Denny

Absolutely. Nothing deal-breaking here but worth mentioning just on the off chance. 171 is my first ever RTR pre-order. 004 may well be my second…

Ooh yes! Good spot. The lashing eyes do throw a few things out being in the wrong place…

The yellow warning panel on 004 should touch the bottom of the front window rubbers. I think overall there’s something not quite right somewhere. The light clusters have always looked a bit off. Here’s a shot of her taken last year passing Bedelands foot crossing, just north of Wivelsfield. Complete with an EWS wing mirror.

Light engine. I assume route learning?

Another tractor sleepover! https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R06074/2023-05-09/detailed https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R06076/2023-05-10/detailed https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R06079/2023-05-10/detailed 37254

Not sure if these photo are of any use to you.

Not the best scan but no. 005 had black grills from new. Note the flush horn grill. Early mods included a new horn grill and for the EWS examples, the more obvious wing mirrors. (My photo)

As others have said, the grills were definitely red but for the avoidance of any doubt... here's another view from the same event. (My photo.)

Looks like 73202 might be on the move later today. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R07698/2023-04-14/detailed

I've heard Bachmann are producing 001 to 005 initially and that we could see the first arrivals by the end of the year. Just as I finish my own rough and ready, unnumbered Hornby 56 conversion. Quite chuffed with my first ever attempt at RTR model modifications - learnt a lot!

Apologies! I missed this. It was a tight squeeze so I daren’t take the lid off again in case it was pure fluke! I remember mounting the chip above the flywheel and running the loom towards the front where the speaker can be glued in. You’ll need some insulating tape. There’s just enough space for the smallest enclosure in the radiator section. I sorta managed a pic of the power bank in the cab though. You can hardly see it!

That’s not true. It does fit - you need to be careful and precise with your cable and chip placement/management. I’ve fitted an 8-Pin chip and speaker to a Hornby 09. The really early Dick Hardy model. I also fitted the Hornby power-bank in the cab with only minor modifications. You need to remove a tiny portion from the front of the control desk. [Edit] in response to the the 8 pin chip not fitting in a Hornby 08

I managed it this evening. The stay alive fits quite neatly in the cab after removing the front lower panel of the control desk. I didn’t need to remove anything else so the seats, hand brake and top of the control desk with the power handles still remain and the doors still open. Probably the biggest challenge is getting the decoder and wires tucked in and the body back on. Especially if it’s a first gen super detailed Hornby 08/09. I think the later ones have a revised weight block with a deeper cutout.

I believe this is an old slam-door unit door latch. Unfortunately rusted solid but brought back memories. Found on a gate near a public foot crossing.

Thanks. I did have a couple of locos running with the Gaugemaster single knob controller on my small end to end. I guess that goes to show how good these decoders are. I'm assuming that with the correct PSU I'll see a performance/stability increase. Exciting stuff!

That makes perfect sense - thank you. I will definitely invest in the recommended PSU.

Does anyone know if it would be better to use the Hornby PSU over whacking a controller to 100%? My controller is wired to a pigtail connector which connects to a bus so I’d really only save a couple of operational steps. (Remember to put the controller in a direction and turn the dial up.) Just wondering though if it would be better for the hardware?

It is quite disconcerting, especially when the missing sound files completely disable any movement! Thankfully once the profile is successfully installed everything works as it should.

Unfortunately, my setup requires more of a belt and braces approach. I've got a few 3 way points and I wouldn't win any awards for track laying ability! I do think an auto calibration might be an idea. The loco ran fine under DC.

I'm really enjoying my first foray into digital control. HM700 has completely changed the dynamic of my small end to end layout. I haven't had anything other than DC so I probably sit within the target market. It was an easy migration - DC controller to max and off it went! Fantastic stuff! With the co-co loco at least. I think I might need to auto-calibrate my Hornby 09. I'm assuming, it's an old enough model not to have gizmos in it which tell the decoder which loco it is in (no PCB, just a socket). Forgive my ignorance but can the auto-calibration be done by simply propping the loco on blocks and supplying power to the wheels? I don't have 1.5 meters of track! Couple of sidenotes/findings: I bought two 8pin decoders and both had the missing sound file problem/bug? I found that if you ignore the message, re-install the function map and CV's before re-installing the full profile over the top it'll work properly first time. I tried many times to just re-install the relevant profile but ended up with the same missing sound files unless I installed the other two before re-trying. Others may have figured this out but I've seen guidance to just keep re-installing the profile until it eventually works. That said, my findings might just be coincidence... I also found the default sound volume is way too high and caused crackles, even after sealing the enclosure with UHU glue. Thankfully you can just adjust it within the app! Neat! I'm planning some cl 09 butchery to install the Power Bank - it looks like it might be a tight squeeze in the cab. Has anyone attempted it yet with the Hornby HM7070/R7377?

Nice shots. Here's a couple from Brighton. Good to have a proper train at the local for once!

She's on her way! With 37418 https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03654/2023-03-20/detailed

Looks like Caroline might be coming down for a mooch around Sussex next week. 🤞 Tuesday: 2Z02 0922 Clapham Junction to Brighton https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R07983/2023-03-21/detailed 5Z02 1543 Brighton to Brighton Wall Siding https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03655/2023-03-21/detailed Wednesday: 5Z03 0751 Brighton Wall Siding to Brighton https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03657/2023-03-22/detailed 2Z03 0833 Brighton to Clapham Junction https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R07984/2023-03-22/detailed