Dr Gerbil-Fritters

So are these the fakes?  Excess product made and sold without consent?  

I was pleased to see a pair of the new 700 class shunting a Tara Mines set.

Well, it's what the 201s should have looked like

If anybody wins my cement bubbles, I'll throw in a C-Rail Bell container for free.  One container per set.

Lads, sad to report that the Castle Kerry line has been closed and lifted, and all the CIE stock that's starred in this thread will be for sale on the Bay of E over the next few days.

Progress on The Big Station has been delayed by warped plywood and work, but I've been twiddling about with planning it out. 

If I can escape chores long enough to get a new sheet of ply, I should be able to crack on with it this week.

Will take almost 5 minutes to go from terminus and back...

A big improvement on the previous set up and what the rebuild was intended to achieve.

077 takes a test train to check that the return loop works as it should

A wee taster...  over 90 in the shed today

A wee taster of things to come... 

A rough back of a fag packet calculation suggests a smidge over two scale miles for a train leaving the station throat on the raised section, traversing the layout and returning... 

Big infrastructure works in progress...

Castle Kerry is undergoing a massive rebuild currently...

It will be back later this summer in a new improved bigger format.

Hopefully

Its a Bank Holiday, so nothing is moving at Castle Kerry.

... but some strange rolling stock has appeared.  Doubtless it will be gone as soon as the gricer grapevine swings into action, and no-one will ever believe it

I've been having some fun with the old LokProgrammer, so here is a very uninteresting video

The push pull set was in dire need of power....

Ah, no... perhaps not

Boys toys arrived...

Pleased to say I've bought a Lokprgrammer too... not arrived yet but looking foward to sorting my own sounds out... stupid door slamming and hand brake ratcheting are going for starters...

Today's afternoon Liner departure had a couple of Ferts tacked on...

I managed to solve the problem with 080 in DC mode at least, now need a chip for her and new arrival 078.  I spent an hour or so putting kadee #18s on the container flats and then made up and ran a liner train.

I have reasonably generous curves (just ask the wife) so I am able to use the #18s with no trouble at all.  The working buffers really come into their own, especially when propelling this lot back into the yard.

The fleet at rest - I have a 201 as well, but it's too big and ugly for my little railroad.  My next loco will be something very closely related to the 071s but also rather different...

Guys,  I've had no problems so far with any MM071... but number 80 is turning into a bit of a dog.

I fitted a loksound5, and although the sound and lights work fine, she runs intermittently, and stalls completely (killing sound and lights) frequently.  It's not registering as a short on my Powercab.

In DC mode, she'll run fine for a bit then suddenly slow right down and run as if on half speed.  

I've checked the other locos, and swapped chips around - it doesn't seem to be a problem with the new chip or a track power problem...  On stationary test, it'll run fine, so it doesn't seem to be a pick up problem.  The problem only appears once the loco is moving freely.

Perplexed, and a little annoyed as I can't figure it out myself.  

I also can't work out how to get into the mechanicals, I've had the bonnet off to get the chip in, and accidentally half removed one of the truck side frames, but I wonder if its a problem with the grease around the wheels/gears/pick ups.... grabbing at straws really.

Ah well I should have read the destructions in the box...

I'm no audio expert but that speaker set up looks a bit... rough? Isn't the speaker supposed to be sealed to the enclosure? 

Hmmm i wonder if the 20-645E3 would be even better?!

did ya say the '71s come with the speakers already fitted?

hmmmm

is it an EMD645E sound file?

Bit of work on the layout, mostly built a bridge and did some tidying up...

I need to reduce the height of that signal, far too tall.

what chip/speaker combo is that?  sounds different to both of mine (which sound different to each other!)