peterfgf

I have successfully run two Bachmann 4CEPs together, both fitted with ESU Lokpilot Standard decoders set to the same address.  I think I was probably lucky (I would probably use Lenz Silver or Zimo decoders now).

Peterfgf

Adding to the experience in the previous posts. I had the same thing of finding a dead model after it had not run for a while.  I took the body off, as described, and the loose decoder dropped out.  The Next18 decoder doesn't seem to have a very secure fixing to stop it popping off.  Very relieved to find it was a simple repair.

On 08/11/2017 at 17:05, Rowsley17D said:

I have been having a think about a new layout for when a home move is complete and would like one based on Buxton Midland side. It was a very cramped site with no head-shunts of any size and would have been a nightmare to shunt. Wagons were regularly put into the short bay platform No 4 on the Midland side. The up mainline was used as a head-shunt and the line was signalled for this, with up trains leaving via the down line and regaining the up via a crossover which I have not put into the plan yet. At the top is a small goods yard with shed. The bottom at a lower level is the shed with coaling shed and turntable and small coal yard.

 

This current plan is 19'x3'



 

Many thanks for the explanation of how Buxton Midland was shunted.  I am building a layout, based on the station, and was puzzled about how goods trains were dealt with. I managed to arrive at a plan something similar to yours, but much shorter (compromise between what is wanted and what is possible).  My engine shed roads lead back off the turntable so that they are more or less parallel with the station. 

On 14/04/2024 at 13:59, Kaput said:

I'm slightly surprised at them offering sound fitted while staying with the 8pin socket. Be interesting to see what speakers are used.

I've emailed Rails to ask what decoder will be used, who did the sound file, and which locomotive/engine was used for sound recording as I think there are no sound recordings of British Class 28s.  However, Irish and Australian railways have locomotives with Crossley 2-stroke engines.
Waiting expectantly for a reply!
Peterfgf

I've found the lights are bright.  The accompanying instructions from YouChoos says the lights can't be dimmed, but a look at the Zimo MS sound instructions suggests CV60 is the one that will change the intensity. It gives the following examples for values of CV60
      Full voltage   0 or 255

      2/3 volts       170

      80% volts     204

Mine was received with CV60 set to 50, so well down at 20% full voltage.

I haven't had a chance to change the value yet , so "buyer beware"!

Peterfgf

I would strongly suspect a cracked gearwheel.  These cracks are radial, propagating form the centre, and are difficult to see with naked eye.

Having said that, I've just taken apart a Hornby 5MT which I suspected had the same problem (same as my Rebuilt Patriot).  I couldn't see any cracks but I did clear out an excess of stiff grease.  Loco runs fine now. 

Going off a tangent. I can't understand why manufacturers use grease to lubricate gears.  Prototype gears, for example marine gearboxes, are lubricated by oil and only a thin film of oil (microns) is needed to separate the teeth.  Grease is handy on exposed machinery  or non-tight oil boxes but not in this type of gearing.

I think Decoder Pro has an "identify button".  I also have a Zimo decoder test rig.  Both are very good and recommended.

Peterfgf

On 10/12/2023 at 13:24, Steamport Southport said:

 

Comet do the ends.

 

Much better than lumps of whitemetal or plastic.

 

https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/carriage/em5/

 

 

Jason

They are very good. I fitted one to a Hornby LMS brake second without a problem.  The etch sides matched the coach side profile perfectly.

Peterfgf

12 hours ago, Philip Jackson said:

I would love to have a class 124 Trans Pennine set (in BR Blue). They could even do mix and match sets with Swindon class 123. I'm considering the Silver fox version

Class 124 for me as well.  Good looking and long lived. Bachmann could easily do a Midland 2F 0-6-0 which I would snap up.  OO Works did a 2F a while ago but I've never seen a second-hand one (apart from Hattons "sold" category).

Peterfgf

On 18/10/2023 at 12:40, Ruston said:

Sounds like something I could be interested in but who or what is OO works? I've never heard of it. Can you give some more information, please?

Many thanks for the advice.  I've been wanting one for years and have just placed an order.

(I'll place another if they do a rerun of the Midland 2Fs)

Peterfgf

I made one similar to these years ago in an apprentice shop:

https://www.axminstertools.com/hand-tools/marking-measuring-levels/centre-finders

Peterfgf

23 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

The original LokPilot Basic V1.0 is long out of production, replaced many years go by the LokPilot Standard, which itself has since been supplanted by the newer LokPilot 5 Basic.

