mikeg

Keith, my mineral wagons had 4ba shouldered screws but I cut the mounts off and used an 8ba screw through the centre of the body & chassis and then installed 3 link couplings in the buffer beams adding a brass strip to strengthen the plastic. The brake van didn’t have any fixings when I got it but judging from the hole in the chassis I think that it must’ve been the same as the open wagons, I cut the body and chassis in half to insert a strip to make it the correct width as it is 1/45 scale and looks very narrow against other stock. Hope this helps Mike

Keep it as it is, easy to use and find information about the various types of systems and decoders plus the sound section for those that use sound. Regards mike

Keith, wich wagons as there are differences in some of the wagons, most have shouldered screws with 4ba threads but other ones have 5ba or metric 2.5, 3.0mm threads I think that the British outline are BA and the continental ones metric threads but I may be wrong. Regards mike

Phil, yes I have converted it for a friend, I have insulated all the other wires so no problem with them, I think that the problem is with the motor magnet or that the gear train is gummed up with years old lubricant dried up through not being used (approximately 30) although it ran well on DC as noted. I am going to strip the motor and clean the gears to see if that improves the problem. Thanks for the reply mike

Rob, as the owner only has one other loco and that is OK I think it is only this one that is not working as it is the same on my gaugemaster and his NCE unit I think it may be the magnet that is the problem although it runs well on DC and the magnet attracts a screwdriver OK which makes me think that something else is wrong.Thanks for the reply Mike

Does anyone know if Hornby TTS chips have an overload cutout I have just put one in an old Hornby A4 the sound is working but it will not run, it starts to move then stops no sound and will not start up again for a period of approximately 45 seconds when sound will work but it will not move. If I disengage the gears the armature will run upto speed step 15 and then stops but the sound then stops for 5-10 seconds after which the motor will start but stops quickly, which makes me think there must be a cut out. On DC it draws 0.4 amp so is within the 0.5 amp running amps on the package it comes in, the DC amps measurement is with a rammetter unit. Any thoughts as to what is wrong? Mikeg

My O gauge loco has a switch that changes from mth to DCC mode to allow changing the address and programming the CV’s but it has to be done in POM on any system according to the manual that comes with the loco. Hope this may help, mike

Just a update, I have found that the motor has a plastic plate holding the brushes and there’s plenty of room to fit the chip in the tender and the speaker will go in the firebox of the loco. I will have to hard wire the chip and run new speaker wires into the loco, also fix the locomotive and tender together by soldering a washer onto the drawbar pin, I was also asked if I could do an A1 but there is no room for the speaker that comes with the chip unless the owner buys a new sugar-cube speaker which he does not want to do. As I have a rammeter I tested the A4 to see what amps it draws, the answer was 0.4 & 0.6 on load so well within the TTS chips range. So thanks again for your help. Regards mike PS the model has Made in England moulded onto the chassis of the tender.

I have used it once and it was only partly successful but it was a very cheap one from a pound shop, less than a pound. I found a tin of spray mount that my son had bought when he was at college and that worked very well but I do not know where he got it from as by the time I found it the paper label had disintegrated the only clue was that the cap was a bright red. Hope this of some use, regards mike.

Thanks for the replies I think that BMS has confused the issue with the reference to a 9F its an A4 that runs extremely well on DC as it has been well maintained, I do not think the magnet is weak but the problem is a dirty commutator which I will clean when I take the brushes out as it looks like one needs to be insulated. I have now been asked to do the same with a Flying Scotsman with a similar motor but it draws less than 1 amp as it has recently been cleaned and runs better than the A4. I think I will do as 34c suggested and put plug & socket in the leads so that I can program the chips separately. I have used two chips before but in a O gauge diesel with a chip on each motor bogie and had to be programmed to run at the same speed. The main aim is to use the TTS chips for the sound and the standard chip for traction which I think I can do. Regards mike

I have been asked to fit a TTS chip in a tender drive Hornby A4 which has a ringfield motor that draws just over 1 amp so is it possible to fit a second chip in either series or parallel. I have not been able to find any information to do this on the forum but am sure I have read that it’s possible to do but can’t remember the details for the wiring, but I thought about using one of Hattons basic chips to keep the cost down, has anyone done it and was it successful. Regards mike

