irishthump

There are list of CV's that control what functions will operate under the consist address. These may well be set incorrectly. Now I recommend babysteps when trying to reprogramme a Loksound decoder. They are quite complex and anything more than very basic programming should be done with either a Lokprogrammer or software like JMRI. For a start try setting CV21 to a value 201. This should allow the engine sound to operate in a consist. Let us know how you get on with that before trying anything more.

I put in an order the other day and received a reply from Des this morning so he's still operating. Maybe shoot him an email, he may have missed your first message.

The tragic part of it all is how Prowse's relationship with Lucasfilm soured over the years. During the making of Return of the Jedi he was accused of leaking details about the movie. By all accounts he was innocent but Lucas seemed to harbour a grudge against him ever since, even banning him from official Star Wars events. Another kick in the teeth is that Prowse was among members of the main cast who were entitled to residuals from the profits of Return of the Jedi. Due to "creative" Hollywood accounting, despite grossing close to 500 million on a budget of just over 30 million, on paper, the movie never made a profit.

You don't have to imagine it, here ya go... (101) The Real Voice of Darth Vader...hilarious! - YouTube

If both decoders are LOkpilot you can use the Auto-Tune feature which may well improve things. Just place the loco on a straight piece of track then programme CV54 to a value of 0. Then press F1 and the loco will take off like a rocket for a few seconds. (Make sure nothing is in the way!) This reads feedback from the motor and stores it in the decoder. Do it with both locos and see how they run after that.

The springs can also be bought separately, although they’re a pain to replace!

Yes, but not a lot of help to the original poster as he isn’t using a Z21.

It's a process the DCC gurus call "Speed Matching". There are many good articles and videos on the subject if you Google search the term. American modellers have great experience with this as they often run several locos in a consist. Basically the process involves adjusting 3 CVs. CV2 which controls the speed of the loco at speed step 1 on the throttle. CV5 which controls the speed of the loco at max throttle speed. CV6 which controls the loco's speed at the middle speed step. Bear in mind that some cheaper decoders will not allow adjustment of these CV's. Hopefully you have a large loop on your layout as this makes the process much easier. Set the 2 locos up a couple of inches apart and run them both at speed step 1. Adjust CV2 so they are at the same speed. Then do the same with CV5 while the models are running at top speed. Once you have those set work on CV6, it's much easier when you have CV's 2 and 5 matched. You probably won't get them running identically but just try to get them as close as possible. Also try to adjust the CV's on only one loco, adjusting it to match the other one rather than fiddling with CV's on both locos at once. That can get very confusing!

They are Bachmann E-Z Mate couplers which can be found quite easily online. Hattons stock them... www.hattons.co.uk - Bachmann USA 78501 Magnetically Operated E-Z Mate Mark II Couplers - Long (12Pr/Card) This would be the easiest option if you don't fancy hacking away at the model.

That sounds dreadful! I have a couple of Spectrum locos and they’re not the quietest but there’s something wrong there. The gears sound like they are binding but it’s hard to tell without opening the loco up. If it was me I’d have a go at repairing it but if that’s not your thing then return it. If you decide to fix it post some pics here and we can try to help you out.

I have to agree, Dave. Especially when the criticism comes from a member with the grand total of 2 posts on these forums! BOTH of those posts are pointed criticism of Murphy Models products. I don’t like to demonise or single out anybody but this sort of crap needs to be called out.

Yes the 121's were often double-headed, due to them not having a cab at each end it made sense to pair them. they also double-headed with 141's and 181's all the time.

Ignore it and enjoy there lovely models when they arrive. I pay no attention to nitpicking myself, especially not from people who pop up on the forum ONLY to post negative opinions.

Any idea of a delivery date for the Supertrain locos, Fran?

Fran, Any word on when the Supertrain locos will be shipping?

Which type are they? A small sugar cube will also fit if you remove the speaker cradle.

Yes that’s exactly it! Lever the body up rather than pinching it which really doesn’t work. Problem with the handrails is that some of the posts are friction fit but some of them clearly ended up needing to be glued in. Best avoided at all costs!

Yep. Don’t know why some people insist on removing the handrails first. Probably just to prove they CAN do it!

I’ve a feeling a trade deal will happen at the last second. Trump’s loss changes the dynamic more that people realise and there seems to be a lot of wobbling from The Bowel Boris at the moment.

I had read somewhere that the "R" stood for "reversed", that is the engine was designed to have a different direction of rotation to previous models.

Any word on the Supertrain locos?

I wonder what will happen with Parcel Motel. Their business model could be dead and buried.

The frog on that point seems to be worn down to nothing! Pull out the whole point and replace it with a PECO one and all should be fine.

I assume you have sufficient stock of decoders to cover anyone who preordered them? Just asking as I ordered 2 decoders when I ordered my 121s. Should I have received the decoders already?

Yeah cab lighting has always been a take-it-or-leave-it type of thing for me. It's great to see manufacturers having the technology to add it to nearly every new model, but it does'nt add that much to the running experience. It's a bit of a gimmick for manufacturers to pad out the spec sheet!