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Best way to store Lionel trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains December 28, 2018December 22, 2018

I was talking to a friend the other day about trains and especially about rust. He was very concerned about being able to get the trains out next year and enjoy them without having to clean or refurbish them again. Here’s the best way to store Lionel trains.

The best way to store Lionel trains is in the living space of your home. Try to avoid storing them in a garage or attic if you can. A basement is OK if it’s not too damp. The box they came in is ideal, but there are acceptable substitutes. You also need to be careful how you wrap them.

Increase powerline speed with these weird tricks

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking December 27, 2018March 13, 2021

For Christmas we replaced the entertainment center in our living room we’ve had for 10 years. That meant disconnecting and untangling 10 years’ worth of wiring. I also ran into some problems with my networking. One problem was absurdly low speed. So I looked into ways to increase powerline speed. While it’s still not great, it’s much more usable now.

Generally speaking, to increase powerline speed, you need adapters with a top speed that seems reasonable to you. Assuming you have fairly quick, up-to-date adapters, you should plug them directly into the wall, place them as close to each other as possible, try to avoid using them on circuits that have arc fault breakers on them, avoid having motors and other heavy appliances on the same circuit as the end that plugs into your switch or router, and, ideally, plug them both into outlets on the same circuit breaker.

Outlet sparking when plugging in? What to do

Dave Farquhar DIY December 26, 2018June 4, 2023

An outlet sparking when plugging in is scary when it happens, so I don’t blame you for asking. Is it normal to see a spark when you plug something in?

A spark, also called an arc, happens when electricity jumps from one surface to another, and is usually too small to even notice. If you routinely see a big spark when plugging something in, you need to do something about it, but the cost is frequently very low or even free.

Rock Island train set from the 1980s

Dave Farquhar Toy trains December 21, 2018June 23, 2024

The Rock Island train set was a cheap battery-operated train available at discount and toy stores from about 1988 to 1990.

The set was made in Mexico from old Plastimarx tooling. A small company called Great Lakes Promotions imported it into the United States and distributed it.

AT&T U-verse bridge mode

Dave Farquhar ISPs December 20, 2018December 15, 2018

AT&T home gateway devices don’t have a true bridge mode that you can use if you want to use your own router with their service. But there is an acceptable substitute. So here’s the closest thing you’ll find to AT&T U-verse bridge mode and how to enable it. This also works with AT&T Fiber and everything else AT&T calls AT&T Internet.

Bing SEO optimization: An untapped resource

Dave Farquhar Writing December 19, 2018March 17, 2022

SEO generally centers around Google, because it’s the dominant search engine. But just because they ignore Bing doesn’t mean you should. Bing SEO optimization is similar to Google, but not quite the same. I find Bing is an untapped resource, and it has benefits besides the increase in search traffic it provides.

What is the purpose of Powerpoint?

Dave Farquhar Office December 18, 2018December 19, 2018

What is the purpose of Powerpoint? You might be surprised how many people ask that. Once you reach a certain stage in your career, you can expect to use it a lot. But there are definitely right and wrong ways to use it.

Computer power cord AWG: Why it matters

Dave Farquhar Hardware December 17, 2018March 29, 2023

If you look at your PC power cord really carefully, you’ll see a number stamped on the side followed by the letters AWG. What does a computer power cord’s AWG mean, and should you worry about it? What AWG makes a good gaming PC power cord?

With a typical desktop computer, even a light-duty power cord is sufficient and you don’t have to worry about AWG. High-end computers like servers or gaming PCs with high-power video cards in them do benefit from a heavier-duty power cord, such as 16 AWG or even 14 AWG. Using a heavier cord than the manufacturer specified won’t cause any problems, but a too-light cord can cause various issues.

Marx 999 locomotive variations

Dave Farquhar Toy trains December 14, 2018January 27, 2022

Diecast toys first appeared on the market in the 1920s, but the conservative Marx was slow to adopt it. Diecast toys from the 1920s and even much of the 1930s often have issues with breaking down over time. By the early 1940s, toymakers had worked out the issues. So early in 1941, Marx started developing its first diecast train, the Marx 999 locomotive.

Marx intended for the 999 to be a 1/64 scale locomotive to compete with American Flyer’s 1/64 scale O gauge line. It’s unclear how many Marx 999s made it out the door in 1941. Marx did sell limited numbers of them in 1942, but the start of World War II curtailed toy production. I’ve seen 1942 sets that would have included a 999, but Marx substituted whatever other locomotives they had on hand to sell through its inventory. Marx reintroduced the 999 in 1946 and produced it until 1959.

Can you listen to cell phone calls with a scanner?

Dave Farquhar security December 12, 2018September 9, 2023

Can you listen to cell phone calls with a scanner? Can someone listen to your cell phone calls with a scanner? Depending on who you are, I have good news and bad news.

It’s always been possible to listen to analog cell phone calls with a cheap police scanner. But modern cell phones, including smartphones, are digital and encrypted, so listening to them requires costlier equipment like a Stingray device, limiting cell phone snooping to government agencies and others with huge budgets.