Theakerr

Similar problem with a Hornby B17 (using a Guagemaster Q4 ) on the level especially after it had done a couple of circuits. Replaced motor - now runs fine

Tony et al, for locos that have smoke deflectors, do you take them off before painting? Curious, because on occasion I have 'damaged' the loco by taking them off for painting and refitting them afterwards on the assumption that if i left them on it would be impossible to fully paint behind them. Now, I do not fit them until the loco is painted.

Where do the fire irons on a Big Green Engine (A4, A3, A1, etc) go, assuming of course that they used fire irons? I have looked at web pictures, my own pictures but cannot find a photo that shows them.

Reed switches can be mounted on all 4 sides of the train and activated by magnets appropriately placed. Only problem can be some locos have magnets that are powerful enough to activate side mounted reed switches. I use Hall effect sensors (that are polarity sensitive) coupled to an Arduino, but I seem to remember seeing a circuit did not need an Arduino

Because it self centers the wheels.

The timing of this thread is excellent. I placed an order before Christmas but because i live in Canada I have to phone with my CC details. I have tried to call many times and have e-mailed to see if he is actually getting my call messages. I am getting nowhere fast. Any suggestions on how to make contact? Thanks

I have to go back a number of years so bear with me. As I remember a friend had a similar problem with some Hornby coaches (not Pullmans) and as I remember I had to file away the centre of the coach running plate. In case I am not using the correct word the body directly under the corridor connection. After much searching we found that under some conditions the top of the coupling mounting plate would just catch on the body. We found it by turning the coach upside down and trying to rotate the bogie 'smoothly' whilst gently pressing on the outer (coupling) side of the bogie. you could just feel it catch. I might even have a picture somewhere. As a matter of interest I have replaced the coupling on all coaches that pull directly through the bogie so that the load is transmitted through the body leaving the bogies free to rotate as required.

During the last lockdown I created the attached video that gives an overview of New Waltham. It was created for a couple of reasons,1) having referenced New Waltham several times the video allows those references to be put into perspective especially since most people will never physically see the layout and 2) to learn some video making skills. For most of the video I used the computer microphone resulting in a rather 'tinny' sound and as a result have purchased a better mic for any future videos. My rather stylish long hair was initially my answer to COVID lockdowns and now is a result of not being able to find a COVID secure hairdresser in the area. It could also be that I like people to think I am an old TaiChi Master.

All my locos except one have plunger pick-ups on the loco wheels. The exception is my latest build, a J6 where i have experimented and used DCC off the shelf pick-ups. Works very well, easy to install and makes the wheels self centering. All my tender pick-ups are DCC Concepts wiper pick-ups.

My J6 is finally finished. Not the easiest of kits to put together but I am OK with it. It is a Nu-Cast kit on an SE Finecast chassis now with a High Level Road Runner + 45:1 gearbox. Originally it had a 40:1 DJH gearbox powering the centre axle and whilst it ran very well, I was not happy with the way the gearbox protruded. I had planned to try a tender drive to the rear axle but for whatever reason I could not get the rear axle to rotate the other drivers smoothly and ended up opting for the conventional centre axle driver. The High Level gearbox is very smooth and very quiet but the new motor does not appear to have quiet the same torque as the Mashima with the DJH gearbox. This will not impact its use because it will be used on short pick-up goods or two/three coach local passenger trains. For the second time i have used Humbrol acrylic paints and again I have to report that their touch up qualities are the best I have come across. One other point that might be worth mentioning is if you use a spring loaded spreader holder to spray the body, depending on the design, do not leave it on the holder. In this case the the running plate is essentially just a strip of white metal and over time the spring will push it out forming a vase like shape. Interesting exercise pushing it back straight again

I sit the model in a bath of super saturated TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) and wash off with water. I also use Canadian Tire primer in a spray can, but the brown one as it seems to fill minor blemishes batter than the silver primer. For black surfaces I have just started using Rust-Oleum matt black primer out of a spray can and am rather happy with it.

Over here Heat Pumps are now marketed as Ductless Heating and Cooling Systems. Many houses, at least in Ontario were constructed with electric baseboard heaters (when nuclear power was going to cheaper that anything) and as a result do not have heating ducts. Hence the name change. They are marketed as an 8 year payback for an all electric house and before COVID, when the Government brought in all kinds of discounts, I was on schedule to have it paid back in 7 years. I suspect that had things been the same the actual payback time would be even lower due to the extensive use as an air conditioner over the last three years. My unit is on one wall and if there is interest I can send a picture. It is very quiet. I opted for a single unit as I felt (correctly it turns out) that multiple slave units were not needed. So far i have not experienced the house air becoming very dry in the way it did when we lived in Manitoba with a traditional AC unit. There we had to add a humidifier.

