DevilsAdvocate

Thanks chaps, Less is more…..I’ve heard that a few times this weekend but it obvious really. So would the Peco medium radius unifrog points be ok for the loco’s I’d be going for ? I wouldn’t be making my own. You have to know your limitations and mine doesn’t stretch to track building ! Cheers

Just as a matter of interest, i have a Gaugemaster Prodigy 2 controller. For some reason, it has stopped letting me programme / reprogram decoders I have contacted Gaugemaster, who state they do not do spares for the ‘ older’ Prodigy, but to send it back to let them have a look at it. That’s the story :- The question I’m asking, is if they can’t fix this, what controller do you recommend for 0 gauge Digitrains were at the show and were very helpful Ideally, I’d like a wireless controller. The connecting leads do my head in, but of course they are bit more expensive they showed me the ideal unit, an Evolution xpress DCS210. They would do. It costs £595 ! Again, any suggestions ? I want to keep a few feet of 00 on the other side of the loft for 00 stuff I can’t bear to part with, so the controller would be controlling both Cheers

Thank you all for your interest. What i have in mind, is 70’s BR blue era, with a Scottish theme, which can be catered for with classes 03, 08, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 37 , as you say Mol, the smaller loco’s. These are easily obtainable from the manufactures and retailers, and i always said if i did take the plunge, this is what I’d go for. Obviously i won’t overload the layout, i did this before in 00 and the layout was swamped within loco’s and looked ridiculous ! Railway laser lines do a fantastic 00 gauge depot building, i have one. Although they don’t do the exact same in 0, they do a very good alternative, which i want to make the focal point. As for trackwork, i haven’t really given that part a great deal of thought at this stage of proceedings. I have been to the York show this weekend and seen Peco medium unifrog points and set track pieces. I believe they do flexitrack pieces as well which i always used in 00. Are you telling me Marc not to use the set track then and which points do you recommend ? This is all valuable information from you all which is invaluable as i venture into new territory !! 🤔😊

Hi all, I am in the process of stepping up from 4mm 00 gauge to 7mm 0 gauge, never done 0 gauge before so it’s all new and quite exciting for me anyway I have a 12ft length available to me, with a width of 2ft, which could be extended to 3 ft if necessary I would like a depot scene, with room to move and shunt loco’s about, you know the usual stuff, fuel point, stabling etc. Doesn’t have to be complicated, your ideas would be most welcome Cheers John

Yep A 20mm x 20mm sugar cube speaker from Roads n Rails does the trick I have two Class 33’s with them fitted and they sound great Besides that, room is very limited under the shell and i would be surprised if you could get anything any bigger under there anyhow, it’s tight, but do able with the above

Can’t comment on the HM7000 as I’ve never had one, all my sound chips come on a Loksound V5 with Leggomanbiffo sound. I’ve never been disappointed with any sound I’ve had Roads n rails at £124 . Richard will sort you out

I know where you’re coming from I have a few Class 20’s which i fitted sound to, and they are great with that distinctive sound, however even if you just have the one operating with sound, it drives you bonkers after a very short while. I actually like to listen to loco’s when they are just standing ticking over, i have a Class 47 which i like to just fire up and listen to ticking over, however, that too can get on your nerves after a while I have off loaded a lot of my sound decoders recently, as believe it or not, i like to listen to music a lot of the time I’m working on one project or another through headphones, so it defeats the object really ! The addition of being able to fit sound to your loco’s is brilliant for the hobby though, and it really brings the hobby to life, but of course it’s all self opinion. Some like it, some don’t.

Thank you all for the continuous opinion and advice, it’s all helpful I have 32, 00 loco’s that i will need to offload, as if / when i make the jump, i will need the income obtained to somewhat fund the future 0 gauge plans Some of those i will keep as they are Ltd editions and i don’t want to part with them I will call Ellis Clark on Tuesday, as he comes recommended for fair quotes for taking stock off your hands. It says he will come to you to quote if required, but I’m sure that won’t come cheap, but a day in Skipton will be ok as i will be able to see what he has in stock

No Bob, they are all 21 pin decoders

Hi Folks I am clearing out some of my stock, some of which are Bachmann Class 37’s I have removed the DCC decoder out of them and put the analogue plug back into them but in 4 out of the 8 I have the light either won’t work at all, or only at one end. All other loco types I am off loading are fine, it’s just the 37’s Any ideas as to why this is happening anyone ? Cheers John

