jamesg

To second Halsey's comment - I've just done the same to most of my couplings and made new loops (cut out of plastic card to the same shape as the originals) to replace some of the large couplings on old Hornby stock. A piece of stiff wire taped to a pencil is just as effective as a dental probe for uncoupling.

I haven't seen anything official from Hornby to confirm this, but wouldn't be surprised. They are both good decoders for use with modern motors, but the only configuration variable you have relating to the motor is CV 10 - the speed step above which back EMF motor control is cut off (defaults to 128). The decoders don't support vstart, vmid or vhigh.

I've fitted this decoder to a Hornby Sentinel and it runs very well. There are nine pads on the PCB for soldering wires (4 are attached to the 4-pin connector) labelled J1-J9. Studying the manual of the R8249 8-pin decoder and testing the pads on the X9659 decoder with a multimeter, these pads appear to have the same functions as those on the R8249. I don't know to what extent the decoders are similar, or if the undocumented features of the X9659 might change in the new batch, but I did manage to fit a controllable cab light to the Sentinel using this decoder.

Looe could make for an interesting layout. There was a goods yard beyond the single platform where passenger trains could run round - an unusual practice that occurred at only a handful of stations. There are a few pictures here: http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/looe-branch-including-moorswater.html (scroll almost to the bottom).

Hi Jim, A photograph of your trip to Blaenau on the 20th was in the Railway Herald this week - the caption noted the new livery and name 'Andromeda' on 37608.

Very little work has been done on the layout recently. My focus instead has been on locomotives and rolling stock. After adding a firebox LED to Whitechapel a few weeks ago, I thought about adding a more conventional cab light to the Class 08. This is wired to the decoder in series with a resistor and placed in the cab in place of the speedometer. Quite pleased with the result, I went about adding an LED to the cab of the Hornby Sentinel as well. The Sentinel has the same type of decoder as Whitechapel, so it doesn't support functions - or so I thought until testing the pads on the PCB with a multimeter. The X9659 decoder used by the Sentinels is very similar to the R8249 decoder, which supports forward and reverse lighting and two additional functions. The location of each function on the PCB is included in the manual - DCC function 1 is at J9 and the common supply is J6 (you'll need a magnifying glass to find them). Very carefully soldering onto these pads, and hey presto! A controllable cab light. One last thing - I discovered derailments when rolling stock with different sizes of tension lock coupling are used in the same train. It looks like the hook on the larger coupling was forcing the smaller one off the track. I built some new narrow couplings without hooks out of plastic card and replaced some of the larger couplings with the smaller type. On a lot of Hornby wagon chassis, the large coupling is riveted in place. The rivet can be drilled through and the new coupling fixed with an M2x10 bolt and nut. Every wagon has either two Bachmann couplings or one Bachmann and one home made coupling, with all the home made couplings facing the same way - not a problem for Haroldston East as there's nowhere for wagons to be reversed.

Cracking job - the transfers are really crisp, and of course perfect for the layout. The footplate details are good, the only component missing now is the crew. Looking at the second update, it's nice to see how the layout evolves in a year. Perhaps the little things stand out the most, like adding the new grass scatter to the loco yard and mending the fence opposite the platform. The new coal yard gives a strong purpose to the long siding, which I think adds a lot to the realism of the layout.

Looks like the Dynamis treats the whole layout as a programming track, but also has fairly good programming on main support. The manual differentiates between 'programming on layout' and 'programming on service track', but both modes use the same terminals. If you find yourself using the service track often, it's worth adding a small section of track with a switch to the layout, so you can direct the power from the controller to the layout or the isolated programming track as required.

I don't have a Bachmann system myself, but looking at the instruction manual, you do have the option to write an address on the service track. In general, writing the address on the service track (or on a layout with no other locomotive or accessory decoders connected) will overwrite any previously set address - there's no checking beforehand that the old address you've specified matches the one in the locomotive. The Dynamis is asking you for an address so that it can update its own roster correctly. I'd try adding a new locomotive to the roster with the default address (3), then tell the Dynamis to change the address of the locomotive using the service track - this will set the address on the locomotive and update the roster correctly.

