MikeJT

I can highly recommend the lighting kit offered from the seller "stickswipe" - just do a search on the famous auction site. For about £20 you get well assembled lighting with very clear instructions and great support when configuring you work with your choice of decoder. No link other than I've purchased several of his products and I'm a very happy customer. Lighting transforms the "Gronk"! Have fun. Mike

Hi good folk, My brother recently acquired a second hand oo gauge Bachmann Class 20 (new tooling) - factory sound model (35-355SF). It has an annoying whine at slowish speeds (and sound switched off), which he was aware of when purchasing. He's asked me to see if I can get to the bottom of it. I've done the things that occurred to me - removed the old grease from the gears, drive etc and replaced with suitable alternatives. The model now runs smoothly but the whine, whilst reduced remains. One thing I've noticed is a vibration through the model - one of the two driveshafts to my eye looks slightly bent - my thinking is this slight oscillation might be the cause of the whine? Any thoughts? I'd read elsewhere that this retooled model is prone to slight movement of the motor so I have packed this slightly to remove sideways play. A video link is included which hopefully might help identify the issue. Thoughts and ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Yes - by "lights" I mean illuminated indicator panels, able to display white or red light. So I suppose if we're splitting hairs then no it doesn't. Either way it definitely doesn't explain what I get. As my post explained the issue isn't whether or not they light but that the behaviour (which colour is displayed) does not change when the direction of travel changes. Tbh I'm not concerned about cab lights - I can choose to isolate those but felt it appropriate and necessary to include the behaviour of the complete lighting circuit when seeking advice. Hope that clarifies.

Hi all, I've just purchased my first Dapol Class 73 - 73 126 as part of a bundle deal (includes a 4TC) from Kernow Models. I know there have been lighting issues with the Class 73 but having looked through most of this thread I've either missed my scenario or it's something slightly different. For now I've just been running the model on DC to run in the motor and gear train. My issue is as follows: No 1 end leading RED light illuminates in the facing direction WHITE light illuminates in the trailing (No 2) end Cab light on at the trailing (No. 2) end No. 2 end leading WHITE light illuminates in the facing direction RED light illuminates in the trailing (No.1) end Cab light on at the trailing (No. 1) end. Taking the case off confirms the dip switches are all in the default positions. I've also confirmed the model has the known issue with the RED and BLACK wires reversed to the M+ and M- solder pads. Will swapping these wires resolve my odd behaviour? The loco will be going DCC once the ordered decoder arrives. Any advice appreciated and apologies if I've missed the answer elsewhere in this lengthy thread! Many thanks, Mike

So folks, as promised an update regarding my Peak lightning problems... Finally traced the problem to a fault in the PCB soldering for the No.2 end lights. The black, red and yellow wires from the No.2 end lighting unit connect to the PCB via a plug into the "CON2" socket. The soldered pins for the black and red wire connections were bridged by poor PCB soldering causing a short. Cutting the connection with a very fine blade has solved the fault. Happy days! Mike

As mentioned in my original post the dip switches are not the issue here as they do not change the incorrect operation of the lights and the lights on my model do not reflect the operation of others with the Heljan Peak. If it's incorrect on DC it'll be incorrect on DCC. I'm hoping some fiddling with the wiring plugs and sockets may solve the problem. To that end a friend is kindly going to bring their correctly functioning Heljan Peak so we can compare the wiring on both when I next have a day off. I'll post my finding here! Fingers crossed that'll sort it as I don't want to have to send the model back as the variant is now sold out everywhere. I suppose the other option is a faulty PCB but not sure if Heljan are in a position to supply one if necessary... Mike

Hi all, I've just received a Heljan Class 45/1 (OO gauge) but think I have a fault with the lighting as the model is displaying odd behaviour. With No.1 (fan) end leading the white marker lights are correctly lit but the red tail lights at No.2 end are not. With No.2 end leading the white marker lights at that end are correctly lit but so are the red tail lights at the leading end, plus the tail lights at the No.1 end! Playing with the dip switches on the circuit board doesn't solve the problem. This behaviour is when running in on DC. Any suggestions please before I contact Heljan or does it seem likely the circuit board is faulty? I'm thinking this could be an issue similar too the Class 14 where some of the word have been incorrectly connected... Apologies for posting in two threads - originally posted in a general help and advice thread but no luck there. Thanks for any suggestions! Mike

