rynd2it

OK, thanks for the reply

Nice, I'd be very interested if you have documentation, parts list etc of the chassis conversion

Ok. Thanks. I only bought it as it looked neat and would suit a small branch line

I just picked up one of these at a sale and did a little research into it. According one source, there was only one example built and it was scrapped in 1911, my Iam Allen book from 1960 makes no mention of it. How come Hornby released it in BR green?

Thank you for that, looks interesting. I have found an image of a lifting bridge and I'm in the process of adapting a kit to fit the location - I'll post the result when I get a bit further along

These are fantastic, thank you very much indeed. I'm attempting to modify a balsa kit of a lifting bridge with the overhead beams ( I already had it) not sure how its going to turn out yet. If it doesn't work, I'll make one of these simpler versions. I've re-checked the turn and after a little tweaking it works fine as long as I extend the roadbed on the bridge and i've found a prototype for that as well. I'll post the results when I've built it, thanks everyone for the help

That's very interesting, I like the simplicity, thanks

Interesting but I think it will be too large for the space limitations I have

Thanks for the input - it does get round the corner, especially after I shortened it The 45 degree idea is interesting, I'll try & plan that and see if it helps. I've been looking at various Dutch style lifting bridges and during my search I found this: http://bridgedesign.org.uk/resources/bridgepictures/planklane.php It seems to fit the bill as it has a longer deck than the model kit I found and less side supports so it might fit. More test pieces I think

I have a design issue that I would like some guidance with. The track on this layout (009) was laid many years ago and I'm not about to relay a load of it. Part of the design calls for a siding to become part of a paved canal side dock area which in turn is part of a road access. This is right next to a baseboard join so my choices of bridge type are limited. I had thought of a lifting bridge but the base area is too large to fit on the right of the canal entrance and would not work with the baseboard join on the other side. A road bridge in stone with a steep approach might be possible (like the bridge in Wroxham in Norfolk) but the slope would interfere with the paved dock area. Then I thought of a swing bridge which could pivot on the adjoining baseboard but I can't find a prototype which is not pivoting in the middle. The sort of thing I'm drawn to is Winkwell bridge on the Grand Union but mounting it entirely on the adjacent baseboard would mean the 'left' end would stick out beyond the front of the baseboard when swung to permit canal traffic. Anyone know of another prototype of suitable small size or another type of bridge that would fit in with the rural nature and size of the modelled area? Thanks in advance

As it's still under warranty, I'm going to send it to Bachmann UK (after discussing it) taking advantage of the fact my wife is going to the UK next week. We'll see what they find Thanks

What did you do to correct the problem, I'm very reluctant to mess with it but the retailer is in England and they said they couldn't see anything wrong

I have a brand new Bachmann Baldwin 10-12-D fully sound fitted and have had it thoroughly checked by the supplier they find nothing wrong. However, I am experiencing some running issues, particularly when starting off. On occasions, the loco will simply lose electrical power and refuse to move with out help from the BHS. I can tell the electrical contact is lost as the sound stops as well. This is being tested on a dead flat 2 meter run of brand new Peco OO9 flexi track using an NEC Power Cab for DCC control. I can run the loco back and forth and across a right hand point with no trouble but then all of a sudden it will stop and try to restart. Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not. I have investigated fitting a stay alive but this is next to impossible given the lack of space and I'm not sure it would solve my problems. I have been informed by other retailers that what I am seeing can be caused by there being too much sideways play on the axles which is resulting in all pickup contact being lost - I find this very hard to believe given the quality of this model. Anyone else having similar issues and what can be done about it? Given I live in France, finding a qualified mechanic/technician is difficult, I only know of one and they will only service what they sell.

