Noel

What type of decoder are you using? MM 071 and 201 require 6 function decoders if you want to operate the cab lights but 4 function decoders will operate the directional marker lights and head lights ok. Most likely you may just need to do a decoder reset, or the decoder you have used has strange function mappings. Doubt it is anything to do with the controller (i.e. Prodigy).

Looks good JM. Never seen that style of box structure before.

Thanks for recording and posting that. PW work alive. Love the scenery on your layout and especially the way you have weathered your track.

"rtf"? Ready to fly, Kevin you must have been an RC modeller once upon a time

Stunning

Classic. I've often wondered about the stability of seasonal loads of hay, haylage, and silage on artic trailers usually stacked over the statutory limit bombing down motorways, not to mention the windage. For my Black and Tan era out west I'll eventually need to simulate haycocks.

Yes excellent. Can't help wondering if scattering short static grass material of a suitable colour on the tape rather than the labour intensive process of cutting twin might save time.

Agree it's way too early. We have minimum of two more years with the current arrangements as there will also be a transition period that could last years. After that then parcel motel and address pal from UK may cease if vat at point of entry and tariffs come into effect. Wait for the cookie to crumble before tasting it. The future of using Amazon.co.uk from ROI is the big unknown, but not for a long while yet. Amazon.de has worked well for me these past two years. Glass half full+.

I have increasingly been buying modelling gear from Germany these past two years because of better pricing. Brexit won't effect that, however local model shops may need to look at replacing current UK Channel sources with European alternatives, thus avoiding possible tariffs and vat issues. However for modellers of British outline then Hornby, Bachmann, et al are going to get more expensive.

Just an error in URL. Here it is http://drimnagh-road.webs.com/irlhome.htm Many of the links on the site are broken http://drimnagh-road.webs.com/160208theirishmail.htm

Think the scale ones are cosmetic lineside scenery that doesn't actually function

What a fabulous layout. Love the sense of motion and activity. BTW, in the last few frames a set of level switches came into shot? Looks like a set of Peco PL-26R switches, are they?

Yes if it is short (i.e: less than 4 inches, ideally about 2 inches). But instead, another thing I have done in the past is bent some short setback pieces. Cut rigid plastic between one or two sleepers under rail, if possible slide rails out so you can bend them rail incredibly slightly, slide back in to sleeper chairs, (or bend while on sleepers) and then when in shape put glue to fill and rejoin the plastic under the rail that connects two sleepers making the whole lot rigid again. Effectively you temporarily make it semi flexible, adjust it, then make it rigid again. An alternative is to use flexitrack but glue it 'in shape' to a very thin piece of platicard or 1/32 ply under the sleeper section to make it rigid but in the shape you want. PS: I have bent straight Peco stream line points in the past (i.e. via plastic cutting), but just barely enough so that they are not dead straight to the eye.

Slip of 1/32 ply under track and ballast makes it all rigid.

Nice Dave. Are the long enough to store coaches? Would be interested in 10-20 of them. Do they come with any padding or foam (i.e. two of the picks have)? PS: Can't make Stillorgan, but could make the Feb bray meet.

Where possible I have used short pieces of Peco setrack ST-203 or ST-202 to straddle base board joints. When I separate the boards, initially only a few mm at a time using opposing bolts and butterfly nuts, I slide the fishplates away and the ST-203/202 bits of track are removed to a box. Now our layout is moveable as opposed to transportable, so this method has suited that, but obviously probably no use for exhibition layouts. There is a difference between needs for moveable, portable and transportable. The trackwork was designed to have such straight joins where there is a change of base board (i.e. short straight), or rather I positioned the baseboard joints to suit the trackwork. Its time consuming to move but it works (i.e. adds about 30mins).

Well I'm a happy bunny, they performed so well the Laisdcc will be my 'go to' decoder for non-sound MM Locos. Next step is to try the wired versions with a stay-alive capacitor in some of my steam model locos, especially 0-6-0s like my favourite GWR Pannier tanks.

Great moon shot. They can be difficult to get right. 085 shot is particularly tasty too.

Nice one JM

Hi Kevin. Ok, this is going to read a bit long winded, but its an easy fix. TCS M4 decoder had a slight 'surge' problem when BEMF is on. When reducing throttle steps from 28 down the loco would slow accordingly for each step, but when passing down through throttle step 23 or 24, the loco would slightly speed up again (i.e. surge), and then slow as you continued to step down past step 22 and below. This effectively put a what looked bump in the speed curve irrespective of the setting of CV6 (mid voltage), or even if you had proper user speed curve defined. This is a know issue with the TCS that the Laisdcc inherited which was caused by a bug in TCS's implementation of BEMF, but it is a non-issue because you can either turn BEMF off (CV61=0), or better still configure BEMF to be only on from speed steps 1-12 (CV61=1 & CV10=12). Problem cured but you still have ultra smooth BEMF at low speeds, startup, and stopping. MM141/181 locos never had independent control of the headlamp. It is on at the same time as the fwd white running lights and therefore does not have its own function. F0 turns all lights on or off on 141/181, and they change direction automatically. The switches are for DC operation or consists. With DCC on 141/181 you wont need to change the switches. However the 071/201 do have separate functions for the head lamp, and cab lights (F0=directional running lights, F4=head lamp, F8=cab lights). So you can't turn the head light off on an MM141/181 entering a station unless you also turn off the running lights.

Wonderful

BEMF Tip for TCS or Laisdcc decoders It is better to have BEMF on for smooth slow startup and smooth stopping or crawl speeds, so rather than turn BEMF completely off to avoid the speed surge issue mentioned earlier in the thread, you can have BEMF on but only below speed step 12 which avoids the speed surge problem when stepping down below step 24 (i.e. assuming you are using the default 28 speed step mode). CV61=1 (BEMF ON) CV10=12 (BEMF speed step cut off at throttle step 12) PS: Apologies for not adding this to my original post a few days ago, but I missed the edit window.

Demo sound of prolonged braking with lots of wagon flange squeal. Turn your volume up.

Class Job. I have one of those Hornby Dublo wagons myself but it doesn't look anywhere near as good as your revised edition.

Great shot of 071