amdaley

You could wire the power feed for the 2nd tortoise through one of the switches of the first tortoise. That way if the first tortoise isn't set correctly you can't throw the 2nd tortoise ?

While looking around for prices on the Z21 system I spotted this on Scograil ? ** Please note we have had to put a temporary hold on selling the latest version of the back Z21 as a hardware upgrade has introduced a fault with some of the decoder reading. As soon as ROCO fix the issue, we will put these back on sale. Sorry for any inconvenience. **** Anyone throw any light on this ?

I can only suggest that the taking out of the decoder had something to do with it. Could have been a dirty pin or socket in the decoder socket of the loco. Try the first decoder in the Mallard again & see if the problem returns ? Sometimes particular decoders don't work well with some locos for some reason ?

Hi Everyone. I was hoping that the Z21 would be able to run a loco on the main / layout while programming a loco on a separate program track at the same time but Vecchio has said otherwise. Thanks Vecchio for going to the trouble of checking that out for me. Is there any system which allows a loco to run on the main while programming another loco on a program track at the same time ? Even though the Roco app allows two control panels on screen at the same time the basic software underneath is no different to my NCE Power Pro 5 amp system which must be 10 years old now. The NCE system has programming on the main as well. The big advantage of the Z21 seems to be the graphics ? This is not a criticism of Roco, just to say that despite the advances in technology underneath nothing has advanced that much ? EDIT: Further thought came to mind. If you plug a handheld controller into the front of the Z21 or use a wireless throttle with the Z21 do they switch off as well when go to the program track using the Roco app ? Tony.

Thanks Vecchio. Just the information I was looking for. Tony.

Cheers Vecchio. Much obliged. Regards. Tony.

Hi Everyone. I have a question regarding programming on the Z21. If If I have a loco running in on a rolling road can I program another loco on a program track at the same time or will the Z21 turn off the track power while I am using the program track ? Thanks everyone.

I understand how you might feel but to expect a retailer to take action after a few years is asking a bit much. The moral of the story is to always check everything when it comes even if you only hold a couple of wires to the wheel rims. A very handy item to have is a rolling road so that when you get a new loco you can give it a quick run before putting it back in its box again. You can buy a Hornby rolling road for about £50.

Try a contact glue like Bostik or Evostick.

Use isopropyl alcohol. Cheap & readily available.

I use the household vacuum cleaner. Its a Miele but it has variable suction. If you're working on baseboards or cutting wood you can have high suction but if you are doing scatter material the suction can be turned way down so that you don't pull up all your scenery.

What lighting system did you use in the coaches Peter ? Cheers.

Typical Santa. Late again So hard to get good help these days.

How were the pickups fixed before they fell off ? If adhesive then use something like Bostik or Evostik contact adhesive. Make sure to clean the surfaces to be glued first with ipa or similar.

Have you cleaned the track ?

The model would have been handled by whoever packed it & their hands could have been quite greasy from handling other items. I would just use a spray can varnish or use the brush to coat it.

I can only suggest that the plastic was dirty or had hand grease on it. Wast it thoroughly in warn soapy water & try again.

Would that then make the GM unit trip ?

Can you reduce the sensitivity of the GM auto reverser ?

I think Brian has hit it with the GM unit being a relay based unit. If your loco runs correctly on the main section of your layout & runs correctly inside the insulated reverse section then the GM unit should change the track polarity when the loco moves from one section to the other unless its too slow to react & your NCE system kicks in first. If that's the case then you will have to get a solid state reversing unit like the PSX here http://www.dccspecialties.com/products/powershield_x.htm Incidentally is it a 2 amp Power Cab or a 5 amp Power Pro system that you have ?

What Dcc system are you using ?

One other thing you try is with the power to the layout switched off run around the track with a magnet. You'd be amazed what you might pick up.

Hi Tony. I would suggest that you upgrade the main bus wire to 50/0.25 which is 14 awg. 32/0.2 is only 18 awg which is really to small for O gauge. Use the 32/0.2 for droppers. Use plenty of droppers as you can never have to many. Also make sure that any wiring connections you make are capable of taking the full amps that your system is putting out. I would also use a circuit breaker so that in the event of a short you don't get the full 8 amps going through the short. If you later decide to put more locos on the layout or upgrade to sound then you can adjust the circuit breaker to allow larger amps through to the track. In the event of a short your system must shut down immediately. If your wiring is inadequate then your system won't see the short & that can lead to serious trouble. Tony.

Take the body off & see if a decoder is fitted. The 21 pin on the box tells you it will take a 21 pin decoder.

Only ever had excellent service from Rails. 1st class to deal with