Harlequin

Doesn't the outer circuit also have to cross the river or gully?

Have you thought about the level of the FY? Is the gradient down to it shallow enough for the trains you want to run? How will you reach it when things go wrong?

Every train leaving the FY runs anti-clockwise. So if you want anything to run clockwise it has to stop, reverse and crossover. That may or may not be prototypically correct and is a problem for loco-hauled trains.

Newquay is currently "re-branding" itself "Love NQY"...

https://lovenqy.co.uk/

They seem to be trying to go up-market: Business Improvement District manager Mark Warren said: "People need to look at Newquay in a different light because we've really moved on."

So no more shops selling fluorescent plastic tat and no more inebriated stag and hen parties. 😆

9 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Thanks Phil, Yes I fitted them and they were sufficient to get into Platform 2.

Oh yes, you said so. Duh!

(Sorry.)

2 hours ago, GWR1890-1908 said:

I corresponded to Kernow re the black doors on the fully lined model, and they  confirmed that B&W photos had been used as a colour reference for this version. Given that it is well known by all branches of historical modelling that you CANNOT use this method to determine colour because of ,if nothing else, the type of film used then ( we all know about orange lining being almost invisible, and in photos of WW1 aircraft, yellow appears BLACK), I was very surprised.  Also, the prize monogram was not applied to all stock, and was very short lived. Given John Lewis book on GWR SRM's, I could not understand how such an error could be made. I pointed this out to Kernow, and also the fact that all other livery options had body colour on the doors, so why should that one be different? It was noted for future production. Given that the models were delayed at one point to ensure the liveries were correct, it is also a head scratcher. Despite this relatively minor concern, the model is exceptional. I have only test run mine as the layout is bare baseboards, but it appears to be trouble free. We are lucky that someone has taken the plunge with such a subject. Could we be lucky enough for them to tackle a Dean loco next?

Lewis says that 'it seems' the prize monogram was used on SRMs 61-72 and 73-80 when first built.

So the fully lined, chocolate and cream No. 61 is probably historically correct (black doors excepted) and an interesting variation for the modeller - although, as you say, it was short lived in that livery.

Have you fitted the smaller "scroll irons"?

BTW: That's the correct terminology - at least for the most visible vertical parts. In the prototype they are part of the suspension system that holds the body above the power unit.

It’s all described very clearly in the instruction leaflet, even specifically covering the Imperium decoders… ?

16 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

Doesn't always work that way! I do sometimes link to a manufacturer's webpage in the formative stage of a project, so that people can see what is on offer in the type and livery range. Post availability, I like to carry a representative photo (generally I will chose a GWR version rather than a BR one). The problem with a link to a manufacturer's page is that sometimes they have a habit of disappearing/changing after the initial excitement and familiarisation has subsided.

 

 

Yes, they will change their links but less frequently than stock levels changing so still less work, in theory.

1 hour ago, Andy Keane said:

The villa at 52/54 Godolphin road is beginning to take up its place at Helston:

I am not sure what colour to use for the rather pretty barge boards. I think black would rather harsh so maybe white with white gutters and down-pipes?

 

Probably not bright white either, pre-war. They had more limited colours and strange tastes back then... Just look at the GWR Standard Tints! 😉

In Cornwall the exposure to salt-laden Atlantic gales might have restricted the usable colours even further.

How about green to match the gate?

6 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

Always a pleasure to be able to delete 'NYA' on gwr.org.uk, but these days, to reflect modern marketing methods, I wonder if I should introduce an 'ASO' for all sold out...

 

Just link to the relevant manufacturer's page for that product so that their live stock levels are shown. That way you don't need to keep the list up to date (er, so much).

9 hours ago, Free At Last said:

Is there a reason for the cut out in the truss?
If it had been underneath, the bogie may have cleared it.

It looks like that notch is designed to clear one of the cross beams under the coach floor. The truss should be behind the solebar and much higher up so that you can't see the notch.

So possibly a small manufacturing error?