I have some Triang wagons that are almost the same as yours but they are all plastic except for the couplings and axle which went through the axle boxes, my wagons have had the wheels replaced by tapping the holes that the axle went through and putting a brass insert to take pinpoint axles using wheels from I think Kings Cross models which made them run much better. Regards mike

The Alsager club had an N gauge layout with a stream running across it some years ago which was quite convincing as they had put dye in the water which stopped the shine you get on plain water IIRC there was a small lake with canoes on it that were moved by magnets under the plastic container that they had used to form the lake. I think that they have retired the layout now but someone at the club will be able to give details I am sure if anyone is interested. Regards mike

One point to note is that some DCC systems use a 15v DC supply so you can use a car battery directly although you might lose a bit of power on the track, as I have found that you need to lower the track voltage anyway this may not be a problem. I have thought about using a solar panel but as it would need to be on a roof that faces a road getting planning permission is a problem in my area, also in winter I would not get sufficient sunlight to charge the battery as only the morning sun is available to just after 1.30pm Regards mike

There should not be any problem using both together as I do but with a gaugemaster, roco Z21 & a Hornby Elink never had any problem with CV’s or consisting, and I have used TCS, Hornby & Bachmann with only minor problems having to change some CV’s to get smoother running generally CV 50 for motor’s of various types. Regards mike

Matt I think you will find that it’s similar but not the same, the B&Q has changed from 3mm to 5mm that’s ribbed on one side and flat on the other also it’s marked with a 50mm square grid on the flat side which is very useful for cutting it when required. Regards mike

I have been using DCC in O gauge for many years and have not had any trouble but it is prudent to use good quality decoders, I have used mainly TCS t1’s for non sound and Zimo for sound mainly OO as most of my locomotives have low current motors and efficient gearboxes only my large Heljan diesels have 3amp + decoders fitted although I have found that some draw less than 1amp but you need to check with a meter suitable for DCC. Regards mike

I have used the B&Q wooden floor underlay that is 5mm thick it comes in interlocking sheets 600*600mm and works out as a cheap answer to give a surface that takes pins easily. To fix it I use double sided tape 50mm wide and I get a 25m roll also from B&Q which is the cheapest way to buy it, this is very easy lay as I use 50mm squares or stips along the baseboard edge, if you need to lift it at any time I use a wallpaper stripper. Regards mike

Hi I have recently fitted a rameter to my layout and I can say that with 12 colbolt point motors, 6 O scale locomotives fitted with sound chips (not running) that the current draw is 0.75 to 0.9 amps and with 1 loco running it goes up to 0.96 amps so I do not think that unless you have some very high current draw locos you’re likely to have any problems. Mikeg

Pen don Museum was the first to use this for thatched roofing. I tried it when my wife had her long hair cut and it does work but I had trouble with insects eating it. A better alternative is to use plumbers hemp which I found easier to use and did not get the insect damage also it takes ages for hair to grow to get another cut long enough to be able to cover many roofs. I think you should be able to get plumbers hemp in the US but it might be called a different name. Mikeg

I have used canopy glue with good results it dries clear quite quickly but is not good with plastikard as it dries out and you can peel the plastikard off the foamboard very easily. As I usually use printed paper overlays on the foamboard carcass I use Prikstick to fix them as you can move them into position easily, then press out any air bubbles with a cloth. Regards mikeg

Phil S, the loco is Hornby and says TTS on the box, so is not loc sound. Mike g

They can be made to run on DC with sound if you set the CV's as in the manual that comes with the decoder, if I remember correctly you need to set CV29 to 14 and another in the 200's can't remember which! from 0 to 1. Regards, mikeg

Shroomy, you can use T gauge as it is 3mm and that gives approximately 5in at 7mm scale. There is quite a bit of track and stock available that could be used to make a park loop if you scratch build the bodies on the T coach under frames and use the HST for the locomotive, I am not aware of any steam outline in T scale at present. Mikeg

From a design perspective the abutments would be built away from the river parallel to the line of the river, thus giving some protection from any scouring during any flooding that might occur. From observation of local bridges in the Lea Valley the distance from the river edge to the abutments is in the region of 6-8ft. Hope this is helpful Mikeg