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


Neal Ball
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12 hours ago, john dew said:

So I may get mine before you!


I think there is a very good chance of that John. Hatton’s told me it could be another couple of weeks... hopefully by the end of this year, if not the early part of 2021!
 

If it’s going to be that long, I might as well get the analogue one and fit You Choos sound. The only advantage Of having factory fitted is that you also get fire box glow as well.

 

11 hours ago, MrWolf said:

So I might just replace the Bachmann mogul I have had since nineteen ninety something? I haven't managed to blow it up yet and SWMBO says that at the rate my layout is progressing, I never will.


I’ve only had a second hand Bachmann mogul, which was a poor running eBay purchase. Long since sent to Hattons to buy a more modern loco!

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9 hours ago, Neal Ball said:


I think there is a very good chance of that John. Hatton’s told me it could be another couple of weeks... hopefully by the end of this year, if not the early part of 2021!
 

If it’s going to be that long, I might as well get the analogue one and fit You Choos sound. The only advantage Of having factory fitted is that you also get fire box glow as well.

 


I’ve only had a second hand Bachmann mogul, which was a poor running eBay purchase. Long since sent to Hattons to buy a more modern loco!


Hi Neal

 

I think you get the fire box glow with a regular decoder but with a sound decoder its synchronised. The loco looks so gorgeous I wont be to upset if I miss out on the glow:rolleyes:

 

Keep well

 

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1 minute ago, john dew said:


Hi Neal

 

I think you get the fire box glow with a regular decoder but with a sound decoder its synchronised. The loco looks so gorgeous I wont be to upset if I miss out on the glow:rolleyes:

 

Keep well

 


I was going to message Dapol to ask when they are going to be released... but I’ve recently read they are inundated with emails after they closed the Dapol collectors club.

 

I’ve never had firebox glow, so won’t necessarily miss it if it’s not there.

 

Conceivably of course, with the right level of decoder, you should be able to sync the glow to the loco sounds.... just a case of programming a function key....

 

I understand the Dapol fitted sounds are down by Legoman Biffa(?), so would have added another sound source into the loco mix.

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8 hours ago, Neal Ball said:


I was going to message Dapol to ask when they are going to be released... but I’ve recently read they are inundated with emails after they closed the Dapol collectors club.

 

I’ve never had firebox glow, so won’t necessarily miss it if it’s not there.

 

Conceivably of course, with the right level of decoder, you should be able to sync the glow to the loco sounds.... just a case of programming a function key....

 

I understand the Dapol fitted sounds are down by Legoman Biffa(?), so would have added another sound source into the loco mix.

Will you be able to program the firebox glow according to whether the fireman has opened or closed the firehole door, the amount of coal on teh grate, the damper settings or the regulator/cutoff settings i.e. amount of draught? If not it's just a gimmick.

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6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Will you be able to program the firebox glow ........ If not it's just a gimmick.


I think it is a gimmick. 
 

For it to work properly, the fireman has to be able to swing his shovel, open the firebox door, throw, then close it again (or leave it ajar).

 

I think firebox glow is popular with American locos, but can only be seen, when it’s completely dark.

 

I have emailed Dapol, let’s see what they say, failing that I will get You Choos sound and beef up the speaker. (I believe there is a small speaker in the loco, but connections for a Bass speaker in the tender.) Leaving Legoman Biffa sounds for another day.

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On 14/11/2020 at 00:20, St Enodoc said:

Will you be able to program the firebox glow according to whether the fireman has opened or closed the firehole door, the amount of coal on teh grate, the damper settings or the regulator/cutoff settings i.e. amount of draught? If not it's just a gimmick.

I'm sure it will be possible to program the effect like that eventually but at the moment, if it's like all the other firebox glow effects I've seen, it will come on when the shovelling sound is playing and off when it stops.

 

But that's not just a gimmick - it's a small step closer to modelling reality. How accurate does a feature have to be to escape gimmick status? After all the fireman doesn't move while he is notionally shovelling and when the loco chuffs there's no realistic blast of smoke and steam from the chimney but we put up with those discrepancies.

 

The speaker in the firebox of the Mogul is a standard sugar cube that clips to the pullout PCB. It has no enclosure so won't be making deep bass sounds... A gasket between the clip-on cover and the speaker form a sealed enclosure to improve the sound.

 

The speaker mounting in the tender is a generous well in the cast chassis cast weight (39 * 20 * 8.5 mm), which should be big enough for a reasonable sized enclosed speaker but may need some grinding down to fit a really bassy speaker. (Or the entire weight could be removed but then something would be needed to keep the rear coupling mechanism in place.)

