Noel

3 hours ago, gph2000 said:

There have to be other ways to generate this power too. Already I see one manufacturer using the petrol/diesel to power an onboard generator only, and all the drive power is from the electric motor. There must also be a means to capture some solar power via a roof panel, and could those fine wires that deliver your heated window take power in the opposite direction from the window to a battery? Equally, on a two wheel drive car can the rotating action of the other wheelset power some form of generator to reclaim some of the spent power?

Other ways: Wind, pumped storage, hydro, solar, the Celtic Interconnector importing 700MW from french Nuclear grid. Ireland varies between 40% and 60% wind for the grid these days, with a target of between 70-80% by 2030. Alas data centres are a fly in the ointment with possible future legislation to force them to generate or buy their own CO2 free juice. Data centres are not big employers anyway, but earn significant revenue. From 2030 sales of new fossil cars including hybrids are being banned in Ireland with 2040 the target date for use of old ICE stock. Only time will tell how all this pans out. Alt Energy is the new business of opportunity. And we led the way with DCC   In time Ireland will be forced by EU to electrify the railways and by the various international accords we have already signed up to (eg Paris). Wonder if we'll end up with a 3rd rail, or overhead gantry on the main intercity lines. 

Irish National Grid on a normal wind day.

1 hour ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Some years back 2004 I think, when Maggie Thatcher crossed the seas to visit us in our capacity as Eu President, Audi supplied a fleet of executive cars, I cant remember the model but something similar to the A7
They had sunroofs which were also solar panels and they would run the A/C while the car was parked insuring it was either cool or warm when the guests returned
Surely something similar could be done for charging PHEV or BEV's?

Hyundai Ioniq 5 have solar roof as an option.

13 minutes ago, murrayec said:

Installing LED strip DC coach lights in Cravens;-

The coach body is held on by the floor side dents which slot into the glazing- 4 to each side, use cocktail sticks to disengage the dents and the body lifts off. The bogies pop off by rotating them 90 deg and levering one end up.

Setting up the electrical pickup boards which are epoxied to the underside of the bogies, the jig is for soldering the .3mm NS wire to the boards.

Holes are drilled in the bogies, the chassis and the floor between the toilets for the wiring.

 

Bogies wired up.

Chassis wired up. The wires run along the side of the weight.

Floor on and the wiring threaded up through the hole in the floor at the toilets.

Wires from the bogies have a generous loop to allow the bogie free rotation, before running up through the chassis.

The electronics- stay alive capacitor, a resistor to bring down the LED strip brightness a bit, and a rectifier for polarity control.

Electronics assembled.

The tops of the coach dividers are trimmed a bit to allow for the LED strip to pass through.

LED strip installed.

The LED strip has a mini connector to the electronics so that the body can be disconnected.

Testing.

With lights installed one needs a few passengers!

Eoin.

Great job. Nice to see anti-flicker capacitor installed. Make a big difference when they are running. On some I've put a micro pot in so lighting level can be adjusted.

Yip within 10 years I suspect road tax will switch to a milage based system initially self declared with intermediate taco inspections, NCT, when selling car, etc. The tech to implement this is easy and inexpensive. Govt will have no option but to replace the loss of duty on fossil fuels as BEV fleet size approaches the tipping point. Only time will tell. Right now BEV is enjoying a honeymoon period that cannot last forever. Milage based is fairer as widow who only does only 2500km per annum is not the same as a rep or commercial doing 40,000km a year.

Thought they looked familiar. Discovered I had a BR pack in the cave. Bought a few years ago for Kingsbridge depot. Too modern for Gort.

3 hours ago, Garfield said:

@Noel - schedules can be found here

https://accurascale.co.uk/pages/project-status

Per the latest update provided via the mailing list and on social media, the Deltics will arrive at our warehouse during the coming week.

Thanks that schedule status page is excellent information. Looking forward to hauling some of my exLMS stock behind Deltic and CL 37 in due course

1 hour ago, BosKonay said:

They can be. Both will be in stock next week together. 

Hi Stephen, Good morning. Any news when the Deltic or CL 37 are due out to customers? Thanks. Noel

Great idea, nice models to add to any yard/depot scene. Tara Junction may end up buying your entire stock.   

A tad early for my era of loose coupled 2 axle non-container stock (ie pre-1974 when pallets become more widespread with the CIE wagon modernisation program). Clips of these lifts in action in vid below.

Another short video of WMRC's amazing O gauge layout Little Siddington. Every time I see this layout I am in awe at the skills that built it, from electronics (MERG PCBs), scenics and signally, all of which works including ground signals. The size of the rolling stock has real presence. A 141 hauling a set of Cravens would look amazing on it. But it looks great in its own GWR exGWR setting.

9 hours ago, gph2000 said:

That would require 30 to 40 litres of fuel. Any idea what the cost of electricity is to achieve that range?

€7.36 on night rate electricity charging at home, or €25.60 if using ESB public charging network (ie DC/CCS) rather than home charging.

19 hours ago, Bumble_Bee said:

Leccy cars are great but depend on the infrastructure. 

95% of folks do 98% of their charging only at home on cheap night rate electricity while they sleep.

€9/wk on night saver electricity instead of €95/wk on diesel is attractive.

