johnb

No photos unfortunately, but when I regularly travelled through Hemel there was only the one van, a BG usually the same one in blue and with a number like 81887. We're going back 30++ years so don't quote me on that number!!!!!!!! . It was collected in that time by a Class 86 electric, that front road was wired and there were a couple of other unwired sidings as well usually used by the P'way. At the end of the tiny yard there was a double slip which routed to the main line or the headshunt one way and to the sidings the other. One evening as I came past the Cl86 was on the unwired back road just by the slip. There were three or four chaps standing there just looking at it with 'Oh *****!' expressions. I also heard rumour that one evening a Cl87 turned up and had to be sent away as the van was vacuum braked only! John

Just follow the manual, you should be able to alter CVs easily. John

Is the bus running this year?

I do exactly the same and it is reliable for exhibitions John

I use a variety of manufacturers items on my exhibition layout, Whitecross Street. EMUs from Bachmann and Hornby, locos from Hornby, Bachmann and Heljan and they all run happily provided the wheels are clean! Having rather rashley said that I'll probably have failures on and off all weekend at the Folkestone show!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone visiting please say hello John

Ah! Google, yes it does a pretty good job. Sometimes though a mis-spelling or a case of finger trouble produces results about a world that you never knew existed

I am fussy about spelling and grammar on things that I post, but that's me. However provided I can understand what a poster is saying then I don't bother about things like 'their' and 'there' and other wayward spellings and grammar. I would not dream of publically correcting them, indeed I do not recall ever pointing out anything by PM. My interest is railways and I'm not on this forum to nit-pick anyones posts. Just go ahead and post guys, I'm sure that most of us will work out what you are on about! John

Gone now! It's reverted to a Homebase a little while ago.

I would suggest that the board could be faulty. I am assuming that the switches operate the CDU/point motors properly.

I've ridden in a caboose on the Illinois Railway Museum track, interesting experience! I suppose that we got up to 20mph in places.. Seats fairly OK but the ride was definitely harsh, quite a bit of slack action as well at times in the last vehicle and the whole train was only 5 vehicles long. Tolerable for a 5 mile long line, but as for an all day, every day job .... well I wouldn't have cared for it! John

My current layout was designed around 4-car CEPs and EPBs, I even extended an existing sector plate fiddle yard to allow this. The station platform lengths and adjacent pointwork just cope with CEPs and EPBs. Then up comes the 4TC which needs a loco! (Grrrr!). I sometimes borrow a friends TC set and loco for shows and we have to run a loco and 3TC! The rationale is that the 1st class car is defective so we miss that out. It's usually well received anyway particularly when the loco is pushing. I could cut a hole in the end of the layout to cope with the extra but modifying the sector plate with an extension on the end of an extension would be problematic. John P.S. The same issue occurs with another friends the Brighton Belle a 5BEL becomes a 4BEL!! That's a rare event tho'.

Highlly likely 33212, chips usually need a motor in circuit to allow programming. I doubt that even with the whole set on the prog track it would provide enough load to allow programming. The perceived wisdom with an unpowered but chipped item is to use a loco in circuit and of course that then gets the new address, then the loco needs changing back. John

The advantage of the bolt method is that as well as electrical continuity it sets and holds the track alignment, Provided the bolts are a tight fit. I am using a sector plate and use 1mm brass rod which is a tight fit into small bore copper tube. The traverser does overhang the main board structure as it swings and this ensures that the tracks overhanging empty space are electrically dead. Important with DCC running as it ensures that only the working connection is live and aligned. Entering a wrong loco id could be expensive! To deal with the incoming tracks which could also end in open space when the sector plate is at it's limits, I have boarded the area under the sector plate, the max drop is then only the baseboard thickness. John

Why not do the matrix in two sections? One for each end, that's how we work one of the club's fidde yards, so two buttons per loop. John

Phil S makes a good point about the number of locos being run. The DC layouts that I and others have 'converted' to DCC have all been on the small side and would not see more than about three modern locos operation at one time. Generally we have used DCC controllers with a 2 amp max capability . I use an NCE Powercab (with a 1.4 amp power supply) which is set to read the amperage being drawn and even with three modern locos running I have yet to see the current approach 1 amp. Certainly big layouts with lots of locos running need careful consideration in the wiring arrangements.

