marc smith Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 (edited) Yes i agree my sentinel will end up a buffer stop I never really had much luck with short wheel base shunters which is a shame as the layout was built for that type of locos in mind . wonder if a more expensive decoder would fix problem ? I've not got one of these locos, so I can't add anything re their running / reliability However, is there room inside for a stay-alive (keep-alive) capacitor and decoder? Perhaps an N gauge one, if such a thing exists? I ask because I always found that short wheelbase locos tend to be unreliable - even good runners tend to get a bit of dirt on their wheels, or encounter a dirty / dead spot on the track (even the best laid, scrupulously cleaned bit of track gets dirty at an exhibition) I installed a stay alive decoder into one of my class 08's - a Hornby model I converted to EM gauge. Anyhow, after installing the decoder, it runs absolutely faultlessly.... It never ever stalls, and runs really slowly and smoothly.... Just wondered whether there was room inside the sentinel? EDIT: They do say you should always run a loco in well, before installing any decoder... but in the case of my 08, I never did It ran OK before I installed the decoder, but not brilliantly - I had thought it might have been my conversion to EM that had been questionable..... but the keep alive chip & capacitor worked an absolute treat Edited January 18, 2018 by marc smith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 HI marc I will be take ing the body shell off over the weekend so I will have a look . that is good to know about your 08 and fitting the stay alive chip I have heard good things said about stay alive . and it would be a shame to not use it as it now banished back in its box 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc smith Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 HI marc I will be take ing the body shell off over the weekend so I will have a look . that is good to know about your 08 and fitting the stay alive chip I have heard good things said about stay alive . and it would be a shame to not use it as it now banished back in its box Good news kevo. Always worth exploring. I know the 08 looks like there must be a bit of space in it, but there really isn't much space in either the Hornby or Bachmann models (unless both their designs have altered in recent months) In fact, in the Hornby 08, I had to put the stay alive capacitor into the loco cab. I've partly disguised this by painting the wires off-white (like the cab interior) and putting a driver right against the window - so you can't see the wires so easily.... Hope you can fit one into the sentinel.... perhaps there's already a thread on here somewhere? Some other rmweb member must have tried this already? Good luck anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Hi Marc just before i set of for work this morning i had a quick look on Y TUBE to see if there was any think about running problems Hornby sentinel dcc . well looks like i am not alone . some chap had the very same problem . turns out that his sentinel like mine dus run ok on DC but after fitting the Hornby decoder IT was next to use less . in his own words runs like crap . . so i wonder if there is another decoder on the market that will have a stay a live built in that will fit as i am not that brave to start cutting wires etc . mind you i did see a zimmo sound decoder fitted on Ytube and that didnt seem to have any problems with running Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 I've heard about those problems so I plan to hardwire a standard 8pin 4 function decoder into my sentinel. From experience with Hornby 4 pin decoders mine have been duff ones that dont work properly and cause erratic running so I now stay clear away from them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 hi Luke . I the past I have used lenz decoders they gave excellent running . funny enough I have just seen on Y tube some one who had hard wired a 8 pin 4 fuction decoder in to there sentinel . was that you ? seem to run a hell of a lot better Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 No that wasn't me. I don't mean to annoy anyone but I use those cheap laisdcc decoders for all my models and they seem to be fine. Not as good as Lenz decoders but they get the job done nice and cheaply. Would be interesting to see a sentinel fully kitted out with lights and sound though as you dont see many of those around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 Some one has done that its on Ytube think its a Zimo decoder . sounds good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 Hi all . been doing some more bits here and there since my last few pics . the gates at the end of the layout have had the weathering touch they lead on to the scrap yard . and the grass banks got a make over with bits of scrub small bushes etc I have also fixed the loading pipes from the cement silo and the girder gantry around it in place . it still needs some loading hoses . There is sill the patch of waist ground at the front of the layout to finish At the moment a small Coles crane is parked up there . I am leaning to some think like a small stock pile of steel billets like at the Queenborough rolling mill on the hope reach peir branch so work should begin in the week . I have even got my sentienl back out the box and run it still runs rough but ile think about what to do later with it Hope you like the new up date 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Looks great! Love the concrete hard