Stevelewis

My view would be that if you can remove capacitors, do so, in my opinion capacitors are the greatest source of peroblem causing in digital circuits, I learned this many years ago when I first started using digital! Since then whenever I see capacitiors I remove them and this has served me well! Its intersting to note that Bachmann's 0 gauge Brass loco range ( now discontinued) do not contain anything in their circuits usually just the cables connecting the loco pickups to the motor

Ah That explains it ! I know the feeling, as an experienced modeller of over 50 years It is so frustrating when faults occur on models which you know are probably a manufacturer error but know that it may be poss to rectify with less hassle ( See also my recent post in the Desiro thread, the glitch I am experiencing with that unit is such that I could have rejected it, but am prepared to rectify it myself , hopefully)

Surely though if you have purchased an item which is unsatisfactory, why accept a repair? Surely a new item ( or refund) would be more acceptable . A retailer I recently spoke to recently told me he has more than half a doxen VEPs awaiting collection by Hornby for credit.

I am encountering a small problem with mt Desiro, now please dont take this as mt doing a bit of moaning cos I am not, I am simply reporting it to see if anyone else has noticed the problem and perhaps help with suggestions if they have. The Desiro runs brilliantly smoothly and quietly with a good controllable very slow speed and a good 'cruising 'speed. It runs equally as well as the other Bachmann 2 & 4 car EMUs on the layout. However we have noticed a tendency for it to stall at low speeds on curved track and we beleive that power pickup may be the cause. The unit collects power from both bogies of the power car...... The power is transferred to the PCBs in the car via vertical rigid brass sections which press upward on horizontal l sections of Springy brass in the car floor................, now as the bogies turn on curved track the vertical section on the bogie moves from the centre line of the Horizontal brass strip where the 'spriginess' is not as strong and this coupled with the natural up & down movement of the bogie seems to cause interruption of the power flow. Having checked as far as possible without dismantling the POWERED bogie (which is not something to do lightly on these units!!) it is thought that the unpowered bogie is more likely to be the cause of the problem. As the springy pressure at the powered bogie does appear stronger. We have tried a few fixes such as adding some additional weight at the non powered end, but this did not seem to help. We are now considering 'hard wiring' the unpowered bogie to the PCB which could easily be done, just a case of 4 soldered joints and a couple of lengths of cable. The strange thing is the wiring & pickup system in the 350 is almost identical to the CEP & EPB, on which this problem has never occured. I would add that all the usual checks have ben made to ensure that power is being collected by all 8 wheels on the power car. I just wish to repeat I am in no way 'knocking' the Desiro, it is a briliant model, well its cost, and I will have no hesitation in buying other versions when available.

I am experiencing a slight glitch Maybe I am confusing it with the SOUND Hornby Black 5 which i beleive does use ESU Decoder, ig my memeory of the documentation with the loco is correct.

I have used a dozen or so Sapphires in various locos & units that require 21 pin decoders and never had any problems, I have used the 'shuttle' facility which the decoders has and found that to be fscinatingly brilliant in the way that it can make a train shuttle up and down an end to end section for long periods without any attention at all! It has to be remembered that Hornby decoders are made for them by a well established decoder manufacturer I believe ESU ( Electronic Solutuons Ulm , Germany) who have a very good reputation in the field of electronics

There are plenty of alternative brands around I have used a Hornby!! Saphire in the 350 which was only a couple of pounds more than the Bachmann 21 pin, Hattons had Lenz 21 pin in stock last week, I think Tim at Arcadia has some stock and Signal Box Rochester has Hornby Saphires in stock

I received my Desiro this morning, and I am pleased to report it is superb, and lives up to all expectations, Runs smoothly from a crawl up to a rather fast top speed!! The unit sounds great even with out a sound unit! Decoder fitting is really user friendly, had I not stopped to photgraph the decoder plug I reckon that firring a decoder would take around 2 minutes! The only thing I would comment on is the fact according to the catalogue Etched 'APOLLO' nameplates are supposed to be supplied as this unit is/was a 'namer!' However they are not supplied, I phoned Bachmann to query this omission and was advised that although they state namplates are supplied, in reality the unit had only printed plastic names on it! SO no name plates supplied!!

One thing that I have learnt from all this is not to jump in with both feet with new models, unless I can be fairly sure it will perform and look ( reasonably) as expected. Part of my decision making coming from experience from other recent purchases. Given my experience with a recently purchased 4VEP which has been returned and refunded, I would certainly NOT purchases a 5BEL until I am sure it is worth buying! Conversley I am expecting delivery tomorrow of a recently released 4 car EMU, which I had no hesitation in ordering. It seems like Hornby treat us poorly sometimes, and feel that it is in their interests to address the 4VEP problems quickly and positively, particularly in the current economic climate when every possible retail sale is vital.

That is a real bit of good news!!!!!!! It saves a lot of frustration when removing the body shells of the EPBs & CEPs ( although have to add the EPBs are a little easier as they do have 2 screws at one end!!)

