Izzy

If you look on the youchoos website, for the Zimo MX644D 21 pin decoder the stay-alive connections are via pads at the opposite end to the pins. It appears you can connect speaker wires to pins 16&20 if these are not provided via the connection pcb board. Is the capacitor you are concerned about a stay-alive unit, or perhaps something else? Hopefully someone with knowledge of the J11 will be able to offer information. Izzy

Straight cut spur gears will mostly be noisy/whine when run at higher speed due to the on/off loading transfer from one tooth to the next. This can be overcome by using helical cut teeth, but they need decent widths and angles to be effective in this respect along with good side thrust bearings to minimise frictional power loss through this aspect. I agree with others who feel worm gears get a ‘bad press’ simply due to their alleged inefficiency. It’s a generalisation that has so many caveats that it becomes meaningless in many respects since one gear train design may have quite different primary needs and objectives to another. Little mention ever seems to be made for example of the materials from which gears are made or their size relative to the power input/output. Izzy

I always use methfix where possible in preference to other types of decals, but first apply them using water to get the position right and remove the top paper, and then give a quick thin wash of pure meths after to melt/glue them into place. With this method I can get multiple numbers/letters etc all lined up and square first, and re-wetting with water allows repeated adjustment until they are because they remain firm/hard, before they are permanentaly fixed in place using the meths, which of course softens them until they go off. Izzy

I recently visited a local show where one stand had various flavours of these small motor/spur gearbox combos (N20's?) for sale. These were being sold as suitable for scenic use, powering windmills etc that kind of use, and not as powerplants for locos. The stated voltage seemed to be allied to the gear reduction. I can't remember the actual details but broadly they were 3v, 6v, and 12v, with the later having the highest reduction - 300rpm IIRC - and the lower voltages rather less, 100rpm and 50rpm I think. The actual motors looked identical, as you might expect, so getting those of the right voltage might be something of a lottery if there isn't clear indication of their actual specs, and especially if they come sans gearbox. Similar sized motors are used in smaller servos, will of course be 6v rated, and could well be what is often available on e-bay when sold motor only. A word of warning if I may. Having tested the 6v servo motors one fact that stands out is the high current they draw, running both off and on load, compared to the more normal motor usually used with model locos. Anything around 100mA light, and 900mA under stall. This may be one reason among many why some are frying themselves, and especially if they are 3v ones. By comparison, a Mashima 1833 I recently transplanted into a Bachmann 08 ( the original motor died for no apparent reason and I had the 1833 spare (they are almost the same size), couldn't be persuded to draw more than 0.5 amp stalled at any voltage up to 12v ( I wanted to ensure the decoder used could cope with the Mashima current draw given I kept reading they were higher than other motors). Izzy

Hi Scott, A suggestion. You're a bit of a wizz with plasticard going by your great coach thread, so why not build an F4/F5 chassis using it and fit the wheels/motor out of the Airfix 14xx? The 14xx wheels are about the same general size, 5'-2"/3'-8" viz 5'4"/3'9", so all you would need would be another set of carry wheels. along with some brass top hat axle bearings. Nile has built a F4/F5 using printed parts for both body and chassis (can't find the thread at present) and I can't see any reason why plasticard couldn't be used instead. Indeed I have done it myself in the distant past - simple motorization of Airfix plastic kit locos. You'd have to alter the F4/F5 wheelbase to suit since it's 7'6" x 8'-0" x 7'6" and the 14xx is 7'4" x 8'2", but I guess you would have already decided to work with the compromise needed, unless you got/made up some replacement etched rods (Gibson perhaps?). While weight is needed to give a bit of traction with a loco chassis it isn't absolute weight that is the most important factor, but having it in the right place. In this case it means over the drivers where the side tanks are situated so plenty of room to put some there. If you put the drive off the front axle the motor would be over them as well, and probably clear the cab. In saying this I am just not sure if the Airfix motor would fit between the wheels. It's been an awful long time since I fiddled around with OO gauge and XO4 type/size motors. I say this with the thought that it might be easier trying this than seaching around for and altering another RTR chassis to get what you need. Of course you could always get a couple of K&S brass strips and use them instead of plasticard, so no bearings would be needed and you could just drop the 14xx wheels into the chassis.......... Just some thoughts, cheers, Izzy

Here's a couple of shots of locos I built for a friend from Jim's kits. I made quite a few others for myself, J15/J67/F7/tram etc and would say they are probably some of the best kits I have constructed in any scale in that they go together properly without issue. Yes, you can always 'improve' them by replacing any of the castings with alternative ones ( I found the main ones to be quite good enough for me although I usually made replacement sprung buffers and bufferbeam hoses etc), and add extra detail as you feel neccesary but there is no tussle with trying to get the basic parts to fit. The G5 & 4F were left for my friend to finish off, coaling, crew and other small details to taste, I just did the main construction and painting while the F7 is mine in it's raw state. I don't think anybody regrets getting any of Jim's kits, why would they! cheers, Izzy