Many 2nd and 3rd gen BEVs can get anywhere on this small island on a single charge from home without stopping (except for human factors)  

19 hours ago, Bumble_Bee said:

My dream hybrid would be one that is entirely electric powered (all wheel electric drive) but the battery was charged by a teenyweeny petrol motor that acted as a generator. So you could have the performance of a leccy car but without the 'range anxiety' because you could top up with petrol, also you wouldnt need the batteries to be as large so it could be made far lighter.

Yes the BMW i3 REX (Range extender was exactly this). But owners when trading in their i3's had become so comfortable with range that they bought non-rex models next time around as they had discovered they'd not needed it. 

3 hours ago, Sean said:

Stick a few solar panels up and watch that rate drop even further.

 

Best I've done In recent times was gorey to Ashbourne via the wicklow gap for five euros on my Honda CRF 250. That's a year or two ago mind you.

Hi Sean, yip, only €6 Dublin-Killarney and back thanks to night saver electricity rates. Most of summer its Solar PV only. Had been a sceptic but this BEV malarkey actually works surprisingly well.

Consider a BEV lads, €9/wk on night rate electricity instead of €95/wk on liquid fuels.

PS: Might this thread not be better placed in 'Letting off Steam' sub-forum? @Garfield @Warbonnet

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

Always thought that Swiss and Austrian layouts were very 'train set' in concept, with far too much track. Then I went there and realised that it can actually be like that in places!

 There has been a school of thought that we tend to model what we saw in our formative years - a nostalgia kick I guess. Still there, but I sense a growing urge to do something different. After all a loop and two sidings is not the same if it depicts a much earlier era, or a light railway, industrial scene, etc.

 The major manufacturers are starting to feed this, to some extent, but unless you build your own stuff, you are still very much limited by what they provide.

Agree. One can see this with the geometric influence on some layouts constrained by train set track packs and set track products. Rectangular loop layouts with 1st radius short points. Such really constrains the ability to model prototypical realism. However its probably where most of us started, a hornby transit, buying an few track packs to add, growing the train set layout under the bed or on the bedroom floor, suited manufacturers back then as the demand for track accessory packs was high, but nowadays, its grown up kids reconstructing childhood nostalgia, and a great way to keep grand children away from iPads and smartphones for entertainment. Constructing track layouts from setrack packs was akin to building things with Meccano, thought resourcefulness, basic engineering skills and let imagination loose.  Happy days they were. I remember the beano and dandy hardback annuals were welcome Christmas presents as they made perfect height platforms.

12 hours ago, irishthump said:

That's weird quirk to be honest. I can use the recall button or key in the loco address on my Gaugemaster Prodigy and won't reset any functions.

Does the Powercab still have the 2 loco recall stack?

You can customise the size of recall stack. I have it set to six.

5 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

Quick one for you NCE Users.

When I switch between Locos the functions seems to reset, Light's and sound go off. any idea what thats all about? is there a Latching thing I need to do?  Tis ok See a Recall button that is the key to keeping the same Functions in Sitiu.

I must admit the Dynamis unit had a great display you could see the 20 functions and which ones were selected. The NCE not so but otherwise happy enough TBH.

And I got the A Class headlight, the Engine room Lights, the shunting lights on (after about 20mins!!)

 

 

When switching locos using the 'recall' button this has never happened to me on NCE. I'll have to go into the train room now and try switching using the select loco button and see if this happens.

Pure magic, nostalgia gold++

14 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

Tis Bye Bye Dynamis and Hello NCE.

I will now be able to operate the A Class Headlight.....

All 

 

 

Great system and can be expanded to 5 or 10 amps in the future if ever needed. IMHO best cab ergonomics available for sound locos where one needs quick access to up to 28 separate sound functions (ie configure option button as a dual shift key: option+option+3 for fn 23 is fairly quick to access. Great cab for eyes off tactile feedback when shunting and one wants to keep eye on loco rather than cab UI. Enjoy

Really Excellent

Function mapping seems a dark art, but it just requires investment in a steep learning curve.

2 hours ago, murphaph said:

Reasonable price for one of these, these days:

https://www.adverts.ie/toy-cars-trains-boats-planes/murphy-models-mm0071-071-class/26890316

Don't know why but they weren't particularly popular models in that livery. The prototype was no beauty in that livery and usually allowed to decay, compared to the current freight grey 071s.  I have one but never run it so it might get resprayed to freight grey or NIR 8112 livery as both of those seem rather unique.

Great to see this line getting new CWR track. Suggests the line is less at risk of closure given this investment. Impressive process to replace the trackwork.

Great looking wagons. Looks like same NEM pocket issue as with the Ballasts, Bubbles and plough vans? As a fan of kadee couplings it would have been nice had retooling fixed the NEM pocket height.  First world problems, otherwise more stellar wagons from IRM.

33 minutes ago, Lambeg man said:

I recall a story told to me around 1969 by someone "in the know", that the MPD sets stationed in Ballymena for the early morning Belfast runs were left idling overnight as a precaution against them not starting. I can state from experience in such matters, that starting a large diesel engine from cold requires a substantial amount of battery power.

Interesting. Back in the day did depots not have some form of APU for cold starts? (ie mains supply cable).

Nice work Jonathan and nice result