Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Any idea who makes the appropriate ditch lights? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 In other news, despite me leaving a note on the door, the post office managed to arrive while I was in the garden and so took my missing switch back to the depot where I can pick it up in 24 hours time. They were waiting, waiting, waiting...then pounced as soon as they saw you going into the garden Along the same lines as it only rains when you forget to take your umbrella out with you... Haven't a clue what you're going on about with this US loco / model terminology (it took me ages to spot the difference in the 'spot the difference' competition!) but it looks great to my untrained eyes nonetheless. Trust you're getting a buzz out of having something on the go Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted July 23, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 23, 2014 Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 23 Jul 2014 - 16:09, said:Any idea who makes the appropriate ditch lights? I would say Details West #228 would be your best bet. Ive noticed that on some 40's the tops are rounded but you could easily do that with a needle file. Ive fitted lots of 228's to Athearn's SD70ace's and one or tow other loco's. They can also be fitted with sunny white micro LED's. Its dam fiddly and tricky and takes some patience but the it pays off. http://www.needtrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=49_58&products_id=3615&zenid=2634b2960a5c51790388e586bc7c3cb5 The above link is a random one to show the pattern of the DL but Ive got mine easily from TJ Prantle on Ebay in the past, great seller for those hard to get detail parts. Below is a pic of my now departed MTH SD70ace #1989 using the same DW #228 ditch light castings and the reworked front hand rails using a pair of Kato stanchions. These are a flipping nitemare to do! MTH- never again!!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) I need lots more light, and more magnification... more, Moriarty, more! my nemeses... Kato grab irons, every one a swine. No wonder there are so many spares on the sprue. Took me the best part of 45 minutes to get this lot on. After all that, I really can't be fagged to change the number on the rear. PS, the unit's previous owner installed the funky yellow rails on the long hood and the yellow cut levers... and that's as far as he got. I'm beginning to see why he traded it in! Edited July 23, 2014 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted July 23, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) I have to say, this gadget- http://www.jewelsandtools.co.uk/products/Jewellers_Tools_and_Equipment/Magnifiers/Optivisor.html is one of the best things Ive ever bought! An absolute god send, I wonder how I ever got on without it! Edited to say, if you do get an Optivisor, I would suggest you find somewhere that sells it with a #5 lense, you'll find it great for just about anything. Some vendors sell the lenses separately. The strongest is #10 but the focal length is very short and will be total overkill unless you need to count nats whiskers! When I bought mine, I never realised just how much I needlessly struggled when it came to detailing and modding diesels. Edited July 23, 2014 by Gary H Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 I've looked carefully at a variety of pictures, and have concluded that the correct ditch lights would be Details West DL-229, the under platform ones. These match the type seen on the prototype UP SD38-2 photo copyright Ken Hulsley 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted July 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 24, 2014 (edited) Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 23 Jul 2014 - 22:00, said:Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 23 Jul 2014 - 22:00, said: I've looked carefully at a variety of pictures, and have concluded that the correct ditch lights would be Details West DL-229, the under platform ones. DL-229.png These match the type seen on the prototype UP SD38-2 DSCN0778.JPG photo copyright Ken Hulsley Yep, pilot end mounting. Sorry, I thought your model was having them on top of the pilot (hence 228's) In that case, fitting the 229's is a lot easier and they are easier to route the wires. As for lighting them up, you can use the excellent DCC Concepts "Nano LED's". These come pre-wired and will fit inside the bore of the ditch light castings. Handily, Hattons stock them- http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/1000511/1000594/1540358/1000828/DCC_Concepts_Any_or_Multiple_Scales_Lighting_equipment_Country_unspecific/sceneprodlist.aspx Ive found the Ebay seller who is very useful for detailing parts if the usual suspects in the UK don't have what you need. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/T-J-Model-Trains-and-Things They are also very kind when it comes to 'pricing' your shipment. Edited July 24, 2014 by Gary H Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Not had much time this week, so I have been entertaining myself with small jobs. Y824 creeps towards completion - still need ditchlights and MU cables... will it ever be finished? I replaced the missing handrail with one bodged from some wire, and re-glued the stanchion and the handrail. I also made a start on hiding the Peco rail joiners and improving the frogs by adding Deatils West six-bolt joint bars. This is definitely a 'do a few at a time' job... I think the cosmetic work is worth the effort. In other news, I wired a temporary bus and managed to get the 824 back and forth on the whole layout, and in and out of every spur. Was a great feeling! I shall complete the basic wiring this weekend. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 One final shot, specially to keep LNER4479 happy... although perhaps not quite as elegant as an A3 A composite portrait (not very successful) of the first locomotive to move on my new layout. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Ive found the Ebay seller who is very useful for detailing parts if the usual suspects in the UK don't have what you need. