Availability of equipment!

[transferman]

Getting to the stage of track laying and wiring but I find it impossible to obtain the equipment I require.

 

I opted to go for DCC Concepts Cobalt controls & point motors but cannot find any in the World!

 

There are 24 points on my layout, all of which need to be surface mounted and I cannot get anything.

 

Unless of course anyone knows of a secret stash of such items and I would consider other makes.

 

Playing for your help.

 

Chris

[woodyfox]

I've been in touch with a few suppliers any they're reporting good sales and low stocks of stuff. 

[Bucoops]

DCC concepts point motors at least have been hard to find for a while. Apparently more are on the way but these will mostly be used to fulfil existing orders I suspect.

[Ron Ron Ron]

There was a recent thread about the availability of DCC Concepts Cobalt point motors.

After several comments and observations from members, DCC Concepts answered and clarified the situation.......

 

 

On 14/08/2020 at 16:22, Chamby said:

Well, if any reached retailers back in February I missed them, and they are still out of stock.   The SS surface mounted mini-motors are also unavailable at major stockists too.................

 

On 16/08/2020 at 00:38, DCCconcepts said:

 

There were issues last year, but now it's not necessarily a supply issue, but demand outstripping supply faster than we can make them!

 

We have had a very large number (into 5-figures) of Cobalt Digital IPs through our UK operations in the past few months.

All were allocated to back orders (retail and dealer)

The next batch due in a few weeks is also pre-sold, such has been the demand through lockdown.

 

We are taking orders for the batch after that.....

Have you placed an order with your local dealer or ourselves?

 

Other popular products are due back into stock soon.

 

Best Regards,

The DCCconcepts Team.

[transferman]

Hmmmm!!

Looks like it will probably be next year before any become available!

 

Is there a reliable more generally available alternative available?

 

Chris

 

[Ron Ron Ron]

2 minutes ago, transferman said:

......Is there a reliable more generally available alternative available?

Is that just for the point motors?

(you mentioned controls as well in your OP)

Avoiding the dreaded solenoids, look at..... 

Circuitron Tortoise  

MTB MP1

Tam Valley Micro Switch
 

 

.

[Derekl]

I put Cobalt point motors (a 12 pack) on pre-order at Hattons - the order was filled within a week or two (this about a month ago).

 

Pre-ordering may be a better approach than searching around for current availability for scarce equipment like this.

[Mick Bonwick]

I have recently had a similar problem in that I wanted an alternative to DCCConcepts products. I was advised to use MTB MP1 point motors and a Digikeijs DR4018 decoder device to drive them. This looked to me to be a good solution although I didn't employ  it. There are some YouTube clips by DCC Train Automation that explain how to use them and set them up.

 

https://www.dcctrainautomation.co.uk/mtb.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DCC+Train+Automation&sp=EiG4AQHCARtDaElKNjF4VmhXZ05ja2dSai10ejQ2VkloWUU%3D

[nickwood]

I've had Peco bullhead points on order with Rails since the beginning of May. Still on back order.

 

We just have to be patient.

 

[DCCconcepts]

On 27/08/2020 at 10:50, transferman said:

Hmmmm!!

Looks like it will probably be next year before any become available!

 

Is there a reliable more generally available alternative available?

 

Chris

 

 

Hi Chris,

Another four figure delivery is in the process of being received, with the next batch about to enter production

Some of these are allocated to dealers - we do not know if they have them allocated to back orders or general stock for themselves.

Our direct dealers can be found via a map on our homepage

You can also place a back order with ourselves, it is likely to be fulfilled with the October delivery.

(Note - the October batch is starting to sell out......)

 

Best Regards,

The DCCconcepts Team

[The Johnster]

On 27/08/2020 at 15:07, nickwood said:

I've had Peco bullhead points on order with Rails since the beginning of May. Still on back order.

 

We just have to be patient.

 

I am less patient where an item is not clearly shown to be currently unavailable and awaiting delivery to the supplier.  But you are right of course in that there is nothing we can do about it and a philosophical approach is needed.  

