jcredfer Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I really wanted to get at the scenery on my Sandwich with Sides ............... and put a DC transparent DCC Decoder in a Loco too ........... I knew it was good practice to run the new Loco in on DC first, so that meant putting up a temporary loop of track, as the Sandwich Sides are 4' x 8" of Sidings. Test Loop 4 by JulianR 2013, on Flickr The Loco ran very nicely at various speeds, so the top was lifted ............................................ and that is when it all started ......... I should have known better than to open the Chamber in a H Potter Loco ........... DSC_0170 by JulianR 2013, on Flickr I had read what was involved in fitting DCC to a Hornby Castle and that space was at a premium ........ premium? ..... it was totally Toadstool ...... Not to worry I thought, as I had just received a Direct Pin Decoder, which was recommended in the article ........... and that's where it all started ......... In went the Decoder, having checked which way round it should go ......... slipped the top on and put it on the track to check it out before screwing up again ..... ......... good move, as it wouldn't budge ....... I checked the CVs could be read and they could then .................... 1. Put the Decoder in another Loco. No go. 2. put another decoder in H Potter and it went fine [but of course there wasn't enough room to close the top over it] 3. Sent the Decoder back to the Supplier and he checked it, whilst I was on the phone to him. It worked, so they sent it back. 4. Put it back in. Still no go. 5. Took it to a local Model Shop and tried it with a different Controller. It worked. 6. Tried cutting all the spare wires off the other Decoder to see if it could be squeezed into the space. No go. 7. Took it back to the Supplier and they, very kindly replaced it for a more modern, very small Decoder which would just fit in the gap in the front weight. It worked. At last, one might be forgiven for thinking, but a week had gone by and no scenery done ....... While the track loop was up, I thought it would be smart to run in the new Class 47 "Prince William" ...... Pappa visit 2 by JulianR 2013, on Flickr only an hour and that could go while having lunch ........ or NOT! Near the end of the running in, it was running round at a slow speed ...... and then, all on it's own went slower and then even slower. At which point I stopped it, checked it for excess heat, smelled it for electrical heat smell, of which there was no sign of either and so left it while I finished lunch and thought about it. I tried to replicate the event, about a quarter of an hour later. It didn't, so I rang Bachmann, who were very helpful and asked to look at it. They couldn't replicate it either but returned it with a new motor, just in case. It arrived the day after the H Potter had been fitted and re-assembled .......... more time to run it in ...... then fitted the 21 pin Decoder but it wouldn't run ....... looked at it but you can't fit a 21 pin the wrong way round ......... ............ but you can fit it one set of pins to the left and leave the last pair pointing at the sky ....... ...... and bent, of course ....... problem fixed and it ran ......... still no scenery done ........... I thought I might as well change some of the Loco addresses, while the Programing Track was still connected and try them on the Loop, since it was there ......... a few minutes later, a little Shunter was completed and tested ............. at last life was on the up ......................... Eeerrr nope ........ the First GW HST went on the track for an address change and the little fan slowly ground to a halt ..... here we go again ...... Never mind there are a couple of little new bearing washers in the Loco pack .... so, off with the top and unscrew the Fan Unit to get to change the Washer ....... YUK! .... the Fan Unit sits on 4 tiny rubber O rings, presumably for noise insulation and vertical adjustment and they had perished to a sticky, sloppy chewing gum consistency ..... Soggy & Split o Rings 3 by JulianR 2013, on Flickr 4 telephone calls to Hornby and their spares partners established that no-one has spares of the O rings ..... another internet chase and a packet of 5 O rings came through the letter box the next day ..... great, what service .... soon fitted them and placed back on the track ..... still no scenery ... Ran it and the coach fell off the track ...... tried again, with the same result ......... went to unpack the other 2 coaches but they were fine [as yet] It wasn't until I took photos of the couplings that a possible reason appeared ..... 1st Class coach on the left and Dummy Loco on the right ....... The little dummy coupling above the Tension lock on the Dummy Loco looks as if it sometimes catches on the Tension Lock on the Coach ......... but I don't have a solution to this one yet ................................................................................................... except the large Lump Hammer in the shed ......... 1st + Dummy 2 by JulianR 2013, on Flickr ............ and there is still the scenery to do when I manage to fix the couplings .................. I can't be the only one who has weeks [3!] like that .......................... I thought it might be fun to hear about other people's experiences and in the process cheer myself up a little J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I can remember getting my 1st train set, A4 plus 2 coaches, circle of track etc. Worked first time straight out of the box. And for many years after. But then it was Hornby-Dublo..... Ah progress, isn't it wonderful.... Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Todd Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 in the process cheer myself up a little Ah.....!..........Ok, will cancel my visit,next week......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Thanks for the reminder Stewart ..... Worked first time straight out of the box. And for many years after. But then it was Hornby-Dublo..... Ah progress, isn't it wonderful.... Ok, will cancel my visit, next week......... Don't cancel, dt, just don't forget the big hammer you were using on your layout last week ........ J PS. Slightly cheered up by visit to local Model Shop [to purchase a new Hornby track, with the power plug-in thingy on the side] and he whipped a Tension Connector off a similar looking coach, so I can see if it the Tension Lock or the Bogie Arm which is tilted up. Still no scenery done 'though................. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Other ones Standard coach to Dummy drive Std + Dummy by JulianR 2013, on Flickr J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Looks good so far buddy... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Thanks Class 66, This is indeed what I hope the 1st Class coach would be like ............ however this is bu****ation week [3!] ....... and the latest picture is, unfortunately, the Standard Class coach, which, along with the Buffet, doesn't seem to want to de-rail .............. However, it does seem to indicate the problem might well be the Coupling height on the 1st Class coach ..... the easiest solution would be to lop off the Mock Coupler on the 2 x Locos but that seems to rather go against the grain .... A trip to the model shop is on the cards tomorrow, to see if I can get some new Bogies. [shouldn't be too difficult with the latest Cold my daughter brought back from School last week .... ] I had best look at the scenery on the way into Salisbury, as I go ... it is about as close to getting some done on the Sandwich ....... J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcredfer Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 I had a parcel appear through the door this morning. It contained 2 x HST Bogies from here ......... http://networkconnections1.com/products/195098--model-railways.aspx I have searched high and low for several days, in shops and the internet and can't even find the Hornby number for the HST Coach Bogies - well, that is to say, the Correct HST Coach Bogies. [There are lots for S9749, labelled as for the HST Coaches, but they are not the right ones as the reach is too small and the coupling is too wide.] New Bogies by JulianR 2013, on Flickr Now the Coaches all look like these ........................... Std + Dummy by JulianR 2013, on Flickr What is more, they ran around the Testing Track, today, at all sorts of speeds and Accelerations and didn't fall off ........................... ................. well. that is apart from when the Mini Driver pushed the coaches around the Track, without the Drive Loco .................... at WARP 9!! ... Maybe the "Bu****ation" week are drawing to a close .. Even managed to cook Sausages for 86 Brownie Guides last night. On a BBQ which would take only 42 max and still got them all timed to appear together. The Mini Driver was well impressed with her Dad for that ............ J PS. You needn't bother with the big hammer, dt ................... yet ........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.