Ixion 0 Gauge Fowler Diesel Loco

[Ruston]

Yes I do have the loco. I have opened the box and in a recess in the foam there is a plastic sprue with tools and a sheet of brass nameplates and works plates. Removing these and the top bit of foam reveals the loco in it's wrapping. I have taken the loco out but found no instructions in there.

[ngtrains.com]

That's amazing bad luck. As I am selling them I have opened everyone and all have had the instructions in.

Anyway this is what you are missing. Four A5 pages and I've done a zoom of the underside pictures

 

 

[gardenwall]

It has arrived (GWR No1) and it's a lovely model.  If ever there is a batch in the LMS livery (No2) I'd have one of those too, though since that had the starter engine on the other side that may not be easy to do.

[pauliebanger]

If you wish to adopt this more radical approach, the ZIMO MX646 or MX648 (9mmx 20mm) are more compact than the LokSound Micro yet pack a similar power output. 

 

Of course, they also have the distinct advantage of being able to have the same Fowler custom sound project loaded as the one developed for the 'standard' MX645, and can be ordered from NG trains.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

 

If pulling the glued constituents of your new Fowler apart fills you with dread, the ZIMO MX648R will fit in the space above the gearbox transversely. This avoids the cutting which Chris shows earlier and the dismantling of the loco superstructure to get access to make the modifications.

 

Full details and photo step by step installation Guide in next month's Hornby Magazine.

 

Paul

[Ruston]

The instructions were in the box after all! They had stuck to the inside top of it.

 

So, after running it for 15mins in forward and 15mins in reverse on the rollers with straight DC I had the body off and fitted a decoder.

Then I had a go at painting and weathering.

I removed the oil lamp by easing it out with a pair of snipe-nosed pliers and filled the hole with plastic rod, shaped to fit exactly into the square hole.

I gave the bodyork a coat of matt varnish to take the shine off and painted the wheels and rods. The rods have been given a touch of weathering where the driver has spilt oil when lubricating them. This was done using a mix of red-brown, gunmetal and satin black.

 

The running plate has been painted with matt black that has a touch of white added and a touch of weathering powders brushed onto the running plate. The shiny silver hand rails and bonnet handles have been painted over with rust.

The buffers have been painted with a rust-coloured mix and the same mix of as on the rods has been applied to them.

I am currently painting a driver figure and will add the oil can that came with the loco as soon as that too is painted.

 

I also painted the jack but I feel this ought to have been a seperate item with the toolkit, rather than being moulded on to the running plate.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ruston

[Barnaby]

A right little charmer there Dave with just the right amount of tat added.

 

Regards

[Kev_Lewis]

If pulling the glued constituents of your new Fowler apart fills you with dread, the ZIMO MX648R will fit in the space above the gearbox transversely. This avoids the cutting which Chris shows earlier and the dismantling of the loco superstructure to get access to make the modifications.

 

Full details and photo step by step installation Guide in next month's Hornby Magazine.

 

Paul

 

I hope the chaps at NG Trains have seen this. They've currently withdrawn the option of sound fitted Fowlers from their website because they can't get their preferred decoder to fit inside the loco.

 

Here's hoping they get around the issues they're having. I want one!

[Dava]

Ruston is right, oily red rods suit this loco, mine will be similar. Lots of admirers at the Weston show last Saturday.

 

Dava

[ngtrains.com]

I hope the chaps at NG Trains have seen this. They've currently withdrawn the option of sound fitted Fowlers from their website because they can't get their preferred decoder to fit inside the loco.

 

Here's hoping they get around the issues they're having. I want one!

 

Cripes, "chaps" I've got staff I don't know about?

 

Sadly, there is just me and Saffi the cat most of the time.

 

I withdrew the sound fitted version from the website to allow a bit of consideration before more people committed to buy (at that price) whilst we considered the conversion we would offer once it was apparent the fit wasn't straightforward. Pauliebanger and I have been working closely on this one and I have had sight of the Hornby article Paul has written and seen the pictures he has taken as he has done conversions to two loco's I have supplied to him for the purpose.

