Right Away

Weights on the front drivers on the prototype were offset in respect of the other axles to balance the motion and drive from the inside cylinders.

Never having visited Weymouth in the days of steam hauled boat trains, I cannot help but wonder if there were operational difficulties over the extremely sharp curve on the Tramway (other than inconsiderate parking). By necessity, speeds were extremely low; flange drag would be quite severe and the exposed location in bad weather must have made rail conditions challenging. Would any member know the chainage of the curve, loadings involved and would assistance have been provided where necessary on the heavier workings?

"Heritage" should mean heritage and all that goes with it. Many would be alarmed at the prospect of preserved steam locomotives or any other prime mover for that matter if it failed to represent authentically the condition in which it was operated back in the day.

Perhaps the 3 Bulleid/Raworth electric locos might be worthy of consideration for a commission. Typically "boxy" looking, but the bogie detail would be a gem.

Just a final follow up to my OP. Having spent some time adjusting the CV's on all units (all matching values), multiple running is now very good; any disparity is negligent. When initially reading the values of the decoders it transpired that some settings on a couple of units were not those originally set. I must assume that whilst programming another locomotive (POM) sometime beforehand, I'd scrolled to the wrong address and inadvertently altered the EMU's decoder. Duh! Anyway, thanks for all your help guys.

Thank you RFS. Is it possible to remove the motor bogie without removing the body?

Thanks Nigel and SRMan. My units are HALs and BILs. Yes, they are all pretty similar in running characteristics, all with identical decoders. When in multiple (2 or 3 units as a rule) they run OK; just that there was this noticeable buffing on occasions which I wondered if over an extended period might exacerbate wear in the gear trains. Some may say I'm being over fussy - they're probably right!

When operating EMUs in multiple (or for that matter any multiple consist) it is a given that no two motors will hardly ever perform identically "out of the box." There is generally a very small degree of pushing and/or tugging imparted between units which is not always evident as they are coupled. However, would any member care to advise whether or not this disparity would have a detrimental effect on the gearing and mechanisms over time. My particular interests are with the Hornby Southern EMUs, all fitted with Lenz Standard decoders and having identical CV values powered by a Lenz 100. Running the units uncoupled shows the degree of variation in speeds etc. Adjusting the CVs of each unit individually would be the obvious answer but to get 4 units running practically the same may take forever! Is there a way of performing POM in multiple consists?

The model railway manufacturing industry of today does sometimes incite criticism of its retail pricing structure. In a market which has proven difficult on occasion to "break even" it is very generous of Bachmann to provide a donation of this nature. When 32424 eventually takes to the rails in revenue earning service, it is conceivable that interest in the model will receive further attention and promote additional sales which can only be a good thing. In the meantime we might ponder as to which part of the loco or tender we have individually contributed.

Depending on the line speed and having regard to adequate signal sighting it might be better if any routing signal(s) were located before the tunnel.

Interesting shot of 35007 with a 5100 gallon tender No 3127 which she acquired in Sep '66.

Oh, the ever recurring modern day problem with all our electronic consumables - obsolescence. A competitive market leaves manufactures little choice than to look continually at "improving" on their latest creations in order to stay in the game. Result: the poor old customer may be left feeling dissatisfied or even cheated when newer items arrive in the shops and his/her hard earned and paid for erstwhile prized possession becomes somewhat unattractive even though it continues to perform flawlessly. Some might yearn for the days where technology proceeded at a more respectful pace and items were not out of date as soon as they reached the sales shelf. Thankfully, within our hobby, standards generally ensure that our control systems remain compatible and to some degree are "future proofed". Nevertheless, we may still be tempted to part with the readies when it is not strictly necessary. It all comes down to affordability and necessity in which case listening to Mick's words might lend leverage to any decision. ".... but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need."

Wow, that's really informative; thank you so much. Just for the record, I've partly scanned the attached photo dated 1962 with my iPhone. The train was working westwards from Guildford towards Reading, consisting of a GUV and a Bulleid 59' 3 set. Apologies for highjacking the OP topic somewhat; perhaps I should have created a new posting in the Hornby section. Hopefully I'll be forgiven!

