DK123GWR

3 minutes ago, Mattc6911 said:

 

 

Flip side, I have fitted 30 ish Lais decoders to Hornby/ Lima locos over the last 2 years and have had no failures. If they run well on DC they run equal or better with the Lais, Yes you get what you pay for but when your running old cheap locos why buy more expensive decoders ?

 

 Not done stay alives so can help you there but will watch with interest as I may try some later   

Do you have any experience with RM and what CVs do or don't work properly?

1 hour ago, DK123GWR said:

 

2) The descriptions for Lais DCC decoders often state that Railmaster + eLink are unable to read/write all of the CVs supported by the decoder. Will the basic CVs found on the Hornby R8249 (from memory these are 1,3,4,7,8,17,18,29) be useable? What other CVs should work?

 

26 minutes ago, Half-full said:

If you are wanting value for money, dont buy Lais decoders, spend a little more and get another brand.  They are cheap for a reason, unfortunately.

What is value for money will depend upon your requirements. As long as the decoder is capable of meeting my requirements on paper then it may be worth trying one and re-evaluating the value for money based upon my experiences. If it doesn't, then I will discount it as an option and look at another option. At this point, I am trying to work out whether it does meet my requirements (as set out above) and what capacitor is required, which will apply to any decoder.

I also have no doubt that somebody will be along shortly who will say that Lais decoders do the job they need to do.

EDIT: It seems that they already have.

I want to upgrade some of my old Hornby 0-4-0s to DCC but I am aware that they may will cut out on insulfrog points at low speed (experience with Bo-Bos that haven't  had pickups fitted to all wheels informs this view). Therefore, I would like to try fitting a stay-alive to these locos. The decoder I am considering is the Lais DCC 870021, which comes with wires to fit a capacitor to (I don't trust myself to solder to the PCB of the decoder). Lais DCC make their own stay alive but I have a feeling that this is unnecessarily expensive and would like to try fitting a cheaper capacitor (i.e. not one sold as a 'stay alive') if possible. With this in mind, I have a few questions.

1) What capacitance will be sufficient to clear the insulfrog points consistently? I don't need something that runs for 2m without track power, I am just interested in making it across the points.

2) The descriptions for Lais DCC decoders often state that Railmaster + eLink are unable to read/write all of the CVs supported by the decoder. Will the basic CVs found on the Hornby R8249 (from memory these are 1,3,4,7,8,17,18,29) be useable? What other CVs should work?

3) Will I need a resistor to prevent a surge when charging? I don't know whether there is a resistor on the decoder itself or on the Lais DCC branded capacitor. If there is one attached to the capacitor then I will have to find a resistor from somewhere else to replace it.

4) What are my chances of fitting this into locos such as the GWR 101, Desmond, and Percy (from Thomas)? This depends on the size of the capacitor of course. I see no reason that it shouldn't fit, but it would be useful if anybody has tried something similar and can confirm that it does.

I think I have everything else sorted. I plan to use capacitors rated at 25V which should be more than enough for an eLink. The decoder seems to be rated for higher currents than and R8249 (1A continuous, 2A peak compared to 0.5A continuous 1A peak) so I am not worried about this.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

My thinking regarding a separate bridge piece is that it should avoid the need for screws or copper clad sleepers as all track pieces except from the bridge will be firmly connected to the board, with rails held in place by the original sleepers. The radius on my layout is much tighter than shown in these pictures (roughly R2) and I feel that cutting track at this radius (or more specifically me cutting track at this radius) will not end well which is why I am keen to avoid this.

Yes, I am aware that this is probably something to avoid at all costs, but I have no choice in order to acheive what I want to do. I currently have a double loop track on a single baseboard but manually removing entire trains is getting boring, so I plan to add a set of carriage sidings on a new baseboard. The new baseboard must be removeable as the layout take up too much space when it is connected.

I have come up with one idea - align the boards and lay track over them as though the joint were not there, fixing all track except the piece across the baseboard joint (which I will refer to as the 'bridge'). I will then add something to each board around the sleepers of the bridge. The bridge and the pieces immediately surrounding it will be set-track, which I hope will prevent them from bending out of position. The idea is that when setting up the new board it can be aligned with the existing board (I know that there are already a few techiniques to do this, but I have not yet decided which to use) and the bridge then placed, using the 'something' mentioned above to help align it.

My questions are:

1) Is there a reason that this could never work?

2) Can anybody suggest what to use in order to align the bridge?

3) Should I use fishplates on the bridge (with sleepers cut back so that they can be moved into and out of position with pliers?

