Is it worth me looking at a new controller?

[The Johnster]

Cwmdimbath, my South Wales blt set in the 50s, has been up and running reliably for some time now.  Locos are a massive fleet of 7, consisting of 4x current production Bachmann, an antediluvian Airfix/GMR large prairie, a Hornby 2721 (recent chassis) and a Hornby 42xx (current chassis).  All except the 2721 run very well, and the 2721 runs tolerably well but needs frequent and meticulous cleaning and an occasional 'finger of god' to persuade her to move.  She won't sit down properly at the back and could do with more ballast in the bunker.  The old Airfix 61xx masquerades as a 5101 and runs better with age, though a little noisily by modern standards!

 

Slow control is not anything that I am losing sleep over, but I am wondering nonetheless if it can be improved.  I am fairly committed to DC, as DCC, while clearly a wonderful thing, is an expense I cannot afford and anyway a thing I do not understand and beyond my current comfort zone, Luddite that I am.  The controller is as ancient as the large prairie, and copes with all the varying characteristics of my locos. It is a Gaugemaster power control unit, of simple and robust construction, and nearly 40 years old, a box with a knob, centre off reverse switch, and a power level led (they were cutting edge when I bought it) that gets brighter the more you turn the wick up, but is a bit shy about it's identity; it has no model or serial number anywhere (I looked on the back and underneath), and simply describes itself as an 'Electronic Loco Controller'.  It is probably similar to the current '100M' under the casing; if has exactly the same features but no DIN plug for a handheld.  It has no feedback or simulator, and I do not feel the need for such features, preferring to 'drive' my trains.

 

I am, however, thinking about looking into the possibility of a hand held, which could presumably be powered from the uncontrolled 16 volt AC output on the back of this one.  Do any of you have any recommendations for such a beast, especially one that might provide better slow control; as I say, this is not bad by any means and both track and locos are regularly cleaned, and track is laid smooth and level, but the extreme slow control, while good, is not perfect (I know absolutely perfect slow control is a big ask from an rtr 6-coupled chassis, and am not complaining, just wondering if better is achievable).

 

Or is my old metal box as good as it gets without going into DCC?

Edited August 19, 2017 by The Johnster

[kevinlms]

Cwmdimbath, my South Wales blt set in the 50s, has been up and running reliably for some time now.  Locos are a massive fleet of 7, consisting of 4x current production Bachmann, an antediluvian Airfix/GMR large prairie, a Hornby 2721 (recent chassis) and a Hornby 42xx (current chassis).  All except the 2721 run very well, and the 2721 runs tolerably well but needs frequent and meticulous cleaning and an occasional 'finger of god' to persuade her to move.  She won't sit down properly at the back and could do with more ballast in the bunker.  The old Airfix 61xx masquerades as a 5101 and runs better with age, though a little noisily by modern standards!

 

Slow control is not anything that I am losing sleep over, but I am wondering nonetheless if it can be improved.  I am fairly committed to DC, as DCC, while clearly a wonderful thing, is an expense I cannot afford and anyway a thing I do not understand and beyond my current comfort zone, Luddite that I am.  The controller is as ancient as the large prairie, and copes with all the varying characteristics of my locos. It is a Gaugemaster power control unit, of simple and robust construction, and nearly 40 years old, a box with a knob, centre off reverse switch, and a power level led (they were cutting edge when I bought it) that gets brighter the more you turn the wick up, but is a bit shy about it's identity; it has no model or serial number anywhere (I looked on the back and underneath), and simply describes itself as an 'Electronic Loco Controller'.  It is probably similar to the current '100M' under the casing; if has exactly the same features but no DIN plug for a handheld.  It has no feedback or simulator, and I do not feel the need for such features, preferring to 'drive' my trains.