standing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 thanks Luke . I did leave the concrete standing plain flat , but dived it up as to look like laid in sections and add the odd gouge and cracks but it dus need some grass in the jonts to finish Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 You've done some great work there Kevo, I really like the photo of Queenborough, that oozes atmosphere and your waste ground would look great like that. Steve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry1975 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Looking very nice indeed, I like that coles crane too. I echo above, your waste ground would look good if you did something like the photo of Queenborough. Jerry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 hi all , I have made a start to day on the waist ground . have ing hunted in my scrap box for some think to use as steel billets for the queenbrough rolling mill idea I just didn't have any think around. so I came up with a dump for pulled up track &sleepers from the scrap yard beyond the gates I have brought a Bachmann 30 ton bolster wagon . but its really much to long for this layout so ile try and look for a shorter wheel base flatbed type . I have just placed sleepers and track in place to see if it looks right and if happy I will then weather it all up and then add some scrub and grass etc PS the sentinel is still running bad and I am still at a loss to what zimmo sound decoder will fit . more bits soon . tc 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry1975 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Hi Kevo. This is looking good, I like the pile of sleepers. Regarding the sentinel, I wonder if changing the cv values would help, I'm no expert but have heard people do this before. Jerry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 thanks jerry that could be worth a try from post that I have read so far some people have tried that as well as strip downs re lube gears etc the only thing with that is for as much as I am a dcc fan and I can re number locos that is as far as my experience goes . might get my local model shop to have a play around with it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 O yes this is where i got the piles of sleepers idea from . 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Excellent progress here. What size is the overall board? Shame about the Sentinel - I’ve got the MSC one too but it runs pretty well on DC. It was a bit sticky to start with but I found the gears (?) were too greased up. Once that was solved it ran like a charm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Hi Chris the base board is 82cm long by37cm wide there is a10 cm over hang with the traverser. . some time this week I will remove the Hornby decoder and run the sentinel on dc and see how my one runs . . due to switching scales and gauges think the term is called rubber gauger I sold all my oo stock with my last layout so I am having to build it all up again .lucky enough a good mate of mine lent me his 03 which shows up in some of the early pics . . I did get a decoder to putt in it but as I think back even that didn't run well. any way enough said Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyChappy Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Excellent progress here. What size is the overall board? Shame about the Sentinel - I’ve got the MSC one too but it runs pretty well on DC. It was a bit sticky to start with but I found the gears (?) were too greased up. Once that was solved it ran like a charm. Layout's looking excellent especially with the Sentinel in residence. On that note - there's nothing inherently wrong with the Sentinels, I've got 5 all operating on DC which are now all excellent, slow-speed, performers. However, only 2 were perfect when new (coincidently both are the Balfour Beatty version). The others all needed the pick-ups tweaking to ensure full 4 wheel contact. The outside cranked version needed the wheelsets reset to set the quartering correctly and a 'sticky starter' NCB version was rectified by clearing all the thick grease out of the gears just like Chris found. I'd persevere with your MSC Sentinel or, if it's fairly new, return it to the supplier for replacement. Regards, HC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 as the Bachmann 30 ton bolster wagon was really to long for the track and sleeper dump a short Hornby wheel base one was found on Ebay . this seem to fit the bill much better . it will get a bit of a re paint and good weather ing . few other bits or mock up . is old box van for a tool shed . I have been weather ing the sleeper piles and stock pile of scrap rails also found some pallets and telegraph poles . next stage will be blending it all together wit scrub grass etc around the piles of disused sleepers 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Is that new wagon a Thomas and friends one by any chance? I've got one just like that and its on my to do list of repaints. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevo Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Not sure luke it just said Hornby flat bed waggon in the add didnt have a box with it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 That looks good Kevo, really like the Coles crane in the pic. Keep up the good work. Steve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry1975 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 This just keeps on getting better. Jerry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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