reggie

Hi All Sorry if this has been covered before, but I don't find the search function on RM Web very useful. Anyway, I would like to install lighting/passengers on my new Hornby Mk3 TSO Coaches, but not sure how to get it apart, and don't want to risk breaking it! Any advice/instruction would be most appreciated. I do think it's time manufacturers put instructions on how to open coaches in the box, like they do with locos, as many people now want to fit lighting/passengers. Thanks

I have the GBRf 66789 with DCC Sound, and I think it is the best model I have bought. The detail is superb, the sound is excellent, it runs very very well, performance is excellent. Yes, the axle boxes can come loose, but this is a new innovation, so I'm not surprised there is a teething problem, but is an easy fix. Things will never move on if manufacturers don't try to innovate. I appreciate some people may not have as good an experience with theirs, but as has been said many times, I can go only judge the model i received. I would not hesitate in buying more (I have Cemex on order), and would recommend it highly. It is a far superior model to the Bachmann, imo.

Go for it - I had a Prodigy before the ECoS and am glad I changed...it is a great unit. I have all my points controlled from the layout screen too, through the DCC concepts ADS-8sx accessory decoder. You can also link the ECoS to a pc/laptop and control everything from there, as well as smartphone / tablets. If you like tech on your layout it is well worth it imo.

Yes, please don't be put off, I only mentioned the field possibly being wet just to forewarn anyone. I shall be going whatever the weather - it really is a great show and a great day out

Hi I still had a few problems trying to get the ECoS to accept 2 locos with the same number. In the end gave them 2 addresses and put them in a consist and works well.

With all this rain think the parking field could be a quagmire! Bring your wellies!!!

thanks for the advice kaput - i will try that!

Hi All, I have the Realtrack 156 DMU with the recommended Loksound Decoders. A note with the decoder says they should be programmed seperately or you will corrupt the files. Problem is my ECoS will not allow 2 Locos to have the same address (even default 3). So the question is how do you program them seperately but give them the same address so they will run together? I'm sure there is something obvious i am missing here! I have disabled Railcom, but it still won't allow them to have the same address. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks Reggie

Anyone know when the specific decoders will be available for the 156? Or if any stock anywhere?

I found the thread, and Realtrack sell 2 x pre-programmed ESU decoders on their website for £50-00, if anyone needs to know!

Thanks Enginelane, I will check the thread, and contact him. I am using non sound version too.

Hi All, I've just got the Realtrack 156 in EMT Livery - and the manual states to use a 21 pin, 8 function, MTC Decoder. Can anyone advise a decoder to go for? Make / product number? I'm a bit confused... Thanks

I felt the programme did little to encourage younger people to enter the Hobby. It stuck to the corny old sterotype of lonely middle aged nerds, who are a bit loopy playing with steamers in garages and spare rooms, to me it was more than tongue in cheek, more of a p*** take as far as modellers were concerned. There are some younger people, majority who run modern image layouts with all the latest tech that could have been shown to get get away from the anorak nerd image the general public have for modellers. An opportunity missed to boost the hobby I felt.

I did just that re the Europheonix 37 at Warley and was given a vague answer 'oh about a couple of weeks'. Which surprised me as Hattons's are a major retailer I thought they would be first to get batches (Rails had it so I ordered from them). Cancelled pre-orders and people buying elsewhere must be costing them thousands. Of course their business relationship is nothing to do with us - but you will never stop gossip - about anything.

I asked Hattons at Warley when the Class 37 Europheonix would be in (had on pre-order for months) and they said 'within a couple of weeks', quite vague. Rails had their's a couple of weeks ago, even the Class 37 Group had one for sale on their stand at Warley. Needless to say I cancelled my pre-order and bought from Rails (with free delivery too). For a major retailer like Hattons not to have new releases as soon as they are out is very odd indeed. I would want to be guaranteed first batches of all new releases if I was purchasing bod at a major retailer. Hattons must have lost a lot of business through this breakdown in supply.

Hi Dave I think the new site is smart, and the search facility with sub categories is great. A big improvement. Nothing worse on a website than not being able to find what you are looking for! Cheers Reggie

Thanks for your reply Matt, at least I'm not the only one then! I would be interested too to hear how others have got on with these and any tips they have...

Thanks for the info Classy52

Hi All, I've bought a couple of pairs of the IDA wagons, but am having trouble with derailing through crossovers and some points. I have tried adjusting the bogies to be tighter/looser. I also trimmed the nem coupling hook at the bottom as that seemed to catch on point/crossing rails. The nem coulping is lower than the one on the loco, so that doesn't help either. Any tips on how to improve performance would be appreciated, as they are a great wagon and I really want to get more but am reluctant if I can't get them ti run well on my layout. I'm using peco code 100 track, and have no issues with other locos/rolling stock. Thanks Reggie

Just a heads up for anyone going to Derby this weekend - The M1 is closed both ways at 23a to 24, from Friday to 3pm Sunday, so best to find an alternative route of possible, if that's the way you were going (like me!)