I am advised that the decoder installation on these is different to the EPB & CEPs in that the decoder socket is located under a removable piece of the underframe thus eliminating the tedious task of removing the body shell ( Which i have done around 20 times to fit decoders to CEPs & EPBs11) Can any one confirm that this installation method is correct on the Desiro??

I am tempted Mark!! It would go very nicely with my CEPs & EPBs and the 2 Derby Lightweight DMUs due from Hattons tomorrow!

Exactly what I have said previously, the impulse sales potential of the 5 BEL when it becomes available must surely now be much reduced, I will be taking a more measured approach to purchasing a 5 BEL, despite the possibility of the 'limited stocks' messages that sometimes occur for new releases!

Hi Keith Suggest you try it sooner with the other cars attached! (ee my PM)

Thanks for all the info posted to date on The 4VEP, Since returning the one I recvd last week and receiving a rapid no questions asked full refund plus my postal costs by retrun, I have had a chance to speak again to the retailer who said that they have had a few returns and comments about the disappointing reception the model has received. I for one will be rather less entusiastic in rushing out to buy a Brighton Bell ! Another thing I would comment on is the review of the 4 VEP in NSE livery in a well known Magazine seemed to indicate, that the 4VEP "Performed as admirably as its predecessor ( the Blue version)-- Very well indeed!!!" I wonder how much we should believe the validity of these reviews?

No------------ I dont seem to have any spare time!!! s

On the subject of Fishing weights Ask for SEA FISHING Weights!! These are apparently heavier (LEAD) than freshwater ones where lead is illegal so I am told. Sea fishing weights come in various weights, and are easy to cut and 'pound' into shape But please note lead is poisonous wash hands after use and also be careful when cutting and shaping, wear protective eye goggles if poss!! ( its the health and safety you know) I have used these weights for many years! Also another source of weights is shops that sell items for domestic curtains, they usually stock weights which are approx 4" x 2" which are intended to be used in curtain hems to make them hang 'nicely' these too are easily cut into required sizes!! Just for the record!! I have no interest in fishing or sewing curtains !!

Must admit to only being an occasional browser of this section, But I have read some of rthe posts re the Hornby VEP, reason for my reply is that I today received one from a well know supplier which was intended as a present for a friend who is an avid EMU fan, on giving it a quick test on delivery I found the performance to be quite disappointing to say the least, ( I am comparing performance with that of Bachmanns 4 car emus), the unit was noisy and jerky ( Acknowledging here it probably needed running in), It stalled on a 1 in 30 gradient on which the Bachmann emus have no problems, and most worryingly it derailed for no apparent reason on a number of occasions ( everything was visually checked re couplings and wheel set being ok) So it was a quick word with the retailer, and the Hornby unit is now heading back to them and an alternative present in the form of a Bachmann 4 CEP should in theory be delivered here tomorrow!! I wonder how we will fare with Horby's 5-BEL??

A VERY Welcome announcement< Although I dont model UK outline I am sure that one or even 2 of these may find their way onto my US H0 or even the on30 layouts!!!!!! The Beyer Garratt was proposed by Dapol Many years ago but never came to anything I think an Australian manufacturer did produce/commission some expensively in Brass

Can I suggest you speak to Jeremy Davies at Dragon G Scale 01792 886990 ( it is better to phone than eMial he is a one man business. I have dealt with him for many years ( and many a time spent far more than I should have done on large scale items) You may find he can offer you a good price!! . Tell him you want it for static display and he may be able to suggest something to accomadate that!!

I use a Prodigy 2 on my 00 layout I very occasionally get the SVDA indication, but no noises, beeps or buzzing decoders described above. In 99% of the occurances things continue to run normally, I simply unplug the handheld controller for a few seconds and it restores to normal working. Most of my stock is Bachmann Emus & Dmus plus a handful of diesels and one steam loco a Hornby 9f RAILROAD version which I purchased to ' do up' ( excellent value for £50) The 9f is the only loco which very occasionally causes problems and only when passing over a Peco CURVED point, no probs on anything else including single & double slips. Incidentally I am using INSULFROG points n the current layout ( probably due to laziness!!) but I do find that I am getting far less problems, with short circuits occurring than when I last used LIVE frog points on a layout constructed a few years back.

Thanks to all for posting all this info & the great Pics. I remember the day the first train ran thro' the new WOODHEAD TUNNEL, HAULED BY 26020, there was a great deal of news coverage on TV that day. Showed my wife the pics of derelict Reddish depot she used to live 1/4 mile away!! I often used to go to Reddish trainspotting remember it well! Like most have said previously what a great shame it is that the Woodhead Route was closed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Similarly up here in Nth Wales many are lamenting the closure of the Chester- Mold - Denbigh line given the traffic congestion we get!!

I have used Peco Single & Double slips with DCC for SEVERAL years, with many different Digital systems and never had any problems, nor had to implement any 'Special' wiring to make them work!!