MarkAllen

Very, very nice. much jealousness Mark

Oh yes please. I’ll PM Mark

Very nice indeed. I could do with some of those for my mule rakes in NSE! Mark

Another massive thumbs up for Digitrains. Ive had a number of orders from them and find the customer service second to none. Ive just sent a couple of decoders back for repair and just cant thank them enough for the service received. That along with Pauls fantastic sound projects have made them my go to railway supplies. I was fortunate to buy one of Pauls own class 47’s and he has done an awesome job with it. Just wish I could afford the other ones on eBay currently. Fantastic products with fantastic customer service and quick turnaround/delivery. Can’t fault these guys one bit. Thanks Mark

Well not happy with version one, I found another off cut at the back of the wardrobe, so with a bit more cutting, version two has arrived. Considerably more robust and not that much heavier despite the bulkier wood. Much happier now, just needs attaching, a 9mm ply front and track. Oh and some power... Mark

Evening Well I’ve managed to get a fiddle yard made up today, although it has been a bit of bother. First I’ve mismeasured somehow despite measuring twice and cutting once, the fiddle yard is about 4mm lower than the main board, however once connected this wont matter. Having started off with a Tim Horn laser cut mdf board i bought some time ago, due to weight its ended up being strengthened with various plys. Lastly the coach bolts bought for attachment have grown legs and wondered off. Not to worry, tomorrow i need to get out and buy a length of track anyway so will get some more. Mark

WOW, Well simply chopping the capacitors off and so far no stalling. Have had a good ten minutes of slow and medium speed operation n both directions and no stalling, so fingers crossed problem fixed. Would it be good practice to remove all capacitors in future, for dcc? Any way thanks very much 34theletterbetweenB&D. Mark

A quick video of the problem Mark

Thanks for the comments. I had the same problem in dc but presumed it was poor pickups, but as stated the sound stays on as the loco stalls. I do still have the occasional pickup problem but ill hopefully resolve this with a stay alive capacitor eventually. I will loose the capacitors and report back. Mark

Evening Still no real progress on the plank, I’m too busy milling chassis and adding EM2 speakers and sound to various models. The pit lighting was a failure so I’ve opted for some led strip hidden away but now I’m just waiting for the power converter to arrive. The Deltic has had a new chassis provided by Bachmann for £14 inclusive of postage which I thought was excellent value. So I milled it again, far mor carefully and now have a fantastic sounding Deltic. Four 50’s have come off the production line although I’ll have revisit one to fine tune it. A Bachmann 08 has been fitted with sound but has mechanical stall. Ive posted about it in the motors/drive section looking for some help with it. Today a 37 and a 47 rolled out but no EM2’s for these guys, despite a few attempts. I have vitrains versions of both but so far have nt managed to fit EM2’s in them, just not enough room. So one more 50 to be fitted and some fettling with one, oh and I’ve got a 33 sound decoder to fit my Heljan 33 too. Ive got the weekend off, so the plan is to get a small fiddle yard made up and working tomorrow and Sunday. Ive also got to think about legs and really like the look of some extruded aluminium. Ive just got to work out on fixing it to the plank. Thanks for now Mark

Evening all I have an annoying problem with my Bachmann class 08. In both directions it stall at various speeds. Now initial I presumed it was the age old problem of poor pick ups. However I have just finished adding dcc sound via a Zimo MX648 hardwired due to space, with a sugar cube speaker. Now as fantastic as the sound is, the loco still stalls. However the sound stays on, merely ramping down to idle. No stay alive has been added yet due to limited space and yet the sound stays on. So I have had it apart and the motor works fine when disengaged from the gears. The gears were cleaned and re lubricated but the problem persists. I have tracked it down to the final gear on the wheel. No wear on the cogs, nice and clean with enough new lubricant and yet it still stalls. Looking at the crank rods they all look ok but could it be the quartering out of sync? And if so hw would I adjust it? Thanks in Advance Mark

Evening all Not much happening on the layout recently but I’ve finally got a milling machine and been experimenting with it. I’ve got the holes in the pits done and now need to work out weather to wire the leds in parallel or series. I’ve got a 6volt dc feed so will be using that as the power source. With 6 in the small pit and 12 in the longer pit I’m thinking parallel which I think will require a resistor for each led lamp. Further playing with the milling machine has resulted in a 50 being fitted with an EM2 speaker which is just awesome. Almost as good as the real thing last weekend at the Severn valley. I’ve sent 3 older decoder versions back for a reblow with the latest files so will get a few more chassis ready over the next few days. It’s a big learning curve as the first chassis was over milled and has had to have some packing. I also managed to over mill the Deltic which has had to have some remedial work done gluing some aluminium back on to allow the bogie to be attached. Testing times but hopefully lessons learnt and some better results to follow. I’ll also have to work out how big a capacitor I can fit in the 50 and rewire the lights eventually. Mark

Thanks again guys, I’ve gone for a Zimo LS10X15S sugar cube, so will see how it fits and what else I can squeeze in. Would like lights eventually too but that’s for another pay cheque. Mark

