Vecchio

I use the Faller Oberstdorf background for my Austrian layout Donnersbachkogel. As the view is against the Alps most of the peaks in the picture are actually in Salzburg (Austria). As the layout was to long for the background I purchased the extension which is available from Faller. And this was an interesting experience. The extension is nothing else but the same background printed in mirror image.... You see it on the right hand side, the clouds give it away... Well I put some larger trees there and there is also a hill on the right hand side, so nobody so far told me that there is something wrong... Well, the next possibility to criticize is on the 12th of August in Roade (near Northampton) or on the 19th of August in Milton Keynes (Silverfox exhibition) 20200214_202839 One question to Michael about making your own backgrounds: Are you using a panorama function or is it composed from more than one photos? Who is printing the background? (This is more a question for UK citizens...) I used staples for large prints in the past, but they closed their MK shop.

The engine sound goes to idle. This is fine, until the loco lost speed down to that particular throttle setting. But the sound stays idle until I throttle up. A little bit (like 2 steps) is enough, and the engine runs as it should. And as I said earlier, I have the same behaviour also at a continental steam loco using also a loksound 5 decoder. As PaulRhB mentioned further up - if you have a layout with a gradient going down - this is fine. But as we all have space restrictions the long downhill gradients are not easy to have. Probably I am a bit picky, but as others are looking at minor details not to say nit-picking, for me this is a bit of a problem. No fear Accurascale people, I have another 2 class 37 on order...

Thanks giz, you nailed it. There is also another problem. At the end of the medieval times a brilliant scientist could cover every aspect of science. Today we have much more information available and therefore we have to split things into small sections. Leonardo could do everything from developing flying machines, designing defence structures and war machines, painting the mona Lisa or even medical science. Today, because of specialisation, we know a lot about a certain subject, but we do not have any more the universal picture of the whole thing, as they had during the Renaissance period.

Finally I got my couplings. Yes, No 19 is the right size. No 18 may be a bit short in tight curves. Snowplough: It doesn't properly fit on the Kadee coupling. It is rather lose. I will see if I can glue it somehow without killing the model. I also said I make a short video about the idle problem of the sound decoder. I throttle up to lets say 78mph and then slightly down to 65. The engine goes on idle, which is correct, but it stays on idle forever until I throttle a tiny bit more up. Then the engine revs up again. It should rev up automatically as soon as it has reached the lower speed of 65. Sorry for the video quality. I hope I could explain the problem. And please nobody says that this is because I use a wireless controller or the Z21. Same happens with the Lenz. It's the decoder, not the controller. And now Flickr takes half an hour to upload the video (or rather to get it checked). There is only a lonely loco on a test circle in my garage. All political correct... VID20230621132908

No, the original one. Will see if I can make a video tonight. It's a bit strange to throttle back and then the loco stays on idle sound even you do 50mph...

Speaking abut the sound. I am quite happy with the sound quality, problem I see (and I suppose this is a problem of ESU rather than Accurascale) is when you throttle down the motor goes on idle. If I throttle down from lets say full speed to half speed, I would expect that after some time - when the loco has reduced the speed to half speed - the engine will rev back up to the normal cruising speed. Well it doesn't. If I go a notch up everything is cured and the engine revs as it should. I have the same on a continental steam loco using an ESU loksound 5 chip. You throttle back to half and the sound stays on idle until you throttle a little bit up. Is it only me or has anybody else noticed the same ?

The ploughs turn with the couplings. I had the loco running on a Roco no4 test track (which is approximately the same as the British no 3) and it had no problems. On the scenic part of your layout the radius will be wider anyway I suppose. Thanks for your hint, will purchase some no 19 Kadees for the loco tomorrow. (closest high street shop is now 13 miles away... AGR in Leighton Buzzard - good shop) Small correction - AGR is not open on Mondays and Tuesday I am on a business trip, may take a couple of days to get the coupling....

As they are sitting on the bar which goes into the NEM pocket I am sure they will work also with a Kadee coupler. I will report how it works when the couplings arrive.

Nice photos! And I did like this film. Saw Out of Africa several times. Also because Klaus Maria Brandauer is one of my favourite actors... And with Merryl Streep and Robert Redford nothing can go wrong...

The part with all 3 snowploughs on it is clipped over the bar which goes into the NEM pocket. For me it helped to take the coupling half out, clip it on, and push the coupling back into it's seat. But I have to say that one of the snowploughs came already off, so if you want to be sure not to lose it in a tunnel or other odd place of your layout - use a tiny drop of glue. IMG20230617205346 IMG20230617205407 Hope this helps. By the way - also I plan to change to Kadees, which length did you use? Type 362?

No, all 3 are moving. They are made as one piece. Kadee shouldn't be a problem as the coupling sits on the bit which goes into the NEM pocket. And this is the same for every type of NEM compatible coupling. Would show you a photo, but as my granddaughter is here over the weekend Opa (German for granddad) leaves his trains in the cupboard... 🙂

Those shown in Fran's drawing are the ploughs for display. If you want to keep your tension lock coupling (who doesn't want to run a train) you need the other one - made with all 3 ploughs in one piece. Foe me easiest to fit them is to take out the coupling from the nem pocket and then put it back with the plough clipped on. Means the plough will then follow the movements of the coupling - which isn't what the real one does, but it is hard to see. Quite like the solution.

