Knapdale

Just ordered one of these from TMC via their eBay store. I’ve been waiting for Bachmann to release an SPT 101, as the Hornby one has traction tyres and no lights. However, TMC have reduced the price to £102 making it too attractive to resist!

I’ll be back on RM Web in the near future to ask how traction tyre wheels are replaced and how to fit lights to Hornby Railroad model…

Thanks to everyone who replied! 

Can anyone identify this wagon I saw today in an engineering train? I can’t make out the TOPS code. And does anyone know what it’s used for?
 

It was 6K10 Cowdenbeath to Millerhill empties and ran in a consist of 5x JJA Autoballasters; said van; 5x JJA Autoballasters; 3x JNA and 1x MLA. 
 

I’ve tried to find it on Paul Bartlett’s website, but must be looking in the wrong places

There’s more information on the Gaugemaster forum:

Unless if I’ve read the information wrong, this seems to be a very expensive system for DC use. I currently have a GM Model Q to power my four track sections, points and lights, along with a smoothed GM supply to power my signals. To get the equivalent from Infinity, I would need to get:

1x Duo at £395

2x Acolytes at £390

1x Light Accessory at £45

3x Points Accessory at £150 (one accessory controls up to four points)

1x Signal Accessory at £20

So £1,000 at RRP!  I don’t think the benefit to me over what I currently have could justify that cost. 

12 hours ago, Bishdurham said:

I have had a quick search through past comments and see nothing.  How are the headcodes changed on the early Deltics?  Looks too easy on the early 37s, but is it a body off job?

https://accurascale.customerdesk.io/#rp-customer-widget-faq-d28519f9-ce7c-4505-afab-c4b89fa858c9
 

Details can be found on Accurascale’s support page. 

On 29/08/2023 at 14:26, Rich_F said:

Serco Test Train at Redhill station. Ex-Class 101 power cars sandwiching a Mk 2 coach. 

 

Do you know the date of this picture? When I click on it it doesn’t take me to Flickr site. 

On 23/09/2023 at 21:41, adb968008 said:

Do you have a video of it you could share ?

 

I’ll try and get a YouTube video sorted when I have a spare moment, which may not be for a while.
 

I have measured the voltage going through the track using a quick random selection of locos. When setting my GM controller to put 6v through the track with no loco on it, then putting a loco on it to see the change, I’ve found the following results:

Accurascale 55: 4.8v

Bachmann 47: 7v

Bachmann 55: 6.8v

Dapol 68: 6v

Heljan 26: 6.1v

Unfortunately, I don’t have a properly working Accurascale model yet to see if its figure will be different to the faulty one. I also don’t know if any of these figures mean anything significant, but it’s interesting that the only one with a voltage drop is the faulty Accurascale. 

5 hours ago, atom3624 said:

Have we confirmed that this is a voltage-related issue only affecting various operators using DCC?

 

As stated earlier, I'm DC / 12V only, using a Gaugemaster model D.

I've had mine hauling 13x Bachmann bogie TEA Oil wagons at 55% power setting for nearly 2 hours this morning - no variations anywhere.

Just coming up to 2 hours' continuous operation now, so will remove, but barely warm, perfectly smooth and just as quiet as when first operated / received a month ago.

 

Al.

No. I run DC with GM too and both my Deltics have suffered from the slow down/speed up/stop-start routine. This didn’t start immediately after purchasing them either. 

3 hours ago, LaGrange said:

 

Would you expect to be able to charge your IPhone 14 with a 1980s/1990s Ericsson or Motorola charger though? Same as hooking up a PS5 / Xbox Series X to that old reliable Ferguson TV Set thats been part of the family since 1985..... Just doesnt happen these days. New technology requires new supporting technology, its as simple as that

So should we expect an Accurascale transformer soon? An iPhone comes with its own charger, so no need to plug it into another manufacturer’s.  The DC powered motor in a model railway locomotive is hardly new technology. 

3 hours ago, Accurascale Fran said:

 

Hi @Geordielad,

 

We are always happy to help anyone who has any issues with any Accurascale product as best we can. Just for balance, we have put literally tens of thousands of locomotives with this drive train on the market over 2 years now, and tens of thousands run spot on. They also spent 6 weeks running day in, day out for 8 hours a day on Making Tracks 3 without issue, other than the bufferbeam detail falling off that we stuck on with poor glue! 

