Noel

BTW, did you see these at the Stillorgan Toy fair? What was inside the box did not exactly match the labelling on the box!!!

Thanks Dave. Will be trying out 'delayed uncoupling' with a similar setup when I get time to setup another test track with N34 neo's. It is important to get the poles of the rows magnets either side of the track centreline correctly aligned (i.e. N v S). Noel

Glad he was ok. Could have been very nasty. PS: Btw the wind here seemed worse this morning than last October's storm. More trees down here than then.

I still have some two axle wagons remaining to convert from NEM mounted tension lock couplings to Kadee, but I now plan to cutaway the NEM pockets and mount 14x series draft gearbox Kadee's instead of plugging in NEM kadee's. Reason is the whisker couplings mounted in gearboxes have more pivot movement than the NEM kadees which only rotate at the knuckle head. I will be testing some less powerful N34 neo's on a piece of test track for comparison with the 321 magnet, but primarily to check how they work for delayed uncoupling. Will report back when done. Visually I find the 'between the rails' magnets don't look out of place when disguised as walkways across the tracks. 'Hands free' kayee uncoupling has transformed how much more I enjoy and operate the layout with more focus on shunting operations than lots 'roundy roundy' action.

Hi Stephen. Kadee better so far. To be honest I've only tried the neodymium magnets on bits of test track so far. The kadee 321 enables delayed uncoupling which a single pair of neodymium cans cannot do. The first batch of neodymium magnets I tried were too strong (i.e. N50) which caused occasional un-commanded uncoupling when pulling over them. Just received some N35 strength neodymium which I will try with three pairs in a line between sleepers to see if I can get 'delayed' uncoupling working. Basically one pair of the neo's don't create a big enough field to keep the knuckles open for delayed uncoupling. The neo's may work better if placed in each siding just for uncoupling over the magnet (i.e. no delayed). If I was starting out afresh, the ideal would seem to be a single electro magnet at the head of each yard because you could reverse and stop stock over it without uncoupling when the magnet was switched off. But for retro fits on existing layouts the 321 between the rails magnet works well once one gets used to the technique. Apologies for the long answer. Cheers Noel Below are N50 strength which seems too strong.

+1 I've often reset MM 071 sound chips without any problem. Just remember after reset the loco's ID is lost and returns to default 3 (i.e. false heart attack because loco is unresponsive using the former ID after reset)

Video clip demo of shunting using Kadee uncoupling magnets and using delayed uncoupling to marshal wagons. Only one single magnet is needed in the goods yard which enables uncoupling in any yard siding. Have enjoyed shunting operations.

Class 70 looks like it was made by the Thunderbirds out of Duplo

The 201 as a prototype never seemed to be quite as 'nostalgia' popular with the hobby's age demographics. Often wondered if the longer length of 201 model locos was a visual issue on typical layout curves, or was it just that the very distinctive shape of the other GMs had greater appeal?

Nice touch. It will be nice to see all that inside detail on static display with a guard sitting by the glowing stove and the flicker of his lantern.

Interesting. Will the roof be removeable?

Nice tram. Not going to the ploughing this year, tractor not due for replacement yet.

Seller has probably just forgotten the listing. Its no more than a €50 paper weight, or static decor for a yard siding.

Ah now Robert the lads may be busy this week with the new Tara deliveries which no doubt will be A class act.

Kadee's have transformed my enjoyment of this hobby. Shunting, coupling and uncoupling using magnets has been so much fun and engaging. I now spend much more time 'rubik cube' shunting and marshalling wagons in yards than main line running, and even marshalling older non-uniform coaching stock. The addition of Wheeltappers DCC sound chips which their F12 auto-uncoupling function is an added bonus but not necessary. F12 synchronises a short nudge of the loco back and forth with notching sounds and coupling noises for use with both uncoupling and coupling. I've found only one delayed uncoupling magnet is needed per yard if placed strategically due to the delayed uncoupling action (i.e. uncouple over the magnet but push wagon past back into a siding of choice). This negates the need for multiple magnets. PS: I agree with Graham, gearbox mounted whisker spring kadee's are more consistently reliable for uncoupling than NEM kadee's due to the greater rotational movement of the former (i.e. shank pivots in gearbox in addition to knuckle rotation). With this in mind I have started to cut away NEM pockets on some of my 2 axle rolling stock and replace with gearbox kadee's. PS2: http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk are the same Irish sound projects sold by DCkits. They are not done by LegoManBiffo who does all the UK stuff.

Hi Dave. Just as a matter of interest, are Murphy Models disposing of all their spare parts, or are they keeping some back for customer and dealer service requirements? Noel

Very very nice. It reeks of atmosphere.

Yes please, a 141 windscreen wiper washer switch if any to spare.

Very nicely finished wagons. Like the subtle weathering on the tanks.

Where abouts in the country is ‘Williamstown’ located?

Thanks. That’s perfect.

Hi Fran Thanks for reply. So will the lights on the ploughs work out of the box without a decoder (ie on all the time)? Cheers Noel ps. I didn’t discuss the merits of DCC v Analogue.

Hi Fran Thanks for asking. For interior 'lighting' or tail lamp a function only decoder should not be needed. Power pickups from the axle through a bridge rectifier, a resister and capacitor (for flicker free) is what other manufacturers use for coach lighting, etc. There is no need to control it with an accessory decoder. It's just on all the time and cheap as chips to implement. Two decoders @ €25 a pop = €50 just to light a pair of ploughs seems unnecessarily expensive when switching is not needed. Should work with DC and DCC. Please forgive if I am missing something obvious here. Noel PS: For interior light please select a 'warm' white LED rather than modern white which has a blue tint. These old beauties would have had a warm yellow glow.

IRM Tara pre-production samples looked stunning - the bar raised yet another notch. The 3D sample of the IRM plough brake van looked Fab-U-lous

Spotted these two Irish items of interest on Chris Dyer's stand at Stillorgan on Sunday. 22k class approximations. Seemed to be based on a UK class of commuter dmu. Nice looking paint job but pity the doors are in the wrong place for an ICR, and the cab is different. Interesting to see Bachmann and CD getting together. . . . and IR Mk4 in CAF intercity livery (Hornby repaints).