 

I am, however, thinking about looking into the possibility of a hand held, which could presumably be powered from the uncontrolled 16 volt AC output on the back of this one.  Do any of you have any recommendations for such a beast, especially one that might provide better slow control; as I say, this is not bad by any means and both track and locos are regularly cleaned, and track is laid smooth and level, but the extreme slow control, while good, is not perfect (I know absolutely perfect slow control is a big ask from an rtr 6-coupled chassis, and am not complaining, just wondering if better is achievable).

 

Or is my old metal box as good as it gets without going into DCC?

Reconsider your thoughts about not using 'feedback controllers, because you want to drive your trains'. Such controllers provide smooth adjustments much quicker than you can.

 

Can you not borrow a feedback controller from some one? Or take your worst performing loco, to a club or individual that has one?

Edited August 20, 2017 by kevinlms

[Pete the Elaner]

 It has no feedback or simulator, and I do not feel the need for such features, preferring to 'drive' my trains.

I have heard that before but never understood it.

Direct control is nothing like driving a real train. You can't instantly stop it from flat out to stationary.

A simulator makes you think about stopping the train well in advance of the station's stop mark, which is what train drivers have to do. Their skill & experience will tell them how late they can brake without overshooting.

[Richard Lee]

You could consider getting a Gaugemaster 'electronic track cleaner' (HF1 or HF2), or even an old Relco.  I found that slow running on my layout improved noticeably when I started using one.  There are a couple of circumstances that would stop you using an 'electronic track cleaner'.  Firstly, locomotives with DCC chips fitted shouldn't be used with 'electronic track cleaners' because the chips would be destroyed.  Secondly, locomotives with coreless motors (such as the ones from DJM) shouldn't be used with them because the motor might be damaged.

 

You need an auxiliary 16v AC output (such as is to be found on the Gaugemaster Combi and many other controllers) to power the 'electronic track cleaner'.  Although it should reduce track cleaning, you will still need to do some.  There is an indicator light on the 'electronic track cleaner' that comes on if there isn't an easy path for the current.  I suggest that you clean the track if the light starts coming on frequently while you are running trains.

[The Johnster]

Thank you all for responding, and not trying to convert me to DCC which despite my diminutive fleet I cannot afford.  I have driven layouts with feedback controllers, and agree with Kevin and Pete that it can add a dimension of realism to the 'driving experience' in that you have to learn braking performances and braking points like real drivers have to.  The problem with it in my case is that the fiddle yard is, due to insurmountable space issues, too close to the scenic break to get a train up to a decent running speed before having to brake.  I imagine the branch to have a 40mph line speed, and trains approach the terminus over the top of a steep imaginary bank, so are normally doing about 25-30mph scale when they appear from under the scenic break bridge, with the throttle wide and a good bit of cutoff to drag the train over the top of the bank; they then have to immediately shut off and coast for a short distance before the intitial brake application for the station, dead end buffer stops of course.  

 

What I do is to set the speed of approach on the hidden run of 2 or 3 feet from the fiddle yard siding, and bring the train in under direct control, aiming to be down to about 10mph as the driver hands the token over to the signalman who is about half way along the platform and bring things to a gentle smooth as possible stop from there with the coaches as central under the canopy as possible (we don't want our passengers getting wet, now, do we, and, as this is South Wales, it rains a lot except for when it is about to rain a lot).  I am quite good at this and like the directness of control of, not so much driving the train, as braking it.  I consider feedback to be more suitable for large layouts where long trains have to be realistically brought down to manageable station stop speeds from much faster and further out.  Freight and mineral traffic plods over the top of the bank and is already well slow enough for the 15mph through the shunt into the loop, which I am considering reducing to 10mph just so I can have a PROS sign with an arrow pointing that way; they'll still be fine as they plod in.  

 

This begs the question of how I assess speed, and it is done by my going chuff chuff chuff at the rate or 4 chuffs per driving wheel revolution or ts ts ts for the vacuum pump (we are GW cos that's the way we roll in my house), or by listening to wheel beats over rail joints.  I've been around railways for 60 years now and reckon I'm not too bad at this game.  I keep my eye on the coupling rods in other words.  Fortunately I live alone and do not unduly alarm anyone while all this is going on.  I make whistle noises as well, or else how does the signalman know when the loco is clear of the splitting home signal the other side of the bridge...