 

These are very much isolated issues, and as demonstrated on the previous page with the youtube video the answer can be found elsewhere concerning controllers, connectivity, voltage etc. Each situation can be unique.

 

No manufacturer is immune to the odd rogue loco. It is always interesting that some customers have failure with every loco from a particular brand they receive. Is that really really bad luck, or could there be an issue on the layout that's causing it? It's not playing the blame game, it's getting to the bottom of the issue  so a customer can enjoy their models without headaches. We always work to diagnose as best we can, and why we recommend always to talk to our support team. After all, we have locos with more advanced electronics inside than many that have gone before, so comparing them to others when they are different under the hood isn't always the best way to look at it. And nobody knows the inside of our locos better than our support team,

 

Please reach out via email if you have an issue, we are here to help.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

I appreciate what you write, but is it too much to ask for a modern model loco to run consistently on a basic oval of track using 30-40% of a 15v DC analogue supply roughly 5 years old. The only manufacturer I’ve had issues like this with is Accurascale. What doesn’t make sense to me is that after they’ve been “repaired”, they at some point afterwards fail again. I don’t think it’s bad luck, nor do I think it’s an issue with my layout, which is at the basic end of model railway power supply. 

1 hour ago, MikeParkin65 said:

Absolutely this. I think for the majority of us, especially RTR purchasers, basic electrics and electronics are the most neglected/least understood aspect of the entire hobby. Basically we just want to run trains and we add more and more loco's of increasing complexity without even considering if our layouts are 'up to it'. I'm in the midst (actually two thirds through thankgoodness !) of a re wire having found out that the cheap wire I used for the DCC bus 10 or so years ago is hardly fit enough for the droppers. It seems self evident no one should be relying on fishplates for current transmission even on DC and certainly not on a layout thats grown in length and complexity from a basic original configuration. Likewise starter controllers and power supplies both age and become inadequate. 

 

Layout electrics aren't exciting like loco's and trains but they are essential to reliable performance and the new 21st century models are doing us a service in highlighting our weak spots.

This may be the case for DCC fitted models, but I don’t understand how this could apply to analogue operation. Are Accurascale motors really so advanced that they can’t cope with a Gaugemaster transformer producing 30-40% of its available 15v DC current around an oval of track?

1 hour ago, Geordielad said:

Has anyone had problem with Accurascale class 92 and 37 slowing down then speeding up? I had two class 92 and one class 37 doing this, all returned for my money back.

None of my other 70+ locos are doing this. I use DC analogue with a Gaugemaster model D transformer. I also have a Hornby HM6000 transformer and the problem is still the same, so its not a transformer problem. Any feedback would be valued, as everyone else does not seem to have this problem or maybe they do?

They do. I have two Deltics (6 and 15) running on Gaugemaster DC  and they do the same slowing/speeding up routine. And on the odd occasion stopping altogether. 

First time this issue occurred was not long after receiving them in June 2022. Both went back to Accurascale for repair (15 via Rails). Not long after receiving them back, the problem occurred again with 15. Returned it for repair. Came back again. Not long after that went back for repair again for the same problem. A few days ago Rails told me they’ve received it back from Accurascale and will be sending it onto me. 15 has spent longer in the workshop than with me since I first received it.  
And just a couple of days ago the same problem has now restarted with 6, which I thought had been sorted for good. Unfortunately, it’s too late for me to ask for my money back.  
If I knew then what I know now, I would have got a Bachmann Deltic. It’s also the reason I decided against getting an Accurascale 37s and got a couple of previous tooling Bachmanns instead. Guaranteed reliability. 

I’ve used Brimal Component switches for my layout. Normal toggle and toggle with built in LED for some points out of sight. I’ve had no problems with them and there’s a huge variety. 
https://www.bclstore.co.uk

4 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

https://www.railtech.com/all/2023/08/29/british-high-speed-trains-set-for-mexico/?gdpr=accept

“Barring the handful of units still on duty in Scotland..”

