Noel

Quite a few 141/181 on sale on eBay UK at reasonable prices except for daft postage.

Hi Sulzer, I tend to agree with you, it is a class job from I presume a MIR kit. I would have been very tempted myself but for the imminent arrival on retail shelves of the MM0121 (expected this side of Christmas). Noel Photo from donedeal.ie

Yes it is (for its time). Price seems a bit expensive given Murphy Model's superior fine scale 121 models are due to hit retail shelves in the near future.

Thats looks very interesting. Not sure how it might sound when the train is at a distant part of the layout, but the woofer is located near the cab operator. I remember many years ago Noel Edmunds produced a railway background sounds audio cassette for Hornby. I used to play it on a continuous loop in the background when operating the layout many years ago when the children were young. Had lots of interesting background noises from steam trains shunting, passing with doppler effect, whistles, announcements, station platform noises, coach doors shutting, approaching steam trains with heavy chuff, flange squeal, guards whistles, clackety clack rail sounds, etc. Rather soothing to have at low volume in the background and added a certain atmosphere.

That's interesting. Often wondered about a layout background train sound app for a phone or tablet that could continuously, or randomly, or on command play various background sounds on a layout (e.g. passing trains, slow, fast, distant GM rumble, distant horn (doppler effect), station sounds, announcements, etc).

Ok, your suggestion of a decoder reset CV8=8 looks like the best option. Loco address will revert back to default of 3.

That's correct - dark cockpit needed for driver. I don't bother with cab lights anyway for that very reason. They look naff anyway, far too bright even when dimmed and they have a blue tint. For that reason a less expensive four function decoder is perfectly sufficient for all MM locos. For non-sound use a quality decoder such as Lenz Silver+ 10321 at €25ea will drive 071/201 ok. The Bachmann 36-557 should also be fine if you can get the later revision, early versions had intermittent issues with some DCC controllers. The MM0004 (201) and MM0005 (071) are just €35 versions of the ESU LokPilot V4 DCC chip which can be bought for €31ea in Germany, mind you it might be less expensive to buy retail over the counter here than pay postage from Germany if only ordering one. PS: Beware the LokPilot Fx V4 is only a function decoder and has no motor drive.

Check the two dip switches under the loco body normally used to set the lights when under DC operation, are at their factory default settings in case this is effecting their startup state when using DCC.

Nice set of pics Wanderer. Brings back happy memories of many trips to Wales. Some of the Welch lines are in the most stunning settings.

+1 As you say progress doesn't stop the imagination modelling the past, whatever version of the past we remember.

Thats very true John. From a modelling point of view many smaller stations no longer even have sidings only passing loops on single track lines, so operationally trains simply pass through or just stop for a few minutes. In relation to running 'contemporary' trains, in the old days one simply repainted UK model toys in Irish livery and childhood imaginations happily saw them as CIE. Standards have risen so as you say custom/scratch seems the only way to run a 22k back and forth like a yo-yo, but a 201 hauled mk4 set may seem more interesting even if it is just another form of yo-yo, but at least with a growling GM. We are blessed with good passenger model rolling stock from 60s, through to 90s, but a dream way back when a Hornby CIE liveried Hymek pulled BR Mk2a's in supertrain livery.

Yes we all have our own unique life experiences and memories to call on. As a youngster I travelled most on trains during the 1960s finishing in the early 70s, and then again for work in the mid 1980s, so our experiential eras just overlapped. I do vividly remember that change over period where 'modern' rolling stock started to appear and the rakes and rakes of sugar beat wagons, vans and other loose coupled stock laid up in nearly every siding in the country. Pick up freight wagons were still in operation in 1974 when I used to visit the local station in Newbridge and watch them uncoupling a single wagon from a goods train waiting in the loop while passenger trains past, and then roll it by man power into the goods shed for the local deliveries that day. The other issue for me was 'toy trains' in the 1960s were inevitably either British passenger steam trains or steam hauled loose coupled British goods wagons, so I grew up with the concept of shunting wagons, pick up freight, and lots of operations arranging train formations, steam engine run arounds, turn tables, at the end of each movement, all requiring lost of interesting track formations and lots of point switching, etc, so todays fixed formation push-pull DMU passenger trains that just go back and forth seem very limited to operate, and fixed rake freight formations less interesting to operate. I remember as a child getting a train set with two container flats and a few containers and 'spoiled brat' being secretly rather disappointed with the uniformity of a container train compared to a mixed goods train with vans, open wagons with all manner of loads, oil tankers, cable drums, steel flats, salt vans, grain wagons, coal, cattle, conflate, etc. As you say modernisation from 1974 onwards was swift and very interesting in its own new way. The sugar beat trains from my memory back then seemed the longest freight trains and most common. CIE Freight Modernisation

Super job. What filler did you use?

Me too believe it or not. Too much time on my hands with bad dose of flu these past 3 days!!! Enough

Hi Richie, YES in the 141 v 071 clip which is un-prototypical. But the clip shows what a good chassis can do, and therefore how a good chassis can do scale like acceleration and deceleration (not in that clip). I've timed models with speed gates to find out the correct scale speeds and acceleration distances. The MMs are near perfect, and yes if you leave a model at speed step 1 it will go at a constant low speed that is lower than attainable in real life. Noel 2.5 times? In a week or two when I get some time will post a clip showing scale acceleration and deceleration speeds and distances using a 141 and an 071.

Some really nice shots there. Love the shallow DOF shot with the BGH loco in the back ground, and the five 201s in side profile at Inchicore.

Agree I guess this clip is a better example of an attempt at scale speeds Clip:

Hmm, most private layouts have a 'roundie roundie' element so there is plenty of scale distance to accelerate in a gentlemanly and scale like manner that would not spill tea in the dinning carriage. Appreciate this is not possible on some end to end exhibition layouts, but they were not designed to display trains at cruising speeds anyway so its not an issue. On our layout the largest mainline loop is the equivalent of 0.8 scale miles, so plenty of distance to accelerate before doing a full 360. Your Claremorris may not be too far off those distances either. On a long heavy freight train I often allow two laps of the layout to simulate braking and gradually coming to a halt. Modelling inertia is a key element for me in operating toy trains. I have to use my 'imagination' that the second time the train passes a through station that it is in fact a different station.

Agree smooth constant acceleration and deceleration which thankfully most high quality RTR chassis nowadays can provide (e.g. all the MMs). Don't agree entirely it doesn't scale well to operate trains at scale speeds, acceleration and braking. There is nothing worse than seeing a superb exhibition layout with fine scale models driven in a totally unrealistic manner with trains stopping at speeds where G forces would knock all the passengers out of their seats and off their feet. Fine for a 1970 Triang-Hornby toy but not a fine scale model.

Must just be my visual OCD - I find confused and illogical brand graphics rather irritating. The essence of rail colour schemes is uniformity and compatibility.

PS: On this video of the 071 and six mk3s, from start the loco got to 4mhp in its own length and entire train had only got to 20mph by the time the last coach passed the carriage shop. Acceleration was not as fast in the prototypical world as the eye might perceive probably due scale, vision, etc. Now I could have made a total botch of the basic arithmetic but I thinks its within a 10% error margin.

Loco got to 3mph in its own length, and the train was doing 13mph when the last coach went under the bridge.

Fab-U-lus

Yes but they don't make it intuitive to use like an iPhone UI. I still think DCC UI seems left in the dark ages. It just hasn't moved with the times, even if it sounds great and fingers get RSI

You are all doing just great, plus it will give us some time to save!! +1 Btw, its "Captain, the engines cannae take much more of this"