 

Departing passenger or parcels trains accelerate slowly and smoothly out of the station until the last vehicle disappears beneath the scenic break bridge, then they are left to their own devices until the auto stop brings them up in the fiddle yard, and are probably, judging from the speed of the wheel beats, doing about 35 tops when they disappear, not far off right for a smart departure down a steep bank.  The technique, such as it is, is to get them moving, allow the momentum to build from the point at which they start to move until they settle down to around 10mph, by which time the loco is off the end of the platform, and turn the wick up slowly but steadily.  Minerals and goods plod out like they plodded in, wary of that bank, minerals slow enough for brakes to be pinned down!

 

So, overall, I don't see the need for simulation and probably wouldn't use it on my particular layout in my particular circumstances, though I do see it's value in other circumstances.  As for compensation, there is no need for this either as, imaginary bank or not, the layout is in fact dead level throughout, and even if it wasn't I would want to drive the trains by giving them a bit more uphill and easing off downhill, if that makes sense.  That said, the old club used ECM compspeeds and I rather liked them.

 

I am, as I say, not unhappy with things as they are but wonder if better slow running and/or smoother starts (stops are pretty realistic and I can almost hear the little final squeal of brakes) are possible with a more modern controller, and I suspect that I already know the answer and don't like it; modern dc controllers are fundamentally the same as the one I've got and the smoother running of DCC is possible because the loco is always being fed 12volts and the chip tells it what to do with it, whereas my locos are starting off at perhaps a third or quarter of that and having to overcome the friction of the pickups, drivetrains, and rail surface as well as the load.  Modern rtr runs very well indeed, and I am trying to gild a lily rather than polish a t**d here except for the Hornby 2721, and even that isn't that bad though for now it is restricted to passenger traffic.

 

Richard, thank you, I had forgotten about Relcos, the wonder solution of the age.  My experience of them was on a club show layout where, to be honest, I couldn't see any difference in performance; the club's members either swore by or at them while I maintained a cool, detached, and rather superior ambivalence (isn't that the thing you go to hospital in?).  IIRC they worked by passing high frequency pulses of millions of volts that lasted less than the detectable life span of a Higgs-Boson through your track which burned any carbon deposits to a crisp along with Portescap motors, and thus improved the running of anything except Portescap motors.  As I have no coreless or Portescap motors and no foreseeable prospect of buying anything by DJH with one, it would not do any harm to try one or the Gaugemaster products you suggest which I assume work in the same way (he says as if he understood how they work in anything but the very vaguest sense).  I will look into this.

 

I will still be investigating the pros and cons of a hand held if no degradation of performance results, even if there is no real improvement, as a handheld will be an added convenience and at my age you need all the added conveniences, public and otherwise, that you can get...

Edited August 20, 2017 by The Johnster

[uax6]

A friend uses the old Gaugemaster UF hand held controllers (and the even older comspeed ones as well). He has a verity of stock, and they work well. Mind you he also brings out his old childhood safety minor at times as well.

 

The main issues are making sure that your locos pick up well (add extra pick-ups and a bit of axle slop on the centre coupled wheels) and lay your track nicely. Clean it all off and then rub the pencil over it and you should have much better running.

 

I've managed to pick up the odd UF on Ebay for the day when I get a railway of my own, but I test with an old Hornby 6VA controller, and if they run nicely with that, they will run with anything!

 

Andy G

[Skippy]

Don't confuse feedback and inertia, they're very different features. Inertia (which it sounds like you don't want) simulates the mass of a real train. Feedback compensates for variables like dirty track, gradients and long wire runs to keep speed constant. It also generally offers much better slow running but otherwise is just like using a traditional DC controller - you can change speed as fast as you can turn the dial.

 

Edit: if you're looking for an affordable recommendation, I've found the Gaugemaster UDF or UF excellent. It has feedback but not simulation (inertia).

