irishthump

@Galteemore did that pic upset you?

Right. Those A Class locos need drivers! Unfortunately I only had one figure left on hand, so he went into 054. I did manage to pick up some Preiser HO scale loco drivers online. Tried one in a 141 and they seem fine.

Well I remember one decoder supplier have a good old bitch and moan about Murphy’s 121 because it didn’t like his particular brand If decoder.

To be honest I'd seriously question the motives of anyone who gave them a bad review.

Well an 8 cyl is still wrong!

I went through the sound files on the ESU website and I'm pretty sure it's from their file for the EMD 16-567C 4EXH NT. So wrong engine model, wrong amount of cylinders AND it should be a Crossley engine anyway! In all fairness it does sound somewhat similar to the 645 used in the reengined A Class. I know because I used a similar file in my Silverfox A Class, which is ok for your own use but trying to pass it off as a custom built soundfile pisses me off to no end. Horn is terrible as well and the station sounds have been lifted from the old 071 file. It's probably just the 071 file with the engine sound switched.

The Irish Silverfox stuff should always be considered more suitable for modellers rather than collectors. If you were willing to put in some work you could end up with a very acceptable model, certainly better than anything that was produced by repainted UK outline stuff and selling it as Irish!

Oh Sam’s Trains is fu*king painful to watch. The worst thing is he has this lovely converted loft space for his videos, high ceilings and everything, and he runs his trains on the bloody floor!

I have the LMB one, it’s top notch.

I installed sound from Legomanbiffo. There's a huge amount of room for a bass reflex speaker, and like you said they're a great runner.

Nice! I have one of the regular production run of the Dapol Western. They're a cracking model!

Sorry that did'nt work man! Let me have another look and get back to you....

Depends on the radius of your tightest curves. I used 19's on my locos. I recently converted my 141's, 071's and 201's to draft box Kadees. This allow me to attach all the buffer hook beam hoses and the valance. The hook still has to be removed though.

Did you try the CV changes I gave you yet?

Where you based?

OK give this a go. Change the following CVs in this exact order. This should give you directional headlights on F7. CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV385 = 4 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV385 = 16 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV401 = 8 CV403 = 4 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV401 = 32 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV419 = 16 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV417 = 128 CV418 = 0 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV435 = 64 CV436 = 0 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV434 = 1 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV452 = 1 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV450 = 2 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV468 = 4 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV466 = 4 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV484 = 16 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV482 = 8 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3 ---------------------- CV500 = 64 CV501 = 0 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV498 = 16 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 4 ---------------------- CV261 = 1 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 9 ---------------------- CV258 = 32 If this does'nt work just program CV8 with a value of 8. That will reset the decoder back to the original settings.

And a quick shot of it in place on the layout (including the obligatory A Class)! I plan on replacing the platforms with ones made using the same techniques used on the bridge….

Next step was to use a coating of plaster to fill the mortar lines. I used normal plaster of Paris, spread it on then wiped it off the raised stones leaving the plaster in the recesses. Last step was apply powders and washes to blend everything in. End result…..

Hold off and I’ll have a look at my own locos in the Lokprogrammer software. At least then I can tell you which function the headlights are assigned to. Do all the other light functions work ok?

Is it the specific Lokpilot for the A Class? If not then the headlights probably just need to be mapped to a function key. What DCC system are you using? Can you program CV’s with it?

Subsequent layers of black wash tie it together and tone down the brightness. A lot of detailing and weathering is still needed, but I thinks it’s an improvement.

The arrival of the new A Classes have inspired me to do some work on the layout which has been neglected for a while! I wanted to replace a bridge on the layout, the existing one being made from brickpaper from Scalescenes. It looked ok but I was never very happy with it. I decided to use XPS insulation for the new structure. It was cut to size and shape and the brickwork was then carved in by hand. Most people use PVA to seal foam before painting but I prefer to use a coat of Mod Podge mixed with black paint. This creates a harder shell on the foam. Then I painted it using a tan colour acrylic paint. Next I add some variation by painting some of the bricks various different shades. I used the following colours… The affect looks a little stark but it will be toned down with a wash.

I actually can't remember offhand which function output controls which light! I'll have a look at the Loksound file when I get a chance. You'll need some form of interface for programming the decoder as doing it with CV's is fraught with danger!

On seperate note, When fitting couplers in the NEM pockets on the detailed end of the A Class it appears you need to remove the brake cylinder at the fromt of the bogie. How is this removed? Is a simply a friction fit and do the sideframes have to come off as well?

That's a hell of a layout! I'd love to see more of it...