autocoupler942 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) I fully agree John and this is even more important in the 2mm scales where individual models have far less impact than the overall scene due to their small physical size. Failure to block out the surroundings and focus the viewers attention on the model can, and often does, result in some wonderful modelling being lost in all the surrounding visual noise and clutter. Jerry Some of us are old enough to partially remember the Association exhibition layout Port Victoria back in 1966/67. This had a pale blue muslin screen from the back of the layout up to the lighting bracket. The operators (inmates?) could see out from behind but their faces were out of sight of the public. I don't know how well they could see through it to operate but I don't remember there being any turnouts - just a question of spotting any derailments I suppose. Edited May 20, 2015 by autocoupler942 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted June 22, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2015 Following closure of Highbury Colliery Tucking Mill is being used as a railhead for track lifting up the line. A pair of Hymeks arrives with a salvage train. The embryonic North Somerset preservation society have taken up residence in the former mill building. Their first acquisition, the ex colliery shunter 'Highbury' sits on the siding along with a couple of 16tonners full of scrap - or in twenty years time valuable railway artefacts! Jerry 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DavidLong Posted June 22, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 22, 2015 Mmmm . . . Hymeks!! Hooray (but is that the sound of Kim sobbing in the background . . . ?) David PS Any chance of reproducing the classic Peters shot of the Radstock to Portishead coal train? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted June 22, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2015 Mmmm . . . Hymeks!! Hooray (but is that the sound of Kim sobbing in the background . . . ?) David PS Any chance of reproducing the classic Peters shot of the Radstock to Portishead coal train? It's ok, Kim doesn't come on Trainbook! Chris Nevard was round last week to snap the layout and we thought it would be fun to try to capture the feel of those very sad but wonderfully evocative shots of the S&D post closure by Jeffrey Grayer. I'm a bit limited for stock but there is an 08 and 22 to add to the mix which combined with Chris's skills behind the lense will hopefully result in a nice set of pictures. I hasten to add that the couple of shots above are snaps I took on my phone! As for the Ivo shots of the Hymek on the Portishead coal, they are indeed classics and I would love to reproduce them - need a stretch of single line in open country - watch this space! There are also some lovely ones from the early 1970s in the Limpley Stoke valley with Westerns and Warships in charge. Jerry 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John lewsey Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I managed to get to play with Lambourne it's the first time I've ever been let loose on someone's railway I didn't manage to try Tucking Mill maybe next time (to be honest I spent most of my day just talking to people ) it really was an excellent day Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted June 22, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2015 I managed to get to play with Lambourne it's the first time I've ever been let loose on someone's railway I didn't manage to try Tucking Mill maybe next time (to be honest I spent most of my day just talking to people ) it really was an excellent day You would have been very welcome John. Next time we meet up expect to have a Pentroller put in your hand:-)) Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John lewsey Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Ta Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardW1 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 John You had a Pentroller with Lambourn-- It's so old the printing has worn off the facia though. mmm wondering about the comments re beer bellies and backscenes.... How do you hide the belly when you operate from the front? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted June 23, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2015 John You had a Pentroller with Lambourn-- It's so old the printing has worn off the facia though. mmm wondering about the comments re beer bellies and backscenes.... How do you hide the belly when you operate from the front? You stand with your back to the audience.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardW1 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 ... and talk to them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oily Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 John You had a Pentroller with Lambourn-- It's so old the printing has worn off the facia though. I have a redundant spare unused (as new) Pentroller, the one with inertia and braking controls lurking in a box in my workshop. Is it worth anything these days? Or is it an ebay job lucky to go for 99p and be out of pocket on postage! I have a plain one without inertia or braking that I use regularly for testing locos and motors so the more sophisticated spare one is not really required. Oli Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoupler942 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) I have a redundant spare unused (as new) Pentroller, the one with inertia and braking controls lurking in a box in my workshop. Is it worth anything these days? Or is it an ebay job lucky to go for 99p and be out of pocket on postage! I have a plain one without inertia or braking that I use regularly for testing locos and motors so the more sophisticated spare one is not really required. Oli I have pointed out quite recently that basic handheld Pentrollers can fetch about £100 and the more sophisticated one you have was commanding over £200. If you want to let it go for 99p I will have it and gladly pay the postage!!! Please don't just give it away as the recipient will be taking advantage and laughing at you up his sleeve. Edited June 23, 2015 by autocoupler942 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted June 23, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 23, 2015 I have pointed out quite recently that basic handheld Pentrollers can fetch about £100 and the more sophisticated one you have was commanding over £200. If you want to let it go for 99p I will have it and gladly pay the postage!!! Please don't just give it away as the recipient will be taking advantage and laughing at you up his sleeve. That simply isn't the case Andrew. Whilst I agree Pentrollers can fetch a good price the notion that picking one up cheep is taking advantage is harsh. Phil recently very kindly gave me his spare as my venerable old one was becoming unreliable. I exhibit a lot and the Pentroller is comfortably the best DC controller for the small motors I use. I'm extremely grateful to Phil and am certainly not laughing up my sleeve at him. I have sent Oli a PM regarding the Pentroller he has as another one as back up would be very useful. I'm not expecting him to give it away but nor am I willing to pay the silly inflated ebay prices you refer to. I want another so I can continue to exhibit