peterfgf

I've emailed Rails to ask what decoder will be used, who did the sound file, and which locomotive/engine was used for sound recording as I think there are no sound recordings of British Class 28s. However, Irish and Australian railways have locomotives with Crossley 2-stroke engines. Waiting expectantly for a reply! Peterfgf

I've found the lights are bright. The accompanying instructions from YouChoos says the lights can't be dimmed, but a look at the Zimo MS sound instructions suggests CV60 is the one that will change the intensity. It gives the following examples for values of CV60 Full voltage 0 or 255 2/3 volts 170 80% volts 204 Mine was received with CV60 set to 50, so well down at 20% full voltage. I haven't had a chance to change the value yet , so "buyer beware"! Peterfgf

I would strongly suspect a cracked gearwheel. These cracks are radial, propagating form the centre, and are difficult to see with naked eye. Having said that, I've just taken apart a Hornby 5MT which I suspected had the same problem (same as my Rebuilt Patriot). I couldn't see any cracks but I did clear out an excess of stiff grease. Loco runs fine now. Going off a tangent. I can't understand why manufacturers use grease to lubricate gears. Prototype gears, for example marine gearboxes, are lubricated by oil and only a thin film of oil (microns) is needed to separate the teeth. Grease is handy on exposed machinery or non-tight oil boxes but not in this type of gearing.

I think Decoder Pro has an "identify button". I also have a Zimo decoder test rig. Both are very good and recommended. Peterfgf

They are very good. I fitted one to a Hornby LMS brake second without a problem. The etch sides matched the coach side profile perfectly. Peterfgf

Class 124 for me as well. Good looking and long lived. Bachmann could easily do a Midland 2F 0-6-0 which I would snap up. OO Works did a 2F a while ago but I've never seen a second-hand one (apart from Hattons "sold" category). Peterfgf

Many thanks for the advice. I've been wanting one for years and have just placed an order. (I'll place another if they do a rerun of the Midland 2Fs) Peterfgf

I made one similar to these years ago in an apprentice shop: https://www.axminstertools.com/hand-tools/marking-measuring-levels/centre-finders Peterfgf

Thanks. I didn't know that but I suppose I should have guessed that manufacters shuffle yesterday's best products down the line. A bit like BR rolling stock. Peterfgf.

I wouldn't bother with Lokpilot Basic decoder. The clue is in the name. I used a few several years ago but the performance of later decoders far outstrips them. Peterfgf

This appears to be a standard Bachmann 21-pin mounting plate. My annotated diagram (attached) suggests the following (as a starting poin): L1 and L2 are the motor pins L- and R+ are the track pins Don't worry about other pins. These are for fitting the DC noise supression resistors and capacitors. The two larg solder tabs sticking out at one side are for the speaker (SP+ and SP-). If you are not intending to swop tenders, then the wiring of the connection between loco and tender is up to you, so long as both sides are consistent. I have standardised on Motor/Track/Track/Motor and then it doesn't matter too much. Polarity is swopped around without a problem. I hope this helps. Peterfgf

Apologies if someone has beaten me to it, but here is a photograph of the notice inside left hand side of the cab. Very impressive (as is the whole model). Peterfgf

All I can say is that I totally agree with The Johnster's remarks. My two P2s (one older Hornby Railroad and a recent one) have found all the imperfections in my track (Peco code 75 bullhead): slight gauge narrowing (down from 16.3 to 16.0mm): a slight flattening out or departure from roundness, for about 75mm in 1000mm radius curves (very difficult to spot at first, but there must have been a reason for the forward flanges to always lift off there); poor or too quick transition of my superelevation on curves (I only used 1.0 and 0.5mm under the outer rails; slight mis-alignment across baseboards. All my other locomotives, including Pacifics and 9Fs, have given no trouble. I agree, the track has to be spot on for these long wheel-base locomotives. I'm intending to built a branch line, accessed on a gradient. I did some systematic tests and observed that the performance of steam outline models seriously deteriorated at steeper than 1 in 100. I wouldn't consider anything less than 1 in 75 for steam with a light load. Heavy diesel models (Hattons class 66) show contempt for these gradients and will haul long trains and my track cleaning wagon up without a problem. I'm still experimenting with the transition curves in the vertical plane. Many thanks for a really useful post (which just happened to be relevant to my present problems). Peterfgf

I've got a load of the Bachmann ones, which are very good models, and don't really need any more ... but I couldn't resist and have ordered more.