Hi all, I've just received a Heljan Class 45/1 (OO gauge) but think I have a fault with the lighting as the model is displaying odd behaviour. With No.1 (fan) end leading the white marker lights are correctly lit but the red tail lights at No.2 end are not. With No.2 end leading the white marker lights at that end are correctly lit but so are the red tail lights at the leading end, plus the tail lights at the No.1 end! Playing with the dip switches on the circuit board doesn't solve the problem. This behaviour is when running in on DC. Any suggestions please before I contact Heljan or does it seem likely the circuit board is faulty? Thanks for any ideas. Apologies if this is posted in the wrong area - I want sure where to ask. Mike

Thank you everyone. Very helpful and informative information. Mike

Hi all, I'm trying to establish if 50 025 Invincible carried a Royal Navy crest and more specifically whether the loco did so when running in the original Network South East livery? All the photos I can find would suggest not. I wonder if anyone can help? A combination of my ageing brain, the passage of time and a lack of helpful photos has left me pondering! Thanks all 🙂 Mike

The cattle dock at Gwinear Road (former junction for the Helston branch) on the Cornwall mainline uses red brick. Although now within a private garden this can still be seen clearly from passing trains. Mike

I have a copy from August last year if that helps? Take care all. Mike MazakRotList_v1.6_31032020.pdf

And that's the point. The tooling of the 50, whilst good for it's time is now dated and lagging behind newer models. The Bachmann 47, whilst pricy ups is game significantly in refinement and attention to detail. Yet again Hornby have increased their prices without any attempt to enhance dated models. Mike

What a disappointment! Like many I suspect, I was interested to see if the Class 50 was represented in this range. Whilst it's good to see two examples the pricing is massively overpriced in my opinion when compared to, for example the new Bachmann 47 or the forthcoming Heljan Peak or Accurascale Deltic or 37. The 50 is a dated model and it'll be interesting to see if the long overdue 21 pin socket provides for prototypical control of individual lights! The glaring error of the black window surround on 50044 doesn't bode well either and only time will tell if we're to see yet another variation of the NSE blue colouring applied to this model. Mike

Sounds like a neat solution and is something I'll consider, especially for brake coaches. I'm still pondering the issue of switching lights on and off for the rest of a rake as the ability to do that is a must when stock is stabled.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I would welcome some advice! I'm very much an amateur when it comes to electronics but I'm competent enough with a soldering iron to want to give making my own coach lighting circuits I go - particularly given the cost of off the shelf products. I've not been able to find the bridge rectifier listed at the start of this topic available anywhere - can anyone recommend an alternative or guide me as to what I should be looking for (i.e is the voltage / amperage rating important and if so what rating)? I'll be using the coaches on DCC with a NCE powercab and SB5 booster if that's relevant. My thinking is to use LED tape for the actual lighting so is there anything I need to look out for there? Thanks in advance for any gentle push in the right direction. Mike

Hi all, Apologies if this has been asked before but I'm struggling to find answers if so and my brain can't now recall the info from back in the day! When were central door locks fitted to the Western Region Mk2 air con fleet operating Paddington - Penzance services and Mk2 air con Inter Regional NE - SW services? What livery were the coaches in at the time of fitting (blue/grey, IC executive or Swallow)? How was the process organised, i.e was it done a rake at a time, or as individual coaches were due exam? I also can't remember if rakes operated in traffic with some vehicles CDL fitted and other vehicles still awaiting fitment. Any thoughts? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance, Mike

If they are indeed the Dapol 6 wheelers then that's likely to be your problem rather than your track. Have a look at this thread: Dapol 6 Wheel Milk Tanker Hope that helps. Mike

Great news! Can I ask which are suitable for the Lima Class 31 as I have one I'd like to treat to some new wheels? Thank you, Mike

I'm assuming you're thinking of a propelling movement back out of the platform to a run round loop? If so this was common practice at Penzance through the 1980's.

Thank you Richard, your advice is appreciated. I'll have a play Mike

Morning folks. I'm managing to get myself very confused so would appreciate some advice. I'm wanting to fit an EM1 I purchased some time ago to a Hornby Class 50 that's fitted with a Loksound V4 decoder. I realise I need to pair another speaker with the EM1 (as it's just 0.5w) but I'm confusing myself as to what and whether to wire in series or parallel. You know what it's like - the more you think about something that more muddled you become! I have some double iPhone speakers and a single iPhone mini that I'd purchased (from Roads and Rails) so ideally would use one of those. Would the iPhone mini be suitable and if so do I wire in series? Many thanks for assisting my addled brain. Mike

I don't personally use Dapol decoders (preferring in the main to stick with Zimo), but the following link appears to discuss similar issues with some possible solutions. Good luck! Mike

Good to hear you've recovered your money Douglas. Merry Christmas. Mike

Just a short update. I have never had a response or the items I purchased from Osborne's. PayPal have today refunded my money - they received no reply from Osborne's either. Mike