NFWEM57

I purchased an ECoS for my planned layout a few years ago, and have used it primarily to set up decoders whilst using a Dynamis Ultima for my test track; Dual EM, OO(75), OO(100) and N gauge loops, all with turnouts and sidings various, with a short elevated O gauge run and a Y turnout. Recently I set the long address on a LokPilot 5 Basic using the ECoS and then went to test the locomotive on the test track. Annoyingly, the Dynamis keeps resetting the long address to 1000. I was unable to find a reason why online so decided to take the plunge, purchase a Lok Programmer to use for decoder setting up and use the ECoS for the test track. Nearly all my decoders are ESU so the 'ESU decoder only' constraint for the Lok Programmer is not an issue and I always have the ECoS for other manufacturers decoders. I have a number of other decoders which I will fit to refurbished and refreshed older stock I am selling on. LaisDCC, etc. To my surprise the Lok Programmer has more functionality for non ESU decoders that I thought. For non ESU decoder fitted locomotives you can: Run the loco and select lights and other functions from the drivers cab. Change the short address. When reading decoder information, see the values of CV7 and CV8 (Manufacturer). Have not checked decoder reset yet but will do so. There may be more hidden functionality for non ESU decoders, I will update if I find any more. I now have a Dynamis Ultima for sale which should recoup the cost of the Lok Programmer..! This may be common knowledge but I thought I would share anyway.

There is a point where one needs to stand back and look at the options including the time required to manufacture a part oneself. Whilst the various pipes were easy, the ETH parts are proving more difficult. So a comparison of the options is required looking at ease of manufacture, cost, time, fidelity and fragility. My attempt at manufacturing ETH and MW parts proved to be time consuming, difficult due to size, have poor fidelity but are more robust and inexpensive. So what are the options? The West Hill Wagons Works sets are high fidelity, already assembled, moderately expensive if you just want to use the ETH/MW parts alone but are somewhat fragile; both the ETH cable had broken off from the junction boxes on the set I purchased.. Effectively, £3.79 for a locomotive. Shapeway sell a set of 5 pairs of ETH boxes minus cables (so 10 in all) which look to be very high fidelity for £19.72 and therefore £3.94 per locomotive. . Shapeway also manufacture the MW connectors, 20 for £10.42. The catch is postage from the country of manufacture US which is a staggering £21.44 and the added VAT resulting in nearly £10 per locomotive. The Shapeway sets would have been ideal but not at that cost, so it will have to be a hybrid solution. Pity Shapeway do not manufacture in the UK but I have purchased their parts before using a UK importer at much lower cost so I have made an enquiry. If Shapways is not an option, I will use the West Hill sets but fit copper wires in place of the very brittle cable already fitted (and which are already broken). Patrick

I purchased over 20 of these a while back and whilst they are a great design, hats off to James, they are just too bulky for my needs; they would not fit on the cramped underside of my test track so the MERGs stay in place. I have since switched exclusively to MP1s for turnouts and will probably used dingo's for semaphores. Shame, like to support UK innovators, but physical size was the down side for me.

I have attempted to make the ETH/MW part in the images above but it has not been entirely successful by 'hand'. So intend to try another approach using a compound table/ machine vice to hold the parts, mill to size and then drill the 1mm and 0.7mm holes required. This might also be the only method to make the angled connector on later ETH gear.

If you require 80~100 turnouts for a layout then it is most certainly the cost..!

Hats off to C&L for adapting but I do wonder if this is to compete with British Finescale (BF) offerings, which are £27 per turnout with machined crossing V and switch blades? It is the very high cost of C&L turnouts that has been the issue for me from the start which is why I used EMGS B6s and BF Crossings and Slips for my test track and will be making my own bespoke turnouts required for my layout where EMGS and BF solutions are not suitable.

Acrylic or Enamel??

