Ron Solly

Because they work. :scratchhead:

 They don't like working properly with mixed versions of T/S's though - try running both pulling and pushing with Lima wide bar & latest units from Bachmann !!  Nor do they look like real couplings.

 

As a matter of interest   I bought 4  Oxford/Hattons  ICE  Hoppers last week  of the 8  TL fitted couplings    3  already  had  the  hook parts loose in the  boxes!  Kadees  were  fitted  within  a very short  time  after they were delivered.

I hope you reported that back to Hattons/Oxford ?

S

 

(As an aside - even the mighty NMRA standards are bent/ignored/adjusted by manufacturers in certain areas of DCC decoder,CV settings -and no - I won't name them)

 

Cheers,

Mick

  Mick, there are so many CV's that the NMRA have left for manufactures can use for their own decoders but I don't know any that do not follow the basic CVs' as per

https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/s-9.2.2_decoder_cvs_2012.07.pdf

I suggest for starters, read this site

https://clarahost.clara.net/www.bromsgrovemodels.co.uk/decoderinstallation4mm.htm

one of many on the Internet but certainly each loco may use a different decoder for the reasons described above.

As many modelers in the USA & Australia use Kadee;s and have many gradients without problems, then I guess the problem of false uncoupling is not a smooth gradient change. I too use Kadee on my UK outline & have no problems with false uncoupling on my gradients.

Like F-UnitMad, I "met" John thru Model Trains International and has many an e-mail to and from JF, both of us giving and receiving much varied modelling information and some personal details.

I can be blamed for introducing him to YMR when Robert Heath owned it  and as nickwood and Gwiwer have said, has been instrumental for many good ideas.

He will be missed in many places.

RIP John.

Yep, I used to have some trouble , until I got rid of the loco hook.

have you tried to split a train up into two or three lots of wagons, spotting some at a goods shed, others at a local industry/dairy, etc ?  Not unless they have been modified for magnetic uncoupling like the Brian Kirby method or

I've used many forms of couplings over the years, but IMO the tension lock requires the least adjustment, maintenance and care.

 

Other forms of coupling require regular checking and resetting as required.

 

Yes - it isn't the prettiest, but is usually the most reliable.

 

Cheers,

Mick

you try to do a lot of shunting with tension lock couplings on a big layout like 12 x 20 ft - not a plank size .

and this site down the page shows how the Peco passing contact switches work

http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/CDU%20-%20overview/CDU%20-%20Overview.html

I found them perfect.

I had a  couple of Bachmann decoders that refused to accept a specific 3 digit code even after resetting all CVs to default, took it the number OK either side of the number I was trying to programme.   I do not use double heading or consisting and I have heard of that problem on Lenz decoders.

    A similar method using SCR's with capacitors was published in 1994 in Model Railroad Electronics  by Peter J Thorne

and then there is this   http://modelrailmusings.weebly.com/point-motors-and-toggle-switches.html

and as an variation to Dagworth's/ Andi's  drawing , have a read of this   http://brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html#One

I wouldn't want to have every diamond as a section switch on this then !

https://img.index.hu/imgfrm/9/7/7/9/BIG_0010369779.jpg

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NCE-DCC/info  is the site

A layout can only have one Powercab connected as the Powercab because this cab has the control station by using the 6 conductor flat cord, any others are treated as normal cabs by using the 4 conductor curly cord.

To get more info re Powercab & consists, join  the NCE- DCC yahoo group.

You can also switch the diamond relating to either approach track but accessory switches associated with the turnouts that connect to the diamond.

https://www.dccconcepts.com/manual/how-to-work-out-diamond-crossing-frog-wiring/

http://www.feeditcomics.com/peco-scissors-crossover-wiring-diagram.html

http://www.stciers.me.uk/home/track_wiring/scissors.htm

Yes, there are different ways of  the switching of a diamond, each way is correct, some more expensive than others. 

Brian Lamberts' website is perhaps one of the best as it covers a basic diamond as well as a scissors crossover.