Thanks for that Richard Mark

Afternoon I’ve just placed an order for a Zimo mx648 decoder from digitrains with the active drive sl 08 sounds and I’m just wondering which speaker I should fit to my Bachmann 08. I’ve done the usual searches but I’m still non the wiser. Would an iPhone speaker fit without encroaching into the cab or should I go for a sugar cube? Which speaker would sound best please guys? Thanks Mark

Thanks guys, yes the lighting will be right at the front behind the final facia when I’ve finished all the big internal stuff. With internal lighting and yard floods I’m hoping it will showcase the locos nicely. Haven’t thought about smoke but now you’ve said it I may well have to investigate. Especially for old smokey aka GLORIOUS. Mark

Thanks Ralf The points are the long version as they are all I could find, but also they add to the realism that I’m trying for. Although only 4 foot long with longer points has reduced the available track space but looks much more lifelike than cramming every little bit of wood with track. So all in I can just about squeeze 5 class 50s into the shed and sidings and another on the road from under the bridge. Current state of play is ‘on hold’ due to work and tying to work out how to get a nice clean cut into the side of the pits for some leds. Having managed to prise the pits out, I’m wondering weather a milling machine might do a cleaner job than me a drill and a file. I’m hopefully borrowing a milling machine soon so will hang fire until then and have a practise on a spare, before committing either way. Once holes are cut I will wire some lighting in and get them fitted back on the board. Once that’s done I can hopefully stat on some buildings or road bridge. Still enthusiastic but not wanting to rush and bodge it like I have in the past. Mark

Just tried putting a layer of 2mm heat shrink under the transformer and it’s certainly made a difference, but I can still hear a slight hum. More trial and error tomorrow. Mark

I’ve just taken the transformer off it’s base where I screwed it down and had a listen and there’s is a tiny little hum but nothing like before, so I think where I’ve mounted it under the layout, ive just managed to create a very good amplifier. Feeling reassured I may try putting something beneath it before re mounting it directly to the wood. I’m wary of potential heat but may try some cardboard or foam and see how I go. Testing for heat after a small period obviously. Mark

Yeah defiantly TR100 plugged into Lenz set 90. Mark

It happens on all of them. Mark

Evening I’ve recently noticed that when moving off in a sound fitted locomotive, there is a double brake release when using the Lenz controller. Having wired it to use my phone and Touch cab, there is only a single release, which leads me to believe the controller is at fault. Both the loco and the system are set to 128 speed steps and adjusting this does not make a difference. All functions are turned off other than sound, so it’s not a latching function accidentally left on. Using the phone, speed notch 1 releases brakes and begins forward motion all the way to full speed without further brake sound until stopping. On the LH90 I turned the knob slightly to release brakes, with no movement I turn slightly more, get a second brake release and forward motion. I’ve got to email AandH later anyway regarding my buzzing TR100 but thought I’d see if anyone here had any thoughts or suggestions on why it does this and how to stop it. Thanks Mark

Evening all, Whilst building my little plank, I noticed that my Lenz transformer TR150 had become electrically unsafe. I therefore have just replaced it with a TR100 direct from AandH models. Great service and no problems there but on plugging It in it seems to buzz whereas the TR150 was silent. Everything works fine, just wondering if anyone else had similar findings. I will email AandH for clarification, but thought I’d try the power of rmweb first. The TR150 had 2 terminals whereas the newer TR100 has 3 for 12/10v operation. I doubt it has anything to do with it but thought I’d mention it. I’ve wired for 12v. Thanks Mark

Oh yes sound will be present. I currently have 4 class 50s with sound, all from digitrains. 3 are the older version and one has the latest project which to my ears sounds better than the previous. I’ve experimented with the earth mover speakers and it’s just awesome, However i’ll need to mill the chassis at some point, to fit the speaker in. A friend of mine has a milling machine so at some point I’ll strip some of the 22 chassis down and head over with a batch. Other than that I have a Dapol 73 with biffs sound and a kernow thumper with biffs and an earthmover inside. I did contemplate making the front line a through road just to play with the thumper but thought it can always come on depot, it doesn’t always have to be just 50s.. just most of the time. I will get the 3 older versions reblown and add a few more sound locos as finances allow. I’m thinking the 37 and 33 will be next, but then I’m keen to get my Deltic sounded too. Oh decisions decisions and not enough money. It does sound good inside the box. Will try and do a short video later maybe. Edit; forgot to mention my railroad tornado with a4 TTS sound. A project for making a Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch engine, maybe Northern Chief or Hurricane. Thanks Mark.

Thanks very much, to be honest I’ve not considered lighting too much. I want all the buildings and pits and maybe some street lights to have all have lighting but I guess I really should consider some form of lighting inside the box. I will be putting a very thin layer of wood on the outside of the box to give a finished look, once I’ve finished the majority of the internals, so I can incorporate a lip to hide a set of LEDs or something. I like the idea of adjustable lights so I can do daylight, dawn/dusk and full night mode. Maybe even some orange or red glow for some sunsets.. As it’s so small I’m hoping to add as much detail and realism as possible to showcase my locomotives and also lighting will actually be key. Heads away considering the options!!!!!! Mark