Izzy

I'd also suggest hardwiring the decoders. If the locos are pre-DCC with no lighting etc. then only four wires are used, red/black to the pickups, orange/grey to the motor, the rest are surplus ( I remove them because you have to isolate them to prevent issues and it saves space). With a 8-pin socket, which can take a chunk of space, when you fit a sound decoder the speaker wires will be separate so there's no advantage there. Bob

While I would also recommend Zimo if you want decent/superior motor control and a better range of adjustments than other makes, and nice and easy with such as JMRI/Decoder Pro, with particular regard to Bachmann DMU's etc. I would suggest that for lighting in the trailer cars the likes of the cheaper Lais might be all you need ( I'm not sure of their size) and especially as the room in them is more limited than in the motor cars, mostly they need fitting in the toilets area where space is limited. It's also more economical. Bob

Oh dear, I’m so sorry. Another senior moment! I wonder who it was ….

The inherent design of coreless motors is such that they aren’t or weren’t when first originated (end of the 1950’s) able to absorb end thrust, at least towards the commutator end. Some, the larger ones, often have circlip shaft retention which can act as a simple thrust washer. Designs evolve of course and many now can but in the early days many modellers wrecked these expensive Swiss motors by trying to force fit a worm on the shaft. Bob

I get the same. I notice the card kits previously sold by them, Freestone, Howard scenics etc. ( I think that’s right) are now with Squires so perhaps changes are afoot. I had a aluminium roof recently so it’s recent.

I'd also check the power brick is supplying the correct voltage and that's not the problem. Bob

Well the BR Mk1 horsebox seen in the previous post is now completed, and has joined the Thompson NC's in the queue waiting for spring and painting ....... Another nice kit from Chris Higgs Masterclass models via Shop 4 sadly now WSL. I thought it would go nicely with either the Thompsons or the other 2mm etched NPCS I have. Although I have a good mix of converted N and 2mm I try and make as much as I can to the latter. But then I also just like making stuff whatever it is even if my standards aren't wonderful. Bob

Yes, both read & write. Can’t say I’ve ever really noticed it while writing, perhaps because it’s only a few cv’s at a time while reading is the whole page - with Decoder Pro. Of course with the latter you can see the graphical interface and the values change as well as the dialog ‘reading cv123 etc. but the audible/visible response was handy to have even if with the odd loco it could be a bit extreme, moving the whole length of the - short - program track. Bob

Are the new Zimo MS decoders different with regard to programming response? I’ve now had two of the MS450’s and on the program track (via Sprog/decoder pro) neither give any indication they are being written to. In the drop down tabs there are options for the level of ack response now which I take it must be part of the new firmware design, but nothing I change makes any difference. They program just fine but being totally silent seems a bit unnerving. It’s nice to know it’s all working. Bob

Yes, it does take a steady hand or, oops.....! I suppose I should have mentioned the little tool I currently use in case it's of interest. A small torch with a length of 0.9mm wire taped to the barrel. Here's a quick shot of it in use, well nearly. You'll have to forgive but there's a Mk1 horsebox on the go on the workbench today but you can see the pool of light it gives in just the right place if the light levels aren't good enough to see clearly. The torch was actually part of a pair of twezzers by Rolson, a kind Xmas gift from a fellow 2mm modeller one year. I believe they are still around in outlets such as the Range, QD etc. It uses those little button cells and when I found it just unscrewed from the frame it seemed ideal for this job. Bob

Using DG's manually I've mentioned a few times in various writings that I now use DG's manually and the question has been asked as to why, and how. So let me explain. When I first returned to 2mm modelling in 2010 I spent a while trying to work out what would be the best type of auto coupling to use. Already beginning to struggle to use 3-links in 4mm as I had got older it was obvious auto couplings would be a basic requirement. Eventually I came to the conclusion as many other have that DG’s suited my particular needs best. Being able to be fitted to all rolling stock and able to couple and uncouple anywhere i.e. on straight or curved track, which not all can do. And also cope with quite tight radius if required. However while they have proved to be fine as far as coupling up goes it’s been a different matter when it came to uncoupling. Now I don’t know if it’s just me but I found I wanted uncoupling points all over the place. Far more than the idea that only one or two well placed ones were all that is needed with delayed action couplings. With a couple of early test layouts I made I tried both electro-magnets and under-baseboard neodymium ones raised and lowered using servos. But with just a few I seemed to spend too much time shunting back and forth in a most unprototypical manner just to get stock either split or joined. It both looked and felt wrong and not at all what I was used to. So I looked at the problem afresh. What I wanted was the ease of using automatic coupling with the flexibility of 3-links, where as with the prototype stock is uncoupled exactly where it is stopped wherever it is. With models where 3-links are used then manual intervention is used. I have no problem with this, the so called ‘Hand of God’. Then it occurred to me that this was what was needed. So it is what I have adopted. No magnets of any description are thus needed keeping it all very simple. When stock is where uncoupling is required I just move those to be parted slightly apart, (which is where locos that can ‘creep’ just the odd millimetre are crucial), and then ‘lift’ the loops using a tool with a thin wire which slips between the couplings so they fall back onto the delay latch, then move the loco/stock away. As this is now the only way I part stock, (I first started doing this in the fiddle yard to part stock, moving them there by hand obviously, before the penny dropped), I’m actively considering whether I could modify my DG’s and eliminate the ‘tails’ attracted by the magnets since they are no longer needed. Bob

So to be clear, the app can run without Railcontroller also running on a connected laptop etc. Does this also apply to phones/tablets? Just trying to get a sense of it all from the info posted so far. Appreciate that’s what we are all attempting to do! Bob