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/T-J-Model-Trains-and-Things They are also very kind when it comes to 'pricing' your shipment. Yes - I have a small package en route - I've used them before and they are a great company to deal with Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 First Ops Session! This evening I completed a proper wiring bus - although it'll need tidying up - and I had the first proper ops session. My daughter did the honours as Engineer, and I was Conductor. We took around half an hour to pull all the facing spurs and build an outbound train on the facing spur track in the yard. Then we tied down the engine - Y824 of course - for the night on the ready track. I need to draw up a SPINS chart and name the tracks properly, and develop some authentic switch list paperwork. No scenery, no buildings, and yet the whole thing was totally compelling. I definitely want to invest in DCC sound, the only thing that was lacking in tonight's fun. The track works impeccably, the #8s and having fewer tracks on the ground was definitely the right approach. It all felt splendidly relaxing, and worked as intended. I'm also appreciating the investment in building a proper shed and decent benchwork. Time spent in the set up has paid dividends in a comfortable, totally workable environment. As construction winds down for the time being, I may set up another thread to cover an ops session in more detail. I will have to knock up some place holder structures of course, or it'll all look rather nonsensical! A happy Dr G-F, signing off for the night. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted July 31, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 30 Jul 2014 - 20:49, said:Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 30 Jul 2014 - 20:49, said:Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 30 Jul 2014 - 20:49, said: I definitely want to invest in DCC sound, the only thing that was lacking in tonight's fun. Another recomnendation but this is simply to good not to share my experience. Ive just bought an Atlas Alco S2 with Loksound V4 and is only my second ESU sound equipped loco, the other being an Intermountain SD40-2. After being a Tsunami buyer for the last few years, the sound from the ESU chip of the S2 switcher totally eclipses anything Ive heard (or indeed owned) from a model before now. Moreover, the motor control offered from this model straight out of the box, is nothing short of staggeringly good! MB Klein sold all there's within days but if you can track one down sometime you wont be disapointed, never have I had so much enthusiasm in recommending a model locomotive! Simply blows everything else out of the park. It would be a joy to switch cars with. MB Klein have actually got a small few back in stock again. Edited July 31, 2014 by Gary H Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 I saw a demo video of a custom finished CSX SD50 with the ESU chip - simply the best rendering of an EMD 645E3 I ever heard. That's pretty much what sold me, glad to hear your experience bears it out. Of course, now I'll have to look at wireless throttles, command stations, blah blah blah. I have no idea where to start! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinw62 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I saw a demo video of a custom finished CSX SD50 with the ESU chip - simply the best rendering of an EMD 645E3 I ever heard. That's pretty much what sold me, glad to hear your experience bears it out. Of course, now I'll have to look at wireless throttles, command stations, blah blah blah. I have no idea where to start! Dr, NCE PowerCab. This will pretty much solve this dilema. You can't use the US wireless stuff in the UK as far as I know. Trust I'm not a Dr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Had a quick look at the NCE PowerCab manual. Seems simple enough. What are you chaps using? I can see a situation where I may be operating up to four locomotives in two consists. but probably never more than that. Normal ops would be for a pair of locos working in multiple, typical of what I've seen on my travels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinw62 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I use NCE PowerCab, will run 4 loco's no problem. I looked long and hard when I was buying a DCC System. The PowerCab is the only one which I think is truly one handed operation. Intuitive too. There has been plenty of discussion about which DCC System to go for elsewhere on RMWeb, do you research, ask questions and actually get to try the systems out if you can. Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warbonnetuk Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Another option you may want to consider if starting from scratch is the Rail Pro system from Ring Engineering (http://www.ringengineering.com/RailPro.htm) No practical experience of it but link thread on the Protomodeler Forum has an in-depth road test - check the video of the system in operation http://www.protomodeler.com/index.php?/topic/1990-ring-engineering-railpro/?hl=%2Brail+%2Bpro Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Regarding sound, this is what's missing from every model sound chip 645E3 I ever heard - the mighty bass rumble that throbs along underneath the turbo whistle.. Can model speakers reproduce this if they are properly enclosed? or is it dynamically impossible? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 They won't be able to hear my train noises over the sound of their power tools, yelling kids, loud music, lawn mowers, leaf blowers (in Summer!) etc etc.