Interesting definition of “handful”!

With the detailing provided, does anyone know which parts go in which of the holes in the bufferbeam and underframe? 
No instructions are included and while a couple of parts are obvious, it’s not so obvious with the pipes. 

For power I use a Gaugemaster Analogue Wall Mounted 12v DC smoothed regulated power supply (GMC-WM4). It’s also useful because I can easily disconnect the adaptor from my signalling wiring to power a model drill when I need to.  
 

I connected my resistors to the negative wire coming from the signal. I don’t have the instructions any more, but I think that’s what was advised in the instructions. 

Has anyone tried fitting a OR Mk3 body onto a Hornby Chassis, and if so, does it work?

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

Note the phrase ‘revenue earning’ in my post.

 

However by 1992 driver training duties at that date would usually be done with Mk4s and with regular service trains. On the other hand if you have just done repair and want to test the loco putting it out on a scheduled service train is asking for trouble - it’s much safer to send it out under test with whatever you can find - and as Bounds Green depot was also the home of the IC Mk1 charter rake in the early 1990s it doesn’t take a genius to work out that would be ideal to ‘borrow’ for a quick test run.

Sorry, my quote of your post was to support what you wrote and provide dates that the OP requested. It wasn’t posted to provide evidence to contradict it. Maybe wasn’t clear in the way it was worded. 

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

Yup.

 

To reiterate the 91s have NEVER hauled (or pushed) anything other than the Mk4s or the MK3 + HST power car acting as a DVT) in revenue earning service.

 

Any pictures of them with anything else are commissioning / post works testing runs.

There are pictures available in Modern Locomotives Illustrated Class 91s (No. 229) of 91s hauling out of use Mk3 sleepers as part of these test runs. The dates range from May 1988 to July 1989. 
Also, in the same issue is a picture of a 91 running blunt end first hauling a Mk1 charter train and a Mk3 sleeper was used as a barrier. This occurred in May 1992 and is described as “likely… being used as a driver training run.”

8 minutes ago, Knapdale said:

This forum has more information than Wiki, but you might need to register to view:

 

http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/Class+117

 

Sorry, I see you’ve already got that link!  But in it is a photograph from March 1999 showing an in service 117 at Perth. 

This forum has more information than Wiki, but you might need to register to view:

http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/Class+117

The On Shed Bookazine series should give you ideas. It provides history for each shed/depot in the BR regions. 
 

https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/product/railways-of-britain-10-on-shed-part-7-western-region-london-south-west-and-southern-region

5 hours ago, JN said:

 

Entrepreneurship? I did not realise only Accurascale had the exclusive rights to produce the locomotives. I am sure you told Accurascale/Cavalex that Bachmann and Hornby had done models of:

Class 37

Class 56

Class 60

BAA wagons

HAA/HFA/CDA wagons

TEA wagons

 

Enough to go around and possibly appeal to different aspects of the hobby. However, not all stock types sell as well and no railway has an infinite number of variants of coaches/locos/wagons etc. Companies have to keep their stock fresh and relevant to the market or they go out of business. A competitive market is more beneficial to the consumer, too.

 

Anyway: these 37s look great models. I am sure many people will get many hours of innocent pleasure from well-crafted, well designed models. All the manufacturers seem to be hitting hard on the 37/0 or 37/3 or 37/4 end of the class, but I am looking for a 37/5 or 37/7. I could perhaps get a brand new locomotive, but pre-owned seems is what I look at. I can pick up the models I am after for a price I can afford. A good model, even if not the best, but I factor that in when making a choice. Do not let the good become the enemy of the best ;).

 

Accurascale or Bachmann is a much better choice than some people face on a daily basis.

Plus, in my experience anyway, Bachmann locomotives are more reliable.  

In case anyone else has a problem with their Bachmann 37 on set track R2 curved points, a solution is to cut and file down the two top corners of the worm gear covers in the bogie tower. This will then allow the bogies to swivel slightly more as they go through the curve. Pictures attached show my crude handiwork, but it works.  

I think the radius of curved points must be slightly less than R2, because the bogies don’t have a problem going through the normal R2 points.