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AndrueC

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About AndrueC

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  • Location
    South Northamptonshire
  • Interests
    Golf. Driving. Model Railways (N scale). Reading.

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  1. Finally! My sound enabled Class 68 TPE arrived today.
  2. I was assuming that as it's a toggle there was just one command being sent which implied that the decoder state was not being echoed to the outputs. However doing some research on DCC commands it appears that although it acts like a toggle on the controller there is actually separate on/off arguments so in that case it's probably just that the decoder is not remembering that the lights should be on. I wonder if there's a CV setting that controls that functionality. Time to dig around for Imperium decoder information I suppose.
  3. I scratch built mine (N scale) by using ground signals from ModelIt and Ratio Pratt Truss kits. Turned out well enough for my purposes but not prototypical and I've not yet managed to hide the wiring.
  4. You beat me to it. It's a Dapol Imperium Next 18. Interestingly it's on the power unit of an HST and the dummy trailer which has the same decoder type is remembering to power the lights up. So it's either a fault or mis-configuration of the that decoder. It is one of the few locos that was bought DCC ready with the decoders bought separately.
  5. A couple of my decoders seem to have a problem enabling the lights on power on. It's not that they default to 'off' but rather that they don't set their outputs correctly on power up. Thus to have the lights showing I have to toggle the headlight switch on my controller (NCE PowerCab). It's not a huge deal but I was wondering if it was a simple fix or a fault I'll have to live with.
  6. I have an N scale Class 121 that can cover the 2m back straight of my layout in about a second. That's a scale speed of about 1,000kmh or nearly 700mph. I typically run it at speed step 5 (out of 24) on my NCE PowerCab. At that speed it covers the 2m in about 15 seconds which is a more realistic 88kmh or 55mph. I keep meaning to investigate it further. I could probably adjust the decoder but as it's a very noisy (whining) loco I suspect a gearing issue. It was bought as new direct from the Dapol stand at Warley though so that seems a bit odd.
  7. Yup. When I was designing my first layout I wanted to include my other hobby so looked into including a golf course. Even in N scale that's impossible unless you live in a mansion. Another friend wanted to model a dock with a cruise ship tied up and discovered the same problem.
  8. It's certainly true for N scale. For reliability it would be sensible to add a dropper for the frog and provide it with power rather than relying on the switch blade contact but that's all. Just be aware when attaching the frog dropper that Peco N scale turnouts do not have pig tails. Do not attempt to pull one of the underside wires out to use as a pig tail. Leave them in situ and either solder to them or solder to the frog rails. (Oh and you only need insulated joiners on the V rails of the frogs so two per turnout typically). Also on a 'non electrical' subject if you intend to use point motors you might need to remove the over centre spring. This is best done before you install the turnout but then you are stuck until you install a motor or a lever. It is possible to remove the spring from an installed turnout (I did it a few times on my previous layout) but it's not for the faint hearted as you're basically tearing it out from the wrong side.
  9. I do agree that the bridge is a bit too dominant (you should've seen the first one, lol). I think the fields look better with something other than trees and bushes on them though plus it seems like there'd be no reason for the fencing since the middle one at least is an 'island' with no other way to access it so it becomes even more boring. However at the far end the rail has risen up to be on the same level by then so perhaps an at grade crossing would work. It's an excuse for a bit more detail as well with warnings, gates and telephone. Thanks for the suggestions. However I do still have another bridge (one that looks a lot better) and I could do with general advice on how best to fill in a gap.
  10. 😁 It's the unfortunate consequence of me not originally realising that I needed a bridge there. I have considered extending the ramp in a spiral to reduce the incline but that seems like a lot of engineering work just for a farmer's access. My options seem to be: Have sheep and horses in the fields but no way for the farmer to get to them. Have at grade crossings (crazy on what are two main lines and anyway the paths down to the rails would be treachorous. A bridge. Completely redo the landscaping. I find the bridge the least offensive solution and..you know..rule one 😉
  11. I've got a bridge with a 'tarmac' road that ends in a field. Can anyone recommend how to improve the look (should be some mud on the road and a 'fan' of the vehicle's various paths leaving it. Or at the least how I can hide the join?
  12. Interesting. My QE's DCC socket is also in the tender with the motor in the main body. It seems odd for Farish to have not bothered with pickups. It's a little more weight for stability (the tender wheels on mine are plastic) and although I've never had any problems with it six more pickups seem worth having.
  13. Out of curiosity does yours have pickups on the tender? My Queen Elizabeth doesn't but a fellow member of my club has a Coronation Class of some kind and it has pickups on the tender.
  14. My revised instructions for the Ratio Covered Station Platform Bridges. Completely construct the bridge and the two towers first. Then connect the three items by attaching the steps and the sloping roof sections. This solves so many problems with alignment (esp. of the roof and supports) but also the critical angles of the steps. The sloping roofs are the only weak point of the kit itself. I didn't really get any of mine correctly sited.
  15. It's been a scenic couple of weeks. I've run some trains (and found a few issues) but I've also rebuilt a bridge and installed some people and some animals. First off the problems. One of the turnout motors on the Doorway Interchange wasn't throwing far enough. That took a bit of fiddling to sort out. Firstly I had to work out which turnout controller was involved which meant following a rat's nest of wiring around. The controller is of course just too far for a single lead from the motor so I've had to use an extension and that means the wire goes past the controller, underneath the keel of the lift-out section across to a clip then back under the keel to the controller. It'd be so much easier if the controllers were labelled.. The adjustment seemed odd as well to the extent that I'm suspecting a fault somewhere. It seemed like I only had two choices: 'Not quite far enough' and 'a bit too far'. It clearly doesn't want the same setting as other controllers. Anyway I've left it at the latter. Then I found that my Queen Elizabeth was sometimes derailing on entry to the yard (I might have mentioned that before). The solution there was to file down a blob of solder for a dropper that was a bit too proud. Then I found that coaches sometimes derailed coming out of Castle Tunnel. Yet another blob of solder that needed filing down. Secondly the Bridge I always felt that the first three way bridge was a bit too large and the coping around the arches a bit too rough. So I've redone it with better coping and less material. It looks a lot better but the main section is at a slight angle so I'll need to fettle the middle ramp a bit. Thirdly Animals In addition to the existing horses I've installed a flock of sheep in the middle field. Fourthly Platform Work We have some people on the station platforms. They aren't glued down though as I've decided that I want to replace the station platforms. I was forced to replace the bridges. One of them fell apart while I was installing passengers and I couldn't face rebuilding them. Sorry York Modelmaking they are great kits but just too fiddly for me. So I bought a couple of Ratio platform bridges. These have the big advantage that the stairs are preformed so there are no fiddly steps to insert. I do however think that the instructions are incorrect so my next post might be what I consider to be the correct order of construction. I've decided to relocate the surviving bridge to the North Yard Entrance/Cafe De Marche (the latter not yet even started). Fifthly Railway Workers We have workers at the Doorway Interchange (investigating the turnout motor perhaps, lol). We have workers at Wilf's Junction. We have a couple of odd balls doing something at the entrance to the yard - perhaps the last driver of the QE made a complaint. Sixthly Installed some Junction Box Platforms These were from a Scale Model Scenery kit (much recommended).
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