with confidence, not make a quick buck at someone else's expense. Jerry 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 (edited) I've been experimenting with inexpensive PWM controllers available from eBay and Amazon. A basic unit costs three or four pounds for something that offers high frequency 21khz PWM which appears to be kind to motors, while giving a very fine level of control. Here's a link to one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GX6YDOO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 and the other http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adjustable-Motor-Speed-Controller-Switch/dp/B00Y2AV4G8/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1435143421&sr=1-11&keywords=pwm+speed+controller Adding on a direction switch, case and any necessary connecting plugs won't break the bank. The controllers need a DC feed, so I've got one with a 9v block battery and one with a 5.5x2.1mm socket to accept a low cost switch mode plug-in power supply. These will also fit in a 16mm battery loco... ;-) The cheap PWMs don't quite handle my Marklin narrow gauge chassis as well as the Pentroller or other feedback controllers, the main issue is a rather abrupt start. Once moving, slow running can be achieved. I think this is down to the characteristics of the Marklin motor rather than the controller. They do work well with my 2mm locos. Overall, I think the Pentroller still has the edge. Top tip for the coast & brake Pentroller, don't over-use the brake control, it's a rotary switch which can suffer a bit if heavily used. I tend to keep it set on a light brake setting and use the speed control instead. Stewart did make a unit with a variable pot instead of the switch but it was tricky to find the right brake setting. The hand-held unit you have from Phil is one that was made for a Nn3 modeller in the US and has a Z scale setting for Marklin mechs. Phil repatriated it when the previous owner went DCC. Mark Edited June 24, 2015 by 2mmMark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 If anyone does have a pentroller going cheep... ...unplug it quick, it's not supposed to make that noise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 The controllers are quite interesting perhaps it would be better to have a separate thread on them. I would be interested to hear more of your findings. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DavidLong Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2015 As for the Ivo shots of the Hymek on the Portishead coal, they are indeed classics and I would love to reproduce them - need a stretch of single line in open country - watch this space! There are also some lovely ones from the early 1970s in the Limpley Stoke valley with Westerns and Warships in charge. Jerry I first came across these photos in Mike Vincent's 'Through Countryside and Coalfield' and I've just begun to give it a re-read. I was shocked to realise that I bought it in 1990 when it was published and that is a whole quarter century ago! I think that I had designs on Camerton as an interesting prototype to model but as, for me, that applies equally to about fifty per cent of the entire rail network . . . David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted June 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2015 The controllers are quite interesting perhaps it would be better to have a separate thread on them. I would be interested to hear more of your findings. Don A fair point Don, I'll see what I can do. Mark 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Copleston Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I've been experimenting with inexpensive PWM controllers available from eBay and Amazon. A basic unit costs three or four pounds for something that offers high frequency 21khz PWM which appears to be kind to motors, while giving a very fine level of control. Here's a link to one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GX6YDOO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 and the other http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adjustable-Motor-Speed-Controller-Switch/dp/B00Y2AV4G8/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1435143421&sr=1-11&keywords=pwm+speed+controller Adding on a direction switch, case and any necessary connecting plugs won't break the bank. The controllers need a DC feed, so I've got one with a 9v block battery and one with a 5.5x2.1mm socket to accept a low cost switch mode plug-in power supply. The cheap PWMs don't quite handle my Marklin narrow gauge chassis as well as the Pentroller or other feedback controllers, the main issue is a rather abrupt start. Once moving, slow running can be achieved. I think this is down to the characteristics of the Marklin motor rather than the controller. They do work well with my 2mm locos. Overall, I think the Pentroller still has the edge. Excellent info and links, Mark! Thanks. I've often seen (and used) your little mini-controllers and have been impressed. Following your links, I've just ordered a couple of these PWM units to play around with. Might suit some Nigel Lawton motor/o-ring power-train combos, methinks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Still I've stumbled upon this, which looks interesting. Without knowing what is on the PLC it's not particularly helpful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crosland Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I've been experimenting with inexpensive PWM controllers available from eBay and Amazon. Be aware that some of these do not go all the way down to 0. They do, however, make very good mini-drill controllers. Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted June 30, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 30, 2015 Be aware that some of these do not go all the way down to 0. They do, however, make very good mini-drill controllers. Andrew As long as the loco goes down slow enough use a centre off reversing switch and switch it off when stopped ( brake on!) Always a wise thing with PWM if the control knob isn't right home the loco can be creeping imperceptibly along until it makes a nuisance of itself. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post queensquare Posted July 21, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) John Greenwood and I flew the 2mm flag at the fabulous Larkrail exhibition last weekend and amongst many other treats I was thrilled when Iain Rice turned up with three locos from his North Cornwall Mineral Railway, the layout which probably more than any other has influenced and informed my own North Somerset Light. Here we see Ian's Bodmin, Pioneer and Hercules posed on the Wharf along with a brace of 2mm Bodmin's. A real talking point which contributed in no small way to a really enjoyable day. Jerry Edited July 24, 2015 by queensquare 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D869 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Lovely stuff Jerry. I enjoyed the Tregarrick articles in Model Railways enormously. Did you press Mr Rice regarding the important question of when we might see a new Tregarrick? Regards, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 21, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2015 Fantastic, sorry I missed it. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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