Noel

The more I play with DCC the more I learn what I don't know Only discovered this week the MM0044 LokSound chip for Murphy 201 class locos has 'rail clank' as well as 'flange squeal' sound functions. Combine them both in stations where there would be broken rails instead of welded rail and it sounds great. Clip below of 201 shunting rake of IR mk2 coaches into platform 2 and Kingsbridge station (under construction). Second part of the clip is LokSound in a 141.

I've been considering using the Laisdcc 21pin decoders instead of Lenz Silver+ for non-sound Murphy Model locos. So I ran some tests to compare them. Tested both decoders on 141/181, 071 and 201 and both decoders had excellent performance. The Lenz just shades it for ultra slow smooth slow speed crawl (i.e. at start off, or stopping), but the Laisdcc is more than smooth enough to simulate scale operating speeds. Clip below demos ultra slow speed (i.e. starting off speed for 1st few yards, or slowing down speed before stop). 1st clip compares two MM 141s, 2nd clip an 071 with a 141, all speed step 1. There was one minor issue with the Laisdcc decoder (i.e. speed step down surge) but that was easily sorted out by setting CV61=0 which adjusted the BEMF (thanks to junctionmad and rmweb). The Laisdcc seems to be a clone of the TCS M4 decoder which required the same CV61 setting. The Laisdcc operated the directional running lights and main head beam lights on 071 and 201 as well as the lights on 141/181. Obviously as a four function decoder like the Lenz neither will operate the cab lights on 071 or 201, but few folks bother with the daft cab lights anyway which would need a six function decoder such as the rather expensive LokPilot. Laisdcc - Light functions 071/201 F0 = Forward white directional lights on/off F1 = Rear red directional lights on/off F2 = Directional Main Head Beam on/off Laisdcc - Light functions 071/201 F0 = All directional lights including head beam on/off Conclusion: Happy bunny. I will be using Laisdcc decoders for non sound MM locos from here on. Great value compared to the Lenz yet almost on a par with performance. The Laisdcc performed better than the Bachmann 36-554 and 36-557. One advantage of the Laisdcc decoders is they are 'stay-alive' equipped including a pair of wires which you can connect to an optional extra capacitor if using locos that don't have all wheel pickups or say just two axles. Only the expensive Lenz gold has a stay-alive capability (eg: for steam loco conversions, or spud drives for better running over insulfrog points, etc).

So tell me this were you a Futaba, Skyleader or Multiplex user?

Looks good. If you wanted you could just barley bend the rails in the short straight piece of flexitrack between the inner and outer curved points, but just the finest smidgen so that it doesn't look dead straight and gives the impression of the curve continuing through the two points. Mini Tip: I used to cut the chairs off the last sleeper in each section of flexitrack, and a slight indentation in the the top of the sleeper plastic (i.e. under the rail), so that it could slide under the fish plates, doing away with the need to fill sleeper gaps with one or two off-cut sleepers. The end sleeper on each section of track would still be joined by one piece of plastic to the rest of the sleepers. This helped make track joins less obvious.

Looking forward to watching your layout develop. Perhaps seal the baseboard so subsequent ballasting and scenic work takes to it better, then you could dry position the track with temporary pins while you do 'first fix' electrical work, and then drill the board for point motors, wiring, etc. Ballasting sequence depends on the method you are going to use (i.e. foam, cork, direct to board, etc). Enjoy and good luck. IMHO, don't rush the track work, its really worth getting the joins perfect and avoiding kinks at joins maintaining nice looking curves where applicable.

Great plans Noel. Looking forward to it. Love looking at Tara Junction posts.

Looks great even with the pic upside-down - nice one

Cheers Peadair. Well another option to try might be to locate a LokSound decoder on the layout and connect the speaker outputs via suitable line-in interface to a micro home stereo system, and put a LokPilot decoder in the loco, give both the same address and identical motor drive CV settings and see what happens. The sound decoder would effectively become a mere accessory decoder, but hopefully mirror what is driving the loco. This however probably will not work if LokSound uses any form of load feedback to adjust sound tracks playing (i.e. the static decoder would not be receiving any motor load parameters, current, voltage, etc). Noel