I started to think about what sort of wireless handset I would like to use and so just for fun, I drew one:

The key points are:

• Ergonomic design. Rounded back like a mouse with indent so it sits naturally in the hand and won't slip out of position.
• Basic operation one handed without having to look at the handset. Throttle wheel and side buttons can be worked by the thumb, left or right handed.
• Big buttons using proper microswitches for reliability and better usability (again like a mouse).
• Easy loco switching. While you're in Drive Mode just use the A-D buttons to call up a stored loco immediately with a single click.
• High res colour screen.
• Belt hook and wrist strap.

This is just for fun remember!

53 minutes ago, Mike at C&M said:

Very easy.

 

There are three buttons towards the bottom of the handset - locomotives, functions and accessories. Press the one you want to choose.

Enter the number of locomotive/function or accessory and then hit the select button. 

And on you go.

19 minutes ago, halsey said:

 

Thanks but that isn't any faster than the GM prod.

 

One other issue I have with the GM is if I'm running 3 locos  (main up and down going round and round and shunting) if one derails I cant quickly turn everything off to avoid collisions/damage other than switching the whole layout off at the wall socket.

 

I have never played with any other DCC systems so perhaps my criticisms are universal

Yes, I think most of us would expect a shorter sequence to qualify as "easy switching".

It should be either two button presses: <retrieve from stored locos> <single digit store position number, N>

or with N dedicated buttons on the handset, just a single button press: <retrieve stored loco N>

Here's a rubbish photo of an All third in "Twin cities" livery that arrived today:

It's a lovely solid model, quite hefty but not "heavy" heavy.

The brake rodding is very clever. It appears to be connected from the levers at the vac cylinders all the way to both the near and the far brake "coat hanger" things (do they have a proper name?) as per the prototype. But in fact the brake rod that's fixed to the underframe threads into a little hole on the bogie and projects through so that it can slide in and out as the bogie rotates. Then another bit of rodding fixed to the bogie continues on along the same line.

The internal lighting is good in the sense that it's bright enough to show the interior detailing and there's not a sign of any flicker but on the minus side it's too bright to be realistic of course, it's too "cool" coloured and it highlights all the transparent plastic edges around the glazing.

My intention was to use it as a trailer for my SRM in similar livery. Hmmm, maybe I chose the wrong diagram...?

And there's the bolection question...

This thread has become schizophrenic, dividing between those answering the Topic title question and those answering the more recent add-on question.

2 hours ago, JohnR said:

 

Thats good to know, thanks, but the myriad of options available on ebay seem to be focussed on RGB lighting, with white options limited. I can see some which offer RGB+WW, or RGB+CW, but none that seem to offer both. 

 

Like Andy says, search for "CCT", "Dual white" or "Tuneable white". They all mean the same thing.

Also, make sure you get something that's bright enough. Lots of LED tapes are just for accent lighting but you need to look for phrases like "Room lighting" or "Task lighting".

1 hour ago, JohnR said:

I'm looking at getting some LED strip lights for my new layout, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations? I had used them before on my other layout, but cant remember where I got them from. I also need a better set - ideally 2 strips running off one power supply (I'd prefer mains powered), with one control for both strips. 

 

Is a simple RGB set enough, or does it need to be more sophisticated to get a good "daylight" look to the lighting? 

Unless you need to create sunrise and sunset effects then you probably don't need an RGB set. RGB sets don't offer much control over the quality of the mixed white light they produce, either.

I suggest you need a combination of Cool White and Warm White. You can get tapes that combine both and allow you to mix them with very fine control if you have a suitable controller. Or just buy separate Warm and Cool white sets.

Cool White is like summer midday sunlight and Warm White is like morning/evening light. The exact combination you use is a matter of taste but most people I've seen use either 2 Warms to 1 Cool or vice-versa.

1 hour ago, halsey said:

Thanks to all for your input - spend is getting too high so I'm going to rethink my needs - my railway is only a winter hobby so it can wait..............

 

Thanks again.

 

J

Instead of a single handset with two knobs, what about two handsets each with a single knob?

That might be a cheaper solution, with more options for handsets and command centres.

