Noel

Looks ok to me. The lights on B135 and B125 seem spot on. Not sure if any issues could be the decoder set up, but the lights are working perfectly for me with the Wheeltappers LokSound 5 decoders.

In this example two locos with their own addresses become a consist with a consist address of 127 no longer responding to their own individual addresses until the consist is deleted. This takes care of CV19 automatically in each decoder within the consist.

Yes advanced consist on some DCC systems is very easy to setup without needing to know anything about consisting CVs. I use NCE system which it has a user friendly consist menu that takes care off all the necessary CVs and buries the complexities when using 'advanced consists'. It is fun driving a loco up to another coupling up forming a consist with the pair, driving a train, then deleting the consist and driving one of the locos away independently again without having to programme any CVs or without having to move the locos to the test track. The 1st 2mins of this clip illustrate this. Both MM locos have LokSound V5 projects (by WheelTappers), and also match the 121 WheelTappers project so MM121 + MM141 consist really well together and are speed matched