irishthump

Been working quietly on the new layout the last few weeks and finally have something to show for it! Progress has been slow but the baseboards are finished and I'll be starting to lay the track hopefully this weekend. I decided to make this layout at a more comfortable height to work on (the old layout was barely 3ft high and it was a nightmare to access wiring under the baseboards). These baseboards are about 4.5 feet high, roughly chest height. I'm also hoping to add another level above this in the future. Here's a few pics... This section is about 15ft long and I plan to put a fair sized passenger terminus and freight yard here. Off to the right; there will be a double track loop about 8ft square. Possibly an engine shed and refuelling point along this side. The opposite side to the planned terminus. This will be another station with a run around so I can turn trains and send them back onto the mainline. And back around to where we started. This section will be removable as it's right over the attic door.

Bank holiday is a colloquialism, the proper term in Ireland is Public Holiday. They are all Public Holidays , as are Christmas Day, Stephen's Day, Patrick's day etc.

Correct. It's not a public holiday, but it IS a bank holiday. There are only two Bank Holidays in Ireland; Good Friday and December 27th.

And a couple of smashed panes of glass!

True. But it's also a bank holiday.

Shouldn't be closed, Friday is only a bank holiday.

Incredible. What strikes me the most about this is that there is NOTHING that gives this away as a scratch built model!

It's gone up to €3.95 but still a bargain! And An Post never get there hands on it!

Glad that worked for you, Declan. The Hattons chips are rebadged Gaugemaster decoders. You can download the manual for them here - http://www.ehattons.com/media/md4instructions.pdf It's the manual for the 8 pin version, but all the CVs are the same.

You won't find a Heljan loco that will be suitable without performing some surgery on it. One idea I had was to use a Heljan drive mechanism and bogies but you would need to scratchbuild a chassis. Howes models sell all the parts needed, see this link - http://www.howesmodels.co.uk/category/'OO'%20General%20spares The bogies come without wheelsets but they are available on the next page.

You can re-map the function keys so that one button will turn the headlights on and off and they will light up in the direction of travel, but you won't be able to control the cab lights. I just looked at the Hattons listing for that decoder and they don't have a manual to download! Try these settings: CV51 - 0 CV52 - 16 CV36 - 4 This should give you directional headlights controlled by F1.

Try Peter's Spares, they have an Ebay store.

That's the problem. The Hattons decoders have 4 functions; 2 are used by the front and rear marker lights, 1 for the forward headlight, 1 for the rear headlight. To operate the cab lights requires 2 more so a 6 function decoder is needed.

Get set up with Parcel Motel. They will ship to them at normal rates (some suppliers post free within the UK) and you just pay €4 to have it shipped to the nearest ParcelMotel machine.

Correct!

If you're talking about resetting cv 8 to a value 0, 2 or 8 (some makes of decoder use different values) then this won't wipe the sound project. But what it will do is reset settings like start/top/mid voltage and acceleration/deceleration which are often set to match the engine sounds. If you reset them all to default then the loco sounds could be out of sync. You can only change/remove the sound file by using the correct programming interface.

The problem with sound is that most modellers have the volume set too bloody loud! I read an American article on DCC sound that suggests modellers use the "5 foot rule", meaning you shouldn't hear the sound of a loco from more than 5 feet away.

Yeah the momentum button can cause havoc with sound decoders especially Loksounds.

Well I don't think I could stomach running my trains from a computer screen, so you're preaching to the choir here!

Yes. For DCC I also solder feeder wires directly to the side plates on the trucks on both sides. It's best not to rely on the metal chassis for picking up power. I also switch the older sintered metal wheels for the newer nickel steel type when they're available.

Warbonnet is right in that a new motor would be best but there is a lot you can do to improve the running of older Athearns. Firstly take the motor out and clean the commutator (this is the exposed brass piece that you can see turning when the motor is running.) Just apply some power to the motor and polish the commutator with either a very fine file, sandpaper or a glass fibre pen. The commutator should sparkle after cleaning it! It's a good idea to take out the brushes (careful not to lose the springs) and clean off any dirt or grime. Some modellers also cut about 1/3 of the springs away to lessen the pressure on the commutator and allow the motor to turn easier. A tiny drop of oil on the motor shaft bearings is also a good idea, but don't over do it or allow any oil to get on the commutator. That takes care of the motor but most of the noise from an Athearn loco comes from the drive shafts and gears. Take these apart and check for any flash on the plastic that might cause friction when the parts are turning. Pay attention to the brass worm gear on top of each bogie. Take them apart and clean away any grease and grime them re-lubricate and reassemble them. Lastly, disassemble the bogies and take out all the gear wheels. Check again for flash in and around the centre hole of the gears also between the gear teeth. I take a small triangular file and file between each tooth (a couple of strokes is all that is necessary, don't over do it!). Again clear out any old grease and grime. The loco can then be reassembled with some lubrication and then ran in for about a hour or so but I prefer to add one more step: Lubricate the gears in the bogies with some graphite powder, reassemble and run the loco at medium speed for about 1/2 hour in each direction, preferably not on your layout! This polishes the gears and reduces the friction even more. You can then lubricate the loco as normal after cleaning away any surplus graphite around the bogies that may have been forced out by running it in. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I do it with all my Athearns and it really improves the running. Also, if you run DCC the choice of decoder is very important with these old locos. I've settled on Lenz Standards which give fantastic slow running and control.

Don't knock it til you try it!

Good discussion this! As already said, when choosing a DCC system it's most important to find the one that works best for YOU. It's hard to make a judgement based on the various comparison's made on the web. The person doing the reviewing usually comes to a decision of what's best based on what works for THEM! I ended up choosing the Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2 after doing a lot of reading and I don't regret it, it does everything I need it to do and can be expanded if necessary. Also, it's a lot more intuitive to use than either the NCE Powercab/Procab or the Digitrax systems which seem very unwieldy when it comes to programming. There are loads of videos on Youtube which will show you the programming process for all the various DCC systems. The fact that my 11 year old son was able to run and programme trains with it 5 minutes after unpacking it is a testament to how simple it is to use (the instructions are printed on the back of the throttle!). The system has 3.5 amps of power which is more than enough to run several sound equipped locos at once (the similar spec Powercab only has 2 amps but that's reflected in the difference in price). The power required to run the layout is not effected by the layout's size. A 1amp dcc system will power a 20ftx40ft layout as well at it will a 2ftx4ft layout as long as the wiring is of adequate size. As Mayner said after sales service is also important and Gaugemaster are excellent in this regard. I recently had an issue with the throttle knob on the controller, I sent it off to Gaugemaster and it was back to me fixed within 10 days, free of charge. The idea of having to send a faulty NCE or Digitrax system to the States was not something I was keen on. Again, this is just my own opinion of what works best for myself….

I don't think that will ever happen. Those companies are too heavily invested in their own wireless systems (which are all excellent) to offer a cheap alternative which would allow operators to just use their mobile phone/tablet.

Much as I like to muck around with DCC, I don't think I'd be too keen on this myself. I just prefer to have a dedicated DCC controller rather than cobbling one together with various bits and pieces. And I have to agree with Noel in that I wouldn't fancy controlling my trains from a phone touch screen, I prefer to twist a solid knob!