 

Both of Paul's installations obviously work and I will be offering the MX645 and the MX648 with the sound project on for users to fit to their own loco's

 

However, I have a third way. It is this that I will be doing for our own installs in loco's supplied with DCC and sound installed. I have chosen the "third way" * becuase it makes a very neat job, doesn't affect the body at all (you take it off and put it to one side), does all the install in the chassis and includes a significant keep alive capability. The down side for the home installer is that I show the inside of the chassis the sharp end of a milling machine and not everyone has one of those or has the holding fixture I spent the weekend making.

 

The first example of this conversion is test running at the moment. I will be doing another tomorrow, this time with the camera handy and I will write it up here once I have it done. Once I am happy with it I'll sort the website out  (it would have been done today except a PC software upgrade turned out to be nothing of the sort)

[Kev_Lewis]

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks for the update.

It sounds like you'll be getting an order from me very soon

[Osgood]

.....However, I have a third way. It is this that I will be doing for our own installs in loco's supplied with DCC and sound installed......

 

Are you prepared to offer the THIRD WAY to customers' own locomotives, i.e. those who made their purchases before they saw the ngtrains star shining so brightly in the sky?

[ngtrains.com]

Just a quick update......

 

As I am a one man business I have some orders and custom works to get done so it will probably be tomorrow before there is any progress shown on here of the “third way”. I may post a picture of a completed conversion later this evening but it won’t show the internal configuration. I’ll use the second one done for that as your second go is always neater than the first plus the second one is waiting on a delivery of components that won’t arrive until later today.

 

For Osgood- yes I think we will offer a post fit of our decoder to your already purchased loco if it’s still in new condition. Not sure I want to be responsible for it if you have weathered or detailed it. Then again you could just send the chassis.

 

I’ll sort pricing out for all the options when I have done the second one. The first always takes longer as it includes thinking time  and a trip up a few dead ends to arrive at the final version

 

 

[81A Oldoak]

The instructions were in the box after all! They had stuck to the inside top of it.

 

So, after running it for 15mins in forward and 15mins in reverse on the rollers with straight DC I had the body off and fitted a decoder.

Then I had a go at painting and weathering.

Fowler-001.jpg

I removed the oil lamp by easing it out with a pair of snipe-nosed pliers and filled the hole with plastic rod, shaped to fit exactly into the square hole.

I gave the bodyork a coat of matt varnish to take the shine off and painted the wheels and rods. The rods have been given a touch of weathering where the driver has spilt oil when lubricating them. This was done using a mix of red-brown, gunmetal and satin black.

 

The running plate has been painted with matt black that has a touch of white added and a touch of weathering powders brushed onto the running plate. The shiny silver hand rails and bonnet handles have been painted over with rust.

Fowler-003.jpg

The buffers have been painted with a rust-coloured mix and the same mix of as on the rods has been applied to them.

I am currently painting a driver figure and will add the oil can that came with the loco as soon as that too is painted.

 

I also painted the jack but I feel this ought to have been a seperate item with the toolkit, rather than being moulded on to the running plate.

First class job Dave. Your comment about the jack made me smile because we realised too late that we should have supplied it as an accesory. The main part of the jack is a push in part.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[pauliebanger]

Here's a quick 'taster' video demonstrating some of the sounds available in the NG Trains custom sound for Ixion's Fowler.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

[Osgood]

Here's a quick 'taster' video demonstrating some of the sounds available in the NG Trains custom sound for Ixion's Fowler.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

Thanks for posting that, Paul - most helpful and a very good sound track. Can anyone enlighten me as to the make / model of the power plant in the Swindon & Cricklade Fowler? I recognise the donkey engine as being of the C.A.V. 24 volt variety!!