Thanks in advance for the advice - any other comments would be appreciated.

37 minutes ago, BR(S) said:

Class 319 and 465 combo:

 

319004 & 465001 by grahamwalker007, on Flickr

As somebody who doesn't know much about the former Southern Region or EMUs (they're small ostriches, aren't they?) why would this be so unexpected?

I have two questions about ebay madness.

1) Is this ebay madness?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R4110A-BR-Mk1-Composite-Coach-Blue-Grey-Livery-OO-Gauge-Model-Railway-NEW/254576537754?epid=596160400&hash=item3b45f1b09a:g:eecAAOSw175b8uIJ

2) Does the postage fee include keeping the van?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-39-675-675DC-BR-Intercity-Mk2F-TOURIST-OPEN-COACH-E5911-BODY-ONLY/293602360825?hash=item445c107df9:g:v5cAAOSwxbJe2L7F

Edit: According to the seller, this is what Royal Mail now charge for signed small parcels. To quote them: 'Have you ever checked postal costs in the last 20 years?' For the record, I have. It's £4.70!

Edit: Even they now admit it's a little steep. Carry on!

19 hours ago, jools1959 said:

Depending on your era, I think your onto a hiding to nothing using the chassis for a UK mainline prototype, though the Parry People mover sounds interesting.  I would look towards industrial or maybe metro loco’s, maybe build your own creation and say in your world it was built by a local works to their design and totally one off.

The PPM is 16 10 years too late for me, but I thought it would be useful to highlight the size. Regarding industrial or prototype locos I have decided to turn the New North Main Line into a preserved railway, so just about anything could have ended up running there if it were available.

The metro idea is interesting - perhaps it could be an experimental loco suitable for both London Underground and main line use. Does anyone know the rough size of tube vehicles? I know they had some electric locos for shunting, such as L11, but have no idea whether they were as long as regular carriages or not.

19 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Ah ...... October '87 : No there won't be a hurricane !

There wasn't - it was an extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds!

Is it still called rivet counting when discussing the weather?

Hi all. I am contemplating the long term future of an Underground Ernie train (Jubilee, for those who are interested). The dimensions are very small (I recall reading that it was built in H0 scale, though whether this is true or not I have no idea - the prototype is fictional after all. These are, if I have copied everything correctly:

- Bogie wheelbase 24mm (1824mm)

- Bogie centre to centre 69mm (5244mm)

- Total wheelbase 93mm (7068mm)

- Wheel diameter 10.5mm (798mm)

The smallest BR Bo-Bo that I can find is the Class 16, which has a wheelbase of 8.69m according to Wikipedia. Are there any similar (or even smaller) UK based designs that people can think of? It doesn't have to be spot on (as a First Attempt In Learning the body will be far from spot on) but If there is a suitable design to attempt I would be interested to know about it. Any suggestions for MU prototypes are also welcome as I have the trailer car, although as the chassis is shorter than a Parry People Mover I doubt that these exist. Otherwise, it'll be a Type 1 loco inspired by the class 16. This is probably a couple of years off as I have quite a bit to do first, but I'm trying to create a clear roadmap and would like to get some initial ideas for projects like this as early as possible.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

32 minutes ago, figworthy said:

Why did they want it on DC ? 

The lines to the North use AC. If they used the same system in Berkshire, any working class ruffian could go down there. They'll be nicking the wheels from the trains!

On 30/04/2020 at 19:49, Adam FW said:

If it already has decals/printing on it they may need rubbing back to stop it showing through to the new paint as I doubt you want to see dino safari ghosted onto your new paintwork

As I may be getting closer to actually carrying out the work, can anybody reccomend the best way to remove the decals from this model without causing damage? I have read that different methods work better on different models, so is anybody able to make a reccomendation regarding Hornby locos of this era?

22 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

I’m not too sure. I don’t think the school curriculum is particularly relevant - railway modelling is a hobby, and personally I didn’t do any qualifications in DT, although the small amount I did early on probably helped with my model railway skills. I find it difficult to believe that people without much experience being unable to repair an RTR loco is a specifically recent issue, but I was probably getting reasonably close when I mentioned model shops in my first post. Imagine somebody going out to buy a train set. They probably buy it from a large, general toy retailer rather than a specific model railway shop (or increasingly online) so if it goes wrong they won’t get anything from there except a complete replacement. When model railways were more popular (‘model railways’ in the sense of people owning and playing with a Hornby etc. train set which I think has become less popular, not necessarily building a complicated, fully scenic layout) then the number of people known to any potential newcomer to model railways who could help them out would have been greater than it is now. Club membership probably isn’t hugely relevant because I’m thinking about those who casually buy or are given a model railway set and could be encouraged to go further into model railways, so at this point they aren’t yet in the hobby. Although another point that this suggests is that starter locos need to be robust and fairly smooth running rather than hugely detailed.

