Les1952
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Posts posted by Les1952
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6 hours ago, Kaput said:
You do know you can just lower CV3 and 4 and make it not coast for miles if you want....
That is exactly what I did, as I have done with all my shunters- the layout is too short for locos that coast.
Les
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Mine arrived on Wednesday morning, having been held back for me by Gaugemaster until I came back from holiday in Iceland and Norway. It is a sound-fitted NCB one.
Opening the box- where's the chimney? Answer- on the carpet, where else? Only problem here is that there is a copper or brass bit on one side of the chimney and it might help if I knew which way round it went.
Otherwise- excellent in almost every respect. Looks fantastic and runs beautifully, and with sound off it is silent. Very slight slogging- but the prototype probably slogged much more being a short wheelbase loco with huge cylinders driving from well outside the centre line. Nothing there to complain about. A wonderful piece of kit, well done.
So what is the beef?- the sound file. The loco as supplied coasts for a huge distance if you return the power to zero- the idea of f2 for brake is not that useful when NOT fitted to most of the locos this works alongside. About time people doing sound files got their heads together and made the controls consistent. I'm quite happy to bang for them.... This loco is a dock shunter- it goes short distances.
Using f20 to get into shunt mode (other than remembering it as it isn't the same number as other locos with brakes...) means holding shift down and pressing headlight, holding shift down again and pressing headlight again, then pressing f0. OK if you are using the loco continuously, but go to another loco and come back and you have to do it all again. My layout is 7 feet long. My locos shunt for short distances. By the time you've remembered this one has active drive and used the brakes the loco is in bits on the floor- especially when you are switching between five different locos shunting in a shed (with five different sets of sound commands....)
Could I make a plea to Rapido for the Y7- a smaller loco that in service travelled even smaller distance than the 15xxs in South Wales. Could we have f20 toggling the other way on this one so that it is normally in shunt mode and those who wish to emulate Mallard then toggle shunt mode off?
As it is I've done what I do with all my other locos that are required to shunt a couple of millimetres over coupling magnets- I've altered CV3 and CV4 to disable coast and make the starts quicker.
Les
BTW- a driver from South Wales I talked to in Barry in 1970 reckoned a 15xx could pull "two of them D3000s backwards". Perhaps the 08 wasn't the best heavy dock shunter.
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On 07/09/2023 at 09:49, J-Lewis said:
Apparently the first liveries for these wagons will be released later this month.
Given Peco's general glacial speeds that is this month this year?....
Les
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3 hours ago, Covkid said:
Dignity also has a link to the railways in the UK. They are the good people who are called out to literally pick up the pieces every time a poor troubled soul decides to end it. An everyday occurrence somewhere on the eleven thousand miles of UK (mainland) railway
A late friend who was an undertaker who worked in a town close to the East Coast Main Line recorded that when there was a fatality it would involve him and a colleague walking the line for anything up to three miles with black bin bags and a litter picker collecting the parts of the body.
He got very annoyed when Jeremy Clarkson stated that a fatality was no reason to close a railway to clear it up.
Les
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Another video.
The Ferkeltaxe arrives heading up the valley to Furtwangen and is crossed by the BR290 on Eaos wagons heading for Donaueschingen. Must weather the wagons. Finally the BR86 pauses on its way East with the vintage train.
All still a little wobbly and jerky- I'm still juggling a Powercab in one hand and the phone in the other. At least it gives an impression of the work that has been going on with the ground cover.
All for tonight
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the pond progresses. One complete jar of Gloss Cote tipped in. Mind you it is doing a good job of changing the colour of the grass around it....
More of this when it finally dries the same colour as in the pic (taken while it is still wet...)
Les
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Some of the latest scenics.
First trees have gone in at the Eastern end of the layout over the tunnel. These take time as every tree I've found that is a decent shape and size has had to have a lot of work done on the colour. There will also be some trees in front of the road- how many depends on the number of quality trees I can afford.
Also the first trees have gone in between the shed and the town- different species mostly for this area but the same remarks about quality and finish apply. The one in front of the flats has yet to have the ground around it worked on to hide the plastic roots.
