphibianalferroequineprimordial
pentagonalpolymeric
structure. Freeze it and you get a slimy
silly putty slug in a jar.
Photo 5 Freshly applied BULLFROG SNOT.
Heating it, well just don't (you don't
want to know). Neither does it any
good; something in the riveting DNA.
BULLFROGSNOT comes in a hand,-
one-ounce bottle for $24.95 available at
your favorite retailer and www.bullfrogsnot.
com (join the blogs to report
your results). One ounce contains 100s
of SNOTy tires, enough to do your
entire fleet several times over and plenty
to share with your friends as well. Is
this the "miracle cure" we've been hoping
for? Is it a change we can believe in?
It will change the way you run your
trains. But then maybe it's Snot for
you.~
| CLICK TO ORDER CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS MUST ADD SALES TAX $24.95 + S&H |
| INTERNATIONAL ORDERS WILL HAVE SHIPPING COSTS CALCULATED AND INVOICED SEPARATELY. TOTAL PAYMENT IS REQUIRED BEFORE SHIPPING |
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