I wasn't going to comment anymore on this thread, but I take exception to being compared to a drunk driver and being called an idiot. If any of you pious men can get down from the moral highground long engough to actually read my posts you will see I have never disagreed that the ideal solution is to have a proper loft conversion. Sadly not all of us are able to afford to do this and may not have any other availabe space to persue our hobby. Therefore I and others take, in our opinion, an 'acceptable risk', to make our available loft space as good and safe as possible. As yet I do not know of anyone who has had a major problem doing this, but you condem us all the same. It is however acceptable to you all for someone to cram a loft with magazines, books, toys, clothes etc at considerable weight, as many people do, but unacceptable and comparable to drunk driving and idiocy to properly board a loft (which is an evenly distributed load across the whole loft and is perfectly legal to do btw), fit a loft ladder, clear the space and have a model railway.

Correction Chris - you can get water tanks of 50 gallons quite easily - that is some weight over say three rafters. You are obviously a master craftsman and very proud of you work and I have never disagreed that ideally we should all have loft conversions, however the only place I could have the layout I wanted was in the loft, I have imo, taken reasonable steps to make sure it is as good as possible and am yet to see any negative impact on the structure of the building. As for others who accuse of recklessness, taking our life in our hands, risking life and limb of the whole house every time we ascend the loft - I say again - prove it, put your high horse opinions where your comments are - give me 3 examples of disaster caused by a loft layout. While youtube is not a guide how to do anything it shows clear examples where many people have loft layouts without any issues at all - so I can prove that. As for being wrong Chris - I'm not, if I were all the disasters you and the Loft Police say will happen would have happened to me and countless others - it hasn't. I say to you again prove me wrong. This thread is getting pretty lame now...I'm off into the loft - I hope I make it back in one piece.

Sorry Lezz but your story talks about someone putting their foot through the plasterboard of the ceiling while moving loose boards around, that is def' not the same as a well boared floor of a loft, and i am in no way suggesting anyone should use a loft in that way. Someone else said the loft joists are there to only hold up the ceiling - not so, also please explain how a water tank can be put in a loft across the joists - 1 cubic mtr of water is 1 ton, so if the tank is half that it is still half a ton. A very heavy weight for joists only there to hold ceilings up. Joists and rafters are designed to hold the wieght of the roof, often tile, plus the weight of snow, again very heavy. Safety factors are calculated into everything in good design too. I am yet to hear of 3 examples of a serious collapse of ceiling/roof caused by a railway in the loft (I don't count someone putting their foot through platserboard while balancing on loose boards or joists). Oh and I'm not advising anyone to do anything - we are each responsible for our own actions, I'm just saying what i have done and what a lot of modellers do without injuring/killing themsleves or family members. I think the only thing we will agree on is that we will never agree on this issue...

I'm not suggesting building regs don't exist, all I'm saying is there are plenty of people with railways in lofts that are not having issues suggested by some people, i.e ceilings and roofs collapsing. I have examined my ceilings and roof carefully today and can find no evidence of movement or cracking, splits or stress. I have had the railway for many years so think any problems would have manifested by now. The loft was well boared and there is no live power when unattened, there is also a fire extingusher. A folding loft ladder is fitted. As I said before, in an ideal world we would all have a proffessional loft conversion but few of us can justify spending, or have, thousands to do this, so use the above method, I am not aware of many ceilings or roofs collapsing because of someone having a railway in the loft. As i also said i would never suggest anyone alter the structure of a building without consulting a professional. However the suggestion that anyone who boards their loft (correctly and well fitted) and puts a few kilos of plywood up there (8x4x9mm = 16kg), with some track and cardboard structures, are liable to come crashing through the ceiling or find their roof collapsing is being a little extreme, in my opinion, If anyone can send me 3 examples where disater has struck from a model railway in a loft as described above, I will gladly change my mind....

We are all fully aware that a habitable space must conform to building regs- fine, but the fact is thousands of people use boarded lofts for model railways without issue, this you keep failing to admit. I would never suggest anyone alters the structure of a building without advice, but boarding a loft for a model railway for 99.9% of people who do it does not seem to cause any problems at all. The original posted asked a question, and in my opinion a loft is an acceptable space for a railway, as has been proved by the sheer number of people who operate in this way without problems, if you follow some basic common sense rules. Your advice is all well and good, but it also means 99% of loft railways should shut down immediately. I think you are just trying to prove how much you know and how superior you are to me. Well I've been building steel structures for handling and lifting equipment for 25 years, so have an idea about beams, deflections etc too. And to be honest I don't care how cheesed off you are, I can have an opinion, which actually a lot agree with, this is the idea of a forum.