uk_pm

I recall reading somewhere that when double-heading in DCC back-EMF can cause issues. Have you tried turning it off in one, or both, locos?

Thank you; that is super helpful. I'm so glad you used a grimy foundation; so did I for the MGR wagons. I will have a go with my Cemflos and see how I get on. In the meantime, thanks for the inspiring photo.

Very impressive. Did you use powders? (I have to tackle some Cemflos and am not quite sure how best to do it!)

Weathering them was a messy business - but very worthwhile...

Lovely! I liked the Hornby model, but I never felt they had the cab shape quite right. So, like you, I’ll wait for Accurascale.

Can anyone help with non-Facebook contact details for this outfit? They produce some excellent O-gauge kits, but their web presence is on Facebook with contact possible only through that medium. All assistance gratefully received. PM

Changing the subject, does anyone know how the bogie sides can be removed on this model? Putting it differently, can it be done without taking the whole thing to pieces?

Apologies if I have missed it, but has Accurascale yet announced a class 50 in its immediate pre-refurbishment state (ie as-built with front end jumper cables/plugs)?

Apologies if this has been covered before, but can anyone advise on the best way to remove the wheels? All suggestions gratefully received.

What a super little model! I let it pass when it was first released, hoping that SLW would deliver their's around the same time. But I have now taken the plunge and, like the prototype, it is a characterful and feisty little loco. Here are a few shots of it at work at Doncaster...

I have moved on! The defective parts have been replaced, and the coach is back in service. I have posted the further pictures because I was asked to, and the topic as a whole is interesting - principally because it provides a reminder that the laws of physics apply as much in OO as they do to the real thing.

I have attached further photos of my heat-damaged Mk 2f BSO. The heat transferred to the under frame can be clearly seen (and it was the resulting deformation which impeded the close coupling mechanism and caused the initial derailment). Also visible is that the heat transferred to the axle, causing it to melt and deform (indeed, that particular wheel is now stuck fast amidst melted plastic). I noted yesterday that the second bogie on that coach is also deformed, and that the affected axle appears to be slightly wide (although the wheels turn quite freely in their bearings). I am not able to reach any firm conclusions - other than that significant heat has been generated in both bogies of this particular coach (and in one bogie of an FO in the same rake). I think the most likely culprit is prolonged running at speed with poor lubrication. But I agree that lubrication has its downsides in an electrically conductive axle/bearing. Any other views?

I'm so sorry. When I read your original post I couldn't for the life of me work out what b2b meant. it's obvious now, and a very interesting thing for me to check. I won't be able to do it until the weekend, but will report my findings when I do. Thanks for an excellent suggestion.

Goodness; I had no idea my post would inspire such high-level intellectual debate. I am intrigued by "ohmic heating" (which sounds like something HM Government might espouse in the face of the energy crisis). I still prefer my original theory, which is that I had failed to ensure the metal-on-metal bearings were properly lubricated, and so heat built up as the coaches tore their way around my layout - sometimes for hours on end (whilst I looked on, oblivious to the dangers!). That would explain why (a) the rake felt heavy and (slightly) resistant to movement and (b) only 3 bogies out of 22 were affected. Nonetheless, I am astonished that such heat can have been generated. It will, of course, have been transmitted very effectively by the metal pick-ups which stretch the length of the bogie and up into the coach body. I think the moral of the story is that good lubrication is as essential in OO as it is on the real railway.

I’ll often run the rake for a couple of hours at a scale 100mph. But you’re right, it could be caused by that. In many ways that’s much more worrying. I wouldn’t have thought the current is high enough to generate heat. Funnily enough, I’ve thought the rake is “heavy” for a while. But it’s easily whipped up to linespeed by an Accurascale Deltic or Heljan 47.

Here's a salutary reminder that good maintenance is as important in OO as it is on the real railway. Investigation of a derailment revealed that poor lubrication had caused extreme heat to build up in the bogie of a Mk 2f BSO. The result: a malformed bogie, seized wheelset and a jammed coupling (the heat having also deformed the under frame of the coach). I wonder if Bachmann has plans to release miniature hot-box detectors?!

Absolutely terrific weathering. May I ask how you did it?

Obviously I agree. O gauge has an amazing presence which I cannot capture in OO - but it EATS space. So I have a modest O gauge layout (little more than a plank really) on which I can admire, and run, my fleet of O gauge stock. But in the same space, and just adjacent to it in my train room, I have got a reasonably passable model of the whole of Doncaster station. I would love a big O gauge layout, but fear I shall never have the space. Maybe the garden is the answer?!

These really are superb models. Here's a short vid of 4 of mine at work on my small O gauge layout. Note the interiors - untouched by me save for the addition of a few passengers and of curtains in the first class compartments.

Here's some dirty deltic action to showcase these superb models...

55 011 - looking work stained after a fortnight's hard work on the ECML - suffers a signal check at Doncaster as she heads south with an express from Aberdeen.

Wow! These models certainly run as well as they look. Here's a couple of shots from the weekend's activities. They now need to be weathered (and have their buffer-beam detail added). It has certainly been worth the wait. Thank you Accurascale!!

Hello Werner I think that you cannot load a sound project designed for a Zimo decoder onto an ESU decoder. I have a pair of Dapol 122s and they really shouldn't cause a Zimo decoder to overheat. I wonder if you should check if the mechanism is free-running and, if it isn't try to do something about it. Good luck! Peter

The model is supplied with at least 2 spares.

I have now received my three 56s, and jolly nice models they are too. As with all Heljan diesels they are:- (i) beautifully finished, with the liveries impeccably applied (I say that noting the controversy about the black windscreen band on the large-logo locos - but it barely notices on mine and frankly you'd need 20/20 vision to see it); (ii) impressively weighty, with a haulage capacity to match; (iii) fitted with the superb double-motor Heljan mechanism; (iv) replete with minor details which are a delight to behold (examples of which include the different tone LEDs used for the headlight/marker lights, the separately-fitted roof details and the bogie mouldings). The mesh on the side and cant-rail air intakes, and above the roof-fans are superbly fine. the loco is screwed to a presentation board, and so avoids the snapped-off details which, sadly, afflicted the recent class 47. In common with all recent Heljan releases, fitting a DCC decoder is complicated by the challenge of deciphering the wiring diagram. But, it has its own logic and is easily worked out provided a clear-head is maintained through the process. There is provision for a speaker in the fuel tank, and room for a beefier one inside the body, if desired. I am not 100% sure that the front end is spot-on accurate, but I'm not sure it is inaccurate either. As always, with diesels, there are a host of angles to be modelled and it is a minefield, complicated by viewing angles and bulk. A few pictures below. What do you think? PM