I use frog juicers as well but to some, the deliberate creation of a short circuit, no matter how small a time, is wrong and they will not have anything to do with them

.  Live frog crossings are one area where DCC is much simpler than DC and the skill level required for DCC significanty less than DC. 

Er  -  live frog switching is the same  for both DC & DCC.

Granted control panel wiring for DCC is simpler than DC.

Thanks for all the various replies… plenty to think about.

Perhaps I better give some explanation about my layout.
 All locos are diesel but still use brake vans (as a train doesn’t look complete without one..) The D&S railway has modernised in all rolling stock has been fitted with modern braking and knuckle couplers.
 

Station A – terminal has  a yard loco with a 2 car DMU stabled and has traditional Good Shed & cattle dock but a large printing works, memorial firm for cemetery head stones, etc & a Farm & Fuel depot.
 

 Station B – the smaller of the two through stations has a yard loco with traditional Good Shed & cattle dock combined with a larger Farm & Fuel depot of 2 tracks, Gravel/Stone loading plant that handles 14 open/hopper wagons; container loading track; railway stores building: a large electronics factory & a depot for Leather Supplies factory.

Station C – the large through station has tracks for marshalling of trains back to stations A & B but for other stations D,E & F which in reality are “hidden” storage tracks for upto 60 plus working wagons and 3 through running goods trains from storage to storage via Station C. Plus trains from storage that stops at C to set down & pick up wagons before going to other storage tracks.

 So C has a large Goods shed of 2 tracks, container loading track, railway stores building, 3 track Brewery; 3 track Flour mill, 2 track Farm & Fuel; Carpet Co Depot plus a large MPD.   In an average operate session of 2 hours, Station C can move around 60 wagons.
 

Stations A & B are one person operator while C has 2 people.
 

During these goods movements, passenger services are also run.

Trains start from A, go to B, set down if needed and pickup for stations C, D, E etc. then goes to C - all wagons set down  letting C sort them out for other trains that use C as a junction station ;  pickup for B  & A   & return to B, set down as required & pick up for A and goes to A when the train is terminated.

Phil, time available - I was going to increase it if blocking is a requirement  so that is no problem.

Goods yard access is both ways = local station crew know exactly when a through running or passenger service is due so fouling the mainline is not allowed

enough run-around loops at all stations

Not sure if this is written down as a real process but I am after some guidance.
 

Let us assume this local branch line railway:_
Terminal station A – through station B to main through Station C  and then back to B & A.

At C, there are lines coming from & going to further stations D, E  , F etc
 

So would station A marshal/block the goods wagons so that all wagons for each station are next to each other and would B also add any pickups into the same blocking format to assist C in sorting out when the train arrives at C for shunting not only at C but for stations D, E  , F etc?

Or would there be no attempt made at all on any blocking of wagons? 
 

The reason for these questions in the model rail scene and having timetables;
having no blocking requirements make operating simpler at Stations A & B but can really make it harder at C    or
Having blocking means more time required at A & B but helps C in shunting

For what it's worth....

 

Before the layout went out to it's first show I invited my fellow operator round to have a play, as he was unfamiliar with the layout and relatively new to DCC . He brought with him his new NCE Powercab, and for the hell of it we plugged it into the spare socket to see how it would work - something I'd not tried before (as I only have one Powercab myself...)

 

There was a very noticeable lagged response when using the slave handset compared with the immediate response from the main one. So much so that we said "Blow that for a lark" and disconnected it, agreeing that we wouldn't try that at a show...

 

My Powercab is relatively old (2008) and has not been upgraded;  his was new (2015)

 

When I say "lagged response" - you could have counted to two before things  reacted.

 

Evidently this shouldn't happen - but it did, and I can offer no explanation why it did, only that it happened

I assume when the 2nd Powercab was plugged, it used the curly cord, not the flat cord?

Having called them Large Radius though, they will be stuck for a name if they do any bigger ones

 

Ginormous, megalarge?????

Don't you mean XL  and XXL  ? 

Thanks Kevin  I dunno why as it was copied from the URL bar

http://rail.felgall.com/dm.htm