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Hastings Thumper

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Posts posted by Hastings Thumper

  1. I has a similar scenario a while back with three led spotlight bulbs in the same fitting. One of them started to fail albeit intermittently, and would flash on and off when the power was turned on.  After a couple of days, all three started doing the same.

     

    I checked back to the original failing bulb by a process of elimination and once that one was replaced, all was fine again.

     

    I suspect its some sort of radiated emissions from the failing bulb which are picked up by the electronics in the other bulbs, or something transmitted very locally over the power lines.

     

    So might be worth checking your bulbs one by one in the fitting to see if you can find a suspect.

     

    Hope this helps

     

     

     

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  2. As you can probably tell from my user name, I live very close to the old SECR territory, so I am looking forward to the arrival of the D1s.

     

    A question though.  Looking at the recent photos on the Rails website, the SECR grey and Southern liveried versions have very odd looking lamp irons on the top of the smokebox as per the view below. Ordinarily I'd have put this down to a production sample with a bit of wear and tear under it's belt, but all the aforementioned versions look the same.

     

    So is this a prototypical lamp iron design from the SECR ? Not one I've seen before, and my D class has a normal looking vertical lamp iron.

     

    (Sorry if the above is a dumb question).

     

     Sam

    SECR d1.jpg

  3. 2 hours ago, RapidoCorbs said:

     

    I undid the keeper plate to pop the TLs out by squeezing the tails with some tweezers 🙂 They are quite firm in the NEM pockets so it's better than yanking them out.

     

    I found the same when trying to remove the couplings by pulling.  

     

    A note of caution when removing the keeper plate though. On my (urmm four) examples, the keeper plates seemed very tight and needed very gently levering off at each end. The reason they were reluctant to release was that the guard irons are glued to both the keeper plate and the chassis.

     

    The glue gives up fairly easily but I have had a couple of individual guard irons launch themselves into the middle distance - subsequently located and re-fixed. I now have a mixture of guard irons glued to either the keeper plate or the chassis - not that it matters when the keeper plate is re-fitted.

     

    Hope this helps

     

    • Like 1
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  4. A bit of a long shot this one !!.

     

    A bank holiday project to resurrect a Bachmann Freightliner class 57. It was always a bit of a poor runner, but have now sorted that.

     

    Just missing one of the yellow lamp brackets from the corner of the chassis as per the photo. I have searched through the Bachmann spares site but no luck there.

     

    Anyone out there in RMweb land happen to have one spare ??

     

    Thanks

    Sam

    Class 57 lamp bracket.jpeg

  5. I did some experimenting with various close couplers yesterday. Firstly, the Roco and Hornby similar versions don't reach far enough to enable the wagons to be coupled up.  I moved onto the Hunt couplers. The 'short' version at 9mm long works fine, but I think the ultra-close version at 7 mm will work too - I'll order some for further testing.

     

    A note of caution though. I was careful to try and hold the NEM pockets in pliers while pushing the various couplings in from the front. In several cases though I ended up with distinctly droopy couplings as per the photo. I couldn't work out what was wrong from underneath the wagons, so ended up taking the body off.

     

    The problem was that the cover over the cam mechanism had popped off allowing the mechanism to float around. There are two very small locating pins that locate the cam covers and it looked like the glue had failed.  Easily fixed with with a couple of spots of strong glue (I use Powerbond 806). Just be careful not to get any glue into the cam mechanism or onto the moving part (the part shaped like a stealth bomber).

     

    An easy fix in the end.  The tricky bit is getting the body off the chassis.  There are four clip arrangements per side each of which look like three locating lugs on the side of the wagon.  They have to be eased out while pulling the chassis down gently.  I found it best to release one end entirely and then the rest unclips fairly easily.  It all re-assembles with a re-assuring click.

     

    So 2 wagons done - 7 to go.

     

    Hope this helps someone out there.


    Sam

     

     

    IMG_2218.JPG

    IMG_2219.JPG

    IMG_2220.JPG

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    • Informative/Useful 6
  6. A quick update to the Bachmann single road inspection shed as a winter evening project.

     

    I carefully removed the resin moulded light fittings from the side and end walls and fitted LED wall lights and an illuminated clock from Kytes Lights. The original frosted effect glazing has been replaced with 1mm perspex with the glazing bars re-fitted. Internal lighting fitted too.

     

    Quite pleased with the result as this was my first attempt at modifying a resin structure and using LED lamps.  Next job is to add a depot name board and some weathering on the track and concrete base.

     

    Sam

    IMG_0015.jpg

    • Like 5
  7. Another arrival this morning.  Well packed and all present and correct.

    Couple of photos to show the lighting function and spring hangers on the tender - hope they help.

    Very pleased with GT3 - sound is fantastic, even if there have been a few 'what the hell is that noise' comments from outside the railway room. 

     

    GT3.JPG

    GT3 Fwd.JPG

    GT3 Rev.JPG

    GT3 Spirngs.JPG

    • Like 5
  8. Really impressed with this pair. Both turned up today (thanks Kernow team).

