Noel

Thanks. I think that's the one, 'Southern Model Railway Company' rings a bell. I thought they were originally downstairs, but that might just be confused memory echoes. The shop I remember definitely pre-dated 1987.

Yes this would be really useful. I'm a total beginner at spraying and would find it very helpful. There are some modellers on here that have really stunning skills with an airbrush and weathering techniques. I'd love to learn simple weathering skills.

Models such as MM 141/181 run over our over Peco code 100 insul frog points very well at low speeds. There is the odd rare glitch, but most of the time the MMs crawl nicely over these insulated frogs. MMs are all wheel pickup on all bogies and are quite heavy so good contact with rails. I think the types of chassis most folks are using with SF A and C class are not all wheel pickup, hence the stalling over points at low speeds. Two remedies are to add more pickups (a time consuming job), or alternatively using a DCC decoder that supports external 'keep-alive' capacitors. BTW, it is amazing sometimes how quickly loco wheels or track can get dirty, especially near the insulfrogs. The plastic frogs seems to attract dirt which attaches to wheels or rails near the frog. I've cleaned track work and sometimes its good for weeks, and sometimes I get unlucky and have to re-clean short sections only days after a decent clean. In relation to slow acceleration, I had similar problems until I discovered CV3 and CV4 which control acceleration and deceleration (i.e. inertia), suggest setting both to 0 initially to see how loco runs and then incrementally increase their values until you achieve suitable inertia for that motor and gear box combination. This is relatively new to me but being an IT bod, I've had my head in manuals and been experimenting with DCC for the past three months and it is still a learning curve. The grinding noise you experienced could be due to BEMF settings unsuited to the motor in your chassis. CV8=8 decoder reset will put all the settings in your decoder back in a factory default state including the loco address back to 3, but you can then experiment with the CVs for BEMF on your particular decoder (e.g. on or off or change the levels). BTW, its a pain cleaning wheels on DCC locos as I have to temporally switch DC/Analog mode on the decoder, before putting the loco upside-down in a cradle using the electrified peco cleaning probes (i.e. connected to DC source). I'm sure other more experienced on here who have SF can recommend decoders and settings that have worked for them.

Thanks. Unfortunately that just links to the MRSI Facebook home page. I'm not very Facebook savvy, but I couldn't see any discussion on the D'Olier street shop.

I can't remember the name of the business nor the name of the owner, but I do have fond memories visiting it in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I have one memory of buying ratio signal kits there before boarding trains to Galway, and starting to assemble the kits on the train! Happy days. Had a sort of pencil case with a few modelling knifes, a file and glue, enough to get started. Painting had to wait until I got home from Galway. Does anybody remember the shop, its name and who the owner was?

Aside from their quality and nostalgia, one of things that appeals to me about Cravens is their versatility in making up trains. One or two, combined with just a mk1 GSV or Dutch, or just one and a park royal we're as common a sight as, four, six, or eight coach rakes. They could be hauled by every MM loco. It was almost more common than unusual at one time to have rakes with a few Cravens, park royals and laminates all mixed. It provides a good modelling platform to collect one or two specialist coaches to run with them (eg Park Royal and laminate).

54 pages! StevieB asked for a mere list, not an encyclopaedia. However, that thread is an incredible resource.

Me too. A class never sounded as stirring nor impressive as the GM locos even though they ended up with with retro fitted GM diesels. Don't know if it was the different silencing arrangement or the different gen set that made the A class sound so different to 141/181 locos. If I had an A class model I don't think I would bother putting a sound chip on it for that reason, as well as the poor running old style chassis available for A's.

Thanks John

I presume the Hornby LMS Stanier coaches sold circa 1985-1995 are too short for these kits? I've considered respraying some of them in early black and tan and some in green, but if these kits would fit it would be interesting to try one.

