irishthump

Looking at various discussions on the RM web site, it seems people are split between the peco and seep motors, so I suppose it all boils down to personal experience and preference. The tortoise look the best but are way too expensive for me so I think given price and the fact the seep have a built in micro switch I'm going to take a chance on them. There seems to be some issue on how good the seep micro switch is so if that becomes an issue later on I presume I could replace the switch with separate ones like the V3 Style Alarm Tamper Switch from maplin. http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=20406

The micro Switch on the Seep motors is simply a brass collar that moves between 2 contacts. It can become dirty or just wear out over time but once you have one installed they are easily replaced if one goes on the blink, they are cheap enough or like you said you could add an auxiliary switch. But I've had no problems on my layout with them and the motors themselves are as good as any other.

The Seep point motors are yer only man!

As Dave said the ones with the built-in polarity switch can be used to switch frog polarity or for controlling signals.

In answer to the OP, yes 17's are a bit short unless you have large radius curves and points. I find the biggest problem with Kadees and Irish/UK stock is avoiding buffer lock. With US outline there are no buffers so the coupling distance can be very small and the Kadees are free to pivot without anything getting in their way. As soon as you add in buffers you have to be sure leave enough distance to stop the buffers from catching in each other. So to be honest Kadees are not the best option for really close coupling. Even with sprung buffers on both items of stock it can still go wrong on sharp curves.

Have a look at this site - http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=Kadee-Resources

It gives an excellent rule of thumb when fitting Kadees which is to have the face of the knuckle about level with the face of the buffers.

If you have sharp curves/uneven track they are less reliable than the old tension locks though. Certainly not the be all and end all solution!

I don't know about that! Uneven track and sharp curves will cause just as much trouble with tension locks, especially if you're mixing Bachmann/Hornby/Lima etc. with each other.

Not a very good set Paul, its only single action and I would say the nozzle wouldn't be great. You can get cheaper on eBay

Have to agree.

Look at this for just a few extra quid - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-Airbrush-Kit-Includes-Compressor-Lots-of-Accessories-WOW-/190666490331?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item2c649bc1db

You get 2 double action airbrushes (not high quality but certainly good enough to be getting on with) and the compressor has a moisture trap fitted.

Lads,

Came across this on Capel Street this morning....

Royal Mail came out with the same waffle. I'm still getting a couple of hundred pounds a month of paint from the UK. It just takes 3 days instead of one to get here as it now travels by road and sea instead of air.

But the gobs*ites aren't clear about that on the Royal Mail website. The way they word it you can't send any paint through the postal system at all....

That is a stunning piece of work!

I know I was having a downer on sound a few weeks back but that does sound fantastic! Sounds better than the Murphys sound I heard. Are they two different chips?

Yes, the Model Shop's decoder is a separate product.

Thanks for the comments, lads! Glad you enjoyed the video....

Lads,

Received my 071 sound decoder from Gareth in Model Shop Belfast during the week and thought I'd post a little video of it in action.

I know DCC sound isn't everyone's cup of tea but I think the effect is great even with the pre-installed speaker.

Enjoy, and please excuse the poor video quality!

[video=youtube_share;oDiEKnC-Q-I]

Hi

For what it is worth a few Members of Wexford MRC

have chosen the Guagemaster Prodigy system it does everything

it says on the box

I can operate in excess of 7 locos with sound running on all of

them without an extra booster using my original one approx. 5 years old

David Wexford

While I have heard no complaints about the Powercab and it seems to be a universally popular system I would agree with David when he recommends the Prodigy.

It has more power than the Powercab (3.5 amps) which should be more than enough for most layouts and programming locos' cv's and setting up consists is simple.

Where u based?

The layout is DCC operated and wired all over. It is controlled from a Hornby Elite controller, which many people would recommend you avoid, but I have never had any issues with and it does the job perfectly for a layout of this size! The points are operated using standard switch and CDU control.

 

Hope this helps

Thanks Barl. The reason I was asking is that I noticed you used insulfrog points like myself. I've got a bit of flack over it from some purists who recommended live frogs but I did'nt want the hassle of wiring polarity switches. Personally, I have no problems with them once the track is cleaned regularly.

I converted a few of the older Hornby mk3's myself a while back. The difference in length was'nt an issue to me and I think they look fine, but judge for yourself here; http://www.irishrailwaymodelling.com/showthread.php/77-Graham-s-Workbench/page2

I'll warn you though, they are a bit of a pain to repaint because of how the glazing is done!

225 crash happened on 2/9/2010

Thanks for the info!

I assume she's back in traffic now?

225 suffered damage to the cowcatcher, panelling, headlamp assembly, buffers, air system piping, brake system piping , wiring, bogies, diesel tank, caws equipment, hep equipment and air reservoir tanks. This happened after a fatal accident involving a tractor at a level crossing.

How recent are these little "mishaps"?

Was I imagining things or did I see Joe Duffy in the Stillorgan Park hotel a couple of weeks back.

Great work and a lovely layout.

Is the layout DCC controlled?

What do you guys think? Am I talking out of my arse?

Absolutely not. DCC sound is not for everybody, it's just another facet of the hobby that you're either into or you're not. Obviously the sound can never match that of the real thing and for some that's a deal-breaker but I can understand that. It's the same as some modellers deciding to go with 21mm gauge track as opposed to 00 gauge just to go that extra mile in favour of realism.

I myself have a half-and-half mix of sound and non-sound locos. I love the "play" factor of driving the sound equipped locos but an just as happy letting them run (almost) silently around the layout as well. And yes the novelty can wear off after a few hours but who ever gets the chance to run their locos for more than a few hours?!!!

Looks the business!

All he needs now is some stock to fill them...

Sorry to put a damper on things but I got one of those soldering irons and I would recommend you to stay clear!

The tips are of poor quality and are of the screw-in type so they are difficult to replace. On the plus side you get a set of tips for engraving wood which

you might find useful.

The stand works well though!

When a speaker is in a sealed enclosure removing any part of that enclosure or simply drilling a hole in it will affect the sound not always for the bad but not always for the good. This applies to all speakers from something as small as a couple of centimetres to a rock concert speaker which a lot of the time have what's called a horn enclosure.

The bass reflex speakers are enclosure designed where as the speakers in the 201/071 are free air. Removing the back from the enclosure could in time damage the speaker.

Yes, removing the back can alter the sound, that's why most guitar amps have an opening at the back. But I noticed no difference when testing the speaker with and without the back.

In fact I was careful to place the speaker face up under the roof grill with the metal chassis of the loco forming a box around the back of the speaker which DID improve the sound.

I rememer reading that article when I was thinking about installing sound in my 141's. I did'nt fancy having to fettle any of the loco's innards to get a speaker to fit.

Gareth in Model Shop Belfast recommended this speaker: http://modelshopbelfast.com/index.php/railways/irish-and-local/4-ohm-bass-enhanced-speaker.html

If you remove the back of the plastic casing (which DOES NOT affect the sound in any way) the speaker will fit perfecly under the roof grill on the 141.

Until you want to fit a bass reflex then the chassis has to be modified and that becomes a big job to do it right

Yeah, but a 4 ohm bass enhanced speaker will fit without any surgery.