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Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's


Neal Ball
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Sadly, it wasn't all plain sailing though this afternoon....

 

I have been trying to change the direction on my TTS fitted Windsor Castle, which runs in reverses. (Press Rev to go forward; Forward to go back.)

 

It's annoying and I want to change it, so that all locos go forward when you select forward.... not too much to ask eh! I've commented before that another of my Hornby Castles, also goes backwards.

 

So having read the instructions... I added 1 to CV29 (38 to 39).... and/or I changed Normal to Reverse in the basic set up in the Sprog / decoder Pro set-up.... nothing worked....

 

At different times, it went forward, or forward.... It worked correctly on the Sprog3 test bench, but then not on the layout.

 

At one point, I even switched off the wifi hand-held controller.

 

So I am back to square one, having reset everything back to the start. There must be an easy way to program it, but perhaps the easiest way is to change the cables to the motor round!

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4 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Sadly, it wasn't all plain sailing though this afternoon....

 

I have been trying to change the direction on my TTS fitted Windsor Castle, which runs in reverses. (Press Rev to go forward; Forward to go back.)

 

It's annoying and I want to change it, so that all locos go forward when you select forward.... not too much to ask eh! I've commented before that another of my Hornby Castles, also goes backwards.

 

So having read the instructions... I added 1 to CV29 (38 to 39).... and/or I changed Normal to Reverse in the basic set up in the Sprog / decoder Pro set-up.... nothing worked....

 

At different times, it went forward, or forward.... It worked correctly on the Sprog3 test bench, but then not on the layout.

 

At one point, I even switched off the wifi hand-held controller.

 

So I am back to square one, having reset everything back to the start. There must be an easy way to program it, but perhaps the easiest way is to change the cables to the motor round!


I am not familiar with sound chips ....Can you/.have you done a factory re-set?

 

If its not hard wired you could plug in a spare chip (non sound would do) to test direction running

 

HTH

 

Best wishes

 

John

 

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3 hours ago, john dew said:


I am not familiar with sound chips ....Can you/.have you done a factory re-set?

 

If its not hard wired you could plug in a spare chip (non sound would do) to test direction running

 

HTH

 

Best wishes

 

John

 


Thanks John,

On the basis that one of my other Castles is also reversed (from the same batch), I think it’s a wiring issue. 
It’s odd that it was ok through the Sorog3 but not on the layout.....

I will try a factory reset. 
Thanks for that. 
Neal.

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7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

You might have known my old mate Readymix Ron then. He was certainly there in the early/mid 80s.


The names not that familiar... but in the programme there were a lot of characters I recognised, but couldn’t remember the name!

 

I have searched on YouTube, but can’t see it. Either Western TV shows (cowboys and) or the model rail challenge programmes come up!

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On 13/09/2020 at 16:09, john dew said:


I am a big fan of turntables they add a huge amount of operating interest but accurate automatic indexing is very desirable


The Fleischmann is more expensive than the Heljan but you should be able to get one for less than £435 from one of the German box shifters. I found one by google search in Hong Kond for a lot less but that was 4 years ago.

 

i bought it to replace a Heljan!  When the Heljan worked it was brilliant.....much quieter and smoother than the Fleischmann with a rather nice slow down before matching the exit track....accurate indexing

 

When it was bad it was horrid.......from time to time it would lose its memory (this has been reported elsewhere). This may be less of a problem for you because I had 10 exit tracks. 
 

My principal problem was that it wasnt fully supported by RR &Co.....I had some pretty spectaculars screwups before I gave up and got the Fleischmann ......Not an issue for you though
 

Ending on a positive note it is DCC ready so you can control It from either your throttle or the supplied control box. Later models have what appears to be a better designed control box....something to watch out for if you start looking

 

I can send  links to Youtube to videos I made of both Turntables if you wish

 

Best wishes

 

Another turntable worth looking at is the Roco product. It is smaller than the Fleishmann one and more suited for creating a more British looking unit.

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11 hours ago, Denbridge said:

Another turntable worth looking at is the Roco product. It is smaller than the Fleishmann one and more suited for creating a more British looking unit.


Thanks for that, I will have a look.

 

Ouch! €410 .... 

Edited by Neal Ball
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I didn’t manage to spend any time on the railway yesterday. 
 

At one point in the day though, whilst collecting a screwdriver for another job, I sat down at my workbench and looked across the railway. This was the scene:

 

3B80F1B1-4E89-4543-AB4E-71526B85725B.jpeg.ec4eea5f00e6ca8f1cd89b1ceb4ac839.jpeg

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

I didn’t manage to spend any time on the railway yesterday. 
 

At one point in the day though, whilst collecting a screwdriver for another job, I sat down at my workbench and looked across the railway. This was the scene:

 

3B80F1B1-4E89-4543-AB4E-71526B85725B.jpeg.ec4eea5f00e6ca8f1cd89b1ceb4ac839.jpeg

 

 

 

Lovely, nostalgic picture.

