That Model Railway Guy

Ok great, I think I'm getting there. I already realised that Railcom was an extra addition to the normal occupancy, it was more trying to get my head around what happens when the loco moves from the Railcom block into a normal occupancy block. As I understand from your helpful reply, iTrain doesn’t retain the Railcom information when a loco moves into a normal block, which makes sense since presumably it would just be guessing at that point. Does that mean iTrain still has to be told manually what the loco is at that point, even if it was originally added in a Railcom block then? Or is the Railcom info from a decoder able to be tied to a specific loco profile in iTrain? Or have I misunderstood completely and iTrain needs to be told manually what loco is in each block, even when Railcom is in use? 😅 Thanks for your help, I appreciate these are probably very simple questions 👍

Hi all, I’m just starting to investigate automation for a layout I’m working on and I have a few quick questions about current detectors and Railcom which so far I haven’t found the answer to. I’m using a Roco Z21 (black) as my base station and was intending to use the Roco 10808 detector (which has Railcom) to report back to iTrain. Elsewhere around the layout can I get away with using non-Railcom enabled current detectors or will that confuse the system/iTrain? Basically I was thinking of using the Roco 10819 detectors outside of the fiddle yard as they have double the amount of inputs. Locos would be added to the layout in the fiddle yard where the Railcom detectors are installed so iTrain knows what loco is where. But what happens when a loco moves from a Railcom enabled block to a non-Railcom enabled block? Is iTrain able to keep track of them or does the loco need to be dragged over in the software manually to keep everything happy? Is it even possible to mix and match the detectors like this and even if it is, is it recommended? I could see an argument for keeping everything consistent to avoid unforeseen frustrations. Thanks in advance 👍

Just spotted this image from Hattons over on Facebook - could be useful for anyone who wants a closer look at some of the liveries. Their website seems to have the artwork in place for each model now too: https://www.hattons.co.uk/directory/versiondetails/article?id=1168

Thanks for the tag @Flying Pig! Yes Gofod Tynn is a similar size at 50cm x 80cm. The original idea was for it to be an N Gauge layout but after some initial tests I came to the personal conclusion that narrow gauge stuff just looked much better going round the tight curves. Speaking of tight curves, you really need them to be as smooth and consistent as possible. Obviously that’s just good track laying practice anyway but with a small circuit like this it’s even more crucial. As it is Gofod Tynn will really only handle 0-4-0 locos, though if you’ve seen the videos you’ll know my track laying was far from perfect. A second inner loop should be possible, though fitting in a set points to move from one to the other could be a bit of a challenge. Again, you may be restricted by what locos you can run on the inner loop. The Bachmann Quarry Hunslets will go round pretty much anything but if you want one to pull a train you have to think about the overhang as it goes round the corner - and not having that overhang affect what might be on the other loop too! As has already been suggested, it seems like Kato track would be a good way to go as they do some very small radius curves and it also solves the issue of keeping the curves smooth as well. It’ll also make laying/assembling the track a lot quicker too which is always a good thing for a second layout. Best of luck with it, it sounds like a fun project!

Accurascale were kind enough to send me one of the sound fitted production samples to have a play with so I've put together a review video for anyone who might be interested: Close Up shots at 02:44 Lighting demo at 09:28 Sound & Stay Alive demo at 11:00 and Running Session (without commentary) at 12:46 Quick disclaimer: As it was a production sample you might notice a few bumps from where it's gone through testing. Also, I obviously haven't paid for this model myself like I do with my usual review videos so take that into consideration. That said I've still been as honest as I can about the model and Accurascale had no editorial control over the video. Enjoy 😃

Here's my own video featuring just some of the amazing layouts on display! A big well done to all involved, one of my favourite shows to attend each year 👍

Have to admit I was curious as to how slow I could get mine to go too... That said, this is running on DCC with a Zimo decoder installed. Still, it kept this up for a decent amount of time before I got bored and had it trundle off to find some wagons. I'm unlikely to ever run it this slow again!

Can't believe I've never stumbled across this thread before now - great stuff! I previously made a little video of Copenhagen Fields that was filmed last year at Ally Pally which I hope it's ok to post here. (If not just let me know and I'll remove)

Morning all, received my first Hunslet yesterday and I have to say I'm over the moon with it. These are my favourite type of locos so a big well done to Rapido from me - not only for making the model but for doing such a good job of it too. (Not that I had any doubt!) I've just finished putting together a little video showing it off... For reference: Close ups of the model start at 02:35 There's a rolling road test at 07:33 And proper running on my shunting layout at 09:32 Just need to wait for my sound ones to arrive now 😁

Or perhaps they've heard that Hornby have reworked their J15 to do the Y14 in GER livery. Probably unlikely but didn't Hattons do something similar a few years ago when they moved the LBSCR coaches into Batch 1 shortly before Hornby announced their own generic range.