I live in Canada and have had a heat pump for 4 years. It is rated to generate heat at -25C although i have measured some heat when the outside temp was -27C. It cools very effectively at outside temps of +40C. Ours has an IR Body sensor can be set to lower/increase the out put if no-one is in the room. Said sensor also can direct the heat to a body. What I really appreciate is that it creates a zone rather than trying to heat the entire room. So if we are sitting on the couch it will heat our 'zone' leaving the window area cooler. Probably the best investment I have made. Since cooling doesn't appear to be mentioned in the thread I am curious to know if your heat pumps can act as an air conditioner? Something i would have desirable after looking at your heatwaves over the last two or three years

I hope this hasn't been covered before but the issue i have is a pop up that seems to be activated between the operation of going from 'activity' to 'unread content' It is right in the centre of the screen and until I close it everything else is hung up. Normally it is an add for a local service. I am using Firefox.

On the later versions the motor attachment mechanism has been changed so that the motor can be isolated from the chassis by the removal of two contact springs.

With reference to Tony's comment about the grub screw on a DJH gearbox, I would mention for anyone who should decide to purchase one as a result of the recent posts or whatever to be VERY VERY careful of said grubscrew. On my last purchase, I could only manage about 1.5 turns when trying to tighten said grub screw into the gear and managed to strip the threads. And, yes I did have a flattened section on the axle. Upon examination it turned out that the point on the end of the grub screw was very long, such that it prevented the grub screw from going very far into the gear. After some very careful filing of the point and some very careful refitting of the grub screw as well as making an extension to the threaded section using a two part epoxy with Al particles, i have made it work. I did send an e-mail to DJH but did not get a response. Over the years I have purchased many DJH gearboxes because they are so simple to use and they simply work first time. Apart from the problem referenced above i have only ever had one other problem when a bearing came lose. I was able to solve that problem. with superglue without having to dismantle the loco.

As an aside, where did you get the final drive gears?

For Gears check shapeways. there are a number of 3D printed gears there

I am more than a little curious about other peoples experience making articulated (Jointed) con rods. Until yesterday I have always made my con rods as a single unit and always have had to play around to achieve a smooth running chassis. Yesterday I made my first set of articulated con rods and there was virtually no fine tuning. It could just be luck but on thinking about it I have reached the conclusion that articulated con rods will be easier to tune because there are only 2 holes (on an 0-6-0) that have to be tuned, albeit twice, compared with the three for a fixed set of rods.

How do you contact them? e-mail? Thks

I would stick with the code 83. Once painted it will look pretty good. As you are just starting I would avoid the new Peco Code 75 bullhead, it does look very nice but it is rather delicate. I use Code 100 but only because when I started that was about all that was available here in the GWN. However, I have upgraded the wheels of all my rolling stock and as a result have had to use code 75 slips and double slips because the improved wheels would come off in the Code 100 slips

For my wagons that will be weathered I use Tamiya German Grey

Can do it with the magnets as someone said but you can also do by by turning the sensor through 180. They are very useful in that you can set the sensor up so that it is south pole activated but all other magnet sensors are north pole activated - reed switches don't care which pole attracts them. Thus, all sensors are activated if the magnets has their south pole facing the sensor but all except the hall sensor are activated if the magnet poles are set with the north pole down. I have also been playing with latching relays so that not all sensors are active at any one time. There are potentially an infinite number of combinations of on/off permutations and latching relays (as well as hall sensors) are dirt cheap from Ali express.

I have given up on IR sensors because of their un-reliability and unpredictability and have gone to hall sensors. However, since you dont want to use magnets so they are not appropriate although it may be possible to do something since Hall sensors are pole sensitive.. I also identified a problem with overhead lighting and the problem did improve when I went to a monocromatic LED. Did not completely go away though. Fluorescent lights can be a problem in that unless they are really good quality the temperature can change over relatively short time periods. It might be worth purchasing some good quality LED monochromatic 'fluorescent' strips. A friend is using IR-Dots with some success, but he put a 'tunnel i.e. a black straw' over each LED and adjusted the height so that external light was minimized but it was a pain. If you are prepared to introduce an Arduino it might be possible to use a radar proximity sensor.

I have stopped using e-Bay as anything more than a source of reference. Living where I do, 90% of what I used to buy is located outside the country and found that all the extra costs added to get it into Canada were often more than the item and always way out of line. Same for amazon