RFS

But there's no problem if you have a tyre on the inner wheel first axle and the other on the outer wheel of second axle.

If you have both tyres on one side then you only have electrical pickup from the two wheels on the trailing bogie for that side. With one tyre on each side you have three pickup wheels on each side.

Not sure what system you are using but the Hex Frog Juicer is for DCC only. It's also somewhat expensive to say the least - at £8 per point. The Cobalt/Tortoise motors only need a DPDT change-over switch as all you are doing is changing the polarity so the switch position will always tell you which way the points are set. Ironically, as they're always powered, you can wire an LED in series with the power terminals, which means you don't need to use one of the internal switches for the LED indicator. See page 2 of the Tortoise installation document - http://www.mgbrr.org/tips/an6000-1.pdf . And you can connect the LED directly to the switch without having to run any wires to the motor.

One solution would be to use the switch on the PM1 to drive a DPDT relay, using one pole on the relay for the LEDs and the other for frog polarity.

If you check the completed listings then practically everything sells, including a number of empty bottles. Very strange indeed!

Well at least it hasn't got solid corridor partitions! Or how about this one - a "none" runner. Not surprising really, no motor, no wheels, no roof and both ends are damaged. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/class-31-loco-no-motor-none-runner-/200680148808?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item2eb9780f48

Anyone fancy a full set of Clans - all 25! The 10 that were actually built plus the 15 additional that were planned but then cancelled. I would suspect they're recycled Britannias. http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4ab14f7120

There's a nice video clip of a 4REP and 2 4TCs in blue leaving Waterloo here - http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthernRailwayFilms#p/u/174/9ch2qnUl9Gg

Seems like the guy bidding on the 40 got caught out. His bid of £250 went in when the price was £39 so perhaps he thought I'll make sure I get it because no-one else will bid that high, and he was not even expecting to pay 3 figures. Then someone else tried the same trick ...

I know empty boxes do sell on Ebay but this is ridiculous! Up to £15.38 already for a box that has been repaired with sticky tape... I wonder if the bidders haven't noticed the words "empty box" in the title? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R2169-BR-4-6-2-CLAN-LINE-MERCHANT-NAVY-CLASS-EMPTY-BOX-/220875509000?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item336d34cd08

If the Hornby VEP was built to the same standards as the Bachmann CEP and EPB then I'm sure they'd sell like hot cakes. For example, a motor bogie of equivalent quality to Bachmann's (mounted at the brake end rather than in the passenger saloon), proper corridor partitiions for the first-class sections, proper trailing wheels (ie pin-point axles) and a front end that is just as convincing as the Bachmann models is all I would ask for.

I have two Hornby class 73s with the latest motorized bogies - one has traction tyres and the other does not. I assume the wheels with tyres could be replaced if the non-tyred wheels were available as spares, as only a single axle is required. Bit expensive to get a complete set from Ultrascale though. The Bachmann 4-CEP has the power bogie at one end of the set, and I've experienced no running problems at all when the power car is at the rear of the train. I've even tried it with the power car at the rear with 4 Bachmann MK1s on the front so it's pushing 7 coaches, and again no problems even through curved Peco code 75 pointwork. As to close-coupling with the 4-CEPs, I've dispensed with using the lights because they're not very good anyway. This allows me to use NEM couplings of my choice between the coaches and I've fitted Rocos. These mean the corridors touch on straight track - especially with the power car at the rear. I was going to purchase a VEP but I've decided against it due to all the issues. My little passengers are benefting from extra CEP comforts instead....

And just look at the size of those air-horns compared to what Hornby have fitted to the model!

Can anyone tell me if the non-motorized coaches have pickups for the lighting circuits like the Bachmann CEP/EPB vehicles? I'm using DCC automation with occupancy sensors, and just placing any single CEP/EPB coach onto the track causes the occupancy sensor to detect it. But what about the VEP, in particular the DTCs? I was expecting to have to create resistor wheelsets for the VEP but I'm not sure if this is possible. Like others, I had a pre-order with Hattons but having seen the reviews so far, I was disappointed and cancelled it. I do hope Hormby make a better job of the Brighton Belle or that will be cancelled too.

My pilot version D5512 ran OK for at least a couple of years before the front cab part broke away. I took the body off and found that one of the 4 fixing screws had failed as well. Hornby asked for the loco to be returned to them. It came back as D5511 (so obviously a new body) and there was a replacement chassis as well. Whether the motor had been transferred from the old chassis I don't know, but everything is fine now. I only had to pay to return the loco to Hornby - everything else was free of charge. I was very pleased with that service.

Hatton's price for the DCC-ready version is £120. For that you're getting an engine and 4 super-detail coaches. If you were to think of the price as £40 for a loco and £20 each for 4 coaches then it's not a bad price at all. I know Hatton's have been selling off blue-grey 4-CEPs at £89 and that's an even better bargain. Irresistible you might say (and yes, I bought one to make up an 8-car set ).

It could simply be the guy has been taken ill suddenly (or worse) and hence is unable to complete the sale or even communicate. There is always the possibility of this situation arising with private sellers who are trading on their own. The Ebay checker tool shows that the problem started suddenly and for everyone. He doesn't have any items for sale at the moment. I use this tool to check if a seller's feedback score is not 100% - Ebay checker tool

Here's a Hornby Britannia that's "brand new, unopened etc" but it's for repair only because it "doesn't work and shorts on track". Either it's dodgy or the guy's incompetent. If it's new and doesn't work it's still under warranty! Ebay link And another one - "Excellent A1 condition. Does not work". What?? Ebay link

Yep - it's certainly been updated! Revision details say title and description revised this morning at 07.43. Didn't know you could change the title after listing has started though. Seller must be an RMWebber!

An "LMS coach made in Britain", says the description. Really? Looks decidedly continental to me! So-called LMS coach

If it's like the Bachmann 4-CEP then you can turn the body round yourself. Some of the 4-CEPs actually had the odd vehicle the wrong way round (one of mine included) and it was fairly easy to change ther body round (well fairly easy once you'd got the body off!).

Definitely the other way round. All the photos I have show the fittings between 1st and 2nd splashers on every loco, but only those with air brakes have the fittings next to the cab. I suppose the next question is what version will Bachmann be producing?

Some locos were fitted with air brakes and the compressors were located on the right-hand side just under the cab window. There's a nice picture in Locomotives Illustrated 64 of 31589 hauling a long train of continental ferry vans. However the loco is not dual-fitted so the stock must have had vacuum brakes. The date is August 1957 at which time these vans would have been steam-hauled in France as well. I suspect the dual-fitted locos would have been used with Central Section (ex-LBSCR) stock where air brakes were the norm. There's also a picture of 31588 in LI 64 at Paddock Wood in October 1960 with the later BR emblem on the tender. It's the only example of this I can find.

Try the Southern Images web-site (search under collections). It has lots of pictures of the C class 0-6-0, a class I remember well as they often trundled past our school when I was slightly younger than I am today! http://www.southern-images.co.uk/ Also Southern Railway Photo Net here - http://southernrailway.net/home/index.php The class is covered in Locomotives Illustrated 64 (Pre-Grouping Southern 0-6-0s (March 1989)).

Not a typo here - just look at his other items, eg Smokey Joe