AdamInTheAttic

Mine arrived today too. Look excellent and also had one coupling in the accessories bag. I don't know how to use the other accessories though as there are no instructions, I've only had a brief look but hopefully I'll figure it out. I'll do a YouTube video / review soon. 

Did this building get finished? I'm thinking of purchasing one. 

I got my Mogul today ilwith DCC. Ran really nicely straight out the box, although the front coupling hook was missing but no big deal. I was hoping to see the firebox flicker but there is none sadly, hopefully in the future I can add something to make it work. 

I heard a complaint of the front truck wheels not being to correct width but mine was perfect, and navigates all points and curves with ease. 

Overall, very pleased with the loco. 

I received the same loco last week. As said before, the chassis was too tight and the loco kept stopping. I loosened the screws to assist. 
 

The couplings however are absolute rubbish. Far too low, just like my 47xx. It’s a lovely looking loco but if you can’t couple to rolling stock it becomes a pretty lonely loco. How can Heljan think this is ok?

I have now fitted the chip. Silly me, I thought the black portion was the blank not the whole circuit board. All fitted. Hopefully my NCE PowerCab arrives today. 

Hi Andy, there was a black plastic blank on top, is this rectangular ircuit board on top a blank also? 

I can see there is a missing pin on the chip and a 1 on one side but the loco has none. 

Hi everyone. I'm embarking in DCC for my layout and I'm trying to fit a 21 pin dcc decoder. It's easy enough except I cannot see where pin 1 is on the loco. Does anyone have any ideas? 

Thanks

The sidings and goods area are not finished, I've just completed the station area trackwork. 

Just want to say thanks to everyone who has responded to this. I have now started to fix my track down, I'm using all electrofrog with seep motors. The cables are currently dangling under the board but once the point motors are fitted I'll order my dcc controller. I had to compromise with a point facing the way some don't agree with but after looking at a lot of track plans I see that it's done where unavoidable and I have struggled with my plan to say the least. 

I have changed my track plan a little. I have tested it on dc and it is very smooth and all engines are running through it well. The main station can hold 6 coaches and a large loco, the second station (down line) can hold 4 and has additional lines for goods etc. I have added an extra couple of points to add sidings etc later. 

I shall continue updates for this on my blog. 

Thanks again. 

I have also purchased the PSL book for track plans and as said before, Tresco looks brilliant although it'll have to be simplified a little on the left hand side. 

18 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

If good running is the aim you could use a pair of turnouts to provide the leading connection for the goods yard with a single slip instead of a double slip.

The GWR did try to avoid facing points but failed. Indeed in 1964 Castles routinely ran across the facing points at  Honeybourne junction at 100 MPH. when the LMR put a 40 limit on the ones at Bromsgrive at the bottom of the Lickey, an otherwise brilliant place for going for a Ton.   Snow Hil was squeezed into a very narrow site and traffic was reduced by not terminating northbound Birmingham trains at Snow Hill but at Moor St for locals and Wolverhampton for expresses and sending goods via Stourbridge junction Worcester and Oxford to avoid Snow Hill.

What I don't see in the plans is anywhere for trains to go.  No hidden sidings to store spare stock.

Do the tracks in the tunnel serve as a fiddle area.?

On yet another tack the inside wall of the tunnel is noticeable by is absence, modelling the curved wall does a lot to help the illusion of the tunnel being a genuine tunnel especially if you can also keep it really dark in there

 

 

 

I'll be having extra sidings for rolling stock, my diagram does not show it yet but there will be placing for this. I'm just concentrating on the station at the moment. There are a lot of great ideas from everyone which I really appreciate. 

Melmerby, that link shows a fantastic looking track plan! If only my layout was wider! 

Thanks for the responses again. I do believe that like most things in life it will have to be a compromise. I understand the use of a double slip is rare and a single slip is more prototypical, but for a model railway, the added benefit of the double outweighs it for me. 

I've ordered 3 this morning in electrofrog and shall begin building up the station area this week and weekend. I shall keep the progress of the build in my blog. 

Again thanks to everyone for their input. It has made my station area a lot better than my initial plan.

OK so now I think I'm getting it. My latest attempt should be about right. Now I know I have 2 double slips where there shouldn't be (on the right) but for the added functionality compared to cost I'd rather just have it. I've also got rid of the triple points, and please ignore the fact that the lines look straight, I'll be having some curvature to go with the scenery I plan. 

Thanks everyone for the assistance. It's getting clearer slowly. It's certainly a mine field. 

15 hours ago, TonyMay said:

Not sure about GWR practice completely, but we're getting back to avoiding facing points again.  Typically a goods yard in this position would be accessed from what is your outer track, with a single slip (or maybe a plain crossover) where it crosses the other line - not a double slip because that would introduce a route through a facing point into the goods yard.:

 

 

 

There is no way for a inner track train to access the goods yard directly; it would have to stop, run the loco round to the other end of the train using a pair of crossovers, draw the train back onto the outer line, and then propel the stock into the goods yard.

You can't see it in the photo but there is another point to allow the inner line direct access. I've now removed the slip and exchanged it for 2 points. The first the right way around (I think). 

So I just need to change the two top right points around so they are not facing. The other side they are not facing. 

Sorry for the confusion, you can tell I'm new to this! 

I'm basically trying to have it similar as shown in this diagram (as space allows). 

On 17/08/2020 at 12:28, TonyMay said:

 

What I want is the inner circuit to be mostly goods. So in this configuration it should be able to go straight into the goods section or the left hand of the lower platform. 

On 17/08/2020 at 12:28, TonyMay said:

 

12 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

The snag with the arrangement as shown in the first photo is you can't run out of the goods yard on to the main line, you can only come in.

I see what you mean. I can move the points around so that's possible. I'll have a crack later today. 

OK so I had a little of a shuffle and I've removed the dpuble slip and replaced it with 2 medium electrofrogs. The other end of the station I will likely shorten slightly and run a larger radius curve instead of the set track. At the moment I'm going to concentrate on the station area and work on each section at a time. My brain will fry otherwise 

On 17/08/2020 at 12:28, TonyMay said:

 

I ordered that book yesterday so hopefully that’ll help too. 

1 hour ago, TonyMay said:

So two scenes; one an MPD, one a station, or do as I suggest, which is to drop the MPD and curve the track more realistically.  The optimum curve IMHO is something like this, which gives you space in front for a goods yard, maybe some curved platforms, a little bit of scenery.  I suggest the sidings on the right could be like a dairy scene.

 

Thanks Tony, 

I certainly like that now I can see it. I'll get in the attic tonight and see what I can do. 

Thanks again for all the assistance. 

Adam