The area around the shed has had the ground cover extended. A lot more work to do here but it is better than varnished plywood....
Having abandoned the idea of having a second platform - a halt this size wouldn't have two platforms - the area between the running lines would now be just unused space- most likely in more affluent time there would have been flower beds here, though they could still be added.
A different angle of the same area. Mr Simon has paid a visit today to retrieve his dog from his holiday here, and suggested that as there is a dip in the ground level here, a large puddle/small pond to the right would be a good idea. That seems a good possibility. the unstarted area behind will be grassed, with bushes and a path from the cobbled area to the shed. Not a road as all supplies will be brought in by rail.
Last for now, the cobbled access from the ramp to the concrete goods standing has now been laid in. Again no work yet done to blend it in, but it is there. The goods transfer warehouse is now stuck down on the extended concrete standing. Next is to look on the DM Toys website for appropriate fencing for the edge of the apron. The area around can now get its basic grass covering.
Plenty done but a lot to do. How long to April 6th (less time needed to prepare the other layouts for 4 shows and the annual holiday)?
Les
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The layout is set up again, until the middle of October when it needs to be taken down to allow NO PLACE to be readied for Hinckley show.
Running today there seems to be a shortage of serviceable railcars as the morning train to Donaueschingen has a Class 215 pulling three Ferkeltaxe trailers, which haven't even had the railway's crest applied over the DR on the sides. The morning goods is light enough for the 08 (bought at scrap value from British Rail) to handle the train. Nothing for the goods yard here this morning.
More pics showing progress when the glue sets and the paint dries- I've been working on that expanse of ground behind the station and between the shed and the goods yard.
Les
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I got the impression that it was a TT Talk for the sake of having one.
I'm certain that anything with a delivery date before mid-October is firm, i.e. waiting for shipping or on the boat for its journey of up to 3 months.
A "Surprise" item needs to be in production now if it is to appear by the year end. That means something has been passed for tooling and a slot found. I'm not going to guess what- I've too much to do getting my German TT layout ready for its debut in April and making sure my N Gauge locos are all running well for Warley...
Les
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13 hours ago, Covkid said:
I think that if Hornby had started out with say a 377 / 387, a 175 and a 185, and maybe a class 68 or an 88 along with half a dozen contemporary wagon designs, I think they would have attracted many modellers including the younger ones - just because those models would allow the longer trains and would be available pretty much now.
I think the target market isn't the twenty-odds but the middle-aged would-be modellers in smaller houses. There is a higher proportion of younger modellers either still with parents or in rented accommodation without the location stability to consider a train set. Those would possibly be the ones more likely to go for 377/87 etc.
Les
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23 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:
There are christmas crackers for sale in my local cash and carry, I don't think there's much chance of snow this year!
Mike.
There's every chance of it snowing on Christmas day. It is just working out where......
(preferably Lapland)
Les
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10 hours ago, No Decorum said:
“Becontree.” Two stops beyond Barking on the London Underground.
Interesting, a certain recent Prime Minister was known as Daggers, short for Dagenham for the same reason... But then again it might just prove that those in the City of London can't count., or that they are too posh to know where Becontree is.......
Les
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I had problems when the Fell I was sent was an analogue one rather than the sound-fitted one I'd ordered. Two emails failed to produce a returns number. It went back anyway, registered post with the order number outside and inside of the package together with a copy of the order and payment and a statement of what the issue was. Two more weeks after Royal Mail confirmed delivery I had heard nothing. More emails. Two weeks or so after that I saw Michael at the Gaydon show, He promised to sort it. More weeks and more unreplied emails. Eventually just before Warley I got a refund, having given the loco up for lost.
Poor service and an impression that where there is a problem Keith isn't all that interested.....
Les
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On 08/08/2023 at 13:25, Bedlington North said:
All of the Airfix 1/72 aircraft starter kits that I have seen and bought from Lidl/Aldi were all tooled in the second decade of the 21st century. And excellent kits they are. No huge panel gaps, no warped plastic and they literally fall together. Along with the excellent quality of the decal sheets I'd say they were excellent value for money.
