WIMorrison

I would always have the polarity switching of a frog done by the actual motor as that way it is guaranteed to be in sync with the position of the turnout blades.

I think the LEDs are red and green and switch over

Looks pretty clear to me that it is MRH when you open it The link is to the article, which shows clearly that it is from MRH

And i provided the link to the article in my post ....

Spray onto cleaning cloth and wipe over rails or use cup and cotton bud for loco wheels? - seems easy to me 😉

Have you read the article I linked to in the post?

How I clean my track is irrelevant - my method works for me, however I have posted this here before and people have found that the suggestions work - essentially chemically you should be using non-polar solvents. Incidentally, if you search the internet you will find almost everything on that listed recommended by someone. The source for this is DiaElec1.pdf

I reckon that whatever hair-brained scheme that is dreamt up will find at least one person out there who says it is an excellent systems and it works brilliantly for them. In summary, there isn't a philosopher's stone which will solve the issue of cleaning track - with the simple common being that all the methods work for the person using them.

I think it is milked from local snakes in Australia 😉

LAP DC Digital Multimeter 600V - Screwfix https://www.amazon.co.uk/ULTRICSÂ-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Ammeter/dp/B00TM0W8ZY/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=multimeter&qid=1707814144&sr=8-5&th=1

yes, a multimeter to enable PROPER testing to be undertaken. yiu can then create a matrix showing what works and what doesn’t.

I fear you have misread what this device offers - it allows you to connect a Z21 WLAN device to an XpressNet or Loconet, it doesn’t appear allow you to connect XpressNet to Loconet.

The do make an app to use these decoders, it sits on your phone - but to use the Bluetooth system with your DCC Command station to allow the TXS decoders to run with other locos on DCC you need the 'dongle' and that needs a DCC command station that supports XpressNet.

NCE don't support the Xpressnet protocol therefore best not bet the house on the 'dongle' working with the Powercab

Confirming what Nigel has said and showing that you can get what is needed for less than £10! Screwfix Multimeters It is impossible to build and definitively fault find a model railway without a multimeter and they are very easy to use. There are hunders of videos and thousands of web pages about them, this video shows you have to use them.

Remember that two of the pins are for the LED, therefore you have 3 pins on one variant a common, plus NO and NC or a SPDT switch. The other variant with 8 pins is two pins for the LED and 6 for switching which could be a DPDT switch.

iTrain v6 is also being developed as I type this but iTrain v5.x is still getting maintenance updates to add new command station and fix issues created by OEM updating or changing functionality. The main focus is on developing the new version which will be another step forward in the iTrain evolution. I cannot see a reason not to use iTrain when starting afresh, I agree that it may me a transition not worth starting if you are already a TC users, but when you don't have anything today I would definitely go with iTrain -0 if only for an approachable developer who is actually interested in supporting his customers and the model railway community with an easy to use product that can run on Apple, Wintel, Linux, Pi, - and I am sure that there are some homebrew systems out there that would be able to run it also 😂

Another advantage of separate track and accessory busses is that you can run them at different voltages. as an example I run the track bus at 17v and the accessory bus at 12v - both DCC

The recommended Bachmann Decoder is actually a Zimo decoder and it will provide excellent performance from the loco. Bachmann Europe plc - Next18 DCC Loco-Decoder (with Brake Button function),Next18 DCC Loco-Decoder (with Brake Button function) You *may* be lucky and be able to find the Zimo MX618N somewhere in stock somewhere for around £25, but you will find getting hold of the Bachmann badged decoder much easier, and why spoil a beautiful loco with a cheap and inferior decoder.

For the decoder to get a 'heart beat' signal from the command station then that would be in the DCC signal and if it could 'hear' the 'heart beat' from the command station then you wouldn't need 'stay alive' 😉 Decent decoders allow you to limit the length of time a decoder will run without a DCC signal which you limit to 1 or 2 second - I couldn't say if the Hornby decoders support this common setting though.

That is also how I use side-cutters and after 60 years using like this I can easily feel the wire and know the pressure to use to strip the outset sheath. i agree that the suggested wire-stripper tools work but I find them to big and clunky - try using them when in tight spaces and you will be reaching for the side-cutters quite quickly 😂

Almost all network devices are auto-switching on their LAN ports these days and you do not need crossover cables or the like.

Personally I would just go with the FDTI driver from FTDI

This will give you an ethernet port 😉 USB 3.0 to Ethernet Adapter with USB C to RJ45 Gigabit LAN 1000 Mbps