 

I have, since returning to the hobby 4 years ago, and as most regulars here will know, continually badgered Bachmann for the 94xx which kept being put back for no stated reason.  It got to the point where Andy Y told me to stop 'banging on' about it.  I was less bangy onny when Bachmann explained that the loss of a booked factory slot to a factory closure in China was a reason that this and other projects had been put back again; this was clearly not Bachmann's fault or under their ability to control.  Information from Bachmann has improved since and I am now fairly happy that I will get my 94xx in November or December as Baccy currently claim; the introduction of the 3-monthly updates is a very good idea and evidence that Baccy are getting on top of their famous lead time issue.

 

But waiting is irritating, and can affect the development of a layout as you hold back money for an item whose appearance could be any time but might be put back for a good reason.  Were I not keeping cash aside for the 94xx for the last 4 years, I might have by now built a Southeastern Chassis for my Wills 1854 pannier and might well have bought a Hornby large prairie by now, so I can claim that I have been denied the use of 3 locos including these!  It would be much better if suppliers clearly indicated how many items they have available for immediate sale, and to be fair most do.  Some indicate their stock levels, which is useful but may be commercially sensitive for some people, so I would not expect it from everyone,

 

I have been involved on and off with the hobby over 8 decades, and, as well as that, I have an Apple Mac computer and iPhone, so I am used to being treated with indifference, disdain, or even outright contempt by my Lords and Masters who supply me with Lovely Things.  Apple once publicly blamed me (not personally, mind, as a customer) for bending a phone because I put it in my pocket.  New Bright Shiny Thing Make It All Better...

 

I have long ago learned that if it isn't physically in the shops where I can actually look at it, it's actual corporeal existence is moot, and proceed accordingly.  I have also learned to buy it when it's in the shop, particularly if it's a Bachmann NEM coupling. whether I need it at the moment or not.  This approach does not sit well with the increasing amount of online shopping that I am doing; to be fair it has proved more successful than I thought it might, but it is annoying to not get pre-orders when you thought you were going to, and for someone like me on a limited and fixed pension income who has to budget wisely, a hit to the bank account when you are not expecting it can cause problems.  

 

I am currently expecting such a hit, not a large one but it makes a difference if it lands a day or two before pension day and something unexpected or forgotten's gone over budget, for £25 from Hornby who are due sometime this Summer to take money for a HM8000 NFS analogue control system which I'm keen to try out.  It is affecting my potential spending on other railway stuff, and where offers or stock is for limited times, may lead to my missing out.  Of course, many modellers are better equipped for their retirement than this feckless idiot (it wasn't all my fault, much was down to a disastrous divorce and I'm not the only one who has been ruined in this way, but I'll accept such blame as is fairly due to me, which is 'some'), and are not affected by such issues, but I must constantly bear in mind that rent, food, and suchlike costs must take priority of trains and beer, and they do!

 

[Nearholmer]

It’s not just toy train things that are in short supply - I went to a huge and usually very well-stocked bike shop nearby recently to find a new saddle bag/pack, of which they’d usually have a rich choice, and not only was there only one (actually one, not one type) in the shop, but there were no bikes, tyres, Inner tubes, items of embarrassing Lycra clothing, or any of the other zillions of things that bike shops normally stock. It was like the place had been looted clean.
 

A rise in demand during lockdown, yes, but the global supply chains for our toys have been far more disrupted than I think is generally acknowledged.

 

 

[The Johnster]

Possibly because the full extent of what is in all fairness a first world problem has yet to be realised.  It will extend to most items intended for leisure markets I imagine; sports kit, photographic accessories, fishing gear and so on as well as model railways and similar pastimes.  In fact I have to comment that the RTR trade, reliant on Chinese production, has weathered the storm remarkably well, and credit should be expressed in appreciation of this!  The small amount of stuff I've ordered from various southeast Asian sources on Amazon or Bay has come through credibly rapidly as well; kudos all concerned.

[Nearholmer]

The issue seems to be ‘for want of a nail’, in that any single tiny component not being available scuppers entire products.

 

Back to toy trains, I’m awaiting a loco that was due out in April, but is stuck in factPry assembly In the Czech Republic Because the moulding for the coal in the tender comes from China and can’t be got!

 

Interesting illustration of the world we live in.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Nearholmer

[DCCconcepts]

Just a heads up for those awaiting Cobalt motors - again.......

 

We are just about to receive another decent four-figure quantity of Cobalt point motors - predominantly Digital IP, but also including Analog IP and Omega and SS surface mount.

