DrStroganoff

Ah, I see. Apologies. I will try that instead. Thanks.

I do have an old style TV in the room, for my Commodore 64 computer. But it hasn't been turned on. Hmm... I'll take it out of the room and see if that improves things. Great suggestion, thanks!

Hi Roddy, thanks for the info. Yes the lights do come on by themselves when I haven't switched them on to start with. So yes, I'm thinking there must be some sort of magnetic interference. @Nile I have tried your both of your suggestions, neither of which caused the lights to turn on/off. Still only happens with the Dukedog though, as weird as it sounds. I just ran the coaches with my class 08 for 20 minutes, and the lights didn't come on once. As soon as I use the Dukedog, happens straight away. Though I did just try running her tender-first, and it didn't happen quite as frequently. I'm stumped. I'll try and get my hands on a compass, as was previously suggested, and see if I can detect any kind of magnetic interference that way! Thank you for the help/suggestions chaps.

@D9020 Nimbus I've done as you suggested, and yes, the lights do come on by themselves when in motion (without using the magnet). Yesterday I ordered a 2nd coach, which has just arrived, and that is just the same. So, something on my layout/house is causing this to happen by the looks of it... (?) This could just be a coincidence, but again, it only seems to be happening when coupled to my Bachmann Dukedog. My only other locos are a Bachmann 08, and an old Hornby 0-4-0, and the lights didn't come on when running behind those. Gosh, I've only been back in the hobby for a month (after a 10 year hiatus), and I'm already tearing my hair out !

Thanks for the replies. Just done a bit more testing. It's not happening in the exact same place each time. It does seem to be random. Also, I use the term 'layout' loosely, at the moment is just track laid on an ikea desk. There's nothing else around to interfere with the magnetic field (afaik). Oddly, it only seems to be doing it when running with my Bachmann Dukedog (which runs like a bit of a dog). When coupled to my Bachmann Class 08 (smooth runner), lights stayed on. I've just left the coach static, with the lights on for 30 mins and they stayed on. I also gave the coach a gentle 'shake' to see if it affected the lights, but they stayed on OK. I think next step is to open it up, and investigate the battery connections etc. Thanks again for the suggestions.

Has anyone experienced any problems with the lighting in these coaches? I've just taken delivery of my first 6-wheel coach (R40124A BR Crimson). After a brief testing of the lights, all appeared OK. I took the coach up to the layout for a run, and noticed that the lights keep turning themselves on and off while in motion. When the coach is static, (eg, in a siding) then they seem to stay on OK. But as soon as the coach is moving behind a loco, the lights turn off after about 5-10 seconds, and then randomly turn on and off by themselves.