Edited August 20, 2017 by Skippy

[The Johnster]

Thank you skippy and Andy G, I will check out Gaugemaster UF and give my track a seeing to with a soft pencil, making sure it is a proper graphite one. I remember years ago using pencil graphite as lubricant for Airfix construction kit loco valve gear and motion, quite successfully!  It sounds as if feedback is worth looking at.

Edited August 20, 2017 by The Johnster

[The Johnster]

Looks like a way to go might be the UF (I do not need the twin controller and a UF would have to be powered from the one I've already got anyway), which although designed for a panel mount, could easily enough be built into a small plastic or wooden box for hand holding and would give me feedback, and hopefully better slow running, as well.  

 

Thanks again for your advice, everyone.

Edited August 20, 2017 by The Johnster

[Oldddudders]

I think it important that we respect those who are comfy with DC, and do not try to imply that in 2017 DCC is the only answer to running a railway in a satisfactory fashion. After all, many decades passed with all the 2-rail, and many of the 3-rail, layouts in the world using DC. Were operations on all those layouts, clumsy, unrealistic and primitive? Hardly! Without a doubt DC controllers of today benefit from electronic circuits that add smoothness, and simulation if you choose to use it. It must be 50 years since I bought a Codar unit with variable simulation, and loved it. It is inconceivable that today's equivalents aren't even better. 

 

DCC is not cheap, and the apparent complexity and surrounding jargon are enough to put some people off investing - even if they have the funds, which many modellers simply don't.

 

I hope the OP finds a better DC controller, thanks to suggestions in this thread, and enjoys his operations even more.

 

And, for the avoidance of doubt, as they say, I converted to DCC in 1997 and have never looked back. But so what?

[The Johnster]

Thank you Ian.  DCC is a 'when I win the lottery' project for me, though it's value is undoubted; I simply cannot afford it and would have to convert the whole fleet at once as well as investing in the control kit, perhaps 5 or 6 hundred beer tokens.  I'd like it, it is clearly better, but there was a mix up in the maternity ward when I was born and I got sent home with the working class people.  Any of my old bosses will tell you that I am genetically suited to a life of complete indolence and idleness, and suspect that I am in fact really Royalty, or at least nobility, if only the truth were to come out.  I have the weak chin to prove it!

 

Digging on the Gaugemaster site shows the HH, a hand held device which features feedback and claims excellent slow running; this looks like the way to go and I will still have the old 100M? which can provide the AC and will come in handy if I ever buy anything with a motor that might object to the new toy, so outlay will be less than £40.

 

As I say I am not unhappy with the existing controller.  It has worked faultlessly for 40 years, survived a quarter century in some very dodgy storage, and I like it's re-assuring feel and solidness, and see no reason that it won't last another 40 years, which is more than I will; this is a quest to improve, not replace.

[kevinlms]

I think it important that we respect those who are comfy with DC, and do not try to imply that in 2017 DCC is the only answer to running a railway in a satisfactory fashion. After all, many decades passed with all the 2-rail, and many of the 3-rail, layouts in the world using DC. Were operations on all those layouts, clumsy, unrealistic and primitive? Hardly! Without a doubt DC controllers of today benefit from electronic circuits that add smoothness, and simulation if you choose to use it. It must be 50 years since I bought a Codar unit with variable simulation, and loved it. It is inconceivable that today's equivalents aren't even better. 

 

DCC is not cheap, and the apparent complexity and surrounding jargon are enough to put some people off investing - even if they have the funds, which many modellers simply don't.

 

I hope the OP finds a better DC controller, thanks to suggestions in this thread, and enjoys his operations even more.

 

And, for the avoidance of doubt, as they say, I converted to DCC in 1997 and have never looked back. But so what?

Actually, I think you are the first one to mention DCC as a potential solution!. In fact the OP in post 5, congratulated those up to then, who HADN'T tried to convert him! The last point in Post one, was that he didn't want to go DCC.