Hi Peadair. My tuppence worth and personal thoughts are DCC loco sound is fun and a huge improvement, but the sound that is played is 'local' or near the listener, and DCC loco sound doesn't adjust for distance (i.e. scale distance and doppler effect), or tunnels, underground, etc. Wether the loco is in a model station right in front of you or 1/4 scale mile away it sounds the same as if you are still standing beside it at the station. Technically the only way sound could adjust more realistically as a loco travels around a layout is for the player to adjust the sounds based on the two separate locations of the loco and the listener. A Dobly Digital 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system could move the sound anywhere on the layout, but you'd need some pretty neat software to adjust and play the recordings from a layout player rather than from a loco decoder/speaker. The decoder would need to transmit fairly precise loco location data to the central system so that the receiver could simulate distance and adjust volume levels, frequencies, etc. Personally I would prefer a layout based sound technology because all the ambient noises could be added, traffic, countryside, station noises, announcements, etc, but as far as I know no such technology exists. I the mean time I just play general ambient background railway noises from an old iPhone to a layout speaker, and a very old Hornby cassette tape copy, in conjunction with on board loco DCC sound. One thing though I have found is that I never run sound on more that one loco at a time, otherwise it just sounds like an unrealistic and confusing din. But that just my own thoughts. As a child I supplied my own ambient railway noises as mimic making all manner of machinery noises, engines, steam chuffs, rail noises, and hums with my mouth. Cheers. Noel

Really nice photos Broithe. Love the shot through the canal bridge of moored vessels and the lock. Family often used the Tullamore train to get to Banagher. The shot of the station is nice too.

Yes but do any of those sell modelling parts. The Model Shop used to when it was in Bride street a gazillions years ago, but not the last time I popped in, just toy RC stuff.

Thats a great idea. All the cables and parts should be easy to get from any decent RC model aero shop (if such exists anymore in ROI after W J Owens closed in bray)

Have had a lot of fun over the Christmas break tinkering around with bits and bobs, but I need to stop 'playing trains' and get on with work on the layout. Had fun over the weekend discovering more about the MM 201 sound chip. It has a rail clink which combined with the rail squeal sounds very realistic when slowly arriving or departing from a station. Woodvale Junction on a dark winters morning

Tension Lock Uncoupler tool - Bottle cork and a paper clip I have a few of them dotted around the layout for ease of use

Hopefully that might suggest pre-production samples at the SDMRC show, and if all went well perhaps retail deliveries some months after that.

Ah, vents on 40 yo Lima CIE vans

Hi John, not sure which image you saw these in, were they in the video clip or photos? The 20 ton brake van is from Irish Freight Models. Noel

Wonder if it was used in 1978 for storage off the main line during the filming of the 'Great Train Robbery' movie (Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down)? I watched some of the sequences when the steam train ran through the curragh.

Legomanbiffo DCC Sound demo (supplied by DC-Kits) - LokSound decoder. I posted about the installation of large speaker in Q&A (DCC section), including the cutting and fettling to get the speaker to fit inside the body. Used a tripod and camera this time instead of phone

Nice idea. I presume it serves the race course rather than the army camp. Do you know when it was last used?

Very interesting. They could have been operated like BR 125 sets. Presume with two locos that might do away with the need for EGV.

Played with 190 and the 'Legomanbiffo' LokSound at lunch time and have to say I am impressed with the loco sound. Figured out shunting mode and how to turn the cab change sound sequence off (i.e. cab doors opening, foot steps down the walkway as driver changes ends). The sound levels of some of the channels need adjustment, the station announcement is too quiet, but the flange sequel is louder than a 737 doing a gear up landing on asphalt. Will try this chip with a standard drop in speaker in next loco 165 for comparison.

Agree wholeheartedly. We have little to complain about. We have amazing MM 141, 181, 071, and 201s to play with while we wait for 121. But a dream only 10 years ago, and a figment of any Irish modellers imagination 40 years ago. Our expectations have been raised in the past decade, wait and see within weeks of the 121 being released to much applause there will be cries for an A-Class model

Thanks Fran for that information and insight. Noel

Thanks for replies guys. Does anybody on the forum have any insight to the factors and rational that lead to the replacement of the mk3 fleet early? I suppose it could be got through FOI, but that's a tedious process and I'm sure this topic must have been discussed by the media at some stage. Heuston is an impressive place nowadays with all the extra platforms and shinny new 22k sets, online booking, reserved seat names, etc, etc. I agree with JB I find the 22k's quite warm inside, but more disappointingly the seats seem rather uncomfortable after the 1st hour. At least the seats in City Gold on the mk4 sets are comfy as are the enterprise, but all mk3 seats used to be comfy for long trips. Having travelled quite a bit on 22k's this year they do seem to be selling seats quite well. City Gold on the Cork line is practically empty during the day and there is no proper food service except 1st thing in the morning and the late evening train back to Heuston. Is that caused by good motorways, or poor in cabin service (i.e. no curtains for laptop work, poor food, etc)?