peach james

I would suggest that a plug in 50-70w temperature controlled one by Antex or Hakko, or similar name brand is probably worth having. Get an assortment of tips for it too, a 1mm tip won't work when trying to join 12ga wire, and the same is true trying to do 32ga... I have a couple of Weller ones as well, but my temperature controlled Hakko is what I use the most. Good tools are almost always worth the investment when you are going to spend hours using them. What I would stay away from is the "gun" type typically 50/150w jobs. I found them carp to work with, the tips would loosen and generally they were despicable. Cheap 25W Pencil ones are workable, but not as nice at all as a decent (almost inevitably temperature controlled) pencil type. Resistance Soldering can be a great tool as well. I don't have a RSU, but I know where to borrow one if I needed it. if you get serious about building brass kits, RSU's work very well for that. You certainly don't "need" a RSU like you do for general model building. I'd view owning and being able to use a soldering iron as a substantial part of the transition from a "train set" to a "model railway" James

Red and Black to the Track, Orange and Gray the other way... Yes, you certainly can use 2 decoders, one sound, one non sound to run a loco. I would recommend putting a resistive load of 30-100 ohms on the decoder that does not have a motor connected to its orange & gray (motor) connections. A light bulb works well. You may not be able to program the decoder otherwise. I see the ^ upthread about how to program the decoders so you can use Programming on the Main for most reprogramming. I would recommend installing some way of "quick disconnect" so that you can reprogram both decoders individually if really needed. I have done so in at least one of my locos- the Lego F9's have a total of 5 decoders spread over the 3 units- 1 sound, 4 motor. James

Ref: Superheat Temperatures I'll quite happily answer sensible questions- if you have a copy of "The Red Devil", Fig 136 shows fairly convincingly that the time to heat the outlet steam on a superheater on the Class 26 in SAR service is somewhat less than 3 minutes from 200-250 C, then continuing up to 325C by the 15 minute mark. I am not shocked that it takes time for this to happen- but let's take a look at what is happening to energy in the steam. By going from 200C to 250C, that is an increase of 90F Steam tables give 1201 btu/lb @ 200 PSI/390F (Sat Temp), and 1239 at 200 PSI/450F, so 38 btu more extractable, or 230 vs 270 btu extractable...so,, 40 btu/lb more extractable heat. Given that 2544 btu= 1 hp/hr, for each HP generated you need either 9.4 lb steam or 11.4 lb steam to make 1 HP. Now, colour me silly, but I'd rather boil 2 lb less water per hp/hr. This is close to a 0 sum game- if you increase the steam temperature (not pressure, though pressure helps), then you reduce the amount of weight of water required. The further increase shown above to 325C (1313 btu/lb) is most definitely of benefit. That higher enthalpy means that the loco's power and efficiency are both radically affected by the steam temperature increase. I'd ask that if you want to have a bash at North Americans, remember, some of us own more steam engines than most preserved railways, and have a diploma in the use of. They might be smallish, but I own 4 locos, a pair of traction engines (2" and 4"), a steam wagon, and have been messing around with steam for a little while. I have been involved in some experimental engineering involving the Doble boiler designs, and hold a marine engineering EOOW qualification for Cross Compound Steam Turbine ( 21000 HP), as well as Stationary Engineering (3rd class). If a preserved line honestly thought that removing the superheaters on engines would work, they'd do it- it's far simpler to put a bypass pipe in than a superheater. Since I am unaware of this ever being done beyond an experimental steam up and down while a superheater was built, I would suggest the practical experience is that any loco that was designed with superheaters works far better with them than without. My personal experience is like so- that on the 1980-90 Traction Engine we had (2"/ft, freelance), if you didn't have the superheaters, it was a pathetic dog in comparison to having them. It was bad enough that in 1987 or so, when we blew the spearpoints at Hamilton Museum of Steam Technology, it was worth taking the engine home that night, and fit a replacement superheater overnight. The other example that I am well aware of with us, is the pair of Caribou (0-8-0, Martin Evan's design) locos. The one I have has a superheater- 3x 3/16" spearpoints, I think. The other one had a saturated boiler. We kept the superheated one, and sold the saturated one... The size of the engines does make a difference to scale effects and speed of reaction. However, in full size, I boiled about 8x the output of the largest UK loco/hr, and if you turned down the superheater temperature, it certainly had a measurable, observable effect on steam consumption. Maximum superheat at work was about 400F (865F limit, 488F sat pressure at 600 PSI steam). I believe, that in any use where the loco is traveling for longer than a couple of minutes, that the effects of superheating are going to outweigh the costs. The change over distance is probably something like a mile- if the total run is going to be less than a mile, then I can understand why not fitting superheaters, but if the run distance is going to be more than a mile, the costs (superheater elements) are going to be covered by the reduction in water and fuel consumption. I certainly would not advocate designing a "new build" engine without superheat, it goes against everything I have ever experienced or read. I believe the number of locos that will only ever run less than a mile, at 25 MPH or lower, are limited.