Got that badge, Lima Cl 33 with BR Mk1's repainted black'n'tan. I have about 10 of those BR mk1 CIE livery coaches and two 33's. Hideous things, but back then I thought they were the best thing since sliced pans. Now that the bar has been raised to MM loco standard, I consider the old Lima stock as mere non-biodegradable waste material. Hi Kevin, comprendee. I've hung my coat on early Black livery 141/181s with the large tipp-ex and small lower tab band which are ideal to haul Cravens, Park Royals, Laminates and Bredins. I know you've been looking forward to the ST Mk2's, so enjoy them and the high standard that MM quality guarantees. Noel

Super train livery without the White lining not my cup of tea so won't be collecting any of those. But will continue collecting more of MM superb Cravens (and IFM park royals). Already have a nice rake of MM mk2d in later white lined liveries. But I know some are really looking forward to the ST coaches.

Looking good. Btw, that signal box is fabulous. How does the 73 chassis run over points at low speeds? Does it have all wheel pickups on both bogies?

That makes sense. I thought the 2a and 2b's had small opening window panels above the main window as they were not aircon.

Thanks Stephen. I never got my head around converting to AWG. Do you know would the rough equivalent of 32/0.2mm be in AWG? CORRECTION 0.2mm (not 2.0mm)

Thanks DC. Sounds a good idea to use heavier guage on long runs under the baseboard. I count myself as also 'ignorant' until it was explained to me recently. I've used the stuff on DC for years not knowing what the numbers are. I've been reliably informed 16/0.2 is 16 strands of 0.2mm wire, or 32 strands of 0.2mm wire.

What gauge wire do folks primarily use for DCC layouts and drop leads ? 32/0.2 (6amp) 16/0.2 (3amp) or other? Noel

As I have been tinkering around with DCC sound and notching levels on MM CIE 141/181 locos, I have had to do quite a bit of trail and error testing, and time trials at different CV settings and different speed curves to find the optimal for scale speeds. The time trials were done on a 3m segment of straight level track using two timing gates. The end results below. I have two speed step tables showing the scale speeds in MPH for each throttle speed step. 1-28 and 1-128 tables included. The 141 now continues progressive notching up, slowly accelerating to a target speed for example of 60mph and then notches down after attaining cruise speed. The only way to stop effectively is using brakes (F4) as the loco will coast for a very long time at idle if throttle set to zero. It's a whole new way of driving but now I just love it. It is so prototypical requiring cab operator to plan and think ahead just like the real thing. The CV3+4 inertia values are set at large values.

Thanks ET. DVD ordered from Markles

Thanks Graham, do you know of there is an easy way to do it using CVs or JMRI? I read the manual two months ago from cover to cover, but found the section on function mapping unclear.

That sounds worth waiting for. Do you know at this stage if you plan to use a centre drive chassis with AWD & AWP, double flywheel, etc?

Agree, I managed to buy a copy at the MRSI show. Really interesting material in there. More a reference book than a cover to cover read like all coffee table books. PS: Does anybody know where one can buy 'Irish Rail Archive DVDs' online? (e.g. vol 1-2, 3-4, 5, etc)

I get the impression from some recent comments on the forum that the SF A class is not held in the highest esteem. Is that because MM raised the bar so high in the intervening years? Was it well regarded in the past before the quality standards and expectations were raised? I must say having inspected a few A and C class SFs at MRSI, to my uneducated eyes they seemed not bad for low production models, the only thing I was concerned about were the basic chassis and old style drive system (i.e. not all wheel pickup, nor all wheel drive, only one power bogie, etc). But looking at layout photos on this site SF A/C classes had clearly been popular. Some of the weathered SF A classes photographed on some threads look great.

A delayed thank you BK. I had forgotten where this really useful answer was. I've read the manuals twice when you originally posted, but I find unless I summaries and write down these tips they get lost. Have been building laminated crib cards for useful CVs for LokSound, Zimo, Lenz and Bachmann. DCC seems to need extended and revised standard focusing on usability, interface and standards for use of functions given we are now in the sound era. 9 FN buttons simply isn't enough (e.g. manual notching on MM0071 sound chip is effectively unusable because it is FN 18 & 19).

Thanks Richie for replying so comprehensively. Noel