philiprporter

Does anyone know if these are the tanks that used to be seen at Kings Cross diesel stabling point in the 1970s/early 80s or would those have been TTAs? Thanks, Phil

Very strange - glad you managed to get hold of one though. Cheers, Phil.

That sounds odd - it was sold out at Heljan some time ago I understand (i.e. sold out in terms of pre-order supplies to retailers) and because of a large number of returns due to the locos shifting in the packaging and causing damage to buffer-beams and other delicate areas (the plinth spec was not what Heljan had specified to their factory apparently and securing bolts have been pulling through the plinth and allowing the loco to move in transit), the blue version is now sold out everywhere I have looked. This applies to the non-refurbished version (3105), not the refurbished version pictured above. Hope that helps.

Thanks Trevor - I was just wondering if he air brushed it or if there was some other method - will drop a comment and see what comes back.

Thanks Trevor that's very useful indeed. I'm guessing this guy gloss varnished the tender and loco before applying decals?

That sounds even grimmer!!

That does sound grim!!!

Thanks guys - all very interesting indeed. Having never been inside an engine room I had no idea how this would all work. I shall look under the bonnet of my car with renewed interest now! No sunroof fortunately!

Sorry Phil that wasn't my intention.

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if this is the dumbest question ever posted here, but I'm going to risk public humiliation and ask it! On the roof of all diesel locos is a big twirly whirly ventilation fan which is located beneath a very large hole in the roof. How is rain water prevented from entering the gubbins below and/or prevented from ending up on the engine room floor and accumulating wherever it lands? Same question for cant rail grilles, body side grilles and vents on the front of locos (e.g. the vent on the top of class 47 cabs) - I can appreciate that the louvered design of some cant rail and body side grilles may prevent water getting in due to their angle, but if mother nature is blowing horizontal rain at a moving loco then surely water could potentially get into the engine room? Or is it simply a case that water does get into the engine room and drains from the floor somehow? In a car the engine bay gets wet from road spray, but we don't have to walk around the engine bay of a car so water can just run off back onto the road. As I say, this is probably a very dumb question and I hesitate to ask it in public(!), but its been something I've been wondering for a while!! Thanks, Phil.

And now a short video with the body on - which makes it sound even better despite a small echo effect. Just need to figure out how to make it run smoother at low speed (I read somewhere about wiring the motors in series on Heljan O gauge locos to help this?), but that can wait - for now I'm just enjoying the Napier noise! So in sum total to get this sounding right it was a switch from NCE Powercab to MRC/Gaugemaster Prodigy Advanced 2 that reduced the weird high frequency noise (but didn't get rid of it completely), EM2 speaker at one end which muffles the high frequency noise even more, large O gauge speaker at the other with a foam baffle over the speaker (the passive speaker diaphragm is left uncovered) to muffle out the last bits of the high frequency noise. Legomanbiffo Deltic sound project and Loksound XL chip. Huge bass despite my poor recording - sorted. It even makes the baseboards vibrate-thats got to be a good sign! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JnssblBr8Y&feature=youtu.be

Thanks Charlie and thanks also for your patience and support - great stuff.

Quick video clip. Gaugemaster Prodigy 2 with EM2 and large O gauge speaker. Foam over speaker mutes the high pitched noise even more without significantly impacting overall volume. OK the root cause of the issue hasn't been completely solved but this will do for me and in real life (as opposed to a mobile phone recording) it sounds great. Hope this is helpful to someone.

Partial success - hooked everything up to a Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2 and you can still hear the high-pitched whistle, but its a lot less obvious and doesn't drive you round the bend so much, as it doesn't cut through the usual DCC sound white noise so much. Then as a last test, having tried a grand total of 6 different O gauge speakers with the whistle still there on the NCC Powercab and the Prodigy , I hooked up an EM2 - no high-pitched whistle, just blissful Deltic noise! I can only assume that the extreme bass of the EM2 masks the high frequency of the high pitch whistle. So I have no idea what the conclusion to all this is, except that whatever is causing the issue is less pronounced on the Gaugemaster Prodigy as compared to the NCE Powercab and with an EM2 speaker you can't hear it at all - at least my ears can't! The good news is that with a large O gauge speaker and the EM2 in the Deltic combined, the high-pitched noise is almost completely masked by the EM2, but you get the meaty volume from the O gauge speaker and the Deltic sounds wonderful. Will get a video posted up tomorrow all being well.

