SimonMW

I got mine a few weeks ago from TMC at 104, so 120 is a little bit of a hike... I wonder who the other retailer was? The Hattons newsletter this morning said: Over the next few days, you may notice a large selection of locomotives and rolling stock being added to our "New Stock" page. We have acquired a bulk amount of discontinued, but brand new, items from a fellow retailer. Hundreds of Bachmann, Dapol, Heljan & Hornby items will be available but there are limited quantities of each - so act fast if you'd like to take home some of these harder to find items. Keep checking our New Stock section to see the full selection of items, click HERE.

Track plan glued down, next step will be to give it all a coat of sealer and then lay the track underlay. I'm going to need to play with track geometry a little around the crossover.

Well a conversation with my wife led to agreement that the railway will move rooms. That led to me deciding to build the second baseboard, which led to me thinking about how the new room would affect design, which led to some design changes. Then I decided if I was going to be in a new room, but only for a couple of years that we will be living in this house, I really need to make the whole thing properly portable. So the new baseboard was built, legs added to the whole thing, and bolted to the old one. First up, the new baseboard in the new room, albeit not the final location yet. Pool table to go first... And secondly the new design... Purple will be hidden / fiddle yard. On the right will become goods, not yet designed. The two main boards are now built, time to get into track-laying again.

Ordered! It was damn expensive to post to Aus though

Yes. Yes and No. I am running a SPROG 3 with a Raspberry Pi, JMRI, DecoderPro. I set up the Cobalt point motors with an address (just using the turnout control window in DecoderPro of JMRI). You can then control them simply enough using the turnout control feature - put in the number, and click on Thrown or Closed. Setting up PanelPro is a pain in the @$$. I did it eventually, but I can't remember how and it took me ages to work it out.

Yes, 2 of mine have done this... one of them worse than the other, even after several hours running in. A third appears OK... I've sent the first two back.

Which is why I said: "be creative and flexible if you can - think about alternate options that could avoid having to return - perhaps an agreed partial refund to recognise reduced value if you keep it, or alternate goods, etc.? Whilst recognising your consumer rights, it's not in anyone's interests to make returns it so punitive on the retailer they stop sending here" The second last point on all of that was: If the retailer baulks at the return cost - quote your rights under both the UK's Consumer Rights Act and Australian consumer laws. I absolutely agree with you, which is why that IS a last resort. I firmly believe that knowing your rights leads to informed action. The wisdom is in choosing WHEN to exert your rights, and when not to... ;-)

A couple of additional points that have been pointed out to me by Amanda at AJM Railways (thank you Amanda): If you have paid with PayPal you have PayPal protection on the cost of returning, regardless of who you bought from, or where they or you are located. Do bear in mind though that PayPal's foreign currency conversion rates are horrible If you have paid by credit card, you likely have the fall-back option of a chargeback Bear in mind that with either option, PayPal or the credit card company will then recover their costs from the retailer, but it's no longer your problem... it does tend to wreck your relationship with that retailer though!! A good retailer will just do it, no questions asked. It's about reputation and customer service, and about doing the right thing.

OK, so this is prompted by a rash of faulty on arrival RTR locos that I have had. I thought it was worth posting here for clarity and information, as I know I for one buy a lot from the UK, and I am sure I am not the only one! Please, don't START with a retailer about your rights under the laws... this post is about education so you understand what the laws say, and then further down is a section Some suggestions for minimal fuss. Have a read about your rights sure, but remember to act like a decent human being with the retailers, most of whom want to do the right thing by you, and communicate with them pleasantly and cooperatively. I'll start with UK rights (as the UK retailers should all know that inside out), and then come to those that apply to us here in Australia. Please feel free to correct me if I have made a mistake UK provisions The UK's Consumer Rights Act (2015) is very clear about the rights of consumers in the UK. If you receive goods that are faulty, in the first 30 days you can request a full, no questions asked, refund. If that means you need to post it back, then the retailer has to cover that also. They cannot point you at the manufacturer, your contract is with them, they are in breach as the goods are not of a suitable quality or as described, and you have a statutory right to a refund. End of. If you want a replacement, that's fine - but it is YOUR CHOICE. If it was faulty when you got it, but you waited more than 30 days: from 30 days to 6 months, you can ask for a repair or a replacement (your choice) More than 6 months - seriously, how can you try and say it was faulty from the start and wait this long? Wake up to yourself You can fall back on warranty / guarantee, that's it. Australia provisions In Australia, companies that sell from overseas into Australia have to follow Australian consumer laws. They can be seen here: Australian Consumer Rights Australian consumer law describes 'minor' and 'major' problems with purchased goods. In the context of goods a product or good has a major problem when: it has a problem that would have stopped someone from buying it if they’d known about it it is unsafe it is significantly different from the sample or description it doesn’t do what the business said it would, or what you asked for and can’t easily be fixed. So in the example of my Dean Goods that wouldn't run slowly or at below 45 / 50% throttle, even after 3 hours running in - it's a goods locomotive, if I can't shunt with it, I would not have bought it. It is a 'major' problem. When a good has a major problem: You can ask for a replacement or refund if the problem with the product is major. Replaced products must be of an identical type to the product originally supplied. Refunds should be the same amount you have already paid, provided in the same form as your original payment. The business may take into account how much time has passed since you bought the product considering the following factors: type of product how a consumer is likely to use the product the length of time for which it is reasonable for the product to be used the amount of use it could reasonably be expected to tolerate before the failure becomes noticeable. So if it is a new product with a major problem, you have a right to a refund or replacement - same as the UK. What about returns? From the ACCC site: You are generally responsible for returning the product if it can be posted or easily returned. You are entitled to recover reasonable postage or transportation costs from the business if the product is confirmed to have a problem, so keep your receipts. You do not have to return products in the original packaging in order to get a refund. If the product is found not to have a problem, you may be required to pay the transport or inspection costs. Combining UK and Australian provisions The sweet spot is where UK and Australian rights coincide... and that is if you have an item that has a major fault, and if you act quickly you are entitled to a full refund or replacement, and this should include 'reasonable' postage costs to return the item. Remember too, your contract as a buyer is with the retailer. DO NOT be fobbed off to the manufacturer. It is the retailer who has a legal obligation to resolve the issue. If the goods have a major problem, they are in BREACH OF THAT CONTRACT, and you have a statutory right to get a resolution from the retailer. Some suggestions for minimal fuss: Contact the retailer immediately - email is good as it means you keep a record of the discussion, but if you can, call them as well Talk reasonably and openly about the issue - remember most of the retailers we deal with are small operations. Be flexible and willing to look for a solution The costs of returning a locomotive from Australia to the UK are AT LEAST $30 to $40, plus another $12 for $200 value insurance. That will hurt a retailer on a $200 sale (it's a lot more than them sending here), so be creative and flexible if you can - think about alternate options that could avoid having to return - perhaps an agreed partial refund to recognise reduced value if you keep it, or alternate goods, etc.? Whilst recognising your consumer rights, it's not in anyone's interests to make returns it so punitive on the retailer they stop sending here Return within 30 days Return in original packaging where possible - make it easy for the retailer Keep postage receipts If the retailer baulks at the return cost - quote your rights under both the UK's Consumer Rights Act and Australian consumer laws. Keep proof of the issue - video, pictures, receipts, everything. Once you have sent it back, you no longer have the item to prove the fault, and if they say "it's fine" you are stuffed if you've not kept proof. Hopefully this proves useful. Knowing your rights is powerful, as it means you know what you are entitled to by law. You can always choose to not exercise all of those rights, but you'll be in a better place for knowing them.

