rynd2it

On closer examination, the Hornby version has the lower lights painted silver on both ends, a red light in the middle just below the windscreen and another just above the windscreen not painted. The Lima version is similar but no paint on any of the lights. Now to find out how the GWR actually used them.

You may well be right, problem is that I can't find an image of the rear of one any where. The Hornby one has one end with the lower lamps painted red. Confusing

Thanks for that but it uses separate LED for red and white. The railcar seems to have only one lamp (or pair of lamps) each end which glows alternately red or white depending on direction of travel. In 12" to 1 foot gauge this is probably a dual filament bulb but the only bi-colour LED I can find is a 2mm one which may prove to be too large. Anyone done this on regular diesel loco for example?

I'm willing to bet there is a simple answer to this but I can't find it. I have a loco (actually a GWR railbus) which will go in either direction and I wish to add lights to both ends such that when going forward to front lights are white and the rear red. When in reverse the lights should change accordingly but how? Thanks David

Thanks for all the input, very useful stuff indeed. My main reason for getting into DCC was to reduce the amount and complexity of the wiring after my last project (an OO9 layout with 27 turnouts, working semaphore signals, lighting etc). If I plan properly on my next project it should be much simpler. Once again thanks, all questions answered.

How would you differentiate between chips & decoders? Just curious

I have just discovered that the 860044 is not a chip but a blanking plug. I need to buy some chips

Thank you both for the input, JST I might take you up on that invite one day soon, you are about an hour away.

I have just started to use my first system - NCE Power Cab starter set. I have three DCC fitted locos, one runs great with no problems. One of the others is a Bachman Branch Line 64xx GWR tank loco with a Lais-DCC chip (6-pin) 860044. When it sits on the programming track it buzzes on DCC power but runs fine on DC. When I investigated it appears the chip was in upside down so I reversed it but no change in behaviour. This is also happening to a Hornby Rail car fitted with an anonymous chip marked 1606-X001; again it runs on DC but just buzzes on DCC. I acquired all these second hand with no history but all appeared brand new in unmarked boxes. I suspect the chips are fried but are there some other tests I can do? Thanks in advance David

I'm not trying to create a frog polarity or even make them live. The problem we have is, as clearly stated in the OP, is electrical connection between blade rail and stock rail. In quite a few cases, when switching the point the blade remains dead. The solution is wire in tube and DPDT slide switches. Case closed, thanks

Thanks, that is the best solution

I know this hence the post

No, not with these old points. Cutting blades cuts them totally free with no base

As I said at the beginning, the turnouts are a mix of live and insulated frogs, they are old and therefore the bonding wires are not there and the track is already laid down. So I need a method that connects one blade to it stock rail while disconnecting the other blade from its stock rail. DPDT switches would do this but how to use them? The two methods suggested seem to indicate wire in tube and slide switches is the best option. Thanks all,

Not what I was looking for,

How do you switch two blade/stock rail set with a SPDT?

My thoughts exactly, thanks

I had thought of that as well, I assume they are double pole switches so contact is made which ever way the turnout is switched.

We have a conundrum - the layout is already built and track laid with a mixture of electrofrog and insulfrog turnouts. The operation of the turnouts is completely manual (BHS) and therefore is relying on physical contact between blade and stock rails to provide electrical continuity. We know this is not ideal but is was built many years ago with little technical knowledge. The turnouts are quite old and therefore do not have the wires that can be cut to separate the blade rails from the frog rails so bonding blade to stock will not be possible. Given the existing situation, what can be done to provide a more reliable electrical connection of blade to stock? We have considered using wire-in-tube operated by slide switches so providing a switch to complete the circuit. Any other, possibly less complex, solutions? Thanks David

Far enough to melt the flux?

My Amazon package just arrived and included the brass wire cleaner. It has a flux past reservoir at the bottom, how is this used, do I need to heat it and melt the past or.......?

Interesting, I tin the hole by putting thin solder in and quickly heating, tin the wire and then heat the pin again and push in. The problem seems to be I am not using a hot enough tip and therefore holding it in contact for too long. I'll give your version a try next time, thanks

Bit difficult washing control panels & track under the tap So rosin it is for me

Thanks again, order in with Amazon (UK) for all the flux, brass wire and tinning compound.

Thanks for this, but raised a couple more questions. Is the rosin flux no-clean and what did you mean by "tinning compound" for the tip cleaning?