unsoundmove

Hi, I am updating a Bachmann OO gauge Class 85 from pre TOPs version to 1980’s. Not sure of best way to update headcode panels with marker lights from the letters/numbers style - does anyone make such panels for this (or indeed for other diesels/electrics) or easier to just make new ones from plastic ? Grateful for advice… thanks…

Not yet - going to order the correct parts and have a go. Thanks for the tips. Will post when progress!

Thank you, all for your kind replies. I thought I had given plenty of info but realise that more would have been helpful, and I also don’t know all the right terms ! I actually have two shunters in need of conrod fixes, a Bachmann 08 and a Heljan 07. Thanks, @Bucoops for going to trouble with a picture - it is actually more like the larger pin between the yellow rectangles you added. I think I will try @cypherman’s suggestion first and see how that goes. I can see that Bachmann and Heljan both do spares, but as the pins are so small I wanted - in the spirit of RMWeb! - to see if there was a homemade solution first. Thanks again.

Hi, grateful for advice… I have some connecting rods for the wheels of a 0-6-0 diesel shunter (oo gauge) that I need to fix in place. I can see from pictures that these con rods were originally attached to the small holes in the wheels by tiny pins. Is there a simple way to fix this / recreate the pins eg with fine wire, cut to length and tapped in? Thanks….

Hi, I have a Hornby class 50 with loksound v4 decoder. It has an 8 ohm speaker in it, slightly too large to fit - can I just do a straight swap for a 4 ohm (3 watts) DC kits speaker from the spares box? Will the change from 8 to 4 ohms make any difference or affect the decoder ? Grateful for advice...

Hello, any recommendations for best way of fitting fans to the underside of diesel roof grilles ? I have removed the fan mechanisms from Hornby 56’s, Bachmann 47’s etc to fit speakers and wish to refit just the red fans without clogging up the fine mesh with glue. Mounting on a sliver of plasticard might be the answer ? Grateful, as always, for your advice...

Hi, glad you like them. I used Phoenix Precision Paints (enamel). I think the brick was a mix of P952 and P953 light and dark brick, and the roof was P954 engineers blue slate. Perhaps a tiny bit of orange mixed in with the brick colours. Good luck!

As promised - a few more shots of the Townstreet items that I've built, painted and weathered. You can hopefully see how the mixed enamel originally appears quite pink in colour (under construction), but once weathered and toned down it looks more realistic, with some individual bricks picked out in greys, oranges... Good luck !

Yes - here’s one I did that combined two of the depot kits. I followed Jim’s painting instructions (enamels), and was very happy with the results. Will post some others later.

Perhaps they are intended to upgrade the track for the Hornby R3738 gold-plated Flying Scotsman to run on ?!

I’ve used plasticard cut into strips then glued to build up the base, then primed and painted and weathered. Worked well for various diesel depot floors which are still going strong years later apart from when I used the wrong kind of glue for one of them, and it warped horribly. I think PVA worked ok.

I will check all these possibilities, but I think Nigel you may be right, thank you. I do have a few 5 mixed in amongst the 3.5 and 4, and it may well be these. Is there a way of telling 4s and 5s apart from the CVs - they all seem to have the same cv 7 and 8 variables ?

Thanks... Yes 2 and 5 change ok. Not sure whether the 3 CV table activated - how is that done ?

Hi - grateful for advice. Just resetting some CVs, and on just a couple of locos (decoders are ESU v4) the CV 6 value is set at zero, and resists any attempts to change it (using Lenz controller on programming track, get ERR02 message if adding any value other than 0). Any idea why this is the case ? Thanks...

Fantastic scenes ! A job very well done. So much nice detail and play value.

Thank you. What sort of temperature would you set it up for this kind of delicate job ?

HI, i need to solder three wires from lighting circuit to a 21 pin DCC socket. It is such a delicate job, with the solder points being less than 1 mm across and my cheap existing fine tip soldering iron doesn't generate enough heat right at the tip to do the job. Grateful for any advice. I am considering buying a temperature controlled soldering station as recommended elsewhere on here. Thanks...

Nice loco ! As others say, it depends on the type of chip. Fortunately the Heljan 26 is relatively easy to remove body from to see what you have. For example, my 26’s have Howes sound on ESU chips. Once that is established, you can then adjust things like volume and acceleration through the “CV” settings of the decoder. Again, assuming you have not done so before, it is relatively easy but varies on the type of controller you have. People on here are very helpful with advice and experience, so a bit more info will allow them to point you in the right direction. Hope that helps.

Fabulous, thanks Richard. Four x 8 ohms at top as you thought; others were 4 ohms (dc kits) and smaller ones were a 100 and another 8. Have just been browsing some of your projects; I feel an order for some speakers coming on for some half-finished projects ! Cheers again.

Hi - I have a few random used speakers in the drawer which don’t have the ohms marked on the back. They will likely either be 100 ohms from ESU loksound 3.5 decoders, or 4 ohms from more recent ones. Includes a couple of DC kits speakers. Is there an easy way of working out what ohms they are ? I have a multimeter at the ready... grateful for advice.

Yep it's an original model, and was produced in limited numbers. The link above appears helpful. A good friend of mine had a collection in the 1990's of all/most of the Hornby 47's, and this was one of the last ones he got. It is basically exactly the same mechanically as the other Hornby 47's of the time, but with a different running number and name.

Hi - grateful for advice, as always. I have a 00 gauge Bachmann Class 25 with 21 pin v3.5 and 100 ohm speaker. Factory fitted (think it was 25095 originally). Sound no longer starts when activated - loco still functions correctly apart from no sound. Speaker and wiring is ok, but tested chip in another loco and still no sound. Cv 63 set to max setting. Verdict ? Reblow required ? Similar issue with another Class 25 - but on this one the sound comes on ok, but the ‘1’ (sound) function on Lenz handset won’t stay on and the sound cycles through and then shuts itself down. Any suggestions? ( other than don’t run 25’s...)

Thanks - I did try a search but found it hard to find specifics.

Thanks, Nick - I’ll do some further investigation ... like do much on this loco (couplings etc) it seems so unnecessarily complicated !

Hi. I have a Bachmann 00 gauge Class 08 from the St Blazey set. It has an issue where it gets stuck at low speed; motor still humming but some resistance prevents movement. After complete disassembly I’ve found that when the wheel sets turn, the connecting rods move slightly out of alignment on one side, and by doing so create enough resistance to stop further movement. When more power is applied, it gets going but with a regular clunking noise ( just like the real things!) as the wheels turn. I think replacement of wheel sets and rods will be easier than fiddling around with the tiny pins, but wondered if anyone else had encountered this problem? Anyone with a Bachmann 08 chassis they want to sell, drop me a message ! Thanks in advance...