Pete the Elaner

2 hours ago, Nick C said:

It was good to see Beijiao at Alton, the first time I've seen it in the flesh. The banked train was pretty impressive (having read this thread I knew to wait around for it!), as was the 15?-car passenger set on the main line. 

 

The orange backscene really works well too, gives a proper feel of filthy industrial pollution...

The banked train makes operating the line the most interesting of the 4 (& the hardest work).

9 minutes ago, Arun Sharma said:

My OS map suggests that there are nine level crossings between Bletchley and Bedford St Johns - only one of which is not co-located with a station. To my mind, those present a bigger problem to maintaining a reasonable average speed between Bletchley and Bedford. as even if some of the lesser used stations were closed, there would still be a level crossing. Furthermore, the presence of the railway - especially if the Aylesbury -Calvert chord is reinstated is bound to attract more housing alongside the line - together with the resultant angst amongst road users waiting for level crossings to clear.

It was my understanding that they want to make the line crossing free because it would increase safety & allow the line speed to be raised. They may well have backed out of that though.

3 minutes ago, 2750Papyrus said:

The Mayor of Bedford last year commissioned consultants to look as alternative routes for the Bedford - Cambridge to the East-West Rail preferred route.  The report has now been published but didn't really identify one route as better than others; instead it seems emphasise the economic benefit to Bedford of such a link.  

 

I don't think there is a route which is better than others. The original route has gone & did not allow trains to call at the main Bedford station anyway. Any of the new routes will be unpopular with a proportion of the locals who live near it. It seems to be a matter of any politician "fighting" against it is simply trying to lose the least votes.

A slimming group is good. It is meeting people wanting to achieve something similar which helps.

2500 miles cycling in a year is good. I think I managed about 1900 last year & I try to go out every weekend when weather & exhibitions let me.

There are plenty of sportives available, although not as many as around 5-10 years ago. 50-70 milers are a challenge without being too painful if you are riding fairly regularly.

2 hours ago, The Meerkat said:

hi all.  can the nem couplings still fit in the creedal thing with the loco or do i have to take them out each time?

Mine has NEM Kadees fitted & is currently in its box/cradle.

5 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Use a decoder that is designed for a stay alive to be fitted to it. The R8249 is a cheap nasty decoder not worth any where near it's price.

I agree. When I started with DCC, the Hornby decoder was £8 , which I felt was ok value when more 'standard' decoders from, the like of Lenz & Zimo were about £20. It has never been a vary feature-rich decoder though.

Now its price has crept up to £22-£24 & better spec decoders are around £25, I would much rather pay the (little) extra.

40 minutes ago, Pendle Forest said:

I don't have a programmer I'm afraid.

 

Hopefully the programmed decoders will become available from suppliers or direct. 

 

I do wonder whether DCC has now reached the stage of becoming a barrier rather than an advantage :(

JMRI is free to use if your system has a USB/serial interface. All you will you will need is a computer & lead. Most people will already have these. It makes very light work of programming.

As for it becoming a barrier, nothing has changed. It has always required decoders & control system.

If you don't want extra features like switchable lighting, or working fans, then leave them off & ignore them. That will have removed your 'barriers' but you will still have great slow speed control & the ability to control multiple trains on the same line.

On 04/02/2024 at 13:37, Rmw said:

Sorry if this is already answered. I have two 00 gauge locos on analogue using a Hornby T7229 controller. Why do my locos make a noise and are bad crawlers but when I use  my 15V 2 amp power supply unit they are totally silent and are excellent crawlers?

I agree with Kevin.

You are getting noise because your controller is not providing a very smooth output, so the motor is turning in very short bursts. This can cause damage to many newer motors.

There was a discussion about this recently.

I found a Gaugemaster handheld for £3 at an exhibition not so long ago (one of the cream coloured ones). They give a smooth output & provide a lifetime warranty & honour it without question, so a decent controller does not need to be expensive.

8 hours ago, DCB said:

Not sure what 15 volt 2 amp  power unit you have but 2 amps too much for most 00 track and locos. 

Bit of a red herring there.

Voltage pushes current. The load (your loco) determines how much current is drawn, not the capacity of the supply.

15v is too much though.