Very interesting, I had no idea about that part of the Tri-ang motor's history. A few quick Internet searches didn't reveal much about it - do you know if any cameras or diagrams showing the motor fitting survive?

Thanks for the tutorial on the X.04 motor. Every time I look at one I think what a fantastic design it was at a time when Tri-ang didn't have many options available in terms of finding an off-the-shelf motor. I fetched an old Hornby gronk which is fitted with an X.04 and found that it runs better than the type 7 motor in the pannier, despite being about 15 years older. About paint colours on private owner wagons - I once asked about GWR dark grey applied to most goods vehicles not fitted for use in passenger trains - a paint supplier advised that the colour varied between depots, so any dark grey that looks 'about right' would be appropriate to replicate the GWR goods livery.

I hadn't come across the A. Stadden range of figures, but they look very realistic and well proportioned (at least, the ones cast in one piece). Adding weight to move the centre of mass over the driving wheels will help make a good electrical contact. Are you looking to fit a decoder to the Manning Wardle? I have an old Hornby pannier tank with an SSPP chassis similar to yours, it runs fine but converting it required the removal of some of the chassis block where the electrical contact on the motor sits. Looking forward to seeing the top coat - I don't think you mentioned the colour, keeping us in suspense?

I picked up a copy of the second (January) issue last week; this includes an article about Bassett Lowke. It's not bad for a magazine that's free to the reader, though I'd say that most articles are aimed at those starting out in the hobby. The article this month on Pempoul was good, it's a shame that only three pages were dedicated to it, while there were eight pages dedicated to reviews of Bachmann products. The best thing about the new magazine is that it's distributed through model shops - putting inspirational content into the hands of newcomers to the hobby has got to be a good thing.

Excellent shots of 37254. I was fortunate to see 37254 leading a different train to Cardiff a few days ago, bright yellow locomotives and trains look fantastic at night.

Hi Gary, Just catching up on this thread - I missed your SECR P class, it looks great fully painted and lined. The 2-4-0T terrier is a good idea - did you find the transfers and plates for it? Also, how do you find the Precision paints compare to Humbrols, apart from the colour selection? Will follow with interest.

The decoder is a basic Hornby X9659 4 pin decoder, chosen because I could be sure of fitting it into the locomotive. I think it's possible to get 'candle effect' LEDs that flicker on their own, I have no idea how they work, or if they'd be anything like a decoder effect.

Yes, I've added it to the original post. The decoder is hard wired and fits into the smokebox, making the shell easy to remove. I intend to run the locomotive on DCC only, but the LED will be lit when travelling forwards on DC power.

It's been a few weeks since the last entry and not much has happened on the layout. I just thought I'd share a picture of terrier 'Whitechapel' on a test track with the firebox LED lit. It's a nice novelty, but the colour isn't quite right and a flickering effect would be more realistic. It's bright enough to light some of the detail in the cab; I might add a crew as well. The next job will be rebuilding the control panel to the right of the controller. This has more controls than the one on the left, which pictured in its current state here. In addition to more 'levers', the panel on the right has a switch for selecting a programming track connected by banana plugs. Here's a photograph showing how the LED was fitted.

The Railroad GWR 14xx comes as a bit of a surprise. The old Airfix edition fetches a good price used, so there's bound to be demand for a new one. Two new Sentinels, that's ten different liveries - it would be nice to see another variation for the Peckett, though, if demand has been as good as discussion on the forum suggests. There's a Huntley and Palmers six plank wagon for anyone who purchased the Huntley and Palmers Peckett.

They're readily available second hand - or do you mean a version with finescale wheels?

He mentioned that Flying Scotsman wasn't his first train set; he had an earlier, second hand set as well. Maybe he had a Flying Scotsman locomotive without the set.

Good programme. I'm still confused as to whether the parts on my desk are bolts or screws; all hinges on whether a threaded spacer is a type of nut or a component.

The Peckett has been a big success, going by topics on the forum - is it too early for a new Peckett related announcement?