An update... I have a new one coming from AJM Railways, and I have reached an amicable resolution with TMC, whereby I will keep the bent one, fix it, and renumber it (with new numberplates / transfers sent by TMC). This avoids the AU$50 cost of returning it to TMC. So now I need to dig in to it and see if I can make it flat!! Thanks all for the advice and suggestions. I'll update here with progress on flattening it

Would have been funny if no-one responded to this thread

I have been sent a photo from another retailer of a straight-framed one, and it is on its way to me You can still see a slight anomaly in the way the front running plate fits, but the buffer beam is vertical and the buffers horizontal - a HUGE improvement on the one from TMC. So now I have to decide whether to just return it for refund, or keep, renumber, and fix...

Thanks wirey33. I've pointed out to TMC that I can get a straight one from another retailer, and that I'm debating whether to return it for refund or to keep and repair... Will see what they come back with.

I think I may have found a straight one at another retailer, I'm getting them to send me a photo. That then leaves me with the decision to keep or return the bent one. To return it will cost me postage from Australia. To keep it I'd look at renumbering, if I can find suitable cabside plates. Any suggestions on that?

Interesting. I've only put one on DCC as it was running very smooth. The other 2 are a lot less smooth. One on the rolling road at the moment (NRM glossy green one, 2516), still on DC, has been running for about 3 hours. When I drop to 30% throttle it crawls along for a couple of seconds, then almost stops for about half a wheel rotation, appearing to struggle, then surges back to quick full rotation for a few, then slowing down again. It would be a nightmare to shunt with.

Apparently it can interfere with smooth running on DCC: http://www.youchoos.co.uk/Index-Resource.php?L1=Guides&Item=OO-OxfordDeanGoods Was where I read that. I also tend to remove caps in fitting decoders anyway, although not normally surface mount ones like this until I read John's advice.

I've been running in my 3. I've noted a lot of surging at lower speeds, they almost seem 'sticky'. A few hours running in seems to be helping. On my Gaugemaster Model D DC controller one of them does not respond at all until about 35%, goes then stops, then tries again... one of the others lights up nicely at about 15 to 20%. One of them also is really quite buzzy in reverse, although fwd seems OK. How is everyone else finding them for running it, smoothness, low speed behaviour?

Message from TMC... "It looks as though the plastic is a little warped. I just checked another one and it appears they are all like this. It’s the sort of thing that often happens in the manufacturing process. Sadly there isn’t much that can be done about it and as I say it seems to be apparent in others of the same model." Suggestions?

Lenz decoder in the tender of an Oxford Dean Goods: Note the removal of C1 surface mount capacitor. There's actually not a huge amount of room in the tender for the decoder, a direct plug will struggle for height. This went in OK though, with the wires carefully routed around and out of the way.

TMC don't have any more unfortunately. I've sent them an email, will see what they say. I'm reluctant to start pulling it apart until they have commented.

Having just unpacked my 42xx bought from TMC, it seems a little out of shape. Does anyone else have one that can comment if it is straight??? I've sent an email to TMC to ask them too.

Interestingly the Hornby 42xx runs out at about 260rpm, which is about a scale 45mph. That seems a little more scale to me. The Bachmann 64xx that I am running in at the same time I cannot count the wheel revolutions at full throttle, it's too fast lol.

Ummm he was correct - "lose them", not "loose them"... he was not talking about setting them free :-)

On internet forums even more than in real life - this, sadly, is so often true. It should be about whatever floats YOUR boat, not trying to inflict on anyone else.

You had to go and take it one step too far didn't you...