9 hours ago, nightstar.train said:

I’ve finally got my SRM after retrieving it from parcel purgatory. What an absolutely beautiful model, completely stunning. However, mine is unfortunately a lumpy runner. It seems to be when the left hand cylinder is all the way rearward and starting to move forwards there’s a slight binding. The motor powers through it, but there’s a noticeable jump when it does. Happens both in forward and reverse. I don’t have time right now to trawl back through a few dozen pages, but has anyone else had similar? Is there a simple/easy way to fettle it rather than return to Kernow? 

Yes, I have one that lurches through a stiffness in the motion. It used to run basically smoothly but was sent back to Kernow for a slightly different problem and came back with the stiffness.

Check that your valve stems and stem guides are horizontal and fixed properly. They seem to become bent upwards quite commonly and that means that the motion is not moving as intended, which might be causing your problem.

I haven't yet diagnosed my lurcher. I tried lubrication and a bit more running in but it still does it.

6 minutes ago, RapidoCorbs said:

Bear in mind that on the doors, the window frames are part of the transparent plastic of the windows and have not been painted/printed.

Fair point, thanks.

The porthole windows on the new Dapol Moguls use the same technique and it doesn't really work very well, IMHO, because you can see the back of the transparent plastic behind the painted areas. It looks very odd from some angles.

The prismatic effect of the edges of all those small windows in the B-Sets is very visible.

Sorry Alex, I read through the D & H manual but I can see now that you have extra information on your website that would have been helpful.

I didn't realise it was there and it might be a good idea to refer to it in the covering material you send out with the decoder.

To be clear, I have no problem the sound project itself. The sounds are more realistic than others I have used and the dynamics of how they are applied during driving is very natural.

I think it's a bit odd that CV353 is defined as "Chuffs at Speed Step 1" and yet with the default speed curve you can't actually hear any chuffs at step 1. That's a D & H problem.

I will try again to get good chuff sync when VHigh is set to a lower value and will report back.

My decoder is installed in a batch 1 Dapol Mogul, which has very high gearing so the default values in the Manor project don't apply.

I have managed to get a reasonable sync while CV5 VHigh is set to the default 92. I would like to lower it because of the high gearing of the loco but when I did that things seemed to be less predictable, as described above. I need to go back and re-test that.

The speed curve as set by CV48 is the cause of the lack of chuffs when accelerating up to low speed settings and of the "free-wheeling" chuffs after decelerating down to low speed settings. The flat start to the curve seems to fail to trigger the chuff counter. Seems like a bug to me.

By setting a linear curve (CV48=0) I was able to set up a decent chuff sync but I have subsequently reset the speed to have a shallower curve to get more natural starts. Chuffs don't start below 2 but when driving for real you quickly pass through that zone and don't notice. With the revised speed curve the sync remains the same as with the linear curve - I half expected it to go out of whack.

The Acceleration and Deceleration rates can also be changed without affecting chuff sync, thank goodness.

So I have something that works OK for now but the loco is way too fast. That's the fault of the loco but I hope I'll be able to adjust the decoder to compensate for it and setup a decent chuff sync.

5 minutes ago, 34theletterbetweenB&amp;D said:

If sound decoders don't come with a 'resume sound on last output' in event of brief power interruption, then I suppose that is some justification. But the 'why not' is masking of a problem.

 

Yep, good point.

5 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Phil, as far as I can see it only picks up from the two driving wheels, with therefor an incredibly short wheelbase. But maybe my eyes are deceiving me.

The pickups in the trailing bogie are in the axle bearings.

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

There does seem to be an increasing obsession amongst DCC users to add stay-alives to anything and everything.

 

If track is laid with care and pick-ups are adjusted and maintained, there should be no need for auxiliary power.

 

After all, we DC users manage without them.

 

CJI.

7 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I think DCC sound users probably wish to hedge their bets. Often, if a decoder loses power momentarily, the sound sequence resets to the start, rather spoiling the illusion.

Yep, not really needed for the SRM because of its multiple pickups and long wheelbase. You'd be really unlucky to completely lose power with these if your track is up to any decent standard.

On the other hand, it's so easy to add to the SRM because there's loads of space right next to the decoder. So if you've got the parts and 5 minutes to spare, why not?