 

Motor control has supposedly improved with each generation, using the tech from the previous generation "main LokPilot", each time that's upgraded.

 

 

.

Thanks.  I didn't know that but I suppose I should have guessed that manufacters shuffle yesterday's best products down the line.  A bit like BR rolling stock.

Peterfgf.

I wouldn't bother with Lokpilot Basic decoder.  The clue is in the name.  I used a few several years ago but the performance of later decoders far outstrips them.

Peterfgf

On 25/09/2023 at 18:41, melmerby said:

Glad you bought from a retailer that packs your goods well?

Nice sturdy box with plenty of packing inside to prevent damage:

 

Therefore the goods inside arrived with out any damage:

 

😉

Some Lenz decoders O ordered from Modellbahnshop-lippe.com arrived in much the same kind of generous packing. (BTW prices competitive with UK and available).

Peterfgf

 

This appears to be a standard Bachmann 21-pin mounting plate.

My annotated diagram (attached) suggests the following (as a starting poin):

L1 and L2 are the motor pins

L- and  R+ are the track pins

Don't worry about other pins.  These are for fitting the DC noise supression resistors and capacitors.

The two larg solder tabs sticking out at one side are for the speaker (SP+ and SP-).

If you are not intending to swop tenders, then the wiring of the connection between loco and tender is up to you, so long as both sides are consistent.  I have standardised on Motor/Track/Track/Motor and then it doesn't matter too much.  Polarity is swopped around without a problem.

I hope this helps.

Peterfgf

On 14/09/2023 at 17:28, rapidoandy said:

Have you looked at the INSIDE of the cab shutter plates? I recommend a torch and magnifier…

Apologies if someone has beaten me to it, but here is a photograph of the notice inside left hand side of the cab.  Very impressive (as is the whole model).

Peterfgf

On 14/08/2023 at 18:36, The Johnster said:

Long rigid wheelbases on locos with larger driving wheels than 9Fs need carefully laid track and rigid baseboards to give their best.  And don’t forget that Hornby’s test track is perfectly, professionally laid.  A loco with smaller drivers will cope better because the flanges ‘attack’ the line of the railhead at an angle less conducive to riding over it.  And they don’t kill by come much longer or rigider than Hornby’s P2.  Compensation would ease matters considerably, but probably double the price and no doubt bring issues of it’s own to solve.  
 

What a loco like this doesn’t like is departure  from a dead straight level course.  The real thing had springs to cope with this, being designed for a difficult wiggy and lumpy route, but this is a volume-produced RTR model.  Gradients will need to feature a gentle transition curve at the bottom, as otherwise the central two drivers will lift from the railhead, compromising traction at the very point that it is most needed, and halving the number of pickups working.  Gradients will also need a gentle transition curve at the top, as otherwise the opposite will occur, and the outer wheelsets will lift from the railhead.  It will be a matter of luck if they come back down on the rails, especially if the load of a train is trying to pull the loco out of line. 
 

Introduce curvature into the mix on gradients and all hell breaks loose, with the steepness of the gradient and tightness of the radius multiplying the problems.  On a curved gradient, it is important but very difficult to lay the track so that it is transversely level and does not twist out of this alignment, as it’s natural behaviour is to distort because the corkscrew effect of the inner rail having a shorter length than the outer through the curved section.  
 

Planning for gradients has to take all of the above into account, as the steepness of the gradient is not a matter of a rise of 1” over 36” linear inches being 1 in 36.  The transition curves bottom and top make this an average gradient, and the bit in between may be much steeper, and curvature will make the inside radius rail much much steeper!  This is why my recommendation for anyone considering a helix is to have it professionally built or at least use a kit of preformed lasercut sections.   
 

P2s in particular need well laid track and the gentlest curves you can provide for them, and for that reason may not be ideally suited to your layout even if the track is well laid, sections joined smoothly to each other, firmly supported (I’ve seen problems with heavy locos on foam underlay).  Big engines don’t  like setrack curves, whatever it says on the box; what they are capable of going around is not necessarily the same as what they are comfortable going around even in ideal circumstances.  
 

   

 

 

All I can say is that I totally agree with The Johnster's remarks.  My two P2s (one older Hornby Railroad and a recent one) have found all the imperfections in my track (Peco code 75 bullhead): slight gauge narrowing (down from 16.3 to 16.0mm): a slight flattening out or departure from roundness, for about 75mm in 1000mm radius curves (very difficult to spot at first, but there must have been a reason for the forward flanges to always lift off there); poor or too quick transition of my superelevation on curves (I only used 1.0 and 0.5mm under the outer rails; slight mis-alignment across baseboards.  All my other locomotives, including Pacifics and 9Fs, have given no trouble.  I agree, the track has to be spot on for these long wheel-base locomotives.
 