Are you for real? Superheat most definitely is worth the rather limited complications. If you have any doubts, go look at what Julia is doing on Traction Talk, or read The Red Devil, or even better, point me to any post 1920 loco that wasn't superheated...even on road steam, better performance from a Garrett wagon with superheat than without...

VE7LGO

If it was I doing this, I think I would start with a circuit like the ^, or at the very least, a 5V version of it. (bridge rectifier, voltage regulator and cap). That way, the circuit should provide you with a steady 5V supply, and if you use a decent sized cap, a stay alive too. You have the volume of the battery box to work within...which should be lots of space. After the above, I'd start out with a fairly high (2k) resistor, and then work my way down till the lights light up about as bright as they are. But that's only one way to fry this fish...

I'm slowly working on what will be a multi gauge railway around the estate property. I have .74 Acres to work with, but only the top bit is going to get railway. I'm thinking it will be 4 gauges (7.5/4.75/3.5/2.5), but are not 100% on that yet. Both 5" and 7.25 have reasons to attract- however, to go to either of them will take me to 5 rails or no 2.5" I have a pair of 3.5" gauge locos- one is with dad, awaiting its turn in a heavy general, the other one is sitting around at home. I've also got 2" and a 4" traction engines, and a 2" steam wagon... (No, I didn't build any of the above, but I do maintain them...)

If the loco has done enough miles (real miles...) to show wear to this extent, might it be worth considering a replacement chassis? I'd guess that in order to show that kind of wear, you are looking at 50+ miles of actual travel...and that a Comet or similar aftermarket replacement set of frames might be the easiest long term solution. Sometimes the bodge isn't worth the effort, and I suspect that if you have worn out one part of a RTR mechanism, you are likely close to the end of life of the whole thing. It's not like the real thing didn't have the same sort of problem... James

Daft question- if you "have" to be able to get to the window on the long wall, could you make the whole layout slide out from the wall to do so ? Because that might allow you to have a deeper layout if you are set on having a continuous run around the long leg, a fiddle yard on the "back" side, and reduction of the size of the layout. Put runners down on the floor (something like 5/8" U track in Aluminum) with flooring filling in the spaces between them, then the whole lot run on sliders that you can pull it out off the wall to operate, or push it against the wall to "store" it. One thing to think of is that the square footage you are going to use costs at least 100 pounds/sq ft to buy...so making wise use of it is important. James

I can get both here -or could in December. A bit expensive as "import", but even Wal-Mart carries them in bags. James

I see the article has made it to press...and if I'm not mistaken, you made the front cover as well ! I'll see when/if I can pick up a copy here in Canada. Things like magazine shopping are presently not advised ! James

6 wide for me... (recently posted in the Sentinel Loco thread) The Sentinel is old enough that that is Dark Gray, not Dark Stone Gray, used in the handrails... and the home layout, rather dated view of it: (I need to redo the movie, as things have changed quite a lot since then !) James

Having helmed a few hours of close navigation (YAG's, I wasn't doing it on HMCS Protecteur during a RAS !), and having watched a few hours more (on PRO, as bow thruster operator/ER bridge communicator), we only had one side on meeting in my time, and as helm, I knew it was going to happen for ~30 seconds before it happened. We got 10 boat too close to 314, and together they came. Not a huge issue- off throttles, let the boats slow down and separate on their own. I wasn't onboard for PRO's end on meeting with HMCS Algonquin. Again, I understand it was quite apparent from PRO's standpoint what was going to happen before it did... I also have heard that when HMCS Kootenay had it's nose job ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Kootenay_(DDE_258) ) that the words of the fog chaser were " Sh!t ! Ship ! SHIP ! as he ran over the breakwater...not in that case, one of the physics of hull interaction in the sense of water...it was much like the above "incident", and that was an "ice hardened" warship built to the old school way of ship building. James

I'd forgot- I have another Post War Sentinel, but it's kind of on the course scale style:

Long Marton is run using block equipment. So, it is setup to run with just a single person as signalman (me, usually, though my helpers do take over at times...). The boxes have both bell and visual indication of the bell code ring through- because hearing what has been rung can be difficult. The pointers are controlled by servos, using Tam Valley 3 way drivers. This is Mk 2, the Mk 1 version used lego 9V geared motors and clutches to drive against mechanical stops. Keys are radio keys, because they are super smooth and easy to use. Tea is Tetley. Lever frame is Modratrac. Computer Software used is Railroad & Co 5.0. (which I wouldn't use now...) James