Very happy with mine and have put together my own little video review. There's a rolling road test showing the loco run for the first time out of the box at 5:52 followed by a bit of running on my layout at 7:35. I'm very impressed with the slow speed - shunting wagons around was a really enjoyable with how controllable the Victory is. As always, viewing is not compulsory 😉

I'm not 100% certain but the 6 wheel coach seems to rock on the centre axle which lifts the wheels up at each end very slightly. I'm guessing the lights need consistent power from both sets of the outer wheels and if not they flicker on and off as the coach rocks while moving. I'm planning to remove the centre wheel set at some point so I'll report back on whether that makes any difference.

My LBSCR coaches arrived over the weekend so I put together a quick video. I'm very impressed, they look great behind my Terrier and run really well too - although the lights do flicker on the 6 wheel coach a little as it seems to be rocking on it's centre axle. Skip ahead to 9.25 if you just want to see them running. 🙂

Not an answer to the stay alive question but I did manage to get some video of the G5 running on the Hornby Magazine layout at GETS over the weekend. Skip to 21:27 to see a couple of shots of it in action. Looked like a really nice smooth runner to me... (The slight squeaking you may just be able to hear is coming from one of the coaches not the loco - I heard the same coach doing it earlier in the day when it was running with another loco)

Here's my own video featuring the layouts from the show: I had a great time over the weekend and was actually able to attend both days for the first time which was nice. Speaking to the guys at Hornby Magazine they seemed very happy with how it all went too and it sounded like, from their point of view, it was one of the most successful events yet.

Spotted this tucked away on the Dapol stand at GETS yesterday. Looking good - to my untrained eyes at least!

Here's a quick snap I took earlier which may provide a better/alternate view 🙂

A great weekend overall from my end and it seemed busier than last year's event! I was expecting there to be quiet times between trains but certainly on my layout there was someone always wanting to talk about it, which was encouraging. During my short breaks, I had chance to dart round and take a look at some of the other layouts on show which has resulted in this video: Enjoy 😃

My 009 layout in a suitcase 'Gofod Tynn' is also attending - this will be it's exhibition debut as the layout was only built over the Summer. Here it is setup in the engine shed last night... the calm before the storm!

Thanks for the info guys. Having had another go tonight and trying both of your suggestions it does seem like it's an issue with the decoder itself, which is annoying. Luckily I still have the non-sound decoder to use in the meantime until the one with sound gets sorted by the retailer. Thanks again for the help 👍

Hi folks, I’m having a weird issue with a Zimo sound decoder that I’m hoping someone might be able to help with. It’s the MS490R which I’ve hardwired into a loco on a Kato 11-109 chassis. In reverse it runs absolutely fine (including sound) but when wanting the loco to go forwards it doesn’t move at all. Meanwhile, the sound will play the drain cocks as usual but then jumps to the exhaust beat with the chuff at an incredible high speed - all while the loco is completely stationary. The loco doesn’t show any sign of moving in this direction and with the sound turned off there’s no indication that the motor is struggling or trying to move. It’s as if there’s no power being applied. Previously the loco was hardwired with a non-sound Zimo decoder and was absolutely fine with that. When I first switched over to the sound decoder I added a stay alive as well so the first thing I did was the remove that in case I’d installed it incorrectly and that was causing problems - that hasn’t made any difference though. I’ve also checked all my wiring to make sure nothing is causing a short and everything is how it should be - as far as I can see, everything is fine. I reset the decoder as well but this also had no effect. Finally, I removed the decoder entirely to run the loco on DC analogue (just to check it wasn’t an issue with the loco/motor itself) and it runs fine in both directions. I’m a bit stumped to be honest but not being too experienced with sound installations (I’ve done a few but not many) I wonder if there’s something obvious I’m missing? It just seems odd to me that, the loco doesn’t respond at all in only one direction while the chuff still plays - albeit at an alarming rate. The only thing other thing I could think to try (which only came to me whilst writing this) would be to change CV29 and invert the loco direction to see if the issue flips with the CV or remains the same. That means I’ll have to wire the decoder back in so hopefully I’ll have a chance to do that later today. In the meantime if anyone has any suggestions or has come across something similar in the past I’m all ears! Thanks in advance 🙂

Just quickly sharing my own video for those that might be interested: There's lots of close ups of the model from 2mins 30secs. If you just want to see it running skip to 9mins 20sec to see it on the rolling road or 11mins to see it on my layout. There's also a mute button for those that don't want to listen to my chatter (I don't blame you!) and of course viewing is not compulsory 😉

Given that the model is being made by Bachmann, the colour may end up being similar to their NER E1 from a few years ago. I've noticed with my E1 the colour can look slightly different depending on whether it's in my lightbox or on a layout in more natural lighting. Personally I prefer the latter.

Very happy with my one that arrived last week. I've made a video featuring a close up look at the model and its first run on my layout too. (Skip ahead to 9mins 34secs if you just want to see it running 😉)

I just logged in to share the video over here too but I see you've already beaten me too it Paul 😆 After you PM'd me a while back about filming the layout I made sure to get plenty of footage of it at Ally Pally from a few different angles to put together a little video, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's a stunning layout and one I'd definitely recommend people see in person with their own eyes though!