I think this is a good point. Although I haven't personally seen a model shop close locally, I know that they have in many areas. We can't really help the changing nature of retail (it would take a wholesale cultural shift). Perhaps including a link to RMweb with all instruction booklets (cheaper than providing decent instruction booklets) would help. Hornby could of course provide clear directions to their own forum, but they need to make it a little more user-friendly first (I don't struggle but many others seem to, and of course all photos must be moderated before they can be displayed) or that will also put people off.

As for the racism/sexism/ageism debate, maybe we could either drop it or find a more appropriate venue before it gets even more toxic than it already is. 

28 minutes ago, Lantavian said:

Hypothesis: The hobby attracts too many old men with entrenched ideas on race, women, etc that young people find repulsive. 

 

For example

 

On the one hand, I can see the connection between model making and propensity to engage in DIY (each develops skills and increases the availablity of materials that can help with the other). On the other hand... Let's just say that the hyposthesis is a strong one in case going any further derails this discussion.

5 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

When I saw it the train set loco was a non-runner, and I wonder whether my friend and/or his brother might have become more interested in railway modelling if they had been able to get it easily fixed or exchanged/replaced locally, something that is increasingly difficult now there are fewer local model shops. Nowadays they might get sold a DCC set, possibly even harder for an inexperienced person to repair themselves.

Would you say that more detailed instructions could help with this, or would it require something else, such as more focus on DT in schools?

11 minutes ago, johnb said:

A bit of a longshot, but I just wonder if all six wheels are spinning. I had a similar problem with a loco where the cardan shaft between motor and one  bogie gear tower was missing. Therefore it was trying to drive on one bogie with no drive to the other on which of course the wheels were locked due to the gearing. This resulted in a lot of spinning but little movement.

 

Of course Half-full has a very good point

Thank you very much. It wasn't missing but it was disconnected. The loco is working perfectly now,

I have recently bought a Hornby Class 56 (56108 in Railfreight Grey) from Rails of Sheffield. I have set it up inn RailMaster and it is working well, other than one problem.

It has absolutely no grip! I am trying to drive it light loco on a level track. The wheels spin around a lot, but the locomotive barely moves. This occurs at all speeds and both directions. I have put some coaches behind, just in case it altered the weight distribution somehow but as expected this only makes the issue worse. I am very surprised since it feels like a brick to pick up, and is far heavier than other locos which have no problems with traction on the same track.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions about what might be causing this or how it might be resolved.

Thank you - it's off now.

How do you remove the screws in order to release the body? Even when the bogie is rotated all of the way to one side and the screw pressed against the opposite side of the hole, the screw will not get past the bogie. Is there a way to resolve this, such as removing the side of the bogie? Otherwise, Hornby have produced a wonderful DCC ready model with no way of inserting a decoder.

Thanks in advance for the help.

EDIT: I've just found that at one end, the screws are located closer to the centre of the bogie, and can be removed, whereas on the other they are located further away from the end of the model, and so get caught on the side of the bogie.

Thanks very much everybody. With some work I might be able to make a few of these wgons look more appropriate. Very helpful.

11 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

Sorry you can't find the information because the vast majority are completely fictitious.

 

Only Hornby could tell you why the brake van has a white roof. Paint it lead grey.

 

Lowmac and 2nd Bogie bolster in livery introduced from Nationalisation, used until 1963 but would have seen in a worn condition for years later.

Shell is unlikely to have existed. The yellow was used for lubricating oil on earlier tank wagons by Shell - a rare colour but did exist, But I don't believe it was used on any of these wagons introduced c1964 - this is a very poor representation of the prototype.

 

The Swansea and Bolsover are probably reasonable representations of liveries applied pre war, although they may not have appeared on the wagons they are on - very difficult to see, as is the next one.

 

Paul Bartlett

 

Thanks for the information about the brake vans.

The Minera Lime wagon is a 5 plank wagon of some sort. My understanding is that this would be wrong for a lime wagon, as these had roofs on them (and when searching for 'Minera Lime wagon' this is what most models depict). However, Wikipedia states that:

'The quarries had their own steam locomotive and hundred [sic] of open coal wagons and closed lime wagons at its peak. Hornby Railways and Dapol both have model wagons detailing the Minera Lime Co. It also had extensive kilns, still there to this day. The works closed in 1972 and the Wrexham and Minera Branch railway lines were pulled up at around the same time.'