 

All the Digital IP and Analog IP and SS motors are already pre-allocated to back orders and dealer pre-orders - we have a few Omega motors unallocated from this batch.

 

Hopefully - those of you that have ordered via your dealers will be receiving them soon.

 

For those that haven't already pre-ordered, have no fear.

There are another goodly few thousand due before Christmas.

So don't be disappointed again - pre-order with your dealer or ourselves.

 

Best Regards

The DCCconcepts team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Johnster]

On 02/09/2020 at 15:45, The Johnster said:

 

I am currently expecting such a hit, not a large one but it makes a difference if it lands a day or two before pension day and something unexpected or forgotten's gone over budget, for £25 from Hornby who are due sometime this Summer to take money for a HM8000 NFS analogue control system which I'm keen to try out.  It is affecting my potential spending on other railway stuff, and where offers or stock is for limited times, may lead to my missing out.

Since writing this, the HM8000 has been put back to 2021 spring.  This has eased the financial 'put money aside' issue and I have been able to purchase stuff, including splashing out on a W4 Peckett while I waited for the Baccy 94xx, now claimed to be arriving Nov/Dec; money is sitting ringfenced in an instant access a/c for it, and it is on pre-order.

 

But supply issues are still a bugbear; Bachmann NEM couplings were causing me grief for a while and are still not available, a basic item in continual demand waiting for batch production in China.  As it happened, I was browsing Shapeways' site one evening and came across 3D printed instanter couplers with NEM antenna on both ends, suitable for permanently coupling my loaded and empty mineral rakes within the sets.  This released 40 odd NEM tension locks which dug me out of my problem; I have been able to re-instate several wagons to service and replace the odd missing hook, but I only have 5 pairs left for now!

 

I don't mind stuff being unavailable, as long as there is a reliable date that it is to become available on, but too many firms either avoid attempting to provide this, either because they cannot find out themselves or are too embarrassed about the lead time, or give a far too optomistic lead time, probably at the behest of 'marketing' to maintain interest levels while they are waiting for the delayed model.

 

This was my gripe with the 94xx prior to the introduction of Bachmann's 3 month advance notice system; it's been put back from Nov to Nov/Dec but the 3 month has been reliable so far.  I would have been much happier, whatever marketing thinks, to have been told in 2016 that the model would turn up at the end of 2020; I could have forgotten about it for the next 4 years and gotten on with my life.

 

But I'm advancing on Barwell with a panzer division if they put it back again.  

[newbryford]

4 hours ago, The Johnster said:

 

 

I don't mind stuff being unavailable, as long as there is a reliable date that it is to become available on, but too many firms either avoid attempting to provide this, either because they cannot find out themselves or are too embarrassed about the lead time, or give a far too optomistic lead time, probably at the behest of 'marketing' to maintain interest levels while they are waiting for the delayed model.

 

This was my gripe with the 94xx prior to the introduction of Bachmann's 3 month advance notice system; it's been put back from Nov to Nov/Dec but the 3 month has been reliable so far.  I would have been much happier, whatever marketing thinks, to have been told in 2016 that the model would turn up at the end of 2020; I could have forgotten about it for the next 4 years and gotten on with my life.

 

But I'm advancing on Barwell with a panzer division if they put it back again.  

 

And you think 4 years is a long time waiting for a model?

Be thankful you weren't waiting for the retooled 158............... I think we got up to seven in the end.

 

Build a kit or convert existing RTR. That's a sure fire way to ensure that the RTR version is released just as your own project is either completed or very near to completion.

[The Johnster]

Tried that, with 'Limbach' model, 2 years ago  It is something that will do as a stopgap, but is not satisfactory  as the Lima body can only represent the first 10 locos of the class, wihich had a sloping cover between the frames ahead of the smokebox which hid the tops of the valve chest and cylinder fronts, and this is a common feature to the previous Wills kit and Graham Farish 00 models of the class.  I recently found a 3D print for the loco body, designed to fit the 57xx chassis, can't remember who by but it's on the Shapeways site, which represents the BR built locos which did not have this sloping cover.  There are other minor issues; the Bachmann chassis is not the correct frame shape profile at the front, and the brakes are at a different angle to those on a 94xx.  The Lima body is actually not that bad, but the splashers are not aligned properly to the Bachman's correctly spaced wheels, the Lima chassis being derived from their J50, and very crude.  There are also moulded details that would be separate on a modern model; handrails, bunker lamp irons and fire iron hooks.  There is some work to do on the rear buffer beam which has a cutout in it to clear the 'unobtrusive' Lima tension lock coupling...  You have to fill in the superfluous step cutouts on the driver's side of the bunker, and the buffers are a bit undernourished (I used the sprung ones from the donor loco, which will get them back.  The Bachmann chassis is earmarked to go back beneath it's original donor 57xx when the new Bachmann model arrives.

