Grahamrfd

12 hours ago, Brian said:

Of interest.. Does DC do the same? i.e. Left hand terminal to negative while applying a positive to one of the other two causes the motor to move over and then applying a positive to the other makes the motor move back again?

No, you have to put positive of the left hand terminal and negative  to the other to return the movement on dc. It's doable with switching but I want to use the switches for changing leds on the panel so if I can keep the points to one pole of the switch then all the better. Now to find my old 16v ac transformer

All sorted, runs off 16v ac, left hand terminal is common, other 2 for left and right throw

19 minutes ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

I assume your testing was -ve to common, and +ve to one of the terminals.   Then discovering the battery had to be reversed to reverse the motor.  

That does seem to suggest the "AC" idea was correct.   Which would also fit with the way people tended to wire their turnouts "back then". 

 

A DC supply could be used instead:    connect the two "switch" terminals together, and feed the combined pair and the "common" with DC.  Reverse the polarity with a DPDT switch.    Requires two wires from panel to turnout.   An AC version would require two wires plus a common return.  

 

 

Thanks for your advice, I'll hopefully get home early enough tonight to try it with 16v ac, assuming I can find my old hm controller. Failing that I'll go down the route of using dpdt switches with 12v dc

I've tried I tonight using a 9v battery and although it does move I have to alter the polarity to get it to reverse. I don't have access to an ac supply at the moment to try that but maybe that will work

Hi, I'm looking for a wiring diagram for these old motors as I can't work out how to switch it. I have around 12 of them but not sure if they all work or not.

Thank you

I can't help with your search for warflats but why not make your own. They are easy enough using plastruct and embossed styrene.

I included the warwell photo just to show the bogies, also home made using brass frame.

I haven't seen much on here at all as get very little time for modelling but will certainly look it up as sounds very interesting.  I've been building a little 8' X 16" shelf layout now for over a year and sometimes doubt it will ever be done. I need a new job ☺

Thank you Scott. Mike, I did consider the Judith edge chassis and even went as far as to buy some brass section for the stanchions but I don't have any spare money as my wife seems to want it all so went with styrene as already had most of what I needed in stock. Time will tell if it's going to be strong enough and they will need careful handling but the same can be said of much of the rtr stuff these days. I'm hoping eventually to build a whole rake of these but we will see if it ever happens. 

I'm not sure if there is going to be a kit for this but decided to get on and make one anyway. Construction is just plasticard and plastistruct sections with MJT axleguards. Buffers will be from Lanarkshire model supplies and have these already . I was hoping to have this one finished this weekend but wasn't to be but hopefully will be soon, then to start the next 3 or 4 which will include the older version as well.

Its quite probable that the business will be up for sale and such information should be available to prospective buyers. I do believe that he did all his own casting. The best method of producing grills IMHO is photo-etching.

Hi Phil,

I think it would be out of my price range to be honest. The truck I actually want now wasn't in the RTI range, I did speak to Frank about it and he did say he would look at it but I didn't know then about his illness, had I known I wouldn't have bothered him. I also want to make a couple of trailers which would be nice to release as a cast model. Ive never tried etching but was once given a large UV light from a commercial etching company when they had a clear out so maybe its time to give it a try. The truck I'm hoping to make is a Fiat from the 70s - 80s (lima made an Ho one)  and if successful would be nice to release as a casting.

Graham

Does anyone here know how Frank did the casting of his cabs? were they contracted out to a casting company or did he do them himself, and if so using what method. I might have a go at making some 80s trucks but don't know how I'd go about casting or moulding a one piece hollow cab having only ever done flat casting. I don't know if a laser cutter would etch styrene without melting it or possibly brass which would allow for decent grill patterns to be made. 

Any advice would be gratefully received

Graham

This is so sad. I have just gone to his shop to order more cabs to stock up for the future only to find this bad news. It would be an interesting business to take on (and more fun than the 12" to the ft truck business I currently run)  but It would be out of my reach financially however I do hope it does carry on as it is an excellent range of models not available elsewhere.