Hi, Thank you for the alternative solutions suggested above. I am a member of MERG so have looked at Arduino and other solutions. To me, the MP1 and MP5 turnout motors really fit the bill. The issue remaining is with what do i drive them and, for me, the jury is still out. I may yet use an ESU product but the latest developments with their ease of setting up is really good news. Minimum wiring, minimum setup, brilliant. I'll still use servos for the semaphores or i may go hybrid and have lights on the mainline and semaphores on the branch lines of my layout. Patrick

West Hill parts finally arrived. They are quite impressive, if a little fragile..! Class 37 MW Connectors and Cables, Class 45 ETH Cables and Connectors, Early Class 47 ETH and finally Class 47 ETH. The C45 and early C47 and late C47 are identical although the later C47 has a different cable layout. The C37 set is different but quite simple. I will attempt to replicate using round and square plastic rod and wire already acquired. Whilst the excellent detail on the West Hill offerings will be missing it will be similar to the C45 offerings from Bachmann, below, and as my formations will rarely be stationary, close enough for 'watch the trains go by ' use..!. Patrick

Thank you for all the feedback and advice. I have a little time to watch the latest systems (Lodi & YaMoRC) develop before I commit and I will be using iTrain for automation. Who knows, perhaps ESU and others will react to the latest developments. The Lodi 16SD & MP1 option is slightly cheaper than the YaMoRC & MP1 option but Lodi is pretty expensive for servo control and no sign of current sensors yet, critical for automation. But although YaMoRC have current sensors they have yet to release a servo controller. As always, one size does not fit all. But my (growing) key user requirements are: Separate Supply for control modules using DCC for control only. Inexpensive (per unit) turnout, semaphore and light signalling solutions with easy set up. The Yodi did impress on the simplicity of turnout and switching setup; no CVs to fiddle with. Current feedback solution for block detection. Booster regions within a booster Compatible with iTrain Feedback from locomotives and some accessories Patrick

Still waiting for West Hill sets, should have been here Sat but 48Hr tracked package stuck in Southampton Mail Depot since Friday so must assume Royal Mail have 'lost' the package. So, bit of delay.

ESU Switch Pilot 3 has that built in too. So, servo my solution for semaphores. Sounds like the Internet of Track and a brilliant idea..! So, we would need an NMRA like standard for that..!

Building up my stock too..! Did have other solutions in mind but too bulky.

I Hi, Apologies, I should have been clearer. The turnout price of £45~£50 includes the turnout..! In my case they would be, for the most part, EMGS B6s and British Finescale EM gauges points with a few bespoke built. The cost per point is made up of, for example: Cost per channel of DCC control, so 1/8th of a Dijikejis DR4018 (£5) or ESU Switch Pilot Servo 3 (£6.25) Cost of an MP1 (£18) or Dingo MiniPoint with Switch and Servo (£9.50) The turnout itself (£27) I have looked at Cobalt Digital but its runs off the track power and I could see no way of providing separate power and control so i discounted that as a solution. All my other solutions have separate power provisions. Patrick

I rekindled my interest in model railway during lockdown, having had a gap of 50 years...! Although I purchase a bit of 1970s and 1980s Hornby stock to upgrade i was impressed by the level of detail and mechanical improvements of more modern offering; and shocked by the price. Trying to improve 40 year old models to match modern standards was going to be a waste of time in most cases and more expensive than buying later offerings, stand fast some Lima models, so I gradually morphed to acquiring more recent models. On the choice between DC and DCC it was obvious, given my engineering background, DCC would be the obvious choice and I duly purchased an ESU ECoS and use, predominantly, ESU decoders. Sound is not the be all and end all for me although I generally have at least one of each (Diesel /DMU) class sound fitted. Roll forward a few years and the landscape is changing. No longer do we have to play with CVs as the human machine interface takes care of all that. But now we have a variety of offerings and I am wondering if my ECoS is redundant given the offerings from Lodi and YaMoRC with very much simplified firmware updates. So, having (partially) invested in servo turnout and servo signal solutions for my planned layout, I am now considering fully committing to MPB turnout motors and maybe even using coloured lights instead of semaphore signals. But the problem is, which system..!!? I have looked at the turnout solution from an overall cost basis and the cost is in the region of £45-£50 per point regardless of solution from MERG to MP1 with ESU controllers and similar. But the advantages of the latest systems far outweigh the cost differential. So, I am on the cusp of moving to Lodi or YaMoRC with MP1s and similar and selling off my old DCC hardware. However, ESU will likely remain the decoder of choice for my bespoke locomotive lighting arrangements with additional bespoke electronic. Has anybody else found themselves taking a step back an looking at the bigger picture? Patrick