I have encountered your frame issue a few times in the past in a variety of scales. Almost inevitably it has proved to be a frame spacer not truly square or sitting dead square in the correct position, especially with the etched/bent 90degrees type. Occasionally it has been the frame twisted or bent a bit, but not often. The errors have been small, tiny in some cases, but enough to throw things out. Your description says to me that one or more of the PCB frame spacers is not aligned correctly on each opposing frame, a mis-match between the sides. Could I suggest you remove all the spacers, clean up the frames, make sure all bits are true, and start again. Sighting along the flat sides of the frames will show up the slightest kink/twist, which is all such a problem needs to exist. Placing them back-to-back will show any differences in spacer location points. It can be slight enough that they will still drop into the jig. I have found that the spacers don't need to be a very tight fit as if there is the slightest error in them this will stress/twist the frames. I take it you are using the PCB frame spacers from shop 3? Izzy

I first tried BRM digitally in 2014 when I was visiting family in Australia. For those overseas I can see the advantages both in terms of having a current issue of a mag rather than being weeks/months behind quite besides the lower costs, but I am afraid that despite trying a few since then I just don’t like trying to read a digital version of a magazine designed for the printed page. It doesn’t work for me at all and I won’t get any more. Izzy

I believe extending the inner check rails will have no beneficial effect as they will not reach as far as the crossing nose if I am looking at the overhead shot Ian provided in post #65 correctly, and doing this could well introduce electrical isolation issues needing a re-working of where the rai/sleeper cuts are made i.e. as with a diamond like this both stock rails and check rails must be isolated from each other up until the cuts for the crossing unit itself. I fully agree with Jim, leave well alone unless running issues - hitting/riding up of the crossing nose - are encountered. Izzy

It's looks to me like there is lower beading around the doors, the inside corners look rounded so it's not clear whether the beading is actually on the doors or by the side of the openings or both, and I am sure that is a ducket behind the guard poking his head out. Izzy

Don't know whether this is of any help, Yeadons might give this info, but RTCS pt4 states the six received their larger side sheets/single window cabs at Doncaster after their transfer to the NE at various times through 1936. 7408 - 9/36. 7411 - 5/36. 7416 - 10/36. 7463 - 8/36. 7478 - 7/36. 7496 - 12/36. Sadly, what isn't clear is whether these were further modifications on the newer/higher steel roof or full rebuilds of the original low cab one. However, as the text states in two places they were given new sides sheets and single cab windows in time for the winter of 1936 I would guess they already had the higher steel roofs. Izzy

I'm afraid you won't find quite the same kind of inherent strength that ply and rivet construction provides, but using just small strips of tape at the outer edges as suggested, and then using turps/white spirit applied with a brush at each sleeper in turn will ''kill' the tape glue bond for a while and allow the template to be slowly and gently peeled away from the trackwork. I actually use rivets under the crossing nose and wing rails for strength and electrical bonding, and also do the same at the first chair position past the slide chairs on both the blades and closure rails for the same reasons, covering them with half chairs afterwards as you normally would with ply/rivet construction. The worst part with this type of construction is that there isn't that much of a bond between slide chairs and rail, they must of course be glued to the rail sides, while the others can move along the rail. I now paint both sides of the rail inc the chairs while the track is still on the template. This creates an extra bond between rail/chairs which aids removing the completed work and placing it on the baseboard. This is using ply sleepers but I would guess it would work just the same with plastic ones - I have never used them. Izzy

Ah, thanks. I hadn't realised that the K's had ever been given the square riveted type or the fluted cover. When I built my I the only reference material I had was those articles by Don Townsley in the MRJ's 8/12 and the compendium, and even then it seemed a minefield trying to work out what features went with a particular class while trying to allowing for repairs/rebuilds etc. I had gained the impression that by the time the K's started appearing the tanks were of the more rounded rivetted type before being flush as with the cover, but obviously I got this wrong. I just hope I haven't made any similar serious errors with the model. Izzy

I also looked at the kit for these from Marc models, but at £60 is more than I can justify. The parts to make it are not as far as I can tell available from Comet at present, so I got the etched sides/ends for the Gresley Dia 120 4-wheel instead. I will scratchbuild the rest of it. As simple drawings of both the Gresley 4-wheel and Thompson 6-wheel BZ are in the two volumes of :- Rolling stock worth modelling - D Bradford Barton ISBN 0 85153 453 8/ 454 6 (V1/V2) I have, I will probably have a go at scratching the 6 wheeler at some stage. The one fixed axle +inside bogie certainly is to my mind the easiest way of getting a 6 wheeler to run okay. I have a feeling someone used to make a design - Slaters perhaps? - with one full bogie and one 'half' bogie, both pivoting about their centres and linked together. I'm sure I remember making one once which ran quite okay too. Izzy