There are plenty of wi-fi handsets around using various battery types. My Gaugemaster uses AAA rechargables and the benefit here is that a spare set means charging can be done without the need to 'tether' the handset and thus little downtime if it's in use when they need charging. I believe it has been said that a charging dock will be an alternative. This is an important aspect I feel. Tethered handsets never run out of juice just when you want to use them. Of greater importance perhaps is the question of what the system can deliver without the Railcontroller software. The basic system sold will be the Kinesis base/hub plus handset. What will this allow? Just to run locos? Can phones/tablets connect using the app and do the same. Anything else? CV programming either POM or via the program track outputs? Accessory control? Or is this all reliant on running Railcontroller via a laptop? There's no info on the Bachmann site I can find at present, but this all starts to feel like a Dynamis replacement /upgrade where the infared has gone wi-fi and the rest is being thought up as it goes along. Hope I'm wrong because £400 for basic 2 amp DCC control is not cheap. Bob

All versions look good to me. The only point I’ll raise, please do forgive me, is that the crankpins somehow don’t quite look right, just big discs hiding some of the details. Perhaps it’s my eyesight. Bob

I’ve had this issue for quite a while now running Firefox on W11. It appeared a few months back and neither Firefox nor W11 updates since have resolved the problem. At present I can only use RMweb via another browser such as Edge or Chrome which annoys me as I don’t like their intrusiveness. This was posted from my IPad, which of course runs Safari. Bob

This might be a useful site to visit: https://steve-banks.org/ Lots of info on LNER coaches, the prototype section in particular, although mainly dealing with later days and into BR times. I've just built a set of Thompson non-corridors in 2mm from Worsley Works etches and 2mm association parts. See here for a bit more info: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/147403-priory-road-north-east-essex-in-br-days/page/15/#comment-5348791 If your modelling in N then kit or scratch is the only way you will be able to obtain anything other than LNER mainline stock such as the Dapol Greselys for the 1930's I would suggest. Bob

What seems clear is that all three systems take a different approach so there will be choices to be made between them. The Kinesis is to my mind designed to be an alternative to the Z21 and in that respect is probably the most flexible. My initial reaction is that I would choose it in preference to the other two. But as always the devil will be in the detail. Bob

G W Models address and phone number are the same in MRJ 299, as is the advert, which hasn't seemed to change much over the years. Bob

Having used plastic based loco wheels like Gibson/Sharman/Ultrascale for very many years in reasonably large numbers without any tools or glues I would suggest that all you need to do is dress/chamfer the axle ends as you describe and, perhaps, the very edge of the inside wheel bore - but only very carefully. Then insert the axle and twist clockwise as you do so, holding the wheel by hand. Usually I hold the axle in serrated snipe nose pliers. Attempting to use machine holding to do this operation can lead to issues if the wheel is not held absolutely square and true, which also applies to the axle. By twisting the axle as it is inserted it allows it to follow the wheel bore rather than distort it when all concentricity will be lost and not recoverable. Trying to apply glue to the crankpin screw before attempting to get it to cut it's own thread won't work. The glue will be trying to stop the screw rotating and either it will get stuck half in or will simply tear the bore and be loose. Countersinking the rear of the bore and applying a little after it is fully in will help stop it rotating if it appears not totally secure and will be used for, say, walchaerts valve gear. Bob

Thompson non-corridor coaches in 2mm – pt 4 Well the coaches are now finished. Or as far as I can take them at present. The bogies have been hand painted with Revell matt black and DG’s fitted but the bodies need spray painting and this will now have to wait for spring and better and warmer weather. I won’t spray indoors with the Halford rattle cans at any time and use only them for primer even if the top coat is enamel via the Neo. But the top coat will be Halfords as well as per my other hand made ones so they have a similar colour finish. I’m not sure if the window difference between the Brake Third and Brake Compo are that visible at normal viewing distance but the latter just seems to somehow look more modern with them. The two together as a 2-coach branch set looks okay with the lav compo added certainly giving the 3-coach set more ‘presence’ if you know what I mean. Yet together they are only just slightly longer than a couple of Mk1’s. So ideal for smaller layouts such as mine are. Bob

Both the old & new versions of the commonwealths use 15.2’s. The between solebars of the CCT’s is just 12mm so think perhaps they are 14.2’s or 13.7’s. Must be the reason I used 12.25’s with bearings, had them in stock. Bob

As regards the pins they look to be soldered on the same as other Zimo 6-pins I have. They have always looked a bit amateurish compared to other makes for some reason ( apart from probably CT). Easy to be wise after the event I know but I would have removed the apparent stay-alive wires before testing it elsewhere, especially if they were not connected to anything. A stray touch together or elsewhere and it’s just goodbye unless your very lucky….. guess how I know….. Bob

I might just be my usual thick self but going by your original diagram of sensors at A & B can't you just move sensor B further along to the right so a complete EMU/your longest train passes the trap before reaching this sensor? There must be the room or does the full track layout prevent this somehow seeing as how you refer to it as the headshunt. Bob

15.2mm Rich, I've just been and checked to be sure. This used to be the standard length Farish have used and I don't think it has changed for any bogie coaching stock but it does now vary widely for newer wagons so you do have to be careful. Not sure about the CCT's though, it seems I have re-wheeled them with 12.25's running in the top hat brass bearings so not sure what the original axle length was. Bob

Thanks Paul, I do think I should follow your good example and start making notes. I’ve always done this with layout wiring, produce a schematic to refer back to but never for anything else. I also find multiple builds draining and especially as anything seems to take me an age to do in recent times. In the past once I’d gathered all the info together - which I often find can be the major part - the actual build has been done in one go relatively quickly. Now I tend to dip in and out of different projects to give me a refresh on the change is as good as a rest basis. Bob