Graham

You're getting on with it quicker than I am mine 

I have a couple of Lima ones to do as well and a couple of 27s. What livery are you going to do this in?

Have you looked through this collection? http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/?q=BY%20van

Yes, first port of call and is fine for most of the lettering but on some wagons there is some very small lettering, They don't all seem to have it though so I can just leave it off I suppose.

Thanks

Graham

Hi,

I'm hoping to make some transfers for my parkside utility vans but can't find any photos showing the small lettering clear enough to read.

Does anyone have a photo showing this or a model with it on already? 

Thanks

Graham

I altered 150 to 1, but haven't tried the others.

.

I'll give it a go this week, and let you know..

.

Thanks Richard.

.

Brian R

Please do as I am going to do one very soon and any help will be much appreciated

Im using sieved earth and grout mixed as per boulder creek railroad videos, sets hard, looks ok and doesn't cost much.

This is Howes 08 sound done a couple of weeks ago put on my own loksound v3.5 chip.

I too have a Bachmann 08 to fit sound to later and will probably go with the sound from Chinnor railway.

I don't know what type or price you have been looking at but you can make your own quite inexpensively. You'll need 6 x 2.7v 1 Farad supercaps, (around £1 each). Solder them together in series to raise voltage to 16.2v. This will give 166,666uF, or enough to run with sound for over 30 seconds without track power. The MX645 has the stay alive wires already connected to it, just solder blue to cap positive and grey to cap negative and off you go (and go and go and go). Use CV 153 to restrict the duration for which it will travel without receiving a DCC signal.

 

I've covered this several times in my Hornby Magazine DCC fitting guides.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

Thank you Paul, I will have a look for some. I must confess to not buying any magazines so miss out on articles like that. The ones I looked at were around the £20 mark. 30 seconds run time is plenty as my layout isn't that long.Thanks again

Graham

 

There's no real reason why it shouldn't work. The trick with Lima locos is to fit better wheels and improve the electrical pickup: get as many wheels as possible picking up power. You could also try a "keep alive" capacitor as well.

Thanks. Just been looking at the price of the capacitor, I think buying a Heljan would be cheaper. I'll put it in one of the limas first and if successful put a video here.

Mike,

 

Thanks for the vote of approval, but as for prices, ZIMO decoders from Digitrains are still cheaper than ESU from Howes (or other ESU dealers for that matter).

 

BTW, according to Hornby, the 08 Flange Squeal is on F23 (not that convenient for a regulary used sound, but at least it's available).

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

Ive recently bought a Digitrains class 26 decoder which I hope to fit in an old lima 26 but not sure how successful that will be. If it doesn't work I guess I'll have to fork out for a Heljan one later

Bl00dy hell, those engine sounds on TTS are particularly good. But no brake or flange squeal sounds? That is what I remember from yard shunting (in real life) as much as the engine noise. That is why I will pay the extra for what you can do, or indeed Howes (who have reduced their prices), when their chips work, but you in preference because of the automatic driveability factor. But if you could get your prices down a bit, I could buy more of them.....

To be honest I like the TTS stuff but then I'm not looking for door slams, coupling sounds etc. I have a few TTS locos and the actual engine sounds are fine for me but like you said the flange squeal and brake sounds leave a bit to be desired. I have a TTS 47 re speakered and that sounds fine, certainly an improvement on when I was modelling 15 - 20 years ago when all there was to listen to was the lima motor grinding away

That sounds really good - hope you can get the brakes sound resolved. What speakers have you used?

I bought this second hand so assume it is the speaker that Hornby supplied it with. I asked Howes if they could do a speaker upgrade but was told its not possible as its fitted with a V3.5 chip so needs a 100 ohm speaker. As for the brake squeal I've been told to do a cv8 reset but I doubt that will work as I never changed anything before but I will try is when I get the chance. I have a Bachmann 08 which I will fit with sound, possibly from Chinnor railway as that sounds good but first need some overtime to pay for it.

Heres a quick view of a Hornby 08 reblown with Howes sound. The brakes should squeal as it stops, and they did for a few minutes but for some reason don't now but I'll ring them sometime this week to see if its something I've done.