IMG_20201114_103419.jpg.9d18b6e6412cf06a3b31ccc65c61a24b.jpg

 

P.S. Any decent sound decoder will be able synchronise the firebox glow with the sounds. If it doesn't do it "out of the box" it's just a matter of CV twiddling to change which function output is turned on when the sound is triggered.

 

Edited by Harlequin
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21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

I'm sure it will be possible to program the effect like that eventually but at the moment, if it's like all the other firebox glow effects I've seen, it will come on when the shovelling sound is playing and off when it stops.

 

But that's not just a gimmick - it's a small step closer to modelling reality. How accurate does a feature have to be to escape gimmick status? After all the fireman doesn't move while he is notionally shovelling and when the loco chuffs there's no realistic blast of smoke and steam from the chimney but we put up with those discrepancies.

 

The speaker in the firebox of the Mogul is a standard sugar cube that clips to the pullout PCB. It has no enclosure so won't be making deep bass sounds...

 

The speaker mounting in the tender is a generous well in the cast chassis cast weight (39 * 20 * 8.5 mm), which should be big enough for a reasonable sized enclosed speaker but may need some grinding down to fit a really bassy speaker. (Or the entire weight could be removed but then something would be needed to keep the rear coupling mechanism in place.)

IMG_20201114_103419.jpg.9d18b6e6412cf06a3b31ccc65c61a24b.jpg

 

P.S. Any decent sound decoder will be able synchronise the firebox glow with the sounds. If it doesn't do it "out of the box" it's just a matter of CV twiddling to change which function output is turned on when the sound is triggered.

 


Thanks for that Phil.

 

Looks as if you can get a decent sized speaker into the tender then. I wouldn’t want to remove that much weight. 
 

I will see if I get a reply from Dapol on Monday or Tuesday and decide what to do from there. 
 

Thanks again

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On 15/11/2020 at 06:00, Neal Ball said:


Thanks for that Phil.

 

Looks as if you can get a decent sized speaker into the tender then. I wouldn’t want to remove that much weight. 
 

I will see if I get a reply from Dapol on Monday or Tuesday and decide what to do from there. 
 

Thanks again

Hi Neal,

 

Reading the Mogul's manual again I realise I made a mistake about the smokebox speaker. Dapol's intention is that a gasket should be fitted between the sugar cube speaker and the clip-on cover, so the speaker would then have a sealed enclosure to improve the sound. 

 

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22 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Hi Neal,

 

Reading the Mogul's manual again I realise I made a mistake about the smokebox speaker. Dapol's intention is that a gasket should be fitted between the sugar cube speaker and the clip-on cover, so the speaker would then have a sealed enclosure to improve the sound. 

 


Thanks Phil,

Does the sugar cube still sit in the smoke box with the decoder?

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44 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:


Thanks Phil,

Does the sugar cube still sit in the smoke box with the decoder?

Yes.

Dapol quote part numbers for both speakers. They aren't available on the DCC Supplies website yet but They are on the DCC Supplies website and I think I have also found a speaker that would exactly fit the tender without modification on Road & Rails.

 

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19 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Yes.

Dapol quote part numbers for both speakers. They aren't available on the DCC Supplies website yet but I think I have found a speaker that would exactly fit the tender without modification on Road & Rails.

 

When I watched the Sam's Trains review he showed the manual which listed the speakers as DCC Supplies 112965 & 100790 both of which I've found several hundred in stock? Are you saying that in fact these aren't the correct speakers?

Apologies for the slight diversion Neal.

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9 minutes ago, DRoe96 said:

When I watched the Sam's Trains review he showed the manual which listed the speakers as DCC Supplies 112965 & 100790 both of which I've found several hundred in stock? Are you saying that in fact these aren't the correct speakers?

Apologies for the slight diversion Neal.

They are the right ones. Sorry, I just didn't search the DCC supplies website properly. They are in stock, as you say.

 

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I have just heard from Dapol.

 

Apparently the decoder fitting service is done by their service agents, rather than the Dapol factory in the UK.

 

Delivery is expected to be 3 to 4 weeks.

 

I think I will look at the You Choos sounds; who already have details on their website: https://www.youchoos.co.uk/Index-Resource.php?L1=Guides&Item=OODapolMogul 

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On 12/11/2020 at 18:32, john dew said:

So I may get mine before you!

 

Has your order been shipped yet John?