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10 minutes ago, KNP said:

 

Christmas present?

After all we are meant to be buying stuff early.....!

 

What I can't work out is what is the difference between the Heljan; Fleishmann and Roco turntables....

 

Heljan at @£200 looks as if its indexed, admittedly with issues in the past - its DCC enabled. £259 at Gaugemaster, cheaper at Rails.

144903170_HeljanTT2.jpg.7922676c2bea344b032248aa2e9b1d83.jpg

 

Roco at @£355. doesn't really look suitable to blend in with a UK railway environment: Interestingly its for sale with Gaugemaster and their photo looks better than this one from Roco! £400 with Gaugemaster.

 

177968203_Rocoturntable.jpg.34151edc24190f91a10fbc5f65929f90.jpg

 

When I looked last night, it seemed to be that you had to buy the access tracks extra (3 x €19) and the power supply @€80.

 

Then there is the Fleishmann model, which is available at Gaugemaster for £475 - very similar style to above:

 

1047525241_Fleishmannturntable.jpg.fb40432c253cf8eeb62b661f4659d261.jpg

 

It just looks less severe in the photos! - Both of course could be painted to look more Great Western.

 

It's interesting that Heljan market their model as if it has the UK modeller in mind!

 

1679281773_HeljanTT.jpg.21fb511dc70bb3766e294834e08d962b.jpg

 

Ideally of course, what I would like is something closer to this... although there was only ever a 55ft table at Henley:

 

Turntable.jpg.690329b318b27aa07d0a5b4fe0e5dfe0.jpg

 

Compromises have to be made... whether Santa can be persuaded to pop one down the chimney remains to be seen. Thanks for the suggestion Kevin.

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Hi Neal,

 

Have you considered the GWR overbridge style kits here:

https://greenwoodmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk/shop/turntables/oo-turntable/ (All out of stock currently)

and here:

http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/4mm_scale_00_EM_P4.htm

 

I have no idea if they're any good but both claim to have motorised and indexing options.

 

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2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Hi Neal,

 

Have you considered the GWR overbridge style kits here:

https://greenwoodmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk/shop/turntables/oo-turntable/ (All out of stock currently)

and here:

http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/4mm_scale_00_EM_P4.htm

 

I have no idea if they're any good but both claim to have motorised and indexing options.

 

 

Thats great thank you Phil.

 

Out of the two, it looks as if the Greenwood system is better as the controller does not need a laptop to run it. Whereas the metalsmith one needs an attendant laptop. (I generally only take the laptop to the railway room if I am programming....)

 

I hadn't seen these before, so will email both companies for more information.

 

Thanks again for the information.

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Hi Neal

 

As you know I have used the Heljan for a few years and switched to Fleischmann

 

I cant really account for the difference in price........its actually greater than you may think. Heljan has a DCC control unit included in the price.....Fleischmann has a basic on/off/reverse switch, you have to pay another 150 GBP for a DCC control unit. Having said that the basic unit will be sufficient for turntables with only a few exit tracks.

 

Fleischmann is more robust and less sophisticated than Heljan. For me both are advantages. The Heljan exit tracks have to be laid directly to the table using conventional track which has to be filed down to smooth the transition to the bridge. The gap has to be very precise and the alignment with the bridge tracks perfect.

 

The Fleischmann transition tracks are an integral part of the turntable and extend 3" beyond the surround  before connecting with conventional track. More allowance for marginal alignment error

 

292805129_1Original.jpg.aa4d736e283a0b0dd1dd9d9d81111f03.jpg

 

Using the basic switch unit, indexing is immediate and automatic from the moment you switch on/off. Ultra accurate and reliable

 

With Heljan you have to initially programme the control unit by lining up each exit track by eye for each end of the bridge. To be accurate ists quite time consuming. Once done you just punch in the allocated track number and the bridge automatically moves to it. In operation it is very smooth and much quieter than the Fleischmann.

 

Unfortunately the Heljan sporadically loses its indexing memory. Very frustrating when operating and involves repeating the entire programming process.

 

Making the change was a big outlay for me (no new locos for almost a year!) but with a largish automated layout well worthwhile

 

They are admittedly a bit noisy and not very prototypical for the GWR but they can be disguised a bit:

 

1566363300_9side.jpg.4de4ad70a812939c1e86bd7155e3dac9.jpg

 

I have thought of modifying the bridge with girders...it has been done.....but I took fright and added more grime instead

 

 

 

152527202_7Lineup.jpg.09e806cfffe1d97a6c76ce4ca1b296d2.jpg

 

Best wishes

 

John

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Thanks very much for that John @john dew.

 

I'm inclined to give the Greenwood one a go - subject to understanding their pricing and the chances are that it will come in around the same price as the Fleischmann turntable.

 

127434293_GreenwoodTT.jpg.e4327eefabe84828bc6b7e53ff51287a.jpg

 

Moreover, it looks the part - very Great Western with the over bridge style of gurder.