Just because the supply can provide 2A, it does not mean you will overload the motor. It would do more damage if there was a fault though.

Heljan locos had a reputation of overloading Hornby decoders because they drew more than 1A under load when full power was applied.

19 hours ago, gwrrob said:

 

He’s got history of this as didn’t do this to Masi a couple of seasons back !

That could indeed be considered by some to be "inappropriate". Without knowing more, the term & therefore the accusation is a bit meaningless really.

45 minutes ago, meil said:

For the sort of wire stripping you will be doing for DCC I suggest you look at these: https://workshopping.co.uk/products/auto-electrical/automatic-wire-stripping-tool-pistol-grip?srsltid=AfmBOopt_8rZASLxjl6X6kniqHO_kL403wWIHpqrC9AnicBbALfX5xPiKow

 

 

My set of those used to immediately get borrowed at the club by others, until they bought some for themselves. They are nice & quick but you can also set a stripping distance so you are not left with differing lengths of bare wire.

I have several different types in my toolbox & can happily use the first set I pick up, which is good because these have usually already been 'borrowed' by the time I look for some strippers.

Most wire strippers do not go fine enough for decoder wire though (does anyone know what gauge that is in metric please?). I use my DCC concepts ones for this.

14 hours ago, big jim said:

I normally reverse into spaces, only problem is when it’s in a busy supermarket you can’t get the trolley to the boot to unload your big shop if other vehicles are either side or in front of you  

There are a handful of spaces at my local Asda where you can back right up to the forecourt, then unload your trolley straight into the boot & just leave i for the next shopper & drive off.

Some still park forwards, so they have to wheel the trolley around to the boot then get rid of it afterwards before backing nervously out of the space.

I think they don't use their brain in case it wears the batteries out. 🙄

21 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

I had a clear run across the branch from Bletchley to Bedford last night with 6M68, I actually attained the giddy high of 60mph going over the top at Ridgemont!

I am curious: You are not the only person I have seen to add an e to Ridgmont.

My club has a layout of it & members assure me it used to be spelled with an e, so I looked it up on an old ordnance survey map from c1900 on the national library of Scotland's website. It was spelled Ridgmont on that too.

There was speculation in the other thread about the uncoupler units being sold for retro-fitting to other models.

While not impossible, it would entail considerable work:

The couplings are DCC controlled, so the decoder has to be up to the task of operating them. The model already has several functions including independent front/rear lights, cab lights, engine room lights, operating roof fan. It would need 2 more to activate the couplings, so anyone with a 3 or 4 function decoder would need to upgrade it.

The main board would need provisioning to route the function output to terminals on the main board. If Bachmann had thought of this beforehand, the feature would have been introduced on earlier models. It was not, so it is logical to assume that the boards would need to be re-designed, then an updated board fitted to an older chassis, if it will fit at all.

Wiring from the board to the coupler sockets would also be required to make these operate.

1 hour ago, meatloaf said:

I wouldn't expect one from Bachmann, they've not done it on other models

Yes they have. Their class 90 has a removable roof section. It is secured by 4 screws instead of magnets though.

13 hours ago, Roddy Angus said:

From what I remember from physics at school, if you wire 2 speakers in parallel, but with opposite polarity, then the sound produced by them will be 180 degrees out of phase.  If this happens, then an interference pattern will be established which will cause some sounds to be louder and others to be quieter, depending on where it is heard from.  In extreme cases, theoretically, the interference could cancel out the sound and nothing would be heard.

 

I hope I am remembering my second year physics correctly.

 

Roddy

Ps this is theoretical and might not be noticeable in practice.

What you have described sounds a little weird, which is also the best way to describe how speakers usually sound when out of phase.

When I bought a new AV amp recently it told me I had my sub put of phase with my standard speakers & I never realised. I guess this was because they deal with different frequencies.

11 minutes ago, Goodnight Sweetheart said:

A positive, for me is this new coupling feature it’s a bit clunky at the moment but it’s a huge step forward in the right direction. It is however a shame it’s only available on the high spec / expensive option model.

It is a DCC function & an addition to the NMRA DCC specs.

There is absolutely no way it could activated remotely on DC.

