Sir TophamHatt

It depends where you're coming from too! I understood DC to be more "train set". You turn the knob. The more you turn it, the faster the loco runs. Lights come on when the train runs, it's a little hard to get really slow running. Any train on the same track will run at the same speed (more or less). Then I read about power districts on DC. I see this as a cheat way of DCC. You can control different "tracks" with different controllers, but it's still the same mechanic as above. The above has two wires connected from the power controller to the track. It seems DCC was marketed to be the same, but in reality, people have improved on it. You could run a DCC layout connecting two wires to the track, but most people don't. I guess most people don't run a DC layout with just one power input either. If you find a DC user jeering at the fact they were told DCC is "two wires only" ask them where the marketing for that is... that's from the last 2 years. I couldn't find any. Remember, people were marketed diesel cars as good and now look! DCC allows me to drive trains rather than a layout. If you're coming from DC and have 200+ DC locos, chipping them (at £20 a chip) will be expensive. But you'll be left further and further behind. Locos these days are coming out highly detailed, DCC fitted and DCC Sound fitted. Soon, the balance will tip and one manufacturer will market a loco as DCC-only, which will start the rest.

Outlook (the program). But I think that really only works when internal email systems, rather than sending something to granny so to speak. I believe Google is testing an "unsend" feature though.

Mine are brown and blue. Bus wires are those colours, so are the droppers. But then I started getting messy and using any old bit of wire... black... red... green... but I always used the clip connecting it to the bus wires correctly so I can ID it slightly more difficultly than if I just used the correct colours, but easier than physically tracing the wires back.

There was an on-going discussion on Facebook about it. One seems to be a little too "chuffy", but the other isn't chuffy enough. I have Legomanbiffo sounds and I'm pretty happy with it. To be honest, i haven't heard any others in the flesh to compare though.

Well, it's a Fleischmann 4400/4401 railbus. One set of wheels has cogs on it, which are driven by the ones inside to turn the wheels. Are modern ones of these around?

Maybe yes. This is one area I do need to start to take note of. I understand the difference between code 100 and code 75, but I have all sorts of different track on mine. Some flexi, some standard Hornby, probably (although I don't know) some peco. Maybe that will be my next "bored at work, let's read about..." investigation.

I want it all Which can be doable. 1: Watch trains go by, sort of. This is where I chose a continuing loop, so if I wanted to let a train run in one direction then I can without input from me. It also fulfils the second "regional" train aspect. I can let the express do a few loops and control the local, then swap. Having two loops either way gives flexibility for this. However, I have added sidings that allow me to head round and pick up coaches should I want to. 2: Urban in the station area, rural when not. But then I don't have the space for much transision of this. Possibly the lowest priority is decorating with buildings and things. 3: Mainly passenger. 4: Long term. 5: Permanent. Perhaps I don't really know what I want until I am there doing it.

Same here - again! I had a plan, then realised some of it wasn't actually valid (although thinking about it right now, I may have been able to use an X crossing - D'oh!). Changed the plan, then put in an extra "slow" line and made that siding a platform. But then I just draw a few lines on a bit of paper. I guess there are some that will plan with certain pieces of track. For curves, I started with the biggest R609 and went down until they fitted.

I use vinyl flooring instead of Cork. It's much easier and cleaner when having to change things, is cheap and easy to cut. No dust or tears from Cork.

Some great thoughts here. I think writing a list of priorities is best to start off with and see how it progresses. I already half started this with sketching a couple of layout plans. Kept them all so I can see how they develop. Perhaps I was always destined to make this layout but didn't quite develop the last plan properly so went ahead with it!

Yeah, I'd leave it at least 24, if not 48 hours. I have a photo where I went completely overboard with gluing. I'll try and find it. I'd recommend a syringe type of applicatior.

Not sure if anyone gets the same as me. I have a medium size L shape space and managed to squeeze in a fairly okay layout for express operation and being able to run local passenger services, as well as a small yard/sidings area. However now I've come to put the platforms in, I am finding either they'll be fairly short (barely fitting a 2-coach DMU) or stupidly thin because at each end there's a curve so the overhang from some locos/units is too big and scrapes along the edge of the platform face. I know the solution is to have a shallower curve but then it won't fit in the space. I may be able to change the platforms so they'll work a little better but the disappointment has made me think about the other areas of the layout that don't quite work very well. For example, I have a hill for a bit of interest but on one side it's really quite steep. The other side goes up round a curve but the join of a piece of track means some locos risk derailing, and it's quite a tight curve to boot! At the bottom on the other side is a set of points with a motor. The pin through the point catches on most locos/units so I can only run a very limited amount of trains that way round the layout. This layout is an improvement to my last - it's a lot more reliable (no dead spots!), but I have a niggily thought of starting, yet again. Perhaps 3rd time lucky? Has anyone else gone through this sort of thing? Did you solve it?

Can anyone tell me the physical length of this loco in cm? Just need to plan some storage

They look a little big for ballast, but still good work. Look up the ballast spreaders. They're pretty good at getting a lot down fairly quickly.

