PoshPaws

Thank you for the fast answers. So it was as simple as put the decoder in backward and change the direction CV. Glad I asked here first. Mike

I have a Hornby class 50 which came from eBay and started life as 50018 Resolution. When run on analog power it runs normally and the lights are fine. When I remove the blanking pcb and install a dcc decoder it shorts out the whole system. I have tried a few different Zimo and Lenz decoders, including three that work fine in their normal locomotives, so I'm pretty sure the issue is in the locomotive itself. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look first, or know of anything that is connected under dcc but not analogue? This one has me scratching my head and sending it to Hornby isn't an easy option as I live in the USA. Many thanks Mike

50011 is cleaning the floor quite nicely a couple of minutes into this.

I recently got both the Legomanbiffo (ESU) and the Digitrains (Zimo) projects, both have the option to switch on the hoover sound and both sound great to my ears.

Thank you. I'm able to turn the centre wheels about 45 degrees. I have found that if I line everything carefully I can push the cranks onto the axles and the loco will run nicely until one of them pops out again. It has decent pulling power too. Is it worth trying a quick fix with cyanoacrylate or will that simply stop everything? If so any other suggestions? Thanks again Mike

Don't do that to me... lol.

I would stretch the budget if you can. I use an Eclipse SBS and really love it. It's been worth every penny.

I've found that Tamiya acrylic thinner, which is easily available here in the USA and, I believe, almost anywhere works really well with Railmatch acrylics, 80% paint 20% thinner is about right on average, but like Tractor_37260 said above different colours sometimes benefit from adjusting this. It's easy to import the paint - Gaugemaster among others will happily ship it - but the thinners has an ingredient that puts it on the naughty list,

Ah, already have 2, but if I'm not the winning bidder on an AEM-7 on eBay ithen Trooper will join the layout too. Wonder how a big Scottie would look under that nameplate. Just joking, put away those pitchforks.

This is where an amusing situation started. Musicians call it GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome. The first Western (Ruler) started a flood. It was so good I hed to check out Dapol's class 22. Also marvellous, but they ran a lot in pairs. Now it's beginning to look a little like the Western Region, but really can't have a Western and baby Warships without other Hydraulics. Enter One of Heljan's finest models to date. What colour would I like my Hymek? Oh, they double head too - one blue one GFYP, hard to justify GSYP... for now. just about to leave with said Hymeks and a little centre cab green thing catches my eye, not really part of my plans but I'd always wanted a class 14... ho hum. Resistance was again futile over the weekend - Rails' £89.50 was too good to miss so 2 more Westerns are on the way (soon to become Thunderer and Driud). Even more realism. Add this to the class 50s that overcame my reaistance and a few early named 47s and all I still need for truely Realistic Highland Main Line operations is an NBL Warship and Kernow's D600. Perfect for a mid - late 80s model of Carrbridge, in a basement in Ohio. Undisciplined, I know, but it makes a great change to the colorful ScotRail class 47s and type 2s that normally ply their trade.

Just saw those prices in time (they're down to their last few blue ones). I already had a Kernow weathered one but definitely need two more for realistic operations at Carrbridge, right?

Hi Paul I'm pretty new here. Where do I find your project please?

I've asked a few with no luck... heading toward DC Kits right now. I had kind of missed them because I've always preferred Zimo decoders, especially with sound, but if they include the hoover sound It's time to try it.

50011 is vacuuming the floor nicely in the second pard of this youtube clip. Not sound project quality but gives an idea and shows how different they sounded although the basic sound was the same. https://youtu.be/lJHzimpr_zQ

Has anyone else had this issue and were you able to fix it? We 'won' a Hornby 08 on eBay, which we received, oiled lightly and ran in, slowish, for about 1hr in each direction. After this I fitted a dcc decoder (Zimo MX622R) programmed and put the loco on another slow continuous test while we went away to make coffee. When we returned the loco was at a standstill and making a buzzing sound. It looked like either the middle cranks or the whole middle wheelset had shifted relative to the other axles, with the split connector rods on both sides at an angle to each other. I tried rotating the centre wheelset, which first seemd to be working, but caused the outer cranks to disconnect from their axles, both on one side and one on the other side. They will easily push back into place but are loose and soon fall out again. The middle axle is still connected to the under-cab axle on one side and has about 45 degrees of play. My question is whether anyone has repaired this issue before and if so how difficult was it and do you have any guidelines / suggestions. Thank you very much in advance Mike

Actually, to my eyes that photo of the Virgin Mk3 isuggests that the OR window frames are not that big an issue. They look far from flush on the prototype, and while the OR representation might be a little bit thicker, it is most certainly not adding something that isn't there, which has been claimed in other posts. I expect to buy two rakes, one to replace a Lima ScotRail set (and probably a Bachmann DBSO to replace the Airfix conversion that I did in 1989) and a set of blue / grey IC125 trailers. These photos certainly haven't dented those plans, I think OR look like they have really caught the character of the Mk3s at a great price. I do still expect to have to do some modelling though, unless OR release a TRUK and a TRSB when they get to the HST trailers.

Does anyone know if any of the commercially-available sound projects are suitable for a class 50 prior to their reburbishment in 1979-1983, so including the inertial air filtration system that gave them the distinctive "Hoover" sound? I know it vanished a long time ago, but projects are available for the class 16 or 22 for example, which were extinct before this.

Don't think so. He says Amtrak needs to be eliminated.

This one actually has lights (headcode boxes only, no tail lights) and no dcc interface. That was the main reason I thought I may need to remove the pcb.

Has anyone fitted dcc to a non-dcc ready Bachmann class 45? It has a central can motor in a solid metal shassis block, with a very simple pcb on top which I believe to be a +ive / -ive bus. I can see I probably need to remove the pcb and do direct connections, the space is there for a Zimo MX630 which I think is a good match. I'm just not sure which wires are which as they just vanish into holes in the chassis block. I can figure most out with a multimeter, but just wanted to ask in anyone knows of any traps to watch out for. The Zimo decoders aren't easy to get hold of here across the pond, and I'd really like to not blow the one I have.

This has to be one of the biggest bargains I've seen yet.

Thank you. Actually I may have found the nearest, even if it is almost sacriligeous to use the ViTrains 47484 GW Green limited edition as a donor. The main mods needed will be: 1. Reinstate boiler tanks, either scratch build or (if useable) I have a spare Heljan full set sitting around. 2. Comes with plated over clayton vent. Change to open Stone Vapour, I think Shawplan do this. 3. Change lighting set up at number 1 end. 4. Complete strip and respray. Can you think of an easier option?

Thank you very much. It was done in June 1981. I think Ican easily convert a regular flat rebuilt front to what's there, and expect to do a full respray so livery isn't an issue. What I think I need if I can find it is the combination of flat front number 1 end, plated headcode box number 2 end boiler tanks and ideally the Stone Vapor boiler grill

Sorry to quote an older post, but should mention that Railtec recently introduced a transfer set to number a full HST set with numbers completely of your choice. If Oxford could be persuaded to do unnumbered trailers, then these would make tom set a really quick job.

A really simple to install 8-pin sound decoder is the Zimo MX645R, which comes with speaker wires attached, ready to simply hook up to the chosen speaker.