A 4 function decoder will at minimum need special programming to activate the feature, so that eliminates budget ones which cannot be programmed. Even with a programmable decoder, you would still only have standard front & rear directional lighting available with no option to turn off the rears because you will have no functions left to do it.

It is a whole can of worms kept shut by only making it available with the deluxe model.

6 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Unfortunately, parking spaces are still marked out to a set of parameters designed for MK1 Fiesta's and Austin Allegro's, BUT, people have become lazy and self absorbed, their lard barge "compact cars" have power steering and parking cameras, so there's little excuse.

 

I don't understand the obsession with bigger cars. Ok, so they have to pass more stringent crash tests so need more strength therefore size & weight, but things have gone very OTT. SUVs for example have almost replaced estates. Have you seen how they react in a motorway incident with heavy braking & a little steering? They topple over. How can that be safe? The traditional saloon/hatch/estate stays upright.

It may be news to some, but heavier cars also take more fuel to move, so as engines get more efficient, they also get worked harder.

Ironically, the car in the photo is a Mini. Minis used to be among the smallest cars available. The newer ones are enormous compared to my old Calibra & that was not marketed as a small car.

4 minutes ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

Not convinced by those "auto couplers". After years of the hobby trying to make tension locks look better, they've managed to make them look worse.
And it's another thing to potentially go wrong. I'm normally on the fence about gimmicks, but that one is VERY gimmicky! I'm a big fan of Bachmann, but not impressed by this one at all.

I am not convinced either. I am not a fan of tension locks because they look dreadful & do not work particularly well either.

I liked the trend towards NEM pockets because it provided the choice of using something different, like Kadee or Hunt couplings. It would be interesting to see if they have managed to make the auto-uncouplers work with standard NEMs.

19 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Newey thinks the others might actually catch up this year having failed to do so last:

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/02/06/newey-anxious-over-conservative-red-bull-2024-f1-approach/

That is because Newey is level headed & knows how hard it is to stay ahead. He was surprised others had not caught up for or during 2023

1 minute ago, friscopete said:

My daughter via others has info on this but its not printable or complimentary.Suffice to say his main job under the old management was so Matische could deflect  press questions according to well informed  paddock gossip at the time ..The important decisions  were never his   .Now Horner seems as  important than the team  in many eyesso time to go .It had to come .I am not surprised far less than many who wondered how he ever got the job in the first place .So palace coup ?

He had already achieved success managing teams in other racing formula. He was signed by Red Bull in 2005 to turn the midfield Jaguar team they had bought into a successful one. In the following 19 seasons, they have won won 6 team & 7 drivers' titles with him in charge. You will not get that from someone earning minimum wage.

You do not have to like his personality to acknowledge that he has done a good job.

16 hours ago, Bulleidboy100 said:

 

The Times newspaper reported Horner, 50, had been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague, who complained to the team's parent company.

So nothing more than a Chinese whisper then. No idea what it is or what truth there is behind it.

Back to business & if anything does become of it, we will hear in due course.

2 hours ago, Bulleidboy100 said:

It would appear there is a "power struggle" going on at Red Bull at the moment.  This is between the parent company and the racing team. Looks as though Horner is on the way out?????

If so, it is reminiscent of when Ferrari squeezed out Jean Todt in 2007. Their last driver's world title was in....2007.

1 hour ago, The Lurker said:

Now on the BBC

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68205305

 

 

So it says nothing about what the allegations actually were, but that a Dutch newspaper asked about them.

Sounds like the typical F1 rumours to replace genuine news.

1 hour ago, ColinB said:

Just for information. I have just received the sound decoder from Road and Rails fitted with the Cavalex profile. I could not get the fans to work, even after I set the DIP switches, so eventually I read the manual. If I read it right, there are no functions to switch the fans on, only to switch them off. The fans are controlled by the running of the loco, so effectively no user control other than to switch them off. So there isn't a fault with the decoder, it is meant to work like that.

It is certainly like this with a factory fitted sound model: The fans spool up independently from each other according to settings determined by the manufacturers, but can be individually isolated with functions.

2 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

I thought ECML electrification was delivered on time and within budget?

Quite likely considering its reputation of falling apart in a light breeze.