 

I have just placed my order with Hattons and You Choos and hopefully both parcels will be here by the end of next week.

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3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Has your order been shipped yet John?

 

I have just placed my order with Hattons and You Choos and hopefully both parcels will be here by the end of next week.

 

I think so? Still getting my head around the trunk system.......its empty now and previously it had a few small bits and the Mogul would go straight in.......and then out with the small bits.

 

You will still get there before me I think. Looking forward to hearing the Youchoos sound chip on your loco

 

Best wishes
 

 

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1 hour ago, john dew said:

 

I think so? Still getting my head around the trunk system.......its empty now and previously it had a few small bits and the Mogul would go straight in.......and then out with the small bits.

 

You will still get there before me I think. Looking forward to hearing the Youchoos sound chip on your loco

 

Best wishes
 

 


I also struggle with the trunk at times, it tells me it can’t do it as the server is busy, whereupon I get an email to say it’s been processed!

 

Looking forward to swapping notes about the loco.

 

Have a good evening.

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My Dapol 43xx 2-6-0 has arrived... despite DPD/Seur showing its still to be delivered. (Seur is probably the worst delivery company in Spain!)

 

The decoder is still in the post, so I cant run into Henley at this stage.

 

I have been running it on DC on the rolling road and to be honest it's not running very well. Hopefully it will ease after running for a while.

 

Although running well here, it stopped straight after I turned off the iPhone. Its better now than it was, but its still not running as well as it should. 

 

When the decoder arrives, I wont solder the the speaker in until I am happy that it is running ok. If not it will be going back to Hattons.

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35 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Since the middle driving axle is sprung, I wonder if leaving it unsupported might be part of the problem?

 

 

Good point, I have also had that in the past and also removed quite a lot of factory grease from the gears too on some locos.

 

I hope it gets sorted out.

 

G

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1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

Since the middle driving axle is sprung, I wonder if leaving it unsupported might be part of the problem?

 

 

Thanks Phil, I tried that as well... marginally better, but I also put that down to the running in.

 

23 minutes ago, bgman said:

 

Good point, I have also had that in the past and also removed quite a lot of factory grease from the gears too on some locos.

 

I hope it gets sorted out.

 

G

 

Thanks very much, I didn't notice a large amount of grease, but will have a look tomorrow.

 

I will also film it better with the DSLR tomorrow and see if I can replicate the issue. (Hopefully i cant replicate it and everything is fine!)

 

Unfortunately I didn't video the loco when it had all the rollers underneath.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6641.jpeg.3f7963ac6b895b4f76056892b5057c48.jpeg

 

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.

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Mogul day 2:
 

I’ve had the mogul running on the rolling road, with all wheels supported this morning. In reverse it happily ran for about 1/2 hr. At which point I put the track away.... it was going to be a struggle to find the space for a 4ft circle.

 

I carried on soldering up more AutoFrogs.

 

Set the loco to go forward and it immediately seized. For the moment, I’ve set it to one side and will continue after lunch.

 

With the loco upside down it’s apparent that the whole unit has seized. Yesterday, I was able to free it by setting it in the opposite direction, which I’ve not tried at the moment.

 

This afternoon, I intend to take the loco body off and see what is causing the issue.

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The Mogul cont’d:

 

This doesn’t explain why it would run in one direction and stop in the other, but....

 

Having taken it apart, I am not sure if both of the motion brackets were correctly located into their housing. Both are circled here.

 

The motion bracket slots into a small hole on the frames.

 

40CA531B-7EA5-41CF-B433-B58096BE4D69.jpeg.152ed2bee900ed2b4a514acc3a69c8b4.jpeg
 

6B035768-2D1C-49A5-B7FF-EC2843277177.jpeg.7836f97154488ae4c5f94eb20f910a2a.jpeg

 

But what is apparent is that the screw fitting on the underside at the front to hold the motor / wheels onto the body has broken. I can’t think it’s a case of over tightening at the factory.... there must be another issue... which is apparent when it’s being run.

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This afternoons video, sadly I think the loco needs to go back.

 


 

I can stop the motion bracket getting loose, by putting my finger on it, but that exerts too much pressure and the loco stops.

 

Presumably, that means that when the body is on, that is why the screw Fitting has broken.... whatever is wrong is exerting too much pressure, before I turn off the power.

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Sorry to hear it doesn't come up to good running qualities Neil.

 

I think its probably best to return it and get the supplier to test and return a new replacement, all being well you will get a better loco.

 

Grahame

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