Suggest you Google when the Jet Provost T.3/4, Spitfire Mk1a, Hurricane Mk1, Messerschmitt Me109e and Focke Wulf Fw190A8 were released - you may get a surprise.
Just a thought- if these are recent tooling and regular model shops can't get them, are they being produced mainly (or even exclusively) for the "centre aisle" market to increase brand awareness?
Les
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Bregenbach in Schwarzwald will be there.
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On 03/08/2023 at 20:14, ColinB said:
Well they haven't done that with my HM7000 that needs returning because their initial App pointed at the wrong piece of software. When did they bring that in. When Bure Valley returned my HD City of Lichfield for repair they had to take photos before they got a repair number it took about 2 months. Now it could be Bure Valley telling porkies but I somehow believe them having had similar issues.
On a par with a Fleischmann loco I returned to Gaugemaster as wholesaler/importer via my local model shop.
Les
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Just now, Graham_Muz said:
This is new from the ground up, as no viable work had been accomplished by anyone previously for the N Gauge version.
We did cater for the same tooling options bunkers, chimneys, foot steps, buffer beam frame brackets, handrails and pipe work as the 00 version.
The DCC interface is a 6-pin micro socket located discretely on the cab floor.
Yes, I'd spotted that in the other thread and deleted that part of the post. Many thanks for the reply. Still no Geisl chimney though.
Les
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About 4 years too late for me sadly. I'd have been up for at least six to work Hawthorn Dene. Now I'm looking for about six Hornby ones in TT:120.
Les
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1 hour ago, ColinB said:
Funny that is my view of current Hornby. On the Hornby forum I was commenting on their pre order system where you order a loco and 4 years later it pops out their system.
Only four? I've just been invoiced for a Bachmann ordered 5 years and 5 months ago.....
Les
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3 hours ago, Ravenser said:
At some stage people will start to build model railways in 1:120 scale - just because there is going to be far too much stuff in existence for this initiative to vanish without trace.
Like this one? I've just completed the layout flier and its first outing is South Notts Show on April 5th/6th next year.
High speeds because at the moment there are still too many odd bits of ballast I need to remove- locos stall on these bumps if running slowly.
OK, not UK outline but I'm picking up the skills to model in a new scale- and finding that for the first time ever I can't raid dealer's bits boxes at shows and toyfairs for secondhand buildings, cars etc. The UK outline one will follow it, and by that time I hope I'll almost know what I'm doing....
Les
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The last two pics are still in the phone (not the camera- that would have been too easy!)
However, here is the video I
threatenedpromised. Speeds and acceleration are too high to avoid stalling on bits of surplus ballast that locos find but I can't always see to chop away. They will be dealt with next time up.The pics will follow at some point. Meanwhile the layout is packed up and Bregenbach is on the shed floor with some spiders evicted from the underside and stuff being assembled for Loughborough.
Les
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So far the replies to my post about the anniversary have been interesting. Perhaps putting two main points in the same post was more than many could handle- as most focused on the running together of UK and Continental prototypes. My 08 will run on Bregstadt as it is conceivable that a cash-strapped German private railway would have bought one that BR were selling off at scrap prices. My Pacifics are showcase queens. UK outline Broken Scar will have an East German diesel shunter which looks quite generic together with 08s and J94s- it is planned as an industrial twig.
To repeat the MAIN point of the post.
"It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved.
Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling.
Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling.
This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling"
There has been an objection to the thought of calling A1/A3 two different locos- note I didn't. Ignoring the track system and buildings, I repeat the question. Please give me an example of ANY other manufacturer in UK outline which has released eleven new tooled items of rolling stock including three locomotives in one scale. Now factor in that this is NOT the main scale. How many newly tooled items have appeared in any one of Bachmann's subsidiary scales? There has also been the comment that this is a new scale. In its second year it isn't new any more but there are at least as many new tooled items coming before July 2024.
Assuming the 8000 Facebook TT-gaugers have a degree of duplication, can anyone give an example of any manufacturer that has brought (say) 2500 newbies into the hobby.
