philsandy

What are the pros and cons of programming locos to speed curve through CV 's 67 - 94, opposed to speed curve through CV 2, 5 ,6. My layout is only short, 10 feet, branch terminus to fiddle yard. So slow speeds and shunting in goods yard. Which would be most suitable?

Two of my favourites: A tin of striped paint. and a glass magnet, very handy for picking up fine fragments of broken glazing.

Watched last nights program, the Dansette record player, and enjoyed it just as much as the Hornby Flying Scotsman re assemble. It was very funny in parts.

A more powerful magnet could cause problems eg. attracting the metal wheels/axles of passing stock. So you want a magnet just powerful enough to activate the coupling hook, and nothing else, and the ones I used work very well. The magnets are concealed in the ballast, so they are only millimetres from the activating device (ie. the bent staple attached to the coupling hook) when the stock passes over them. Some people position magnets under the baseboard itself... in which case you will need a more powerful magnet for that. The PH Design hook, you need to attach a piece of magnetic wire (staple, paper clip) in the holes provided, it is the same system, the BK system, as invented by Brian Kirby.

I used these http://www.first4magnets.com/circular-disc-rod-magnets-c34/15mm-dia-x-0-5mm-thick-n42-neodymium-magnet-0-28kg-pull-p2582#ps_1-872 15mm dia. and only 0,5mm thick, so very easy to conceal in the ballast. For this size they were the weakest magnet available from this supplier, but with enough magnetism to do the job.

Using the Brian Kirby system, the Bachmann couplings also have to be very accurately set for them to work properly. They all have to be exactly the same height. Not because they will not uncouple, but because they will when you don't want them to. Bachmann couplings do vary slightly in height, and usually a little bit of bending up or down usually does the trick to get them all the same. I found on the majority of my stock the underside of the coupling draw bar was 5.5 mm from the rail tops. A simple home made gauge ie. a small piece of wood or plastic 5.5 mm thick placed on the rail tops, then roll a wagon up to it and check that the coupling draw bar just clears the gauge.

Tony, Have no experience of the Heathcote uncoupler, but it looks very effective. Have you considered using Brian Kirby's method. It uses Bachmann tension lock couplings, with a slight modification and magnets concealed under the track. Very cheap to install http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35605

That looks a very impressive piece of kit. I would imagine after setting the quartering with that it would be absolutely bang on, no further tweaking needed. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Yes, I like James May's sense of humour. When he said the product had changed to items for "sad nostalgic disappointed old men," there was a slight pause.... " I've got hundreds of them". Also liked the quote, " some people may think £5 is a lot for a screwdriver, but not a screwdriver that changes your life", looks deadpan into camera, chuckles from the camera crew, "Shut up!"

I use Bachmann couplings, but modified using Brian Kirby's magnetic system, it works very well, but you must set the couplings all to exactly the same height, otherwise you will get stock uncoupling when you don't want it to, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35605

I have had a few Bachmann couplings that were a slack fit in the "dovetail" pocket. I cut a small piece of PTFE tape (approx. 10mm sq.) and placed it on the pocket, so when the coupling is pushed in it gives a nice tight fit, then just tidy up by trimming the excess PTFE tape. I use the same magnetic uncoupling system (the Brian Kirby invention) and for it to work successfully the couplings must all be exactly the same height, (I even made a gauge to set them all the same) if not, the problem is not that wagons won't uncouple, but that they do, when you don't want them to, ie. when pulling stock at slow speed over the magnets.

Can anyone advise how to modify the brake gear on these 2 locos after gauge widening. I have converted Bachmann locos before and either chamfered the backs of the brake blocks to clear the wheels. Or cut the blocks off the keeper plate, and glued them back on, plus approx. 1mm of packing. It does not seem possible to do this with these 2 models. The brake blocks are too thin to start with to chamfer. And if you cut the blocks off and re attach, plus packing, the brake rigging underneath will then not clip in to the small holes on the blocks, as they are now wider apart. Any advice most welcome.

Turn wagons upside down and check the wheels spin freely. Check that they are not rubbing on the brake gear. Check they are not a sloppy fit in the axle boxes. Flick the wheels out and lubricate with graphite by rubbing a soft HB pencil on the pin point ends of the axle. I've found this makes a tremendous improvement to the wheels spinning more freely.

Yes, I 've found the same thing. Sludge is a very good description. Most model shops seem to sell only Humbrol paints. it is a poor quality product. I had some red gloss that I threw away, not because it was like sludge, it literally would not dry.

Just read about these in this months BRM. A small decoder, 27 x 10.5 x 5 mm. available from Digitrains, but at present their website is showing them out of stock. Does anyone have experience of these, are they any good?

Yes, right on both counts.

Watched it last night, unfortunately it has been edited from the original one hour program first broadcast on BBC4. Yes it's on for an hour but there are 3 or it may have been 4 ad breaks that each last 5 minutes, and I mean 5 minutes. Typical c***p Freeview channel that always seem to be showing commercials.

Visited for the first time yesterday. What a shop! like an Aladdins cave, packed to the rafters with stock. Bought a Bachmann 4MT for the same price I paid at Hattons a few months ago, Well worth going out of your way to visit.

You did answer my query, thankyou. It's that you implied I hadn't read through the thread, which I had.

I know EM wheel sets will fit, I was asking wether the exsisting wheel sets could be made to fit.

I have bought one and need to convert it to EM. It appears that if the exsistng wheels are pulled out on their axles they will foul the backs of the axle boxes. Am I right in assuming replacment EM wheels need to be fitted?

I don't model in N gauge but this track does look really good, the right rail code and correct sleeper spacing. I assume in the photo in MR the other track alongside it is Peco code 80, for realism there is no comparison.

C&L and SMP flexitrack is much more realistic looking than Peco, although it is rather flimsy and not as robust.

Thanks for all your replies. My layout is EM, so will that help a little in preventing buffer lock? ie. less side to side wheel slop than OO. "What I do is crop near 2mm off the pockets, and ditto from the coupler tails, such that the 'bumper bar' of the Bachmann miniature tension lock is in the same plane as the buffer heads." That sounds quite interesting, I had thought about using the Bachmann tension lock couplings, but try and get them to couple closer.

I'm considering using some 3 link couplings on rakes of mineral wagons which will not need uncoupling very often, to give a more realistic closer coupling. Can these links just be hung on the standard coupling hooks of Bachmann and Hornby wagons without any modification? Also, the tightest curve on my layout is a short 28" radius, is this too tight, and cause buffer locking?