RFS

Hello again after a while! I've now done the same as you and converted my S1935 coach as above. First time I've done this. so can I ask if you have varnished over the transfers above and if so with what type? Just want to get everything right as I'm about to do the same on the 3-set from which I've already removed the SOUTHERN decals and the 3s on the doors. Thanks

The DCC decoder page is on the JMRI website - https://www.jmri.org/xml/XSLT/pages/DecoderId.html

I believe the maximum allowable configuration at Charing Cross was an 8-car formation of 2-HAPs due to their longer length than EPB stock. Non-stop trains from London Bridge to Woolwich Arsenal would usually go via Greenwich as that was the shortest route. I grew up in London in the 1950s and remember well these trains being 8-car 2-HAL formations.

Here's a photo of 92239 taken in 1964 on Robert Carroll's Flickr site which clearly shows how the lamp irons were fitted.

See my post above showing the newer version. The tail is much more flexible than the previous version, and is altogether a better coupling.

This scares me just looking at it!

Is it this box on the tender frame between the 1st and 2nd axles? There's on on each side of mine.

I've used a thin shim of plasticard or paper to re-use a couple of broken fishtail couplings. The shim makes the coupling tight enough to work reliably whilst still being capable of being removed.

Just bought another pack of ultra close couplings for some recent stock additions, and these are the new style with a shoulder. Looks to be quite an improvement, and the tail seems to be changed as well. Here's a picture of old (with broken fishtail) and new coupled up -

Westhill have produced useful guides both for choosing the right couplings and a fitting guide. These are PDF documents that can be downloaded from here - https://westhillwagonworks.com/content/7-hunt-couplings-guide

As already mentioned, they are 3D-printed and can be brittle. I've converted all my stock to using them and have got through 27 packs in all. I've had 7 or 8 failures out of that number, which is not bad really. Another issue is when they are too brittle, and hence don't click into the socket properly so simply come out of the socket as soon as there's a load. A couple have been discarded as a result. But apart from that I'm very pleased with them. I use the "close" length ones for Bachmann MK1s, and the "ultra close" for Hornby Maunsells and Bulleids and most of the freight stock. The Bachmann MK1s do need the stepped version of the coupling to get them to the right height, as the close are not only too high but also catch on the solebar at times causing derailments.

Have you tried giving Hornby a ring? Sometimes they have spares from returned items.

Indeed so. He's the same guy who wants £4k for this one (and other items too) - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334621993835 .

CV 30 is the one that will report errors and should be 0 if all is OK. Are you sure it's the decoder that's the problem and not the coreless motor?

I just used a simple push-to-break switch under the flap. Originally, I had a Lenz LZV100 and that had a feature for this, whereby you could set up an emergency stop button by wiring it across the the E and M terminals. When I replaced the Lenz with a Z21, I simply wired the switch across the bus so now you get a short circuit that stops the whole layout. Crude but effective and cheap. The lowering of the flap breaks the connection and ends the short.

A number of photos of the locos in this album here - https://railphotoprints.uk/p293667875 - all of which show 20001/2 with silver cabs.

In most instances via the switches on the points that control the path over the diamond crossing. I have several crossings on my layout wired like that with Tortoise motors. For example, with a crossover using two points, each point switch controls its own frog plus the diamond frog furthest away as both require the same polarity. Only thing to remember is that, if a train is set to traverse the centre road, the points must not be set for the crossover, but that is normal prototype practice anyway.

So how does this stop the train from derailing on the point?

A Pullman car with a corridor? Doesn't look right to me! Amy chance you could post the URL of the item so we can have a look?