My copy made it to me out here in Shirley, BC. I have to say, having read the two other maker specific books on Sentinel (Sentinel Volume I and II, Joe Thomas), that this is a very comprehensive book on the rail side. It includes some well reproduced diagrams on things like the 25LTS boiler which have some waggon relevance. (I understand 8122 / OF has one...) If we could get one on Thomas Hill (hints have been made on the Spherelastic Magic blog), it would fairly well complete the story as best as it is going to be told. I'm still very curious on the couple of funnies that Metal Industries/Sentinel made right near the end of steam- the Gyro loco, and the Receiver locos for Dorman-Long. The book above goes into chapter depth of both, but there just isn't enough primary documentation to show why they failed. I suspect we will never know. There is also a chapter on the Doble experiments, and the various railcars that were made. I received a very cryptic email in the mid 1990's about one set or another of them- I think it was to do with the surviving hulk in Argentina at the time. Nothing ever came of it, unfortunately. James Powell, (grandson of George Powell, owner Super Sentinel Tractor 7529, 1959-1962)

So here a rather younger Peach was, so young that he couldn't drink ashore in the US...and we went upriver (to...spawn, that's what salmon do...) to Portland, OR. Night before, we're in Astoria, the old man comes on the Main Broadcast- you chump's- no drinking before noon tomorrow- we're being sued still from last year, so you chumps have to keep the mess's both dry until noon at the earliest... Turns out some greasy no good civvy we'd connived to transport the year before had gotten...impaired...by 11 am. Then they'd fell down a ladder and broken their leg. This being "in" the US, of course, lawsuits follow, because someone else MUST be at fault. (it's mostly the healthcare system...) PS- 4449 looked wonderful crossing the Steel Bridge about 30 ft from me on the bow... A much wiser than I was as an OS, James

Mine was with (not PB- that's the anti-nerve agent one...) Mefloquine, That gives...interestingly vivid dreams...yes, we will call them that ! James

What about one of the UT throttles from Digitrax? I have a pair of UT2's, which I use on occasion. They are NOT full featured, but are workable throttle only solutions. (I use the DT402 to consist/ect, then grab the train with the UT & run that way). Gives a single knob/4 button/toggle answer to running. Limits you to 7/8 functions.

Mine is one of the Impetus kits, it sits about 2/3rd completed because I decided on P4 for it...and its the only P4 that I have. The last work I did on it was in 2012, when I spent 2 months in Norfolk Va in a hotel room... (I was there learning all about UNREP/RAS, as I was going to be HMCS Protecteur's new RAS Deck PO, but never ended up back before the fire- so Derick kept his job...) James

I don't know- I'm still in a safety sensitive job ! James

Another source of "sketch" drawings would be the Model Engineer articles in the 60's about building one in 5". (of which, there is one for sale on Station Road Steam's website right now...). It uses your Stuart D10 as the engine...so if you managed a 10V, you are about 1/20th to having a loco ! There are photos of the NRM owned engine on my Flickr- https://flic.kr/s/aHsjz5WqNQ James

You are going to have issues with non DCC'd stock, if you run more than 1 train into the siding. They would have to match exactly in order to get this idea to work without computer assistance... Otherwise, I would use 3 sensors, being driven by a PIC of some sort, which pick up start speed, then apply decelleration, and the last sensor being immediately prior to the buffer stop. The idea being that the first 2 give a speed on approach, so you can then ramp down the Voltage applied to a fairly low level, to "coast" the train to the last sensor, which then would kill the power. Should be workable on DC, I'm not sketching it out for you. (mostly because I'm not that kind of genius, so I'd get it wrong...and try again...) I would use ambient light driving CdS cells, that is what I did with bang/bang (on/off) control on an automated layout 10+ years ago. (using Lego RCX's as the PIC's). Programming ran to about 10 pages of NQC, mostly to do with the 3 different bricks talking to each other. (only 3 inputs/3 outputs on a RCX 1.0) James

I think you would have to go with Trix Brick for those, at least OTS and in plastic (not metal) James

It's Gauge 1, so that's what you would be looking for. LGB track has plastic ties- so if you are somewhere not too close to the face of the sun (aka, not WA, or a desert) it would be one option. You could do your own using Tenmil ect, if that interests you. Otherwise, I believe at least one person on here has built a layout with the Playmo track in the garden. I don't know, because my large scale layout is Lego, not Playmo :). (the Niece has both the Faller Hit Train stuff of our youth, and a rather vast collection of Playmobile trains...). The largest issue I can see with the Playmo track is the lack of anything approaching a reasonable radius for garden use. I'd suspect it matches LGB #1 radi... The other plastic option that I know of, is that LGB used to make plastic track as well. No idea of what the cost would be, but I suspect you'd do better just buying regular brass railed LGB track. The only advantage I could see is that it would likely directly connect to LGB track. James