Could be, or are the edges of the brushes just that bit sharp,possibly slightly misformed/chipped, are they new? Maybe a very gentle rub with a fine emery paper will just take the edge off them. HTH John

(a) DCC Ready - Loco has a socket to fit a DCC chip, but does NOT have a chip, will run on analogue (DC) supply but NOT on a DCC supply (b) DCC Fitted - Loco has a chip fitted and will run on a DCC supply. If the chip is suitable and set to do so it may run on DC. © DCC Sound - As it says it has a loudspeaker inside and makes noises, steam, diesel, whistles, horns, etc usually one appropriate to the model. Wiring up, well search through the threads on here there's lots on wiring. There's lots of views, but I and others have been converting a DC layout to DCC by the simple method of removing the DC supply, plugging in a DCC supply and switching all the sections on. DO NOT try to mix DC and DCC on the same layout!!! John

I suspect that it's the testing that has derailed the timetable. Project planners tend to assume that it's a case of 'plug it in, switch it on and it'll all be fine'. Doesn't happen like that, I've tested new software and all sorts of 'Oh bu**er it shouldn't do that!" situations arise, particularly with something as complex as this must be. Could even be a case of needing different or modified hardware, and that is not usually available off the shelf. Then once new hardware is in place the testing starts from scratch again. Messy, expensive and very bad politically, particularly to come out without any warning. So, it's either mamagement hoping for the best, or the minions didn't tell the bosses, or major hardware/software incompability as mention has been made of three systems involved?? I suspect the latter suddenly struck home and a major panic redesign is underway . Oh well I doubt we'll ever find out the full story.

Especially those shown as 'DCC Ready'. Straight of the shelf most will be DC only and will need a decoder (chip) fitted. Has that at the club just recently, a new member wondered why the DCC controller would not run his locos which he thought had DCC fitted. The we saw the box which was labelled 'DCC Ready'! All that usually means is that it has a socket to take a DCC decoder. So he now has to get some decoders. Going on to the function issue, do verify that the controller can handle the requisite number of functions, some of the cheaper ones can only access a few functions maybe 8 or 14 perhaps 16. John

Firefox already whinges at me every time that I logon and has done since aound the time that this thread started!!

Email Coastal DCC with the issue, I have found them are very helpful. If they don't have it i am sure that they will advise as to where to locate one.

This could be one of those threads that run on and on and .........................

The old rules were that drapes had to be at least 6ins clear of the floor, so that the heat from a dropped ciggie didn't set them alight. Fire proofing drapes was back then, I think, dependent on the venue and the requirements of the local Fire Officer who were prone to visit shows to check them. Nowadays I doubt the funding is available for visits and the responsibility has probably passed to the venues. In recent years only twice have the organisers required fireproof drapes, that's out of 20+ shows. It was required at the bigger shows and I have ensured that I keep the bit of the cloth that has the 'fire proofed' label on it. I doubt that just spraying them and saying so will be sufficient, documentary proof will be needed! On a personal level I do keep the drapes about 6ins (150mm) above the floor and still use the fireproof ones. edit Fireproofed material is NOT cheap! I too have seen drapes dragging on the floor, sometimes in a right bundle Hope that helps John

Am interested, PM sent John

Sarah Siddons has run on the Southern, they modified the electrical arrangements to allow for only one juice rail! As for the regulations permitting this I don't know what they are, but steam locos don't have yellow ends either! Yes I do know they are rather more visible! LU own the Amersham line to just beyond Amersham itself. I believe the actual limit is at Mantles Wood, presumably in a wood somewhere in the middle of the Chilterns. John