 

Interestingly though for £40 with the metalsmith one, you get an additional piece of MDF, shaped to the correct size to make up the pit..... with this one, i haven't seen any mention of that. But I guess its straight forward.

 

My concern about the Heljan and Flesichmann models is that sat in essentially a field, they will look out of place, if that makes sense.

 

I haven't emailed Peco yet though, I still need to do that.

 

Thanks again John.

Edited by Neal Ball
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Yesterday I emailed Hornby about the loose bolt on the coupling rod coming off.

 

Late last night I received a reply, which is great service and I certainly wasn't expecting a reply until Monday.

 

However, I was told they had not heard of this happening before, but would come back to me.

 

Strange that no-one else has told Hornby about the issues.

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25 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

I'm inclined to give the Greenwood one a go

 

I don't think you'll go far wrong with their product Neal, with respect some of the commercial ones are slightly "clunky / noisy "to my ears and with the correct motor you should be on the way to a good looking turntable.

Your comment re - Peco I am assuming you're talking about the new control ? If you are I am led to understand there has been quite a failure rate / problem with it from some modellers I have spoken to.

Whatever method you eventually use I am certain it will be a well considered choice.

 

G

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22 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Thanks very much for that John @john dew.

 

I'm inclined to give the Greenwood one a go - subject to understanding their pricing and the chances are that it will come in around the same price as the Fleischmann turntable.

 

127434293_GreenwoodTT.jpg.e4327eefabe84828bc6b7e53ff51287a.jpg

 

Moreover, it looks the part - very Great Western with the over bridge style of gurder.

 

Interestingly though for £40 with the metalsmith one, you get an additional piece of MDF, shaped to the correct size to make up the pit..... with this one, i haven't seen any mention of that. But I guess its straight forward.

 

My concern about the Heljan and Flesichmann models is that sat in essentially a field, they will look out of place, if that makes sense.

 

I haven't emailed Peco yet though, I still need to do that.

 

Thanks again John.


Hi Neal

 

I think you may well be right . That Greenwood model certainly looks more realistic

 

I am afraid that I had to sacrifice authenticity for RR&Co compatability!

 

Cheers

 

john

 

 

 

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Ive just had a reply from Peco about the judder in operation of the turntable. 

 

They reckon it's because I have not glued the spindle and motor together - opting for a removable pin arrangement.

 

As a last resort, I am going to try glueing it together.

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Monday update:

 

Its funny how things work out.... I had every intention of setting to with the Sprog3 set up and sorting out a few troublesome decoders. (First stage, before a wholesale change of decoders....)

 

I started out with the best of intentions with the laptop in the railway room.... but got diverted!

 

Instead it has been a day of tidying up a few loose ends, where I’ve had the paint brushes out - it was 31degrees on the front terrace, so has been a lovely afternoon to paint in the sunshine.

 

Expect to see the following over the next few days or maybe a couple of weeks - what’s the rush!

  • The Foden steam lorry has been painted and I am half way through painting the trailer that will go with it. These will be for the Brakspear brewery. I want to do the trailer in such a way that I can also use a horse with it, separate to the Foden if needed.
  • Separate Coal merchants Wagon and horse.
  • Loco crew - I always need more loco crew. Today’s is a mix of Langley and Modelu. With more Modelu on order.
  • Passengers:  Carriages need passengers - which then means they need more lighting. I’ve recently been running 2 lit carriages and realise that all my carriages (one day) need to be lit. 
  • I then went on eBay and ordered 200 more (painted) passengers from China. Due at Henley soon!
  • Signal box interior: I’ve had 2 kits for the inside of the signal box for ages. Now the various parts (Ratio kit) are being painted up, I will be able to illuminate the inside of Henley signal box. The real box had 65 levers in the 1930’s, mine has 40. I have taken a percentage representation to give a flavour of the levers. Sadly it probably won’t be seen once it’s done!

That’s for for today, a very productive painting day. More of the same tomorrow.

Edited by Neal Ball
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Today has seen painting continue....

 

27D51767-77A2-4B15-9B2F-DB8F703D9F8C.jpeg.903b7159bbb916fde02741760ca94913.jpeg

 

There are something like 75 passengers and probably enough crew for 6 locos.

 

I’ve also finished off the signal box interior (Parts) - ready to be assembled in the next day or so and started to assemble the Foden lorry (fiddly, as nothing lines up).

 

I have just ordered from Langley models, another Horse; crates of beer bottles and the water trough for the pub.

 

Its been another productive day on the terrace. Tomorrow we are off to the wood yard to order this winters logs. It’s all go!

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In other news!


Hornby are sending me a spanner to tighten the nuts on my coupling rods for the 61xx. Excellent service.

 

Not sure if the person I have been dealing with has a place over here, but he did suggest hand delivering it and having a few vinos. I advised I might bore them to death about the need for a full brake and restaurant carriages to go with the Colletts. :D

 

That would be good, having all the inside news from Hornby lol.

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