[pauliebanger]

Thanks for posting that, Paul - most helpful and a very good sound track. Can anyone enlighten me as to the make / model of the power plant in the Swindon & Cricklade Fowler? I recognise the donkey engine as being of the C.A.V. 24 volt variety!!

 

If I remember correctly it is a Fowler-Saunders, and is the original engine fitted. One previous owner who was probably a smoker - WD&HO Wills. It's called 'Woodbine'.

 

Paul

[81A Oldoak]

Fancy missing the buffer stocks like that. Anyway, the colour of the buffer beam is Red Pantone 485C semi-gloss. 

[81A Oldoak]

Some clarification about the shade of red. Pantone is not a brand of paint but a standardised formula for mixing colours to come up with a standardised shade. A good match is Precision Paints Buffer Beam Red P993. 

[Ruston]

Here's a quick 'taster' video demonstrating some of the sounds available in the NG Trains custom sound for Ixion's Fowler.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

That sounds really good. Although I use DCC control I only use it to make the engines go - I don't have lights or anything and certainly no sound and so  know nothing about how it works so I have some questions about this, if you wouldn't mind answering them?

 

Does the start up sound come on automatically when you select the loco, or do you press a function key? Similarly, the gear change  - does this sound happen automatically at a certain speed or speed setting on the controller, or is that done by the operator?

 

The sound of the loco running light engine is different from when it has a load - how does the loco/controller know it has a load, or, again, is this something the operator has to do with a function key?

 

Thanks

[ngtrains.com]

Working through your questions: -

 

1. The engine is silent. You press F1 ON and its starts up. You play trains. You park and press F1 OFF and it shuts down

2. Gear changing is done by the operator, reduce the speed by 1 step, engine noise goes to coast, press the F button for the gear change sound, increase the throttle and the engine revs up again

3. A function key switches between light and loaded

 

The engine revs and idles automatically as you accelerate, maintain constant speed or slow down. As you ask it to start moving movement is preceded by the sound of the brakes releasing and when it comes to a stand you get brake squeal

Edited November 22, 2013 by ngtrains.com

[ngtrains.com]

Should perhaps add that we figure the gear changing done automatically would appear very un-prototypical and irritating as you moved around shunting. The engine revs altering will be enough of a feature whilst you are doing that. Then once you are hooked up to you train you can roar off down the siding changing up the gears as you work up the a heady 15mph.

 

I have driven antique diesels with transmissions like this and whilst shunting you pick a gear appropriate to the load and leave it in that gear. You only change up when you get a bit of a run and then only of the load allows it.

[Ruston]

Have you provided a crunching sound to represent an inexpericenced driver getting used to the crash gearbox?

Edited November 22, 2013 by Ruston

[ngtrains.com]

Have you provided a crunching sound to represent an inexpericenced driver getting used to the crash gearbox?

 

Yes. (well sort of, there's a selection of crunching noises that would do)

 

there was an operation we saw that I wanted to program in but haven't.

This function could be described as "getting the wrong gear". On selecting this function the engine revs would increase a little, the train would lurch and move about half a wheel rev and then the engine would stop and have to be started again.

[pauliebanger]

Regarding how the sounds work:

 

As with all my sound projects, I've written a 'User Notes' document which will accompany all sound fitted locos and decoders (or maybe a download from NG Trains).

 

This includes background info on how the real locos were operated, and full guidance on how to operate the model to simulate these prototypical movements. There is a complete list of all the sounds and functions assigned to F keys. There are 20 assigned so far, and we are considering adding some other 'environmental' sounds.

 

Already included are three different types of rolling stock buffering, oil tanker, mineral wagons and ironstone hoppers, two different wheel flange squeals, different Audible Warning sounds and so on. The idea is to offer end users lots of choices to enhance the experience.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

[pauliebanger]

Have you provided a crunching sound to represent an inexpericenced driver getting used to the crash gearbox?

 

Careful what you wish for!