Focalplane

Simon As soon as I get back to France I will do a DC current measurement and share the information. Paul

Action by Ben Jones and Roger Whittam - a pony screw is coming my way! Thank you! Paul Edit to add: a package arrived with 2 screws in it! Thanks again

So, Larry Goddard (coachmann) has been banned from RMWeb for "abusing and swearing at " another member. His Carrog/Ruabon thread has been frozen, but, thank goodness, not deleted by the Administrators. I have had a number of dealings with Larry and I consider him to be a gentleman who respects people like him and not the oh-so-many time wasters on RMWeb. We happen to share common interests in railway modelling but more importantly, Larry is an expert in his field, builds beautiful coaches and tells it like it is when he feels it necessary. My instant reaction was to follow suit and get banned, but I don't see that as serving a positive process. I shall miss Larry on RMWeb. Paul

Simon No, but that is what I have been told is a safe margin. Paul

Well, Larry, I see you have been banned. Too bad, we have lost a great modeller with beaucoups of knowledge, drive and great results to show for it. What can RMWeb be thinking of? Best wishes (if you can see this) Paul

Update on fitting DCC to the Heljan Large Prairie. John Gymer at Youchoos tells me a Zimo decoder can be fitted but it needs an adapter board that is currently back-ordered. The motor requires a decoder that can drive 1.8 amps - typical Heljan - so only the large scale decoders can be used. The Zimo decoder is smaller and allows fitting of a better speaker and a stay alive. I have put my 61XX on Youchoos' waiting list. However, I may not use the 61XX sound file, but one of John's other "Swindon" sounds. Paul

Andy A great primer in sector plate design. I think Dolgelley fiddle yard will have one, perhaps four tracks, certainly three. Thanks, Paul

I will admit to liking Copydex for gluing down track onto cork, the cork being glued to the plywood with exterior grade white wood glue. No pins or screws used at all but a whole lot of wine, olive oil and paint containers used to weight down the track while the Copydex sets. If I need to lift the track it comes away unharmed using a thin flexible tool like that used for filling holes in walls, etc. Paul

An exchange of emails with John Gymer at Youchoos - Yes a Zimo can be fitted but with a different adapter board which is currently back-ordered from Zimo. He says the motor needs 1.8 amp so a standard sound decoder for OO/HO is not going to be enough. I have asked John to put me on a list for when all the Zimo parts are available. He has done one conversion and it works, providing larger space for a decent speaker and stay alive. Paul

With my L Girder foundation I have 9mm ply with 2mm cork. So far I have no large plywood sheets though (they will be used for some of the scenic modules) and so there is no possibility of drumming sounds. Couple that with the prior use of the room as an acoustically dead home cinema and I have an excellent DCC sound to noise ratio. There was a piece of Radio 4 this morning about road noise in the coming electric era. I thought it a load of rubbish (!) because, as anyone who goes past Telford knows, the M54 road noise where the surface is concrete is incredibly loud, inside and outside one's vehicle and is due to tyre on concrete. Only a Harley Davidson is louder! Now, shunting is not the same as high speed running, so less or no cork could be suitable. However, isn't it useful to have the track bed a little higher than the rest of the yard? Just rambling thoughts! Paul

Well, forget the RTR for a moment, I found some needle files so decided to make a start on the Dukedog's tender chassis: Next job is to see if I have any solder. If not, it will have to be separating and preparing the chassis parts for the engine next. Edit to add: The centre axle will be hornblocked and sprung. The simpler choice is to remove some of the frame material above the axle hole so that it can float. Since hornblocks come in sets of three and the Dukedof is a 4-4-0, then the third hornblock set doesn't have to be wasted. Paul

I think 9mm is about right for 7mm scale as long as it is well supported. Without a good regular spaced underframe it will sag. The weight of a large Gauge O locomotive could create sinkholes! Paul

Only that, to save time, plug and play makes sense in an RTR loco. I hard wire my own kit builds and do prefer Zimo decoders these days. However I also have other decoders fitted and one day I am going to have to rationalize the F buttons, probably using WiThrottle. Do Zimo make a >1.5 amp sound decoder that plugs into the Loksound XL socket? I can't find one. Paul

Thanks, I thought it looked like the platform for a Loksound XL. This suggests the motor has a higher amperage than the regular Loksound 4.0. I won't be buying a decoder until I know for sure. I think that using Loksound does mean less choice in sound files from the likes of Youchoos, etc. At least I now have plenty of time to do the research (Every cloud has a silver lining!) Paul

Yes, Simon, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Although I have photos of Large Prairies pulling commuter trains in Warwickshire with up to 11 coaches (and going up Hatton Bank!) I doubt if mine will ever pull more than four coaches, so I am hoping the gear issue will not appear. The weight of the beast is such that pulling coaches should not be a problem, however I have inclines and the nylon gears (if they are) may not last for ever! As I have a Warren Shephard 43XX kit which can be built as any of the variants I am now thinking about cancelling my Heljan order which is strictly incorrect for the late 1950s. The latest prototype of the 43XX does look very nice but an ABC Gears motor/gearbox combination should mean the brass kit will outlive the RTR model. And me! Ironically, the RTR models have one advantage over the brass kits - I am more likely to want to weather them as the plastic needs weathering and for some reason mucking up a pristine paint job on a hand built brass loco seems almost criminal. So my Rule 6 could read - "RTR locos to be weathered, Kit built locos to be ex-works". Paul