OK today's update - no joy with the filtered 4 board as I suspected, so that only leaves the PSU as the culprit I guess? Although why this interference should only be present on this one chip is very strange. Only option left is to try a different DCC system. I've should have access to a Prodigy setup at the weekend so will see what happens with that.

Thanks for the message - no the decoder has been removed from the loco (where it made the same noise) and is just running on the bench now with direct wiring from the DCC system. Cheers, Phil.

Interesting. I have tried the DCC setup at work and same result, so this points the finger of blame ever closer at the PSU - although I will look at CV9 as Rob mentions above when I next get a break. I'm not expecting miracles from the filtered 4 board given that this looks more like a PSU rather than a mains issue, but we shall see.

Many thanks Rob and Chris that's very useful and interesting. I'm using the power supply that came with the NCE Powercab (I have a Tam Valley booster but I'm not using it here) and given that the high pitched noise stops when the mains PSU is removed (the on-board stay alives keep the sound going) its almost certainly that the PSU or mains supply is where the issue lies. I've got a filtered 4 board arriving soon so will try that and also look at the ferrite sleeves that Bif mentioned. If it is the PSU then I'm hoping that may be a relatively easy fix. I've tried a different circuit in the house (garage circuit which is separate from the sockets in the house) and that didn't remove the noise so it's going to work today for a try there. What my colleagues will think when the Deltic noises start is another matter!! Its frustrating but also rather interesting trying to get to the bottom of it!!!

Thanks Bif - really helpful suggestions and thanks also to Charlie who has been a star (and I'm still feeling guilty about sending back two perfectly good chips for him to test when clearly it looks like the problem is at my end). I will go belts and braces and fit the ferrite style filter and a filtered mains lead assuming the garage circuit or a.n.other supply doesn't solve it. Yes will definitely post the outcome here if I can solve it - your O gauge Deltic project sounds so amazing that I have to get this sorted one way or the other! All the best, Phil.

Hi Charlie all functions are off on the Powercab except F1. I really don't know what else to try except a different DCC system. If anyone here lives in Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire and has a DCC system that isn't NCE and is happy for me to pop over please let me know!!

The sounds on the video are straight from DCC system to chip, so no loco in the circuit. Charlie at DC kits has also had it on his tester with no issue. I can only think it must be some weird issue with the NCE Powercab but as above, why the OO Legoman Deltic chip doesn't do this, nor any of my other O gauge sound chips only deepens the mystery.

Yes I've tried several different speakers and unfortunately get the same result. It's very, very weird. It would be good to try a different DCC system to see if its the NCE Powercab, but unfortunately I don't have access to another system. What I can't fathom is why the OO gauge Legoman Deltic Loksound chip works fine but the XL version has this issue. Just doesn't make sense?

I have a Loksound XL V5 loaded with the amazing Legoman Deltic sound project. As soon as F1 is triggered to start the sounds a high pitched whistle can be heard (similar to the temporary tinnitus you get after a loud concert - or perhaps after walking through an engine room!!). I've sent the chip back and Charlie from DC kits has confirmed that there is nothing wrong with the chip and I'm feeling guilty that it's been back to him twice (and thanks for the amazing service Charlie). The sounds can be heard in the videos below - one with master volume at 1 and the other with master volume at 255 (default). The high pitched whistle is there no matter what the volume. I've tried everything-including a non neon light fitted four board in case the light was somehow interfering, trying different sockets round the house, removing the booster, just wiring straight from Powercab to chip (i.e. no loco in the way) etc. Interestingly if I pull out the mains plug to the NCE Powercab the high pitched whistle goes as the stat alive capacitors keep the engine sounds going for a few minutes, so I can only presume that its a mains interference issue or an issue with the Powercab? My OO gauge Loksound Legoman Deltic doesn't do this, nor do any of my other OO or O gauge sound fitted locos and I don't really want to give up on the Powercab as its such a great system but I don't have another DCC system here to try out. I'm utterly baffled and wondered if anyone has any ideas? The high pitched whistle drives you crazy after a few minutes!! Thanks, Phil

Opposite ends on each side on my set. Left hand end one side, right hand end on the other side. Beautiful set and i never thought I would ever get my hands on a RTR prototype HST-my old man used to work for BR and this brings back memories of a lucky and rare trip on it from Paddington to Reading having been disappointed to see the prototype HST service replaced by a class 50 on an earlier trip to take the HST from Bath-how times change-if a 50 pulled up now i would be ecstatic!!

Hi Jeremy hope you are well? I can see the total amount in my account on the Dapol website but can't see any means of actually paying it? Am I being dim?!!