I have made start on the hoses and the results are reasonable. The images below show the unpainted vacuum (top left), steam (top middle) and air brake hoses (top right and lower 4). Note the left and right handed isolation valves on the air hoses and steam hoses and the variation in hose sizes. The 3D D printed hose and cable sets from West Hill arrive tomorrow and whilst they are more detailed I am not sure on my planned layout it makes any difference as it is primarily a 'watching the train go by' layout and so fine detail will not be that visible. Which brings we on to the ETH/ETS and MW cables. There is a lot of detail on the West Hill sets and much variation between classes. However, the fine detail might not be required for my layout and so representation (as above), rather than exact copy, might be adequate. I'll create some ETH/S and MW cables solutions for comparison. The key consideration is flexibility. The RTR and West Hill sets are rigid plastic, the item above are adjustable and not perfect copies. The vacuum hose are wound guitar string, the rest copper wire with fuse wire. Patrick Patrick

Great pity as I had just started buying up Digikeijs DR4018 16-channel switch decoders for £40 a go to go with the MP1s I have started to use. Looks like I will have to use an YaMoRC Y8116 at £62.50, But, it looks to be way more versatile and easier to set up. Patrick

There are government departments that do that all the time to save money 'in year' only to have to expend far more downstream. One manufacturer I dealt with bought all the 'excess' stock being sold off and sold it back at a far higher price a year or so later. The problem is not storemen in the government's case, its the treasury and accountants who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Just look at HS2, same problem.

Hi, thank you for the tip. I had a look at the web site. Was tempted by the Tyne Dock conversion set but have more or less decided on the home built solution. After studying a lot of porotype buffer beam images have worked out cable and hose sizes. Have drafted an article with diagrams which I will upload as a pdf in the near future. Once my last item arrives, 2mm round rod, I will make my first set and include the images in the document.

Thank you for the information, very useful. I have ordered a set for C37, C45, C47 and Steam to see what they look like and maybe use as a reference. However, at £4.50 per locomotive and unpainted, I think 'home made' might well be cheaper and, made out of wire, possibly less prone to damage and more 'adjustable'.

Yes. Real work, sport ( I am team captain for club) and and heat (my study gets too hot in summer) got in the way..! However, now have all the raw components (wire, guitar string, shaped plastic) and (various orange) paint and will commence on a Lima Class 47 shortly. The Lima has a new chassis and railroad powered and unpowered bogies with Alan Gibson wheels set for EM. Sorry for delay, aim to complete by end of August. Patrick

Bachmann sell a set of 4 sprung buffers and air pipes as a spares pack E3165-253-05 for £5. There are similar sets on offer from them as well. Patrick

Now that we know that P4 and a few other gauges are being catered for, should we should change the title to 'Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in N, 00, EM, P4 and other Gauges'. Or better still, 'Using and Modifying British Finescale Easy Assemble Point Kits' and include the tags for N, OO, OO-FS, EM, P4. I have added tags except OO-FS as there was no tag available.

Thanks, I purchased Phoenix COLAS Orange. I'll see how they all turn out..!

Hi, thank you for the comments. Project overall was a failure because the railroad power bogie without traction tyres just cannot pull anything. You may wish to look at my other conversion for the Lima HST Conversion for some more ideas. You could certainly make use of the electrics and stay alive.