Everyone seems to like their 61XX Large Prairies which is a good sign for the future and the 43XX Mogul which should arrive within months. I am being quite philosophical about the missing pony screw (I think I called it a bogie screw earlier which is probably incorrect). I can't run the loco for another two weeks and even then only on a DC test track with rolling road, so patience is required anyway. I also seem to have a run of bad luck when it comes to buying things these days. I have received a total of seven RTR items out of about fifteen that were either incorrectly assembled, had missing parts or were broken in transit. In all cases the rectification of the problem took weeks/months and in three cases I eventually did the remedial work myself, having received the parts. With the Large Prairie the ponies have to be added by the buyer anyway, so this is not going to be the worst example of the seven. I don't blame the retailer for most of these problems, it is usually either poor quality control in China or damage in transit. I do know that some people, myself included, will not buy a model that has been displayed on a shop shelf as this is a very good way to lose loose parts, etc. So why do I buy RTR? Well, it does save me time building all the locos and stock and time isn't something I may not have plenty of! And the finish on these models really is very good once the plastic look has been weathered a bit (or a lot in the case of some wagons). Incidentally, how do I know the missing pony screw was not in the sealed packet? Simple. I always undo these packets carefully in the middle of a white bed sheet. Could the screw (it's very small) have got lodged in one of the ponies? I checked. It was not in the packet. Only then did I try to contact Howes. As mentioned on another thread devoted to the Heljan Large Prairie, I was not impressed with Howes' reaction. Onward and Upward, Paul

Very nice, Andy! Paul

Good to know the coal comes out easily! I had visions of cutting it out to replace with real coal. I agree with you about the DCC fitting instructions being sketchy. However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel in that there will be a page to help in the future: Heljan.dk/61xx It was empty last time I looked (just now). I had been hoping to fit a 21 pin decoder but your photo suggests that the mounting plate is for a larger scale decoder. I would be interested to know the amperage rating on the motor used, it could be more than 1.5 amps which could rule out the decoder in your photo. Again, this information should be forthcoming now that the model has been released. Paul Edit to add - As you have bought one of the Tower Models specials (like me) they do offer a DCC fitting service and I am sure they would tell you what decoder they plan to use.

I appreciate the comments above. As I live between 3 countries, normally France and England but right now Wales, returning items can get confusing. I do believe in “buyer beware” so some of the responsibility is mine, not just the manufacturer, spares supplier and retailer. My main objection is not just quality control but the response from Howes, basically call us later rather than, we’ve got your email adress now and will contact you when we have the spares. Ben Jones gave me a much more confident response. Paul

The Heljan Large Prairie problem has reached the attention of Heljan UK. A solution may be arriving soon. Fingers crossed! Paul

Better news now as I have heard from Ben Jones, Heljan UK. The spares will be arriving soon and he will make sure I get the missing screw as soon as possible. Much better news! Paul

I think I should add to this page some information on the 61XX Large Prairie. I was able to buy one from Tower Models on Sunday at Telford. It is one of their specials, un-numbered, early BR black. As far as I know it was the only one at the show so I felt lucky. On getting home I found that the sealed packet containing the bogies only had one screw. The models comes mounted on a plank of wood with fixings where the bogies will fit. So far I have contacted Tower Models who rightly referred me to Howes. I received a reply this afternoon that: Paul, Unfortunately we have not as yet received any spares for these locos. Suggest you try later. Regards, Howes I am not sure how long I should have to wait before trying again! I have copied Howes' reply to Tower Models in the hope that a more definite answer will be forthcoming. Surely now that Howes has my email address they could inform me when the "spare"* parts arrive? It looks to be a well executed model, certainly heavy and certainly nicely detailed, except for the plastic coal which is full right to the top and will have to be cut away before adding any of the real stuff. I will be adding DCC sound eventually and it would appear I may be restricted to Loksound V4.0 with a 21 pin on board connector which means I may not be able to have the Youchoos Zimo decoder. I am not entirely sure because the link in the instructions to Heljan.dk/61XX has yet to have any information on it! Paul * note on spares - I am not looking for "spares" as the model came with one less screw than I thought I had bought. I have a Heljan 43XX Mogul on order but I am having second thoughts about it right now.

Re the Large Prairie spare parts. Howes replied this afternoon that, as yet, they have no spare parts and suggest I try again later. In the box there are instructions that say there is a web page. It also has yet to have anything on it. So I currently own an 0-6-2T, or it could be a 2-6-0T. And I have a 43XX Mogul on order. Should I think again?

Oh, I don't know, I do drink a lot of café! One things for sure, though, I do less whining when in France! Mainly because my neighbours understand very little English and I don't know enough French to whine properly. Paul

“Start on” could mean simply opening the box! The following week could be when the box is closed again! Paul