I'm intending to built a branch line, accessed on a gradient.  I did some systematic tests and observed that the performance of steam outline models seriously deteriorated at steeper than 1 in 100.  I wouldn't consider anything less than 1 in 75 for steam with a light load.  Heavy diesel models (Hattons class 66) show contempt for these gradients and will haul long trains and my track cleaning wagon up without a problem.  I'm still experimenting with the transition curves in the vertical plane.

Many thanks for a really useful post (which just happened to be relevant to my present problems).

Peterfgf

I've got a load of the Bachmann ones, which are very good models, and don't really need any more ... but I couldn't resist and have ordered more.

Try Rails of Sheffield.  There was a secondhand one  on their home page last night.  Got me interested...

Good experience with Rails s/h - I bought a s/h Patriot that was in "as-new" condition and as per their description.

Peterfgf

The website is totally unresponsive at the moment.  I'm not too surprised as it has been very clunky in the past.

Peterfgf

18 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Mine (1930 , sound fitted) arrived yesterday. It is a lovely model. I read through the instruction manual, removed the loco and tender from the packaging, and placed it on my programming track. Nothing happened. The new  loco option on Decoder Pro either timed out or reported a random manufacturer ID for the decoder. No movement at all. I did try another decoder and that allowed it to state there was a short on the programming track. There wasn’t as it could identify other locos I tried. So I assume the short is somewhere in Lion. 
I have filled out the warranty form online at the Rapido website. Hopefully something will happen. It really is a splendid model and I look forward to it moving about !
Tiny

I had a similar problem, DOA - dead on arrival.  Sent back to Rapido, with pre-paid postage label, and returned very quickly.  Excellent service. Well done, Rapido.

If you have Decoder Pro it ought to identify the decoder (sometimes).

I've stated paying more attention to the specs after burning out a couple of DCC Concepts decoders and then finding there was no overload protection.  There was reason they were cheap.

Peterfgf

8 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Happened to have to pass through Bamford today so I had a look over the wall, The new loop connecyions are in. 

Not too sure about that cutting widening. Looks like it's being done on the cheap and a recipe for future landslips.

Beware the Edale Shales!

 

The slope angles look reasonable, especially the upper two-thirds - it all depends on what the ground is like.  The Victorians built some pretty steep sided cuttings in unsuitable material.  It looks like they've covering the slopes with netting to stabilise it and to prevent rock falls (?).  There also appears to be ring of limestone rock around the edge: the weight will be useful and it will also channel surface water around the sides of the embankment.  Doesn't look too bad (but I'm not a civil engineer)- famous last words. 

Peterfgf

I think Rapido only have to look at the models released by Hornby in the early 1960s (and Tri-ang).  As far as I can ascertain, all the Hornby models have been released in one form or another, except for:

• Prestwin (1 out of 10 to Bachmann for even considering it but negative points for dropping it).
• Bogie blue ICI Caustic tank (not many in real life but I would love a model).
• Bogie brick wagon "empty to Fletton?".
• and last, but not least, a Conflat L with three lime containers (well done to Tri-ang).  I want a few for my Derbyshire-based layout.`

I think marketing savvy will realise that all the Hornby/Tri-ang models have been released and have sold well, and that there are a few people of a certain age will grab these models.

Here's hoping!

Peterfgf

19 hours ago, peterfgf said:

My understanding is that NBL failed to make the transition from steam locomotive building to diesel locomotives which needed a step change in engineering capabilities (machining, tolerances, material etc).  I think they also failed to design and built the monocoque bodies required for the WR hydraulics which then came in seriously overweight.  I suspect the warranty claims by the WR played a major part in them going out of business.  I've just downloaded but not yet read this:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331114601_Business_History_The_Decline_and_Fall_of_the_North_British_Locomotive_Company_1940-62_Technological_and_Financial_Mismanagement_or_Institutional_Failure

Peterfgf

I got round to reading the business history paper (as opposed to just downloading it and filing it away).  I thought it was an interesting. well informed, sympathetic and well balanced history of the company.  It's strength is the financial and organisation of NBL rather than engineering (the author gets power-to weight ratio the wrong way round in one sentence). I can recommend it (especially as the down load is free). 

Peterfgf