Brighton Belle

[roundhouse]

Well, I'm getting fed-up of this.

Got my keenly awaited 1960 5BEL set today from my local model shop and having just checked them over, the two motor coaches are going to have to be returned.  Incorrect assembly of one and a component missing from the other.

That's three items in a week! (one Bachmann, two Hornby).

Who's doing the QA in China, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles?

I emailed Hornby quite some weeks ago about an incorrect add on part supplied with 'WIncanton;. Got an auto reply but no real reply since then.

 

Not good

[Phatbob]

5BEL motorcoaches returned to my local shop (poor sods, not their fault) this morning for rectification / replacement.
So we shall see..................

[Phatbob]

Replacement 5BEL motor coaches picked-up from my local model shop on my way hme yesterday.  We openened up the bxes and we both gave them a good loking over and a test run.  These two are fine. (sigh of relief).  Usual excellent service from Harry at "The Railway Junction", but this sort of thing really shouldn't be happening in the first place.

[SRman]

My Brighton Belle motor coaches arrived today from Rails, together with a blue 2 BIL 2086. I received the BEL centre coaches a few days ago from Hattons.

All appeared well with both units, apart from the buffer beam on the BIL being loose (a moderately common problem, I believe - and two of my four units have had this).

Both units were run in on the rolling road on DC, before fitting decoders and placing in service. I had to reverse the decoder when I found the lights didn't work on the Belle. I'm not sure if the blanking plug was in backwards as it had pin 1 marked and that was the cue I took - I didn't check the actual socket/pcb markings so maybe it was just me!!

According to the formation, if car 90 is taken as the front, car 91 has the motor, and with this orientation of the decoder, forwards is with car 90 leading, which all makes sense.

 

At the moment, I have used Hattons decoders in the BILs, which work fine, but I treated the BEL to a Lenz standard decoder.

[SRman]

A photo of the new Belle on my layout. I have yet to add headcodes and the roof boards.

[Multiple identity account]

Looking lovely SRMan....

Looking lovely SRMan....

[SRman]

The new 5 BEL reminded me that I never got around to photographing the original blue and grey version I got last year.

Here it is, also posed for good measure with the new one in the second photo. I believe they did run with mixed liveries for a very short time, although the umber/cream units would all have had small yellow panels on their fronts by that time (1969). Since you can't see this in my photo, it looks perfectly reasonable as a formation of that time. Of course, what you cannot see in the photo is the fact that neither unit actually has any end couplings!!

[21C123]

Hi all

 

With all the 99 pound 5BEL motor coach sets around does anyone know if Hornby are going to produce any more of the centre coaches?

 

Also does anyone know of a source of decals to rename them ?

 

Thanks

 

Roger

[Gwiwer]

I've tried matching discounted motor packs with discounted trailer packs and drawn a blank.  There are some of both around but not a match.  Good luck.

 

The Belle isn't a unit I would normally run and at five cars is too long for my SR shelf diorama.  there's also the matter of those missing curtains which especially in the b/g era stood out from the livery in the same way that the Bachmann CEP manages to achieve.  Therefore a full-price unit was never on the cards but if i happen to find suitably-priced 1960s sets ......... 

[guildford boy]

Sorry I should have said I am currently using a Hornby Sapphire!! ( I tried, Lenz Silver, Trainsave (Now G master Opti, DCC25) and a Bachmann one all gave various stages of poor results)

 

I dont think that there are more capacitors I have not found yet but when you get inside the thing there is not really any other logical location,

In all the years of installing decoders ( since '98) I dont think I have come across a loco etc as difficult as this to obtain good results! I was beginning to wonder though if the 2 large LEDs which supply the lighting to the fibre optic lamps might have something to do with it, I can also confirm that the poor results I experienced were the same if the power car was tested on its own and coupled to the rest of the cars.

 

Running with the Sapphire is reasonably good, except at very lowish speeds where the motor bogie seems to 'notch' a little

Steve, Did you find any additional capacitors to remove ? I am fitting a Zimo sound decoder to R3184 and the slow running is not smooth (its fine on DC). I removed the capacitor on the motor bogie. Looking at the pcb in the roof of the motorised car there is capacitor C1 next to the L1 and L2 inductors which appear to be connected across the motor terminals 1 and 5 of the 8 pin DCC socket. I'm thinking that capacitor should be removed. There are a lot of components on the pcb mostly for the lighting LEDs I guess.  I have emailed Hornby for a wiring diagram for the pcb several weeks ago, but no reply. Does anyone have a wiring diagram please ?