     

    A initial panic with 21C7 when it just sat still and buzzed when power was first applied - no drive whatsoever. Luckily I spotted a short universal coupling loose in the ice cube tray. With the body off, it was clear that it belonged between the flywheel and worm drive and was easily fitted back into place, and 21C7 is now smooth as silk. It must have worked loose in transit or maybe wasn't quite ciipped in properly when first assembled.

     

    Just 35017 to turn up now ..........

     

    21C7 2 R.JPG

    21C7 35022 1 R.JPG

    21C7 35022 2 R.JPG

    35022 R.JPG

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  9. This arrived at the depot this evening - presumably ready for a railtour duty tomorrow.

     

    The shed master was very complimentary about the shade of green, and I have to agree it looks very good.

     

    The air turned blue though when the fitters attempted to connect the tender to the loco. It's the old design of a metal bar with a small peg under the tender for it to engage with. The coupling bar is very loose at the loco end so a right fiddle to get it to engage and then turn the whole lot upright again without it letting go again.  Seems Ok once on the track though.

     

    Shiny motion looks good. It's a sort of brushed steel effect rather than the chrome painted approach from years ago.

     

    I was hoping to have a pair of these to run as a double header, so quietly hoping that Burton Agnes Hall comes with the same finish.

     

     

     

    6990_1.jpeg

    • Like 2
  10. On 23/03/2021 at 20:27, Dunsignalling said:

    I'm not sure if it was catalogued or not, but a few years back, I bought a Hornby Battle of Britain, "Tangmere", not the usual one but late crest with a cut-down tender.

     

    I eventually identified its origin was as part of a preservation era Train Pack, R2308M, "The Excalibur Express" which also contained three Mk2 coaches in chocolate and cream livery.

     

    I know of at least one other acquired on its own in similar circumstances. A bit more digging revealed that, unlike many other train packs, there was no add-on coach pack produced for this one and neither were the coaches available separately. I'm told that some who wanted more coaches bought a second train pack and sold off the loco.

     

    Does anyone know if this pack did appear in a catalogue, and if so, which year? My collection of them is very hit-and-miss. If not catalogued, for whom was it made?

     

    John

     

    Yes, this was indeed the 'Excalibur Express'. From 'Empire Mail Order Catalogue' in 2004 for £96.

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  11. On 23/03/2021 at 13:25, OliverBytham said:

    Am I right in thinking the R2888M Flying Scotsman train pack featuring LNER A4 4483 ‘Kingfisher’ and three super detail teaks with nameboards was an Argos-only limited edition? 
     

    3975F831-F9D2-4773-93A1-3C2500C7072E.jpeg.1af376ca595507c50c3aaaac7decb87f.jpeg
     

    6DA007E0-004D-44CE-A83A-42E7C48DD51D.jpeg.5ecaf3de2b470b7f444415afe2186205.jpeg

     

    A very nice set with the full spec A4 and coaches. I have one of these and my list says it was from 'Choice Catalogue' in 2011 for a very reasonable £117.

     

    • Like 1
  12. Five packs of freightliner versions checked  (some supplied with containers, some not) and all OK.

     

    Four packs of Fastline versions - three Ok, but pack J has a long crack along the top of the spine on one and 'mazak failure' like distortion on the other one. :(

  13. 18 hours ago, adb968008 said:

    My DRS Early pair arrived today.

     

    E47EA822-9064-4F8E-A252-5A50A4BF62E5.jpeg.31ef18d233b98bc15c4b0d9d1bfdb2c1.jpeg

     

    9BD0AF88-69CD-4026-9EC2-958E5A456674.jpeg.bae7df156290bbfc13d38d03daede2ec.jpeg
     

    Last week I posted about a strange noise exhibited by one of my DRS 20’s when on a Gaugemaster controller. It was odd as one wasnt noisy, when tested against a Gaugemaster, Piko and 9V Battery... but the other was exclusively noisy on a Gaugemaster.

     

    My DRS old style pair today from Kernow gave me exactly the same issue...

    1 good, 1 noisy...

     

    I reached out to Gaugemaster, and Bachmann. Gaugemaster called me today and confirmed they are safe with coreless, but were a bit puzzled at the video and were not able to recreate it with a shop stock 20/3 they had.
     

    Following the conversation, and having confirmed its safe for coreless I decided to probe deeper, and ultimately diagnosed it.

     

    Aiui ultimately the issue is with the wave signal.. the 9v is a smooth wave, the Gaugemaster controller has a wave form that enhances motor behaviour (note this is explicitly not Feedback, which is not safe for coreless). The wave causes harmless vibration. Armed with this tidbit, I took the body off and discovered the motor is smaller than the cavity that holds it, and although screwed down.. it vibrates. 


    video here

     

     

    i found this video from @mikesndbs  to be particularly educational in helping me understand... Bachmann unusually did not return my mail from last week.

     


     

    The solution ultimately is a small piece of folded paper inserted between motor and cavity !

     

    Safe to start renumbering now.

     

    I hope others find this useful.

     

     

    Thanks for posting this. I had exactly the same issue with my 20306 which arrived this morning.  After a few mins of trial and error with the thickness of the folded paper, it was all sorted and is now an almost silent runner.

     

     

    20306 10.JPG

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