The confusion, as you put it, was caused by the fact that the 009 points are constructed differently to the OO and even the EM one. On those points, the moving blade rails are already electrically disconnected by isolation blocks in the frog rails leading to the blades. This means that the blades need to be bonded to their adjacent stock rail for reliable connectivity. Peco provides for this on the OO and EM points but NOT on the 009. To achieve the same result it would be necessary to cut through the blade/frog rails which is just possible on the regular left/right SL-E491/2 points but almost impossible to achieve without damage on the SL-E497. Hence my original post regarding making the cuts. During the ensuing dialog it was deemed that it was unnecessary to make the cuts, leaving both blades to be the same polarity as the frog, apparently there is no danger of a short occurring between the open blade and its stock rail as there is sufficient clearance for 009 wheels. So, that is what I have done, frog is switched by a micro switch on the servo mounts and both frog rails have IRJs where they meet the track. The problems I subsequently encountered with a dead short were caused by the original track layer omitting the IRJs where they were required and actually putting one in the stock rail of point A. Quite naturally when I laid the new point at A I used a regular rail joiner hence the short. This has been corrected and all works fine. The only other thing I am doing is adding a second micro switch to the servo mount so that the appropriate blade rail is only energised as the point closes. This will prevent the possibility of a short occurring if the first blade rail is still in contact with its stock rail but the micro switch has operated. The attached photo and extracts from Peco documentation should help clarify why certain things were done in the beginning.

Well after several hours of head scratching and experiments I found the cause, almost by accident. Having removed all the frog switching wiring and still seeing the short it had to be the track. I finally found the culprit, an original point laid many years ago (not by me) did not have an IRJ on the frog so when I installed the new point at A, I put IRJs on my frog rails but not (obviously) on the stock rail. Fortunately the old point was actually set for the loop, not the siding, otherwise the short would not have shown up until much later. Lesson learned again, always put IRJs on frog rails, you can always feed the departing tracks if necessary

From the above dialog it was suggested that on 009 Peco points it was unnecessary to separate the frog from the switch blades. As my efforts to make the separation had resulted in poor running, I purchased four new points and installed them on the layout. The attached diagram shows this section of the layout – the wiring has not changed just that the switch blades are now electrically connected to the frog and each other. There is no bonding between the blades and stock rails other than physical contact when the blades move. Frog polarity is set by micro switches on the servo mounts. Following final setting of the servos, I was adjusting the micro switches and observed I had a dead short between red and black, the position of the micro switch did not alter this. I have isolated the wiring to the micro switches to the stage when nothing else other than the two switches are connected to the track wires – the relevant track wires are (temporarily) isolated from the rest of the layout. The short occurs when the switch on Point A is closed, connecting the from to the red circuit and the point blades are set the same – touching the red rail. I have been checking all the wiring carefully and cannot see a problem, however I did observe that when I operated point B the short went away. I need to do more testing to document which combinations of straight or divert on each point create or eliminate the short as there is clearly interaction somewhere. In the meantime, can anyone shed any light on what is happening and/or suggest a course of action?

I have and it would work but would present some issues with the brake gear etc.

You would lose that wager - I have one wagon which has a floor length of 58mm, largest Dundas chassis around 42mm. I found a couple of N gauge wagons and one that has a long enough wheelbase; I'll see what it looks like when I have tried it

Very interesting, thank you.

Wrong scale - 009 is 4mm/ft 'N' is 2mm so things like buffers, springs, axle boxes will be too small

THANK YOU - it definitely is, now to find the spares dept

I have a few wagon bodies of various sizes but no chassis for them. Measuring the floor length I need a couple 45mm long, 1 52mm long and one 58mm, however all I can find with on line searching are Dundas and they seem to be much smaller (42 or 32mm). All I need are 4-wheel chassis, nothing complex. Thanks

I have discovered this little loco in a box of bits but I have no idea of who made it or what it is. I have overhauled it and the motor runs great, wheels and pick-ups are good but there is a gear wheel missing between the axles. It seems to be 5mm dia. 1.5mm shaft size and 11 teeth. I would really like to find one - anyone any ideas?

I asked this question recently and was given a link to an group called McKinley Railway - they use a formula of 5gm weight per cm of length measured over the buffers. I have used this formula on my 009 stock, including bogie coaches and I have to say it seems to be working just fine. I found some cheap 5gm wheel weights (use to balance car wheels) on eBay, the fit in most locations. If they will not fit (say in a loco boiler area) I use Liquid Gravity.

Ok thanks, I'll give that a try