 

The only kit I'm aware of is the Southeastern, formerly Wills, but this has the sloping plate.  Bachmann's version has the correct sloping plate for the GW built loco, 9402, and no plate for the BR locos, 9487 and 9479.  I trust Bachmann to make a much better, more realistic, better detailed, better finished, and better performing model than I could from a kit; all I will have to do to it is replace the number with my chosen prototype, 8448, spent it's entire working life of just over 4 years at Tondu shed, blink and you'll miss it.  I've been waiting for the loco longer than it was in service (1954-9).

 

I take your point about the 158, and I believe the V2 is a bit behind schedule as well, but at least there were previous fairly recent and well detailed versions around and all you were waiting for was a better tooling.  The Lima was the last time a 94xx was avaialable RTR, and  that was hopeless below the running plate, the body tooling was 'of it's tiem', and the cab was full of a carp pancake.  The Limbach conversion is a big improvement, but I am looking forward to my Bachmann 9487!  And it's got firebox flicker (not sure how I'll get on with that) and a fitted speaker, which will be surplus to my requirements!

[DCB]

Oh well.  lets hope the Bachmann 94XX mechanism is more reliable than the Bachmann 57XX version in our Limbach 94XX the motor of which expired.  No sad loss as it had rice pudding skin removal issues and the Hornby/Farish/Airfix 5pole/Romford version just relentlessly gets on with the job of running trains. 

[The Johnster]

Sorry to hear that!  Mine was not the best puller at first, though adequate for everything except my loaded coal train on my small BLT .  As the Lima ballast weight cannot be used as is with the Bacnmann mech, I used the pannier ballast from the donor, which will get them back when it is rebuilt, and used Liquid Lead, which isn't liquid and I'm not certain is lead, sealed in with PVA, wherever else I could cram it in.  I have since discovered that PVA reacts with lead and expands, and should not be used in this way but, touch wood, I have had no trouble (yet, but the model is to be withdrawn soon and the body part scrapped).

 

Bachmann motors are designed to expire and be replaced, so a requet to Barwell spares should provide a replacement and get your Limbach back in action.  I have a total of 5 of these mechs in service, only one bought new and the rest are 'Bay 'bargains'.  I am lucky perhaps, but I have had no running issues with any of these identical mechs, though I have had to re-solder 2 or my 3 small prairie mechs, and one of my 3 56xx.  The Hornby mech under my 2721, in contrast, is very fiddly with regard to pickups which have to be adjusted every time I use it, and refuses to start or stop completely smoothly,  and though it is much better than it was when I first bought it, cannot be described as just getting  relentlessly on with the job of running trains; I wish it could.  My prototype, 2761, had fluted coupling rods so I cannot use a Bachmann 57xx/8750 mech.  I am considering replacing this chassis with the Southestern one intended for their 1854; I have an old Wills body for an 1854 and have to build it a chassis anyway, and possibly the bodies can share a chassis.

 

But the Bachmann mechs, 5 identical 0-6-0s, 3 each of small prairie and 0-6-2s, do get relentlassly on with the business of running trains.   They have individual personalities though, which identical mass produced mechs shouldn't have;  some make different noises, some 'feel' freeer running than others but perform the same under objective analysis, one wobbles a bit, they all respond differently to the controller knob, one dips realistically as if it was braking when power is taken off.  Not complaining, all are suitable for their work and  real locos differed quite a bit as well.  One of my 56xx can be made to slip with a combination of the loaded coal train and careless handling, which I think is brilliant!

 

All my locos irrespective of make have been improved by the addition of as much Liquid Lead as I can get inside them; as well as tractive effort, smoothness of running, pickup, and mechanical noise are all improved.