Hi all I’ve been to the York show today and spent all my time there talking to both 0 gauge modellers and retailers, and I think I’m going to go for it. I have 12ft in length to play with, with a width of 2ft to 4ft if required. Ample room for a depot layout which is what I would want. I haven’t spoken to a single person, nor read a single reply from the experts that you all are that has regretted the move up. Most admitted today that it’s about making the initial move, making the decision . Once that decision has been made just get on with it and see what develops. I’ve seen plenty of 7mm layouts today and the loco’s are superb with great detail and the choices available nowadays are far better than they were let’s say 20 yrs ago. They have put me on to Ellis Clark in Skipton, who they say will give me a fair price for my existing stock so I’ll give him a call for starters. E Bay is always an option, but 12% commission does sting a bit, but we’ll see. So, a new venture begins !!

Thank you all for your replies and advice, it seems that the hardest thing is to actually make the decision. Once made you’ve all made the right decision I’m off to the York exhibition tomorrow, so temptation will be all over again. I have 33 loco’s in 00 gauge on a layout that don’t dislike for a minute, but the temptation will always be there Another consideration that’s muddying the water is that I’d have to offload the 00 stock to fund the new project Trouble is, you virtually have to give them away A shop will give you next to nothing for them, and robbing E Bay nick 12% off your total selling + postage total Decisions, Decisions !!

Cheers Izzy. I’ve checked the wiring and it’s ok, I have contacted Gaugemaster this morning. They were very helpful, but they think it’s a fault in the console, which is bad news because they don’t carry spares for units over two years old. They are willing to have a look at it though in case it’s something fixable not requiring spares. Today, I have tried in vain to change old addresses in 3 decoders I have, programme a brand new decoder, and tried to put back 3 decoders to CV8 and reprogramme to the new address, all to no avail. I’m going to the York show tomorrow so I’ll ask the DCC experts there, but it looks like a new controller.

This is on the programming track Pete I have never programmed a loco on the main track

Hi all I have touched on this before, but although I have a 12’ x 9’ x 3’ continuous layout in 00 gauge, whenever I go to shows / exhibitions I am drawn to the 0 gauge stuff. I have always wanted to model the gauge but have always been put off by all the usual excuses. Size available and cost Can anyone advise me how to have the confidence to make the switch ? Have I enough room available ? All advice extremely welcome Cheers john

Hi folks All of a sudden, my Prodigy 2 won’t :- 1 ). Change any previous decoder address to a new one 2 ). Allocate an address to a new decoder I have never had an issue with either of the above previously. Before contacting Gaugemaster, has anyone any idea what the issue could be ? Something simple I’m missing ? Cheers all John

Hi all I have 4 decoders with addresses of previous loco’s I cannot alter the address on any of them to any other new address for loco’s i now want them in I’ve tried the obvious just re addressing them to no avail I’ve also tried altering the CV to 8 and then readdressing them, again to no avail I’m sure I’m missing something daft here, but can’t fathom it Can anyone inform me what I’m either doing, or not doing please ? Thanks John

Hi Folks Just thought I’d share this BITTERN, One of the A4’s listed above that worked fine, now doesn’t. I am staggered, I can’t believe it. It’s been running fine, and now it’s dead as a dodo. Tried it with another tender, works fine. With its own, it doesn’t. So it can only be a wiring issue within it’s tender I am absolutely stunned at these loco’s. Now, this is the 4th out of 5 i own that has finished up back at Hornby. What an absolute pile of s*** ! I have ordered Union of South Africa today in order to keep the Great Gathering set going from Olivia’s in Sheffield They assure me they test everything before it leaves their premises. Christ, miracles do exist and hats off to them Just to update because I’m losing the will to live with this : Mallard. Works fine Sir Nigel Gresley. Now works fine after repair at Hornby Dominion of Canada. At Hornby under repair Union of South Africa. Awaiting delivery Bittern. Now got to be sent back to Hornby Dwight D Eisenhower. I bought this. Motor ran, loco didn’t. Sent back to the shop for a refund So, i still need Eisenhower again and then the set will be complete I can assure all members, once this last purchase has been made, i will never ever purchase another Hornby locomotive again They look good, and that’s it. If anyone is wondering if it’s me that’s the problem, i can assure them i have been modelling for 50 years and quite capable of taking a loco out of a box and turning a controller dial ! All this is testing my interest in the hobby. I can do without this Im spending more time in the post office than i am at home. The wife thinks I’m having an affair with the post mistress !! Seriously, i have always bought Bachmann, and recently Accurascale locomotives. No issues with either Hornby ?………….They’re selling fantastically detailed locomotives, but underneath the body shell, it’s just a pile of junk Please feel free to keep updated for the latest instalment, I’m sure this story is far from over yet !!