 

 

But yes, DC controllers have been much improved. There is indeed a big difference between inertia controllers (they were first) and feedback controllers, and yes, you can have both.

 

I think inertia controllers, are not that suitable for short layouts and/or shunting, but are quite good on longer layouts, where you can just wind up the controller and depending on the acceleration rate, stand back across a room and watch a lengthy train, slowly speed up. Make sure there in an emergency stop though!

 

Feedback controllers are far more suitable, for where you want fine control of trains, i.e. slowly move up to couple up to a train. I believe that is what The Johnster wishes to achieve.

[The Johnster]

That is what I wish to achieve.  Pension day Wednesday and shopping trip for new controller and 4B pencil Thursday.

[Pete the Elaner]

Don't some of the Bachmann can motored-locos also dislike feedback?

I have a twin Gaugemaster feedback & don't use it for this reason.

The newer electronic controllers (eg Gaugemaster's beige range) give much better slow speed running than the instant 0-60 shock of an older resistance controller like an H&M Clipper.

[The Johnster]

Gaugemaster's website mentions that prolonged slow running can cause the motors to become hot, but on a layout my size no running, no matter how slow, is going to be that prolonged.  Except for propelling into loading docks where men may be working in vehicles, I shunt at about 10mph, which I think is a reasonable representation of real shunting in this sort of situation; busy marshalling yards used to bang stock about much quicker than this but in my case, a BLT, it was more of a compromise, between allowing time for the shunter to walk to the next location at which he has to throw a point or uncouple, and getting the job done so they could all slope off for a cup of tea.  Propelling stock into areas where men were working in or on other stock, such as loading platforms and goods sheds, was done with extreme caution and very slowly, but otherwise, while you don't want to be doing stabbed rat starts at 60mph or brick wall stops from it, there needs to be a bit of a 'let's get on with it then' attitude.  I despair of whizzy whizz shunting at shows, but just as much of the 'let's race the snail' approach.  

 

Smooth starts and stops are the most essential part of this, especially starts; I am already reasonably happy with the way most of my locos drift to a standstill.  Starting, while good, is not perfect and perfect starting is a big ask, the controller has to provide the correct amount of current to overcome rolling, pickup, and gear train resistance but without jerking into motion, and keep the momentum as the loco picks up the load, or you just get a false start and have to turn the wick up a little more, increasing the likelihood of a jerk.  Once the drag is moving steadily, then you can gradually wind the knob up and put a little more in until you are ready to ease off and slow down again.

 

The better your ability to control the loco at very low speeds and the smoother you can start or stop it, the more realistic you will be getting up to and down from realistic shunting speeds

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...  Starting, while good, is not perfect and perfect starting is a big ask, the controller has to provide the correct amount of current to overcome rolling, pickup, and gear train resistance but without jerking into motion, and keep the momentum as the loco picks up the load, or you just get a false start and have to turn the wick up a little more, increasing the likelihood of a jerk...

Contrary to some of the opinion expressed, this is where not just a feedback controller but one with a selectable level of inertia simulation available is most useful. A little experimentation with each loco and a note of the settings required for the desired start style may then be conducted. Thereafter the operator simply 'opens the taps' to the previously determined settings for the loco, and the controller takes care of the movement through the dead slow speed phase. The operator can then take over and drive as desired.

 

The only fly in the ointment is track dirt, causing momentary interruption in supply to the motor. At least on a small layout it isn't unreasonable to clean the rails ahead of every operating session.

 

 

Don't some of the Bachmann can motored-locos also dislike feedback?...

Having experience of about half the Bachmann OO loco range - my own and those of friends - I have yet to encounter one such (ditto those Dapol, Heljan, Hornby, Oxford loco models I have encountered to date) but if there are any known trouble spots that can be identified? That's always useful to know.

 

(The feedback these are subjected to is overwhelmingly of Devil's Corrupted Codpiece origin, but feedback control is feedback control. Capacitors are removed if there is a proven need, and feedback being feedback, that may well be required for some combinations of loco mechanism and DC feedback controllers too?)

