21C123

Evening Issues 1 and 2 have arrived here in New Zealand... I'll have to go back to the beginning of this thread to see what to do ! Roger

Hi all My E4 consistently derailed going forwards on PECO single slip and 3 way point. I looked to me as though the wheel I the plastic radial truck arrangement was too loose, letting it "crab" sideways and catch on crossings. I decided to restrict the movement. Firstly remove the body , 3 screws as in the instructions. Next I loosened the keeper plate , the 2 rear screws. Next turn the chassis over and remove the shouldered screw which holds the plastic truck in place Remove the plastic truck and slice a sliver off the top of the boss the screw goes in. Reassemble the truck, tightening the shouldered screw so that the truck does not turn. Reassemble the loco and I've had no problems since, it seems to still go round a 2nd radius curve and PECO small points so I'm happy sorry I can't seem to put the photos in line with the text...... Hope this helps Roger

hi all has anyone tried fitting Kadee couplings to their Garratt ? The NEM pockets appear to be about 2 mm too high when I fit a number 19. Thanks Roger

Hi does anyone know what the difference is between D6507 and D6577 other than the number. I don't want to get caught again buying a glossy loco by mistake..... thanks Roger

Hi all Has anyone tried to remove the coach roundel on the BR model ? I was thinking of applying the early lion on wheel, if that would be correct Any ideas on how easily the roundel is to remove ? Roger

Hi, I've succumbed to a cheap blue VEP. I'm thinking of repainting the front to plain blue with the small yellow panel, also painting the side window surrounds blue. Is there anything else that needs to be done to the model to show it as first delivered ? Thanks Roger

After our 2nd date I took my wife to show her my house. When she spotted my model railway she had a good look at one of my stored modules which has an airfield on it and said she had seen it before with a crashed plane ! About 6 months before she had taken some out of town friends with kids to an exhibition where our modular layout was on display, she remembered wondering what sort of person has a crashed plane on a model railway.... She then told me she had always wanted an older brother with trains. I asked her to marry me the next day, 7 days after meeting, and 3 months later we were married, almost 10 years ago now. She comes along to any exhibitions that we go to and has been known to drive the trains ocassionally, our 5 year old son is getting to be quite a good operator now, pity the layout is too high, will have to take a ladder next time as he's getting heavier. Roger

Well a pair have found their way to NZ today. Looking at the underframe of the later SR version the hand brake rod goes straight up by the ducket. In Figure 46 of SR wagons volume 4 the handbrake should be on the other side of the van, diagonally opposite the stove. the brake gear on the cross shaft is loose so if the shaft can be persauded out of it's mountings it should be an easy fix..... Roger Right, an update, The first thing to get loose is probably the vertical hand brake rod, perhaps cut it off at floor level as otherwise it will break :-) The V hangers have spigots glued into the chassis bottom, slight working with a knife gets them loose. The cross shaft wire is glued into the v hangers, get one end out and scrape off the glue to let the handbrake and the other brake pivot off the shaft. Reassemble with the handbrake in the right place and add a bit of glue, finished. Roger

Hi all I don't know if this is relevant but I've been having some problems with my green class 31, D5511 R2420A. It runs very slowly, drawing about 0.6 A, and when I tried to take the top off it was very tight... Is this the start fo corrosion or is the slow running something else ? thanks Roger

thanks for the replies ,I'll try and get a replacement chassis, i don't think taking it to pieces will really help. Roger

this is the engine in question

Hi I have 2 Triang clockwork 0-4-0 diesel shunters, I am not sure what they are officaily called but my first one was given to me in 1968, in a New Zealand built set. I recently bought a second one and my 4 year old son likes to see them travel round the layout, he knows they are Daddys special trains and that he isn't allowed to wind them up. Unfortunately tonight while winding the second one up the spring went "Crack" and presumably broke at the shaft end as the shaft just turns round now. Does anyone know if replacement springs are available ? And how do you get the mechanism apart ? Thanks Roger

Hi all a D5712 has arrived here in NZ, don't know how it runs as the layout is in storage. One feature that I've not seen mentioned is that it is numbered only on one side.... I assume it was missed, not sure yet whether I will send it back or number it myself. Roger

hi Rich it all seemed to be going well when I was watching, Liam liked watching. You forgot to mention the cat being knocked off the platform.... Roger

Hi Rich that's looking very good, I hope it is still fun to operate after Railex... Roger

Hi Ceptic the set came from the UK, I'll work out how much I saved if i see one here but it would be at least 2/3rds the cost. I don't think the local importer would be too interested in helping, still no reply from Hornby either. But even when I do buy locally it's not easy. I had a Bachmann N with a limp, the local shop took it back and the importer supplied a new one but it had a different number. He had run out of the one I wanted. The new one also had a limp so I ended up with the first one. Actually that was the one that then had the bad mazak footplate that broke up, at least Bachmann replaced that eventually. A friend had a Britannia from Hattons which lost a driving wheel on its first circuit ! He got it replaced and postage refunded so I know they are good at doing that. Roger

Thanks doubleslip, that's exactly what it is. Out with the glue tonight. Still no reply from Hornby, my experience has been mixed with them, good service one time, no reply the next, "send it back" another time which is a problem NZ to UK and back again. Never mind, I'll sort out the missing step somehow. Just noticed the service sheet is the version with the decoder socket in the loco..... Roger

Well I have all the bags listed by Ceptic and there is a DCC sleeve and instruction bag as well/ I have emailed Hornby, my experience in the past has been they will say take it back, bit difficult and expensive to post the whole set NZ to UK and back... Might look at etched brass replacements if Hornby don't come though. I've also noticed the cab vent is different from my other Britannias, 70000 and 70038 have 6.5mm wide roof vents, 70009 has a 10 mm wide one.... I don't think the U shaped bit is a bracket as it is so small and quite thin, the ones on the N15 etc are L shaped bent the other way, I can't see an equivalent on my other models, it is a bit of a mystery. Roger

Hi all My Bournemouth Belle set arrived today here in NZ, very nice excpet the loco is missing a footstep. Loose in the box was this flat metal plate about 10 mm across, any idea what it is for or where it should go ? yours in wonderment. Roger

Dismantled mine tonight, thinking I'd glue the head code discs on from the rear. First problem, took off the battery box and there are no screws... the body was held on by friction ! Then there is no access to the head code disc holes because of the light guide so it was back to fitting from the outside. Still it looks very good travelling along my Southern branch line..... Roger

Hi all mine arrived here in NZ today, runs very well. I seem to have extra sets of 4 of the detailing sprues but am missing the one with the closed green headcode discs, parts 66 to 68. Was that one supposed to be included ? My only worry is that the NEM pocket appeears to be 1.5 to 2 mm higher than it should be, so Kadee #18's are really a bit high to couple comfortably to my rolling stock. Has anyone noticed this or have a suggested fix ? Having spent a complete evening adding bits to my Heljan class 14 it looks as though the 15 will be a bit quicker. Roger