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) Dear Dr, RE DCC : start with an NCE PowerCab and don't look back RE Onboard sound : A decoder with onboard EQ, a properly-selected speaker driver, and optimised enclosure/mounting can certainly get you down into the 200-100Hz range at 60dB SPL-A @ 1m, (IE at _Scale_Volume_Levels_. If you want your HO scale locomotive to produce Bass at _Full_12"/1'_Scale_ dB levels, look elsewhere), and in some cases can actually threaten to punch below 100Hz (where true Bass starts). That said, this would likely take more effort than most modellers are willing to put in, so you have to decided where your personal modelling time/effort/resources are best spent. RE "I want sound which shakes the room 12"/1' scale style" If you _really_ want such _Out_of_Scale_ sound, and don't care who hears it, build one of these circuits http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/Tech_note%2011.pdf plug you fave 8-ohm-speaker-supporting decoder's "purple wires" into the INPUT side, your fave 1000Watt twin 18" slambox subwoofer into the OUTPUT side, and have-at-it... "...But I do care who hears/I actually want an "in-cab" experience..." Then try an alternative tack, deploy a similar adaptor, only feed the resulting signal into a half-decent set of wireless headphones, like Lance Mindheim did.(get 2 sets of headphones, and both you and your daughter can be "in-cab" together"...) http://www.lancemindheim.com/headphone_sound.htm This way, you get all the Bass you can handle, in a delivery system tailormade for your situation, hearing performance, and the surrounding environment... Happy Modelling,Aim to Improve,Prof Klyzlr Edited August 1, 2014 by Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted August 1, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 1, 2014 Dr Gerbil-Fritters, on 01 Aug 2014 - 10:32, said: Regarding sound, this is what's missing from every model sound chip 645E3 I ever heard - the mighty bass rumble that throbs along underneath the turbo whistle.. Can model speakers reproduce this if they are properly enclosed? or is it dynamically impossible? Dynamically it is very difficult, but I agree with your own findings on the 645E3 where Loksound is the closest you'll get to the real thing with Soundtraxx coming in second. Reference the earlier question of DCC systems, I use an NCE Pro Cab but to be honest this is probably overkill for my needs, I totally concur with what the other guys have said reference the Power Cab, its an excellent system and the point made about one handed operation is a valid one, especially where switching is concerned! Ive noticed that MRC throttle has the speed control right at the bottom of the throttle in comparison which is NBG where switching is concerned! The NCE gear is indeed very intuitive and fantastic value for money. Ive had my NCE cab for must be 8 years now and I've never regretted the choice for a second. By the way, Ive just noticed that Model Jnc have some of those ESU S2's in stock but I bet they wont have them for long! I cant see the erie Lackawanna model there but they may have sold out of those already within 24 hours! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted August 1, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) Or this system. http://www.soundtraxx.com/surround/ It has customisable sounds for different prime moves horns whistles bells etc (much as whats on all of the Tsunami sound decoders) However it only works with Digitrax command stations, and you need transponding decoders which Digitrax do or add a transponder also by Digitrax. You can use a sub woofer, alter the volume with just a turn of the volume knob and if you set up the block detection with transponders then you can have the sound move between the speakers as the loco moves into different transponding zones. Expensive initial set up but becomes cheaper with each additional loco you add, so really depends on how many locos you intend on having. I use it on Santa Barbara and being N scale it really is far better that on board sound in that scale. Ian Edited August 1, 2014 by roundhouse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) Dear Roundhouse, et al, FWIW, the "Tech Note #11" solution is <AUD$5 worth of actual components,(the box and spring-terminal inputs are not technically required,decoder is obviously not included... ;-) ), works with any decoder which supports 8-ohm speakers on it's output,(Have tested with TSU and Digitraxx SFX0416, as well as numerous other not-a-decoder "8-ohm 1W headphone output" player devices) is completely scale agnostic, and is compatible with any DCC-compatible command station. Given, it does not give automatic cross-fade/panning between speakers in a pseudo "5.1" array,and does not include software switching between all of the loco soundsets ST offers, but if it's used to feed a decent set of wireless headphones a la Lance M, in a "low single digit home operator" scenario,(agreed and understood, it has it's limits under "general public show conditions"), such a system can't help but accurately and automatically "track the viewer/listener" as they move around with the train... ;-)(The speakers are right there, directly mounted to the ears... ;-) ). As a quick/dirty/cheap/low-minimum-commitment/totally-reversible "I want Real shake-the-room sound" Proof-of-concept assessment mechanism,it's hard to beat... Happy Modelling,Aim to Improve,Prof Klyzlr Edited August 1, 2014 by Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 One final shot, specially to keep LNER4479 happy... although perhaps not quite as elegant as an A3 qj6266.jpg A composite portrait (not very successful) of the first locomotive to move on my new layout. Much appreciated! Elegant or not, it has the power to move me Did take me a while to 'spot the join' - I did wonder for a moment it you'd used camera trickery to create a 2-10-2 out of a 2-8-2! Sounds like you enjoyed your first operating session, great feeling, I'm sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) Had a quick look at the NCE PowerCab manual. Seems simple enough. What are you chaps using? I can see a situation where I may be operating up to four locomotives in two consists. but probably never more than that. Normal ops would be for a pair of locos working in multiple, typical of what I've seen on my travels. Yep NCE Powercab here. Takes you through basic programming set up easily too (important when starting out with DCC as it's a steep enough learning curve anyway).I got roundly slapped down on another thread for daring to suggest that the NCE was one-handed and the MRC/Gaugemaster handset is not. Plenty of Prodigy users queued up to say otherwise. Who knows? With that control knob at the bottom of the handset they must all be triple-jointed..... Edited August 2, 2014 by F-UnitMad 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now