Deviating slightly; would anyone know when the Southern Region first acquired its BR GUVs for "general" use?

Hopefully, a far easier task than the repositioning of the LH battery boxes on their Mk1 BSKs.

There's a thought; I do have some Maunsell's, those on the inside of rakes which would be willing to donate their outer doors. Thanks John

Outer gangway doors on these vehicles. Assuming they were SR "Pullman" gangways, would anyone know if these doors are available to purchase from accessory manufacturers?

Electrification would add an additional element of interest, not only with the stock but the associated infrastructure. It was the ultimate goal of the Southern Railway and wherever installed, the direct lines thereon were never intended to host steam passenger services again. As has been mentioned, adjoining steam services at an electrified location give the most potential. You may want to consider inter regional excursion services but that is probably getting away from your local theme. There is always contingency workings which would affect the electrified lines and necessitate steam operation such as flooding and maybe even an ASLEF strike! You could always exercise your "licence". Your railway, your choice and what is or may have been plausible. The only rigid rules that we all must adhere to are those that we impose ourselves, with the possible exceptions of a (near) replica or an exhibition layout.

More of a longer distance, main line example than I think you're intending but Brighton - Tonbridge steam hauled services operated over the electrified sections as far as Lewes; plenty of BILs, HALs and NOLs along the Central Section's east coast line.

In a way answering one of my questions, but also taking note of 5C's experiences, could not the stresses placed on the gear train, especially on the heavier models be such that sudden stopping, starting and changes of direction (train set fashion) be a contributory factor in these failures? I would not imagine that any of our members operate their locomotives in such a ham-fisted manner but a model of previous ownership may have been, in which case there is another need for repair and servicing for the less dextrous but careful owner. An appreciation of "mechanical sympathy" does pay dividends where the longevity of components are concerned and in these instances, DCC can play an important role. Once programmmed, the equipped engine or multiple unit can be made to always start and stop in a very gentle, prototypical way thus imparting minimal stresses to the mechanisms.

I do sympathize with you; I hadn't realised that split gears were such a problem before. My questions are: (1) Are certain models (of all manufacturers) more susceptible to this than others? (2) Can operational use of an excessive nature contribute to it, i.e. continuous heavy loading, high speeds etc? (3) is there anything owners can do to mitigate the problem occuring. (4) Have the manufactures addressed the problem on newer units? In the meantime, we are indebted to the tremendous help of our members in the absence of a satisfactory after sales repair service.

My first C class purchased around 4 years ago has always been a smooth, quiet runner. However, my second C class, a more recent acquisition, although smooth in operation was not very quiet at all. Although a "new" model, I now suspect this was a result of extended time in storage (these models have been around a while) and poor initial lubrication at manufacture. Having spent much time adjusting CVs in both Zimo and Lenz decoders in the loco with a view to finding the "sweet spot" without success, I lifted the engine body and saw that the mechanism was very dry. No sign of grease or oil in the gear train. The motor ran quietly when released from the gear wheels suggested there was nothing awry with either decoder. I very carefully applied oil to the gear wheels, motor bearings and while I was at it, the coupling rod bushes and axles with a pin applicator. On reassembly, the loco is now much quieter.

Keep saying it, Gerry. A "Mary" would be ideal; but even a "Sheba" as Hornby already have the tooling for the cab front sheets.

I see what you mean Rob about the glazing. The profile of the prototype is such a distinctive feature that any shortcomings in those areas will stand out accordingly. Hopefully, at reasonable viewing distances these anomalies will be less obvious and be acceptable. A somewhat rather pointless thought, but I was reminded of the N gauge Graham Farish Mk1s produced in the 1980s, where windows were rendered by omitting paint on transparent bodysides; the flush glazing in that scale was quite effective and N gauge 59' Bullieds modelled in this fashion would have looked quite reasonable.

Appreciated it defeats the purpose of "DCC Ready" and I'm not familiar with the J36 but when presented with this kind of issue, where possible, I generally dispense with the socket, chop off the decoder plug and hard wire the decoder.