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Last day of work before packing up- and almost up to date with the photos. Only two more pre-dismantling pics to come, these showing an overview of everything fixed down. These are still in the camera. The video is also done and the two pics for the first layout flier are picked.
BR94 arrives with vintage passenger train. The area around the shed has been levelled and painted brown (shame it dried glossy but it was the only pot I had in stock) read for the static grass.
A pair of judicious trees hide the fact that the low relief buildings are actually centimetre forward of the backscene. The paving beside the flats still need relaying and some parked cars and people will disguise the dodgy levels in front of the buildings. Residents would have cars even though through traffic would be limited, the main road being presumed to be offstage behind the layout somewhere.
I've made a start on the low relief factory- progress will be very slow as everything involving depth has to be reduced to 26mm in depth from the original 52mm. The doorway at this end of the building has been bricked up and there will be a small yard at the far end, after which a digger will be making a hole for another block to be built. There will be a vehicle placed on the road over the board join, removable as will be the factory. the layout name will sit immediately above the factory to finish disguising the two joins in the backscene.
Moving on, the BR94 has retired to the shed now the static grass is laid here. With a little cropping of the foreground this will be used in the MK1 version of the layout flier. Naturally better photos will replace the two on Mark 1 as building the layout progresses.
Moving on, the BR280 passes the shed on its way towards Furtwangen. This is a better photo despite the slightly dodgy foreground photo in that clangers are harder to pick up. I think this will be the main pic for the flier.
The layout is now boxed up and standing on end. I've added a drop wire on the run-round loop on the tunnel board, as ballasting the line seems to have lost a connection at the fishplate immediately beyond the point. If that is the only electrical casualty of ballasting I'll be very grateful.
Last pics of this spasm to follow, with the link to the latest video.
Les
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It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved.
Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling.
Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling.
This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling.
In that time how many items of new tooling have come from ANY of the other manufacturers even in their main scale? The nearest comparison should be Graham Farish, which is supposed to be Bachmann UK's main secondary scale. Perhaps those who are spending their time Hornby bashing would like to compare numbers. You need to look to the Continent to find more new items- for example in Fleischmann's 90-page new items book.
There are well North of 8000 members of the various Facebook TT:120 groups, most of whom are new to the hobby. Any comparable measureable growth elsewhere?
As to scale to gauge- what matters isn't 0.4mm on the gauge but that the scale is consistent with the rest of the world. Not 1:148 vs 1:160 as in N or 1:76 vs 1:87 as in HO/OO. This means when I put my A3 Trigo next to a German steamer it looks the right size. The Continentals appreciate this also- a fair number of A3s and A4s have gone to Continental buyers.
I also model in N. My A3s from Croft Spa don't look right standing next to the Continental stock on Bregenbach im Schwarzwald- quite apart from the fact that the only UK outline stock I have that will handle the continental Radius 1 curves and less-steep-than-prototype 1 in 25 banks are my Union Mills locos. The scale to gauge thing is best viewed fron the right end.
Not all positive- the Tillig couplers are a nightmare to uncouple by hand and do have a habit of uncoupling themselves bumping in the flangeway of Hornby's points and I'm not 100% happy with the transfer of power between the blade and the stock rail, though in N gauge Fleischmann points if anything slightly worse. As to flanges- when the stuff is running it will be difficult to see just how big the flanges are. This video which I've posted before shows my 08 running on Bregstadt with German wagons. By the way the bumping is on stray bits of ballast that I'd still to remove at that point- stock finds it better than I can see it.... The layout is having its ballast upgraded with finer stuff.
Les
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WR ‘15XX’ 0-6-0PT - 00 Gauge
in Rapido Trains
Posted
I have the same problem with my Continental N gauge sounds. Minitrix (?uniquely?) uses f2 to toggle the sound on or off. All others have short horn or whistle on this. One of my locos has the guards whistle on f3 while others have a long whistle. Many have the guards whistle on f7, which is loco whistle on Minitrix and platform announcements on at least one other loco.
There should have been a nem standard for which function key does what, but I'm afraid that horse has bolted....
Les