Salmotrutta

The HO version is very popular amongst folks running HO Swiss - several of my friends have the sets and they are very happy with them. Me, I'm a pedant so have H0m. (Next to my 00 layout...)

If buying these makes you happy it is money well spent! If I had to justify everything I buy in model railways I would have no trains at all! Enjoy!

Perfect! Now I'll have to do some re-wiring of my locos... Thank you for sharing this!

I'm in the process of upgrading my BEMO fleet to DCC and LED lighting and BEMO locos seem to have 3 white lights forward and a single white to the rear. But the locos also have red lights! Anyone en-light-en me on what's supposed to happen with these lights and when? (I have also posted this on the SRS forum too!)

Well the secret seems to be to remove the wheels and polish the ******* out of the treads and the backs. Then a drop of electrolube on the pickups and the wheel treads and that seems to have solved it! I had it pulling 4 BEX coaches around with no problems except at the point frogs at low speed. Counter-intuitive to put oil on the treads but no problem with slippage.

Thanks!

If you want to put in some time sleuthing you might be able to trace them. A friend of mine had some models stolen including trains so I broke down the search into a number of phases; model shops within 100 mile radius (easy as there are not so many sadly); Craig's list and other internet marketplaces and finally eBay. On eBay I searched for one or two of the items using all the descriptors for those items - setting the radius at 100 miles and including sold items. This throws up a lot of legitimate offerings; note the seller's names and also look at the list of similar items along the bottom. I knew that some train sets had been stolen so searching "train set" found some of them. For the APT search "APT" but also "Rapido" and "Museum" and try some spelling mistakes too "ATP". For any suspicious names just open up their page to see what else they have sold or have on sale. Within a few hours I had narrowed the search to a single seller who not only had all my friend's stuff that he knew about but also some he didn't (and found missing when he checked). Take screen shots of all the pages featuring your stuff as the perp will remove them once they feel a bit of heat and you need some evidence. Contact the police and they can get in touch with eBay to get their details. Good luck!

I have some H0m locos I'm fitting sound to. I have a sugar cube in the first one but it's a bit weedy sounding even though I have mounted on a 60 thou plasticard board to give "infinite baffle" (I used to make my own hi-fi speakers!) I got a couple of the iPhone speakers for very little off "the 'Bay" however they seem to have a lot of extra wires - I'm assuming that the two little "tags" near the speaker are the direct connection and I can strip off the other stuff & screws but I'm wondering if anyone has posted pictures of their install as I didn't find anything obvious searching. Looking at the Rapido website their "special speaker and housing" looks suspiciously like a stripped down iPhone speaker - I have a couple of their sound locos and the sound quality is very good using that in combination with the Select decoder. I'm reasonably confident that all will work well with a micro V4 but a little bit of reassurance from the good burghers of this forum would be appreciated before I start wielding the soldering iron.....

Thanks for sharing that link! Interesting how mucky the roofs are on the Glacier Express...

I have to agree that at most of the shows I exhibit at in the USA have "punters" are generally families - so the name of the game is entertainment. Our club is also showing small self-contained layouts as we are trying to lower the barriers to entry to people taking up the hobby - you don't have to start by re-purposing the basement!

The large European-themed modular layout of the Eastern New England Chapter of ETE is a major draw at the annual Amherst Model Railroad Show every year. In 2018 they will be an even bigger attraction as they will be hosting EuroEast on their display area; making it a “must-see” for anyone with an interest in European railways and modelling. The ENE-ETE are also welcoming other enthusiasts; so they are offering an invitation to those clubs, manufacturers and vendors with a European interest to join them. Layouts confirmed to be on display will include the club’s Marklin modular layout; a H0 DCC “central European” layout (the “BergBahn”), a Swiss narrow gauge “cameo” layout and the ever popular “hands-on” kiddie layout. A major European manufacturer has indicated that they are interested in having a booth in the display area and last year’s vendors are being approached as well. The club is currently asking for expressions of interest in joining them in the EuroEast display area; they will need an indication of the booth space required / area required for layouts so that they can reserve an appropriate space and sufficient tables. The show will be held Jan 27 & 28, 2018 at the Eastern States Expo in West Springfield, MA. If you would like to join ENE-ETE celebrating the fascination of European railways at EuroEast please contact me via PM or post your questions on this board.

If you are desperate Tillig do a TT track cleaning wagon https://www.reynaulds.com/products/Tillig/95291.aspx although its nearly $60!!!

Hi Kevin - the pad seems to be a material that feels like compressed textile fibres. Never come across anything similar before. Don't know if they do replacements, I will probably glue some denim on it if it wears out. It has a steel backing to give it weight and which keeps it flat on the track. I paid $25 for it if I remember.

This is mine - I also have a metal snow plough that has a track eraser underneath. They also did a fancy snowplough in their Metal series. I got this one on eBay - the previous owner had replaced the pin holding the coupling on with a screw. I found out that's because the coupling pulls off the body otherwise! The pad needs to be cleaned regularly - I use washing up loquid and water.

My German is very weak so I use Google Translate. I also add a note that this is what I have done just in case I've said anything weird.

Hi DM! I have the parts for installing wipers - I have added extra pick ups to the tenders of a couple of sound-equipped 00 locos. If I ever get around to creating a pick-up wagon I'll post pictures (but don't hold your breath..)

I stopped worrying about opening up locos once I found out that BEMO do spares..

Thanks for the tip about the wheel sets - I'll get some replacements from BEMO. I also thought about the extra wagon approach - might put that on my "things to do" list !

This always seems to have pick up problems - the wheels get dirty very quickly and even with an ESU lokpilot micro in it running isn't much better. I was hoping the higher DCC voltage might get through the crud... Anyone found a way around this?

Hi Kevin - I can post my croc DCC install if you like. So that gives you a bit more scope for buying; especially as there aren't that many DCC ones around!

HI Kevin, did you cut through the track next to screw securing the circuit board closest to the camera? That is grounded to the chassis otherwise. I will steal your idea of the black PVC for my next install.

I use Heiki concrete paint and also their asphalt. I bought mine in Basel many years ago and it seems to last forever. I have to thin it every now and again. Basically you brush it on then lightly sand it to get the finish. For wood you could try Pan Pastels - they are great for weathering as you can get some subtle effects and if you make a complete "pig's ear" you can wipe them off. Ideal for things that don't get handled much.