Well it wasn't. The loco I bought is a DCC ready version from Rails (wasn't a sound version available), the decoder I purchased from you. Normally it should be with the decoder I assume as it is a decoder with a customised sound file on it. Anyhow - Sulzer71 has solved the problem.

Thanks, exactly what I needed!

All done. Just cut 2mm of the tray, fits very well now. Thanks anyway

Thanks for the quick reply McC. Problem is the average house size in the UK. But never mind, the box is very nice Actual situation in Vecchio's loco cabinet... IMG20230616124841 IMG20230616124849 Well - not all my continental stuff fits that easy - some boxes are too long for the cabinet. Also I own a Hattons 66, which also had to find a different storage location... Jokes aside, my own fault. Too many locos. The running number of this one in my database is 81... What I am missing more is a CV list for the loksound 5 decoder. Normally this should come with the decoder, but wasn't in the box. Could anybody be so kind and send me an electronic copy? Well I know sound on is F1, a horn is normally F3, Headlights F0, but as a proud owner of a Z21 I would like to know all of them (without trial and error games.... ) Thanks Vecchio

Finally I have it on my desk. The winner was Accurascale (the decoder arrived yesterday), Loco and speaker arrived at the same time (both brought by the postman today) I do like the little booklet that came with the loco. At a first look I could see that one of the buffers was in the box instead of on the loco, IMG20230616114211 while I am writing this the glue is setting. So not a big deal. The packaging is improvable, first of all the size of the box is enormous, second the plastic holding the loco is so tight in it's sleeve that it was hard to get the sleeve off. Well some scissors surgery will cure that.

The race is on. I got dispatch messages from Accurascale and Rails, so the decoder and the loco are on their way. What I didn't hear about is the speaker...

Looking good here as well. The payment for Loch Eil has been taken a few minutes ago. Who will win the race? the loco, the decoder or the speaker.... 🙂

Pretty bad, the diy front and also some club stuff did brake me (we had our annual show last weekend)- or more or less are the excuse for not getting on. On top of that one of our club mates bought a Judith Edge kit, I did like it, so I looked around and found a class 06 (complete kit including motor and wheels) from the same brand. So all gets into the same direction, preparing for this Scottish layout and collecting the right stock. Means Loch Eil will be a perfect match and so does the 06. See the 06 in progress - yes, too much solder in places, but believe me, it is not that easy (It only looks easy in Michael Edges thread...) IMG20230612172442 IMG20230612172457 On the bridge itself I found some handrail knobs at the York exhibition some weeks ago, well, they are still in their bags... And the tread plates went on in between the rails, the outer ones still need some fine adjustments. IMG20230612172553 IMG20230612172620

Thanks McC, too late for this time as I already ordered it. It is the same speaker but I paid 6£ more... fools tax I call it...

You are a very bad influence 97406. I just had to pre-order that one... And of course I had to order the sound decoder as well. Unfortunately the speaker is sold out... I think to remember the speaker is also available under another brand name. Anybody who remembers that? Found it. Was a bit more expensive than the one from Accurascale, but I ordered it. This moves my pre-ordered 37 count to 3... Well, I was a good boy and didn't but anything at our MK show yesterday (mainly because I was busy doing a modelling demonstration...) 😄

On we go, bags packed, let the show begin. I will not have my layout there (as it has been shown last year) but I will do a little demonstration on plastic kits. You are in the area (Milton Keynes)? Why not coming to have a look? Hope to see some of you there!

Well - I am not sure if Arnold ever learned to speak proper German. Also: He is one of a kind as he speaks now bad Styrian dialect with an American accent. Probably not enough capacity to hold 2 languages... Actually not so much in use. Of course there is a Viennese dialect, so for instance with my colleagues in the office it was always dialect, but if you are on the phone you speak German. Especially if you are on the phone with a German - they may otherwise have understanding problems. Grüß Gott is used by everyone, especially in the eastern part of the country. What is worse is the standard greeting formula in the afternoon - Mahlzeit - which is used also when you start eating your lunch instead of bon appetite. Mahlzeit translates as mealtime, but is frequently used as a greeting expression in the afternoon. Greetings from the Austrian with the Italian nickname... received_199690271149499

Just checked a Roco shunter with built in coupling (ÖBB 1062), which has a Zimo chip. also they are using 70 for CV 115, CV116 is 169 which means 100 = open coupler only after tension removal 60=drive back two seconds 9=speed step 36 As this is a rather slow loco (top speed-shunting- 40km/h) they used the higher speed step of 36 But there is no longer the holding current reduction present. Was there no instruction sheet with you Roco coupling? If they were in German you can scan them and send them to me (German native speaker).