RFS

What about the PSX from DCC Specialities? You could always ask them first whether it supports Railcom. Email contact details here - http://www.dccspecialties.com/ I used to use a PSX with my Lenz system, with the track bus passing through it but the accessory bus bypassing it. In that way a track short (usually caused by forgetting to switch points) left the command station and accessory bus running. But I can't say whether it affected Railcom. However, I now use a separate booster (LV102) for the accessory bus, with the main command station+booster (LZV100) providing track power. The CS is set to not shut down other boosters when a short occurs. Hence I've stopped using the PSX.

If a loco has a Next18 socket then you need a Next18 decoder - a 21-pin won't fit. Lenz have a Silver V2 decoder in the Next18 format.

I would suggest the extra complication and incompatibilities introduced by any "DCC+" system are likely to greatly outweigh the benefits. Someone would have to explain to all the DCC equipment manufacturers what the business case is for spending a lot of money on providing more than 9999 addresses, and maintaining 2 standards indefinitely. And what about modern DMUs and EMUs which have 6-digit addresses? Also, I believe, most modern US locos have 4-digit numbers so would there be support from the US fraternity for such an enhancement?

Sorry - confused the DCC80 (autofrog) with the GM500 (http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=GM500&style=main&strType=&Mcode=Gaugemaster+GM500) The GM500 costs the same as the DCC80 but is a relay wired together with the turnout. It therefore avoids any of the issues with the autofrog (ie allowing a short to occur etc.) and also being DPDT allows one unit to provide polarity switching for both points in a crossover where the points are switched together. If you're using DCC for the turnouts, the GM500D can be used instead.

You are thinking of the ADS8SX (first version) which resets the frog polarity to the default position at start-up, and also if powered off in operation due to a DCC short. EDIT: just beaten to it!

I used to use PL-13s and they were largely reliable but I have now moved on to using Tortoise slow-action motors. What can happen with the PL-13 is that the wiper inside has drooped a bit but it's easy to fix. Prise open the top using a small screwdriver in the slot, taking care that the internal spring does not ping into oblivion. Then bend the two wiper arms up so that they make good contact, and re-assemble. If you are using the ADS8SX then make sure you have the latest version which remembers the status across power outages. EDIT: Removed comment about DCC80, as this I was thinking of the GM500 (see post #8 below).

Hi Phil H - Seems you have a somewhat intractable problem. You could still try running the bluescreenview program in my link. It's just a utility you download and run, not anything you have to install. Are there no relevant entries in the windows error logs?

So what is it crashing on? Do you get the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) problem and if so what's the failure code? You can get a summary of all previous errors by running this utility - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html If your system is crashing every half an hour even after having done a clean install, the most likely causes are bad hardware or bad 3rd party drivers. If you post on here some more information folks might be able to help but you shouldn't assume your problems are directly caused by Windows 10 itself.

But that can't be stored in the decoder as its DCC address which cannot be more than 4 digits. Some DCC systems allow you to also assign a name to a loco which is what you are describing

My Southern Region layout is based c. 1960. SR Diesel and Electric locos and multiple units are a doddle as they all have 4-digit numbers. For steamers I use the last 4-digits of the cabside number. However, if that results in a loco with a leading zero, I replace it with the first so that I always have 4-digit numbers to avoid confusion. So 30023 becomes 3023 and 70004 7004 etc. It means I can always tell the loco's DCC number from its real number. Not had any clashes yet, but 2-BIL 2019 was a near miss with Standard 3 tank 82020 (digital address 2020)!

Possibly a short circuit that's not drawing enough power to trip the controller. I would check all your connectors very carefully. Also make sure your DCC wiring is adequate: take all your locos off the track and do the "coin test". Place a coin or metal object across the track at various places (especially those farthest from the controller) and make sure your DCC system trips immediately. If it doesn't, then your DCC wiring is too thin and needs to be beefed up.

That means you're bang up to date. Until the next patch Tuesday on January 9th 2018 ....

When posting a statement like this it's worth providing a reference to avoid confusion - eg http://news.softpedia.com/news/ubuntu-17-10-corrupts-the-bios-of-some-lenovo-laptops-respin-isos-coming-soon-519060.shtml

What version of Windows 10 is it running at the moment (start -> settings -> system -> about) ? EDIT: Is that Dec 2016 or Dec 16th?

Won't happen with Windows 10 as all updates are cumulative. When a new cumulative update arrives (usually on patch Tuesday) Windows will check which updates in the package you don't have, and will download and install only those. So a previous update cannot be incomplete. Of late MS seem to have got to grips with the performance of these cumulative updates, and the last one earlier this month took less than 10 minutes.

Not really fair on Apple! It's their way of keeping your old phone running reliably when the software detects the battery has degraded. Replace the battery and normal speed is restored.

Then what you need to do is go into the Windows Update page (settings -> update and security) and set values for active hours which is when Windows won't try and reboot your machine. The updates do run as a background task, but eventually you have to reboot to finish the job. An alternative, which is the approach I use, is once a major update has been released, not to wait for MS to decide when to update my machine. Instead I go to the download page here - https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10 - at a time of my choosing and run the update. There are 3 PCs in our household and they all took no more than 20-30 minutes to do the last major upgrade (1709). Sounds like you have a slow PC.

Well I checked back a few pages to see it if had been posted before, but sadly didn't go back far enough ....

Lifted from another forum with the original being from Facebook ... This is a warning to be careful about drink driving as we are getting close to Christmas. Last night I was out for my works Christmas party. One thing lead to another and I had way too many pints topped off with a couple of Jaegerbombs. Not a good idea!! Knowing I was way over the limit, I did something I’ve never done before...I left my car in town and took a bus home. Sure enough, I passed a police checkpoint where they were pulling over drivers and performing breathalyzer tests. Because I was on a bus they just waved it past. I arrived back at home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise as I've never driven a bus before and I'm buggered if I know where I got it from or what I'm going to do with it!

It's not Microsoft's job to say what 3rd party software, and what versions thereof, will work on a new version of Windows: that's up to the 3rd party vendors to decide, and especially so when it concerns older versions of their products. In many cases, only the latest version of a product might be supported on a new Windows release. Older versions might work, but might not be supported. Unless you've purchased a new PC with Windows 10 pre-installed, you have chosen to upgrade to it. In this case, the onus is on you to ensure your current 3rd party software - especially if you're running older, unsupported versions - will run. Likewise your PC hardware. EDIT: Just for reference, Photoshop 11 is not supported on Windows 10. Requirements are stated on the Adobe website as "Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 3, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7, or Windows 8".

Just been watching this excellent YouTube video from 1957 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he3jMIemvUY At approximately 6:30 in there's a sequence of two Bulleid diesels (looks like 10201 and 10202) on the Royal Scot - with sound too!

On this page there's a link to a detection tool you can download that will tell you if your PC has the vulnerability or not.

When the S&D was open, football matches were never played on a Sunday ...

Yes they will have the same effect. The only difference is only one side of each bogie has a pair of wheels live to each other. The arrangement is thus to pick up from one bogie and set down from the other.

From your reply I would suggest you are not familiar with these bogies, since if you were you'd realize that cutting the strips is not an option. They're a single piece of metal affixed to the bogie sideframe with a single screw. The OP has set that when he implements his permanent solution his problem will go away. And it's fair to say that any coach with lights will cause the same problem. The issue arises here because there are pickups in place but no lighting circuitry, hence the problem was unexpected as I found with my birdcage coaches and occupancy detectors.