Hmm. It's probably a Lenz Silver Plus. Worried I'll mess them up if doing it on the programming track, hence thinking about a PC option with a clearer view. It will also help me bulk write some other CVs and things.

But over half are old tooling no? I got told off once for referencing a "train" so for the sake of simplicity call everything "loco" now. Perhaps I should have been more explicit in my comments. Modern isn't really something that was built more than 25 years ago :/ Forget about any loco older than the Class 66, the list shrinks quite a lot. Think more about any "unit" newer than a Class 170 - and even those units are getting old now! I count at least 31 "units" and that's putting some classes together (IE, 170/171, 320/321/322, 755/745 or 800/801/802) - get those people who want every different class and you could probably add a third more to that number. But manufacturers are keen to produce yet another steam engine, or duplicate something to either way more or way less detail than what is current available. I'm not saying it's a really bad thing but I'd suggest it isn't really helping younger people get into the hobby, which any hobby needs to survive. If many of the older generation of people aren't replaced, model makers won't see enough return to bother. Then we'll see even more expensive models, less manufacturers and ultimately less choice. Feel free to message me if you want to carry on the discussion.

Same here. I couldn't afford the £200+ for a Class 08 loco and sound, so opted for the loco and a TTS chip separately. I originally bought the 08 to pull my CMX rail cleaner but it's not powerful enough (so far only the Class 68 can pull it!). I didn't want to/couldn't afford to spend loads, especially as I thought I wasn't going to use it that much. However, I had an intermittent problem in that sometimes the sound wouldn't work. After calling Hornby, trying a few chip resets, it worked fine. When I came back to it, no sound again. Called Olivas Sounds (Sheffield)* who said I could send it back to them (at my cost) and they'd check it but essentially it was something I had done, because I opted to fit it myself instead of paying them extra money to fit. The 08 was my first venture into sound locos so had nothing to compare it to really. However, I enjoyed it so got an HST and the Class 68. I plan to get the Hattons 66 with full sound, and when if Bachmann release their updated 170, I'll probably grab a sound chip for that too! However, I have only got the one TTS. The other question for consideration is the type of speaker you pair with the sound. Richard Croft has done various test videos. I'm tempted to upgrade the TTS speaker to a double iPhone one but not sure yet. Try and convince him to use a TTS on a bunch of speakers to see how much of a difference it makes. After listening on YouTube to other 08 sounds, I'm not convinced the TTS is bad at all, especially for the ocassional use it'll now see. However, other locos may be quite different. As for motor control, I can't say it's any better or worse than a Zimo. A good summary is that it performs as expected, that is slow running is fine, as is top speed. I'm not interested in having it move a tenth of a mm on speed step 1. A whole mm on speed step 1 is fine enough for me * Interestingly on Facebook there is an on-going discussion about this retailer, their prices and a lot of warnings. I have my own opinions such as the ordering being a little clunky - they have to call you back to get a few more card details. I only used them as nobody else was selling the 08 TTS chip by itself, but personally wouldn't choose to again.

I have an Express Models kit fitted to my 170. If I had a SPROG, I guess I can easily remap a function number to another function number? IE, I want to change F2 so it does nothing and the current function moved to another number. I guess this can't be changed without a SPROG? Thanks

Ohh, modelling in N scale I presume? Although they do OO. Thanks

I used a Zimo MX622N - It's in the unboxing video I did:

After a fair bit of research, I opted for the PA2. Being brand new to the hobby (DIY), I knew straight away that digital was what I should go for. As I understood it, most of the other systems required extra addons (more power, more controllers), but the PA2 had it all in one. I think they're a desirable system for many, but each person has different requirements so will choose different systems. I managed to pick mine up for £125ish from ebay, but I think I was lucky. I'd stick a new one up for £XXX or best offer - the price on perhaps the higher end of the average they're currently going for (look at used ones, not brand new). Also, don't feel bad for calling it "squared". Gaugemaster market it as exactly that, but in written form, most people just put "Prodigy Advance 2"

Hi If I want to replace some wheelsets, how do I go about measuring the ones I have already? Is it the front or back of the wheel that I need to measure?

Do you not agree it's boring though? Puts me off buying some locos as they're bound to be replaced by a slightly better model. At the end of the day, manufacturers have a choice on what they create. While this 92 came as part of a package deal with the MK5s (understandable), I don't see why manufacturers decide on sticking with the same 6/7 locos, or bring out yet another steam engine. In comparison, while there is a growing number, there aren't that many modern locos. But I wonder if the bigger issue is that a lot of modellers are of an older generation, so producing another steam loco, or some sort of older diesel is an easy win/less risk for a company. I would have thought bringing something new to the market would be seen as a bit more "exclusive" and a sure fire winner.

Any forum that demands you sign posts with your full name isn't worth bothering with. Don't really understand why have a silly restriction that a person who intently wants to hide who they are, could just lie... But then forums like that are clearly just an exclusive old fashioned boys club, which isn't really helping the hobby. Shame on them!

Quite good to include something for the future, even though there aren't any sounds for it yet.