Therefore, I am assuming that the model is a coal wagon (most likely a generic model). Therefore, the question is whether 5 plank coal wagons would have remained in use at the limeworks until the very end (whether similar wagons outlasted them in other places), or whether they had been replaced before that point.

Swansea is a 7 plank wagon with a door in the centre of each side.

Bolsover is a metal wagon with two doors on each side belonging to Thoresby Colliery. This colliery was the last in Nottinghamshire, closing in 2015. It may have been using the railway into the 21st Century. The livery applied appears to have been from the grouping era (L&NE RL presumably being London and North Eastern Railway) but I don't know how long this livery, or wagons similar to the model, may have survived.

Regarding the completely fictional wagons, I was expecting there to be a lot of generic wagons, but they must be about the right shape and size that they could if you squint while taking hallucogenic drugs vaguely resemble one particular type of wagon more than another (though not neccesarily in Kellogs livery).

I wasn't really sure where to put this. On the one hand, I'm looking for some prototype information, on the other, I'm starting from models and working backward, which didn't really seem to fit with the Prototype Questions forum. I have a collection of wagons, from various sources. Unless otherwise stated, I need the following info:

1) What type of wagon is it (or should it be) a model of? For generic wagons, what wagon does it most closely resemble?

2) When were these wagons introduced, if this was later than the end of steam? I doubt that any of them were, but I have included the question just in case.

3) When were they withdrawn (and, if different, roughly when did the livery depicted become obsolete)?

As there are quite a few, I decided that a video would be easier to post than individual photos, so here they are being hauled by an A4 (this is my best low speed runner, so easiest to film).

The wagons are:

1) Birds eye livery, made in England by G&R Wrenn Ltd.

2) Kellogs livery, made in England, probably by Hornby

3) McVitie's livery, made in England by Hornby

4) Sheaf materials livery, made in China by Hornby

5) Shell livery, made in England by Hornby

6) Laugharne Morgan livery, made in China by Hornby

7) Bolsover livery, made in England by Hornby

8) Minera Lime livery, made in England

9) Great Western liveried Macaw B (Q1) made in Italy by Lima

10) BR grey liveried Bogie Bolster A (Q1) made by Hornby at a top secret location. This seems to be ex-LNER, despite coming in a set with a 0-6-0 PT in GWR livery. Can anybody confirm this?

12) BR bauxite liveried Lowmac (Q1) made in China by Hornby

13) Smith's livery, made in Great Britain by Hornby. This probably had a roof in the past.

14 and 15) BR standard brake vans, I believe (Q1). Black roof made in China, white roof in Great Britain, both by Hornby. What would the difference between the roof colours signify? I assume that these lasted for as long as brake vans were required. (Q3)

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide. For some of the wagons (namely the Lowmac and bogie bolsters) I imagine that I would be able to obtain the information required with a little bit of digging, but have included them here in case anybody knows off the top of their head. However, as I don't know what over 50% of the wagons are (and can't find this infromation) I don't even have a starting point for the vans, open wagons, and tanker.

I've been able to find plenty of photos of the outsides of Travellers-Fare restaurants, but I am struggling to find any of the interiors. Searches such as 'travellers-fare interior' or 'inside travellers-fare' only show interiors of coaches. Any help would be much appreciated.

8 hours ago, Sotto said:

Well, I have experimented. Scraped some of the black paint off the post and off the arm and  holding either bare patch to one terminal of a 9v battery and the black wire to the other- hey presto, it lights up.

 

Therefore the circuit does indeed complete through the arm and post. The missing wire (it's green on mine) must be intended to attach to the inside of the post. Perhaps it's just some sort of interference fit so once pulled out, there is no trace of where it fitted. I am not going to try pulling it out of mine! 

Thanks. I thought that one of mine might be broken but then realised I'd knocked out the foam which pushes the contacts together while taking it apart. I guess that it's going to be almost impossible to remove the body given that this forms part of the circuit. A very frank conversation with a saw might be on the cards in order to remove the arm, but I have no idea what to do about those hideous lampshades.

After removing the post, I have found that mine don't have a second wire anywhere.

I have some very battered lights in my box of spares (no idea whether they work, so it's worth a try). As you can see from the pictures below, there is only a single wire and contact. How is the circuit completed? I assume through the body of the light but I don't know. Also, how can I remove the light itself from the remaining body? Thanks in advance for any help with this.