St Enodoc

Wow! Takes me back to the 70s!

Ah, now we know why Gilbert's DCC system threw a tantrum!

I sort of disagree! I found the first and last parts riveting but the middle part seemed weak in comparison.

Yes, I have a razor saw. Thanks.

Thanks Mike. Yes - when is a grub screw not a grub screw? When it's in a Romford gear wheel. I think I'll be able to do what you suggest by extracting and shortening the existing screw - except that I haven't got a piercing saw. I think I know someone near here who has, though.

Today I re-wheeled the chassis. In doing so, I managed my usual trick of shearing off the slot on the gearwheel grub screw - fortunately, after it was well tightened up. If it comes loose in future, there's just enough room to coax the screw out with a pair of pliers and I should be able to find a different screw to replace it. It looks like about 12BA or 14BA - anyone know for sure? Next, I fitted the pickups to the right-hand side wheels, using 0.5mm phosphor-bronze wire, and the connections to the motor. I used the very thin wire that comes with NCE non-hard-wired decoders. There's always some left over after fitting these and it always comes in useful one day. I'll tidy the wires up when I install the decoder itself in due course. After a bit of tweaking on the middle wheel pickup, to make sure it was always in contact taking into account the additional sideplay, I lubricated all the moving parts and let the chassis run on dc for a while. I've prepared the coupling rods, using a pin head to represent the knuckle joint, and fitting these will be the next job. I'll leave the axle nut covers until the loco is complete, just in case...

Who?????

I rarely agree with Mr Wolmar but on this occasion I can make an exception.

The positive side is the side without the insulating ring (and with the big + sign on it!). I don't think you can actually fit it the wrong way up. I'm sure you know that you need to keep the Power Pro powered up when changing the battery (it's quite safe, there's only low voltage coming into it). I treat my command station, and my radio cabs, to a Christmas present of new batteries every year.

Here's the chassis, after spraying with rattle-can etch primer and matt black: The bare bits left of centre are where the motor scraped off some paint when I checked the fit - which, as you can see, is nice and tight. The various little highlights are from the natural light, not bare brass or solder. Some paint has flaked off the middle spacer, probably because I was a bit lazy when cleaning up before painting. It won't show, so I'll leave it. The middle PCB pad is uninsulated and the black wire will be soldered to it, while the two outer pads are insulated and will carry the red wire and the phosphor-bronze pickups. Next, I'll paint the wheels then I can reassemble everything as a functional chassis before starting the body.

A bit like RMweb then...

That really sounds like the internal battery is on its last legs.

I think there are two trains there. You can see the rear of the Down train in front of the second coach of the Up train.

Four wheels good, two wheels bad - as George Orwell didn't write.

Which is a different, but equally important, question.

Having met said hound, I think that he probably wouldn't worry whether it was edible or not...

The Power Pro relies on the battery to sustain the memory when mains power is absent. If it had been on the shelf a while the battery might have gone flat.

True enough but there were plenty of places that didn't. A bell code was used to make the other signal box aware.

Grand spraying weather today, so the chassis is now all black. More when I've unmasked the axle bearings and the pickup pads. Quick question for the panel: soldering whitemetal - Carr's Red Label or phosphoric acid?

Agree regarding outer homes and advanced starters. You could have a shunt ahead signal but even that probably isn't necessary. A limit of shunt board is unlikely on a single line (cue loads of examples) as it is essentially a fixed stop signal for shunting moves in the wrong direction on one of a double line of tracks.

Thanks Jim - enjoy the East Neuk.

This might be a really stupid comment (and I do not intend to cast nasturtiums on TMC) but before you/Timara set up the macros again, make sure that the command station has a nice new battery, that has had any protective film removed, in it.

Are you unwell?

Where did they change over, Jim (serious question - from a former resident of Queen's Park)?

That's probably what's left after they took the coal tar out.