[The Johnster]

I will take note of what you say about capacitors, and remove them from any locos that react badly to the feedback at least experimentally, but am fairly confident of not running into any trouble; overheating is more of a concern but if the GM comment about prolonged use means, as I suspect it does, crawling a loco for considerable times along a large layout, it will not be applicable to my BLT, as such running will be pretty much restricted to propelling into loading docks as stated, which happens for a few seconds (certainly no more than 10) at a time.

 

My layout is kept fairly clean, and the very few running problems I have which are down to dirt are very predominantly at the pickup/wheel interface.  As you say, one of the advantages of a small layout is that it is easy to keep the track clean, and my running sessions are frequent so I can easily stay on top of issues as they arise.  I am attempting to eliminate plastic wheels from my stock over time as well, as these are now the main providers of crud.  Anyway, new controller tomorrow, I'm quite excited!

[PatB]

Something which I don't think has yet been mentioned is a PWM (pulse width modulation) controller. I've got a cheapo "Li'l Pulser" which came as a kit from the, now defunct, Dick Smith Electronics chain over here. I think it's a US design from Silicon Chip magazine so I'm sure it would be available from someone like Maplins or similar.

 

Anyhoo, it seems to be a high frequency design rather than the basic 100Hz types that just use mains frequency to generate the pulses. It has successfully tamed a brace of sprung rear axle Hornby 0-6-0s (Thomas and their GNR saddle-tank) sufficiently to make them useable as shunters were I to actually own a layout on which to use them. I've test run a couple of Lima tender drives with it too, both with the original Lima pancake and with CD drawer conversion, both of which seemed to function acceptably. Certainly better than the reputation of 1970s tender drives would tend to suggest.

 

The aforesaid lack of a layout and having no locos with modern/coreless motors (I don't think a Mashima 1833 really counts as modern) means I can't really comment on motor heating or other negative effects under prolonged running, or its suitability for any current 00 model so caution would be my advice there.

 

Not to be taken as a recommendation as such, just something to consider.

[The Johnster]

Yes, I'd forgotten pulse width, which I shouldn't because I once had one and was very impressed with it, though I cannot remember now who made it.  It died on me after several years' use, but was a fine little thing, handheld.  I never really understood how they worked, but I don't really understand how feedback or compensation work either beyond a very basic and probably not very accurate level (don't bother trying to explain, I won't understand and don't really need to know).

 

PWM seems to be the domain of kits, self builds, and difficult to obtain except that, apparently, Hornby use it in their train set controllers; I suspect the Gaugemaster HH will be a better bet in my case and is easily obtainable from my friendly local model railway shop, where I can ask questions and take it back if I have problems; current thinking at Casa Johnster is that this is the way to go and I will go a'shopping on the morrow as stated earlier.  

 

The other thing that came up is half-wave rectification, which I remember from a old H & M 'Powermaster' (now there's a name to conjure with) as a variable rectification slider control.  It was supposed to improve slow running, which it did, but not slow smooth running, and made motors hot and noisy; my local dealer in those days warned me not to use it because he reckoned it made the wear on carbon brushes excessive.  I reckoned you could use it to get 3-pole performance from a 5-pole motor; the 'Powermaster' was a fine beast otherwise and had 6 separate outputs, so was effectively my first control panel.

 

That said, if it can tame a Hornby 0-6-0 with sprung rear axle like my 2721, I'm impressed!

[kevinlms]

Something which I don't think has yet been mentioned is a PWM (pulse width modulation) controller. I've got a cheapo "Li'l Pulser" which came as a kit from the, now defunct, Dick Smith Electronics chain over here. I think it's a US design from Silicon Chip magazine so I'm sure it would be available from someone like Maplins or similar.

