Albie the plumber

This will tell you what you need to know

The orange wire is one of the motor wires and is usually classed as pin No 1 . Given that wire has come away , it's no surprise the locomotive doesn't move ! A quick scan of the Internet will show you the layout of the wires on an 8 pin plug . The blue wire is the common positive as is used for lights usually

We've all been there . I knew very little when starting off with DCC More confident these days . Don't know anything about the MN but if it's a modern model, it is likely to have provision for a sound or non sound decoder and some times written info on where to fit said decoder. The sound provider will be able to advise on what type of decoder you need I.e. 8 , 21 ,22 pin . If you really aren't confident of doing it yourself , most sound providers will offer a fitting service including fitting a stay alive at reasonable cost. HTH

Before suspecting the decoder to be at fault , you could detach it and reinsert the DC plug and test it on DC assuming you have a DC controller. If it doesn't move on DC, a motor wire or pick up may be detached. HTH

Just had a look at the latest DRS '20's and you are correct. I think he made light units for the earlier DRS 20's pre Wipac . He has made one offs for me in the past but this one might be a bit tricky ! Worth dropping him a line all the same

Well that didn't end well ! Had a go at fitting the replacement motor after soldering the grey and orange wires to the motor terminals . It all went pear shaped after fitting heatshrink on to those joints and trying to fit the whole ensemble into the cradle into which the motor lays . Its difficult to get the wires into the channels , the heatshrink comes away and terminals are exposed and they very close to the metal casting . It was while ' fettling ' the wire that the one of the motor terminals snapped making the motor useless . It was simply uneconomic to spend another 35 quid on a motor to put into a model that one can buy for around £80 on ebay Therefore , the model was quite literally shown the bin . Were I to attempt to do a similar project , I might leave the heatshrink out and perhaps insulate the terminals with nail varnish or perhaps mastik . I have the spoof departmental version waiting for the sound treatment but will not be going where near the motor .....I hope !

Just insulate the bare wires to make sure they don't connect with each other or the metal chassis block. ESU do a repair service for a reasonable cost and will quite often replace it with a new decoder rather than faff around with the damaged one . I've used that service on 2 occasions.

Stickswipe on ebay makes lighting units for the class 20 and very good they are too !

Some excellent guides on fitting sound into various locos here . Well done for taking the trouble to show others the fruits of your labour 👍

Roll on tomorrow! 😆

Passed this while riding my bike earlier . L/H Bay Rail R/H Bay Road. This building is only a few years old and was being served with trains until recently so you won't get much more modern than this

I've just read a glowing review of the PWM in Rail Express magazine . No mention of gaps where body side doors and running plate meet although in fairness , I couldn't see any . Ran smoothly too ! Must have tested it thoroughly before sending it out for review

I managed to pick up a second hand motor complete with flywheels just last week on ebay. The railcar isn't the easiest thing to dismantle and probably harder to reassemble , the wiring looking particularly awkward . Will probably shoehorn an adapter board or maybe just hard wire a decoder into it , not sure yet . It's at the end of a very long to do list however.

Great spec , looking good !

Probably in the minority here but I binned the circuit board , got an ESU 21 pin adapter board for the decoder and used the freed up space to fit an EM1 speaker under the fan grille . The chassis block needed cutting so it will put most people off . Sounds great though !

Such an animal exists on the Uskmouth branch in Newport. The line that runs to the now dormant Uskmouth P.S. simply runs through the shed . Alongside the line is the lorry Bay. Trains loaded with steel coils from either Llanwern or Port Talbot run into the shed where a gantry crane transfers the coil onto a lorry. The lorry travels about 100 yards to the quayside to then be transferred to a ship. Normal traction is class 66 top and tailed but , they did have a well type wagon with a converted shipping container with a verandah for the guard / lookout which a single '66 would propel . You might be able to see pics of it on Flickr HTH

All my sound fitted Whizzo's have an EM2 speaker and sounds much better for it IMO . Only an evenings work to do it. Requires removal of one of the bogies and cutting of the metal chassis down by a few mil . Not as daunting as it sounds . Can post pics if required .

That's a bit of a blow isn't it . The brass wheels were truly awful . Still have a couple of Hymeks in storage that could do with re wheeling . They might end up on ebay .

I would be shocked if they didn't !

Well cost might not be an issue for you , but scroll back through the pages , and the dreaded C word comes up time and time again . Agree the PWM wasn't their crowning glory but I bought one that has been fixed and I'm happy with it . Also agree that shunting or indeed any loco should have smooth running characteristics. I would be suprised if MR haven't passed the largely negative feedback to Heljan on this as they will not want to be associated with a duff model , particularly at the price for which they are asking . It's not good business for either them or Heljan . However I'm happy to take the risk .

I assume you meant to type £8.40 but were too busy to notice that in your quest to trot out a sarky remark . So , here's the maths . I Always bought that mag at its cover price . Took out a subscription mid June 6 months 6 issues £14.99 . Saving £16.21 7 more issues at 0.90p less than cover price . Saving £ £6.30 10% discount on the model as I'm a subscriber. Saving £16.90 Total saving £39.41 . Deduct the above from the normal retail price of £169.00 and you have the model for £129.59 . Those who subscribed around the same time as I, will get the same savings . Not difficult was it . It's a 1 year agreement after which one can terminate . It's gone up a couple of quid now but the savings will still be considerable . I put this info up as I notice a lot of people whincing at the thought of paying a quid short of £170 for a small model . This is just one suggestion at saving a couple of quid and done with the best of intentions.

Well , there's the 10% off those models for being a subscriber in the first place. Then because I have always read the magazine , I saved around £15 for the first 6 months by subscribing so I include that figure into the discount . The sub£140 figure I quoted would not be possible if I had not subscribed. Of course , it should be said that was an opening offer and it won't apply when I renew for another year but the magazine is still 0.70 p cheaper per month. HTH

For Model Rail subscribers like myself , the price will be £152.10 p.p. That's the same price as the PWM , but this model has the lights ! If you include the savings made by taking out a subscription , it brings the price down to under £140.00 That will do me ! Will worry about running / build qualities when I get it out of the box and place it on the track .

Remember Rail Express were merciless in their reviews when Simon Bendall was editor . The high Riding Bachmann class 40 and the 'improved ' Peak without nose seam were 2 particular examples that got a panning .

Not to mention the pathetic apology for a fan grille .