Yes, your’e right, most shops will test loco’s for you if you ask them Problem I have with these Gathering A4’s is that they’re quite hard to find nowadays & shop stock is limited. My fault as I should have ordered them when they came out, but there you go I work in Quality control, so that doesn’t help either really. If I owned a shop and someone ordered from me on line, I would test it before sending it out. A simple and quick exercise that cuts out the disappointment for the customer should the item be faulty, but that’s just me. The trouble with E Bay and the like is that folk buy brand new, never take them out of the box, and then assume they are in immaculate working order, when sometimes they’re not, my West Country Queen Elizabeth being a prime example

Harder & Steenbeck take some beating Quality airbrush at around £200 ish. I’ve had mine years Expensive, but remember you get what you pay for

Hi again all, I just thought i would update you all as the two Sir Nigel’s Gresley’s have arrived back from repair from Hornby R30266, The Great Gathering Sir Nigel they have fitted new valve gear R3973, the green Sir Nigel they have fitted new wheels to this one. R30266. Brand new, never been taken out of the box, needing new valve gear. It’s astonishing. £395 that cost R3973. 12 months maximum out the box requiring new wheels I have said enough about this issue. I am grateful to Hornby for repairing these, this means I’ve got £695 back in working order. It’s a relief i can tell you That leaves Dominion of Canada to come back from repair and the other two to get and then I’m done. I can’t stand the hassle ! As Andyman 7 has quite rightly pointed out, Hornby’s QC really needs a dose of looking at though Reading through your replies, they all make great reading and although it isn’t great, it’s eye opening to hear that I’m not the only one who’s had similar issues Daft as it may sound, I didn’t think many if anyone buy to just put into a cabinet and never run I was even more surprised about folk buying and just leaving in the box Ive never done either, i like to see them run This isn’t a criticism, it’s everyone to their own, and having thought about it, i do understand it. So back to the A4’s Got 3, 1 to come back from Hornby, and 2 left to get Tell me why we love this hobby again ?? Cheers

Cheers Deano I have indeed sent the E Mail. The courier company have also mailed to say they will be delivering a package from Hornby tomorrow It will the two I sent them 3 weeks ago I hardly dare try them. If they aren’t right I think I’ll explode !

Having slept on this, i am still incensed with this and have written to Hornby regarding these issues. I expect them to do absolutely nothing. At best I’ll get a patronising reply back, something like ‘’ we’ve never had any problems with them before ‘’, similar to the reply Martin had, but we’ll see. Off to the Post Office now to send yet another one back to the shop…..For the last time !

Thank you for your replies thus far However, whilst i agree a lot of modellers to buy collections such as this one to display only and never run, the option to run if required has surely got to be there ? A running, working model is what Hornby have manufactured here, and their price tag for it obviously reflects this We rarely ( some of us do of course ) buy models with the idea we will sell them on at some point, but should we want to do this at some point, who will want to purchase one that is faulty, and the mulitary loss on such a locomotive would make it not worth selling. You are absolutely right DCB stating that Hornby are there to make money, but so are Bachmann and the rest of the manufacturers, and yes, they too have issues with their products, but in 40 yrs of modelling and purchasing loco’s & stock, I’ve never witnessed a buy to fail ratio as severe as the ones I’ve witnessed above. When purchasing a locomotive for £320 ( £350 actually if a DCC decoder is added ), the very least i expect of it is to run This collection when and if completed will also go into a display cabinet, but i do want the option of being able to give them a run out on occasion if only to keep the motor ticking over.

It gives me no pleasure to read your reply Martin. Interesting yes, but this is no joke is it ? Hornby make some marvellously detailed locomotives, but what good is that if their running capability is poor I’ll never buy another that’s for sure