 

Anyhoo, it seems to be a high frequency design rather than the basic 100Hz types that just use mains frequency to generate the pulses. It has successfully tamed a brace of sprung rear axle Hornby 0-6-0s (Thomas and their GNR saddle-tank) sufficiently to make them useable as shunters were I to actually own a layout on which to use them. I've test run a couple of Lima tender drives with it too, both with the original Lima pancake and with CD drawer conversion, both of which seemed to function acceptably. Certainly better than the reputation of 1970s tender drives would tend to suggest.

 

The aforesaid lack of a layout and having no locos with modern/coreless motors (I don't think a Mashima 1833 really counts as modern) means I can't really comment on motor heating or other negative effects under prolonged running, or its suitability for any current 00 model so caution would be my advice there.

 

Not to be taken as a recommendation as such, just something to consider.

The Silicon Chip kits were NOT US designs, but from Australia.

 

The PCB and the panel art work for the Lil Pulser are still available.

 

http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/8/1046

[PatB]

The Silicon Chip kits were NOT US designs, but from Australia.

 

The PCB and the panel art work for the Lil Pulser are still available.

 

http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/8/1046

 

Oops. That'll teach me to rely on my dodgy memory .

 

My own kit was purchased at least 12 years ago so, presumably, it's an unrefined Mk1.

 

I still reckon it's a decent controller, though, and it wouldn't be difficult to adapt to have the speed and direction controls on a hand-held module.

Edited August 24, 2017 by PatB

[kevinlms]

Oops. That'll teach me to rely on my dodgy memory .

 

My own kit was purchased at least 12 years ago so, presumably, it's an unrefined Mk1.

 

I still reckon it's a decent controller, though, and it wouldn't be difficult to adapt to have the speed and direction controls on a hand-held module.

Another source of kits here.

 

http://www.talkingelectronics.com/AllKitsWithPics/AllKitsWithPics.html

 

Many are suitable for model railways and indeed that is where the author started his range, IIRC.

 

I have used some of them and his Remote Relay Unit, which is a DPDT relay and is excellent.

[The Johnster]

My local purveyor of model railway stuff, Lord and Butler, didn't have a Gaugemaster HH in stock, but Peter has ordered me one.  It is against his advice though; he reckons modern motors do not like feedback!  While I was there I bought a Woodland Scenics 'Tidy Trax Roto' wheel cleaner, a clever little thing which cleans the treads of your wheels for you, though not the backs where the pickups bear on them.  Like most Merkan stuff, it is well designed and well made, with a good feel of quality to it.  It can be powered via a crocodile clip connector from a handy piece of track or the controller output, or sat on a piece of straight track and pick up current from that.  The crocodiles are the thing in my case; I do not have a lot of straight track!

 

It works by having a pair of rails on a sprung plate onto which your place the loco and depress the plate by bearing down on the loco.  The depressed wheel treads then run on strips of expanded polystyrene which pick up the dirt without scratching the wheel surface; simple and, from the dirt left on the strips by my locos, reasonably effective as well!  My wheel and track cleaning regimes are fairly vigorous, but this will make life a bit easier and can remain permanently wired up to the controller once the new HH arrives (about a week according to Peter).  I was looking at the Gaugemaster version of this, which uses brass wire bristles to clean the wheels, but I reckon this is better and less abrasive to the wheel treads.  Abrasions, apart from wearing the wheel out over time, will pick up dirt more easily.  I imagine I can get more mileage out of the strips by swapping them to the other side of the 'tracks' and then by turning them upside down.

[Pete the Elaner]

My local purveyor of model railway stuff, Lord and Butler, didn't have a Gaugemaster HH in stock, but Peter has ordered me one.

That's a bit of a let down when you've gone out with the intention of buying it.

[The Johnster]

I'm Welsh, we love a bit of disappointment...

 

Plenty modelling to do in the meantime and I've got my new wheel cleaning toy to console myself with; it's already improved the running, but I'm still gonna go for the HH, because 1) I want a handheld, and 2) I reckon it will further improve the slow running.  I don't mind waiting a week or so.  I suppose I should have phoned to check stock; Peter would still have ordered it for me, but I like going down there and having a chat and a look around (my wallet isn't so keen!).