I am sure this is an old class I, and due mainly to the fluted safety valve alongside the square rivetted tank. Indeed I believe the image is SMJ related, I am sure it featured in the Oakwood press booklet on the SMJ. Izzy

Just a heads up to say Hattons are now selling these at, currently, £84. Gaugemaster are listing these as DCC05 @ £99.95. Whatever the price, for anyone with a tablet/phone this is quite considerably cheaper than a 'proper' PA2 wi-fi set-up - whether using the dedicated or converted base station (I have the latter). From the brief info given I gather it can't perform everything a normal handest can, but it still seems well worth having. Izzy

I made this little tool to alter Dapol and Farish wheels with stub axles. The brass threaded shaft is bored out at the end so it only presses on the outer edges of the axle coning and doesn't thus damage the very end of the pin-point axle. This needs cleaning up/replacing every so often as the pressure on it distorts the bored end as I 'turn' it to apply pressure and shift the axle/motor shafts using a pair of pliers, but brass BA bolts are cheap/easy to obtain, and it does the jobs required quite well. I am sure available suitable gear pullers could be made/adapted to do the same job. regards Izzy

That's sad news. Always found them pleasant to deal with whatever I bought. Izzy

Having played about making my own transfers using these printable transfer sheets, and as most printers can't do lighter shades without printing onto a white background, (why the alps printers are so valued as they can print white), I would suggest you use the white sheets rather than the clear ones. If you do choose an inkjet printer, then Epson certainly have always had the best and most versatile software, streets ahead of anyone else, and provided with all printers from the most basic up. Izzy

Paul, glad you got them sorted, and many thanks for confirming the difference removing the boards actually makes. Having read many times it won't/shouldn't make any difference at all I have often wondered if I was living in an another reality! cheers, Izzy

Yes Paul, they are just soldered onto the end of the motor via the motor brush tags. So a quick touch with an iron on each tag gets them off. Izzy

If you haven't removed the boards I am sure you will find that is the key, whatever decoder type you fit. Some can cope better than others but my experience has been, with any locos that aren't fitted with lights and irrespective of whether they are DCC ready or not i.e. the Farish Jinty and 4F http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82934-farish-jinty-2fs-dcc-jinty-update-4f-2fsdcc-conversion/ as well as all the small diesel shunters, 03/04/08 etc, that removal of the boards is essential to get decent running under DCC whatever decoder make/type. Others don't seem to have these problems it seems, so it might just be me. I am I must admit rather pedantic when it comes to running qualities in terms of control and reliability. CT decoders seem to have the edge over Zimo in respect of absolute running quality/motor control when it comes to 2mm/N, and are certainly smaller, but in recent times have become harder to obtain. Due to issues with them it seems Coastal DCC - my usual supplier - have stopped selling them. I believe Digitrains still has them, but Youchoos is another who no longer seems to deal in them. Rather a pity, but there you go, such is life. Izzy

Thank you for your kind words. If you are talking about the class 31, then it was probably spare etch from 2mm Scale Association kits. This is actually the main scale I model in these days, and most 2mm SA kits/parts are 10thou N/S etches. I always save useful sized scap etch bits, never know when they might 'come in handy' as my dear old Dad used to say. Izzy

Yes, thanks. Following your post I have obtained some bits from Maplin before they close down, just over £3.00 for enough parts for 10 stay-alives, and have tried one using a 16v/2200uf cap (they didn't have any 25v) in a Bachmann 08. This is a test bed and uses a Mashima 1833 motor plus spare class 31 TTS chip - don't laugh, I'm hoping the Hornby 08 chip will arrive as a separate item at some stage and I can do a swop - along with Zimo 3D speaker. I had to fit the cap in the cab, but the loco will run nicely now. About 1/4 turn of the wheels without sound, less so with, when power is lost. Pleased to learn you have solved the wheel issue. Izzy

I have a Gaugemaster PA2 and use lots/mostly CT decoders with my 2mm locos including converted Farish 08's. At the default cv settings CT's come with these locos should run fine 'out of the box', they have a small normal can motor and not the newer coreless type. Just remove the circuit board as I have recommended on another forum and hardwire directly to the motor terminals. If you have altered the cv's re-set the decoder. Mine run no differently/better on my Sprog2/JMRI than on the PA2. I do set Acc/Dec to between 30-50 to smooth out the jumps between steps that can sometimes occur but this is all I do, except set the address. Because the CT's give such excellent slow speed running I usually use 28 speed steps as this gives as good/better control than most other decoder makes - save perhaps Zimo - can produce on 128SS. If you are not getting the best control out of them using the PA perhaps it needs looking at by Gaugemaster. I belive older versions can be given firmware updates should that be an issue. Izzy