EFE Rail - Winter 2023 Announcements inc. Southern 'Booster'

[MikeParkin65]

2 hours ago, simon b said:

Realistically if anyone does the 74 it will be Hornby, they only need to make a retooled body shell as the chassis is already there.  It's on my list to do at some point, I've got a 71 here to butcher using the silver fox 74 body shell fitted with the Hornby cabs.

 

Although the 74 is limited to one livery and the southern area of operation, it will still sell out. Many people will just want it to complete their collection, even if nowhere to run it in a prototypical fashion. 

 

20003 could be a bit more of a problem as it was longer than the other two, depends on how accurate you want it to be.

I think the chassis too would need some attention, I'm told there is hardly room for DCC chip never mind a speaker. 

[Phatbob]

21 minutes ago, MikeParkin65 said:

I think the chassis too would need some attention, I'm told there is hardly room for DCC chip never mind a speaker. 

Apparently not so:

HTH.

[Kaput]

28 minutes ago, amdaley said:

Question for anyone running one of these on DCC ?

I can switch on the headlights but I can't switch on the cab lights from my NCE Power Cab.

Anyone have this problem ?

I can switch the cab lights on & off with the wand but not from the handset ?

 

What decoder?

[Fair Oak Junction]

9 minutes ago, Phatbob said:

Apparently not so:

 

Sounds good! Modified 71 sound according to the comments under the video, which seems to work well. Very tempting.

[Graham_Muz]

31 minutes ago, Phatbob said:

Apparently not so:

HTH.

 

52 minutes ago, MikeParkin65 said:

I think the chassis too would need some attention, I'm told there is hardly room for DCC chip never mind a speaker. 

 

Nice video although I think tho Mike's comment was with respect to the Hornby Class 71 being previously discussed and not the SR Booster.

Edited January 19 by Graham_Muz

[MikeParkin65]

11 minutes ago, Graham_Muz said:

 

 

Nice video although I think the Mike's comment was with respect to the Hornby Class 71 being previously discussed and the SR Booster.

Indeed it was - thanks Graham

[amdaley]

1 hour ago, Kaput said:

 

What decoder?

Rails Connect Ros-218.

6 Function.

Maybe there's a cv I need to change ?

[Kaput]

I'm not sure that one will work the cab lights, I had to change my Zimo MX634 into a "C" to get the correct logic level functions (the "D" version didn't work) for them.

According to Zimo manual the C is logic level on FO3 and 4, I think the Rails Connect decoders are full power on all outputs.

[bigherb]

7 hours ago, 4630 said:

 

The market for a 4mm version of them is no doubt small and the corporate blue only livery, perhaps supplemented with a weathered option as they were rarely clean for long, is definitely a limiting factor.  But I can still dream.

 

I don't know, looks quite good in green.

 

[21C123]

Is there a list somewhere of what disc headcodes were used ?

 

thanks

 

Roger

[RFS]

31 minutes ago, 21C123 said:

Is there a list somewhere of what disc headcodes were used ?

 

thanks

 

Roger

 

On the Southern Railway Email group website - https://sremg.org.uk/headcodes/headcodes.html

Edited January 19 by RFS

[metropolitan cammell]

6 hours ago, amdaley said:

Rails Connect Ros-218.

6 Function.

Maybe there's a cv I need to change ?

I had a spare Dapol imperium that wouldn't operate the cab lights and I think it is the same decoder rebadged, in the end I bought a esu lokpilot 5 that worked fine.

[Right Away]

17 hours ago, amdaley said:

Question for anyone running one of these on DCC ?

I can switch on the headlights but I can't switch on the cab lights from my NCE Power Cab.

Anyone have this problem ?

I can switch the cab lights on & off with the wand but not from the handset ?

Same here, with a Zimo MX638D.

Although, not overly worried (too cold), when I have time, I’ll have a fiddle with the config and get back once happy. That is, unless a member can relate the relevant settings for this function.

[amdaley]

10 hours ago, metropolitan cammell said:

I had a spare Dapol imperium that wouldn't operate the cab lights and I think it is the same decoder rebadged, in the end I bought a esu lokpilot 5 that worked fine.

I think the Rails connect decoders are DccConcepts rebadged.

[RFS]

1 hour ago, Right Away said:

Same here, with a Zimo MX638D.

Although, not overly worried (too cold), when I have time, I’ll have a fiddle with the config and get back once happy. That is, unless a member can relate the relevant settings for this function.

 

Is it an MX638D or MX634D? I believe you just need to convert an MX634D into an MX634C by storing the value 3 into CV8. This should make the lights work. Maybe the same for an MX638D.

 

I don't understand why the lights have to be on F3 and F4. What was wrong with F1 and F2 which are not used in this model? It would then have meant any 4-function decoder would work fine. Instead it means you need a 6-function decoder for the cab lights to work. 

Edited January 20 by RFS

[Right Away]

Thanks RFS, it’s definitely a MX638D, the “budget” 21 pin decoder which I believe maybe now have been discontinued for some reason ….. perhaps not expensive enough!

I will try that CV8 setting.

Edited January 20 by Right Away
typo

[Graham_Muz]

1 hour ago, RFS said:

 

Is it an MX638D or MX634D? I believe you just need to convert an MX634D into an MX634C by storing the value 3 into CV8. This should make the lights work. Maybe the same for an MX638D.

 

I don't understand why the lights have to be on F3 and F4. What was wrong with F1 and F2 which are not used in this model? It would then have meant any 4-function decoder would work fine. Instead it means you need a 6-function decoder for the cab lights to work. 

We avoid F2 for lights as on some DCC  hand sets this is non latching and we get questions as to why we use F2! 

[Oldddudders]

11 minutes ago, Graham_Muz said:

We avoid F2 for lights as on some DCC  hand sets this is non latching and we get questions as to why we use F2! 

Indeed, for some of us F1 is the bell and F2 is the horn/whistle, on US sound-fitted models, so US DCC systems match it.  

[The Stationmaster]

21 hours ago, frobisher said:

 

It might depend where the DJM tooling and CAD ended up, and which manufacturer/brand has reinvigorated some of that in the past already as to what relative chances might be.

DJM never did any work on the 74 and his 71 was amazingly low geared so would need a rework to make a saleable 74.  If  Hornby still have their Class 71 mountain (maybe now just a hillock now?) lurking in their whopping great inventory pile they could possibly do a 'factory rebuild' but I doubt it would be particularly economic - and not worthwhile for them.  So may be some really keen Class 74 fan could buy up the Hornby 71 stocks and do the job?

 

But, as I 'agreed' previously, I do wonder about the size of a potential market for the 74 due to their late arrival on the scene and their relatively early departure from it.   Did they ever have the sort of appeal of various other small in number or short lived classes?   Back to the Hornby, aka booster.

[JSpencer]

More booster picks. This time with more appropriate "blood & custard" Maunsell stock.

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

20001 has had its pickup shoes fitted and looks a lot more “used” than it did this morning. 
 

The shoes don’t clip onto the lugs as they should. The holes designed to clip over the lugs need careful reaming out with the pointy end of a round file. I found that easier while they were still on the sprue. They are then fixed with a spot of adhesive rather than clipping on. 
 

I have yet to fit buffer-beam details and I intend to change the headcode in due course but for now this loco - which ran well on test - is looking like this 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20002 remains in the naughty corner. I’ll take her back to the club test track in the week and see if a couple of tiny modifications cure the derailing. 

[Right Away]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

20001 has had its pickup shoes fitted and looks a lot more “used” than it did this morning. 
 

The shoes don’t clip onto the lugs as they should. The holes designed to clip over the lugs need careful reaming out with the pointy end of a round file. I found that easier while they were still on the sprue. They are then fixed with a spot of adhesive rather than clipping on. 
 

I have yet to fit buffer-beam details and I intend to change the headcode in due course but for now this loco - which ran well on test - is looking like this 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20002 remains in the naughty corner. I’ll take her back to the club test track in the week and see if a couple of tiny modifications cure the derailing. 

 

Good to see, an electric loco without a chromium plated pantograph. That had to be my first mod once it had been tested, chipped and run in. Weathering to follow, when temperatures rise a bit!

Edited January 20 by Right Away

[Right Away]

6 hours ago, RFS said:

 

Is it an MX638D or MX634D? I believe you just need to convert an MX634D into an MX634C by storing the value 3 into CV8. This should make the lights work. Maybe the same for an MX638D.

 

I don't understand why the lights have to be on F3 and F4. What was wrong with F1 and F2 which are not used in this model? It would then have meant any 4-function decoder would work fine. Instead it means you need a 6-function decoder for the cab lights to work. 

 

Follow up. Changing CV8 to 3 has indeed worked on the Zimo MX638D. F3 and F4 control cab lights in “A” end and “B” end respectively.

Now that they’re working, I shall have to see if the brightness can be lowered; looks like Blackpool on a Saturday night in there!

Thanks again, Robert. 

 

[frobisher]

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

DJM never did any work on the 74 and his 71 was amazingly low geared so would need a rework to make a saleable 74.

 

I was meaning the 71; The CAD from that could probably be used as a basis for 74 or modification of the 71 bodywork tooling, and an EFE rework on the drive chain as we have seen before as I understand it.

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Right Away said:

 

Good to see, an electric loco without a chromium plated pantograph. That had to be my first mod once it had been tested, chipped and run in. Weathering to follow, when temperatures rise a bit!

The chrome didn’t want to be weathered at all. 
 

I used all my normal techniques but nothing would grab on the smooth polished surface.

 

So I picked up a fat “Texta” style marker pen which is not normally in my weathering kit and inked over the shiny bits. I then brushed powder onto the wet ink and gave it a quick squirt of hair spray - my normal sealant - to ensure it stayed there. 
 

So far so good.