nick_young

Here's a direct comparison between the latest weathered Bachmann Austerity out of the box and the DJH kit built one I was fortunate enough to acquire from the Peter Lawson collection. The Bachmann is a nice model, but the kit built one knocks it into a cocked hat. The difference in the relief of the detailing is particularly obvious from this sun-drenched shot, but there is something about the overall presence of the DJH that is the very epitome of heavy metal. And of course it weighs a ton and and doesn't blink at dragging a 40 wagon train up a 3 percent grade. After a bit of tweaking it will even navigate my tightest radius (2' 6") without trouble. The Bachmann has a very good sound file, but somehow the motor noise emitted by 90147 as it grinds its way around the layout is no less satisfying. I won't chip it because there's also something refreshing about the sensitivity of the DC control experience. So I'll have separate DC running sessions for this and the Hall of equal quality I picked up (which simply isn't fair to put alongside its RTR equivalent.) So thanks again to Tony for channeling these gems and I hope Peter is happy that his beautifully made models are continuing to give great pleasure on other chaps' layouts.

I may have missed a trick here, but on the premise that there is no such thing as a stupid question here goes: I remember back in the day the late Bernard Weller espousing a system called Red Arrow that completely by-passed the track as a source of power and control, relying instead on on-board batteries and (presumably) something like Bluetooth. If HM7000 does something similar, albeit falling back on the DC or DCC track power, but dissociating the command system from the track itself, shouldn't there be significant benefits in reliability, since the DCC signal is no longer dependent on the vagaries of the track connectivity? If so this would overcome my main objections to DCC which are the need to attach droppers to every piece of rail and the opportunity for everything to come to a sudden halt at the slightest hint of a short-circuit. I am speaking as someone who has installed full DCC on a previous layout but has now reverted to DC for the reasons above. I haven't seen improved reliability for people that can't or won't install track electrics to the standards required for faultless DCC running as a benefit for HM7000, but if this is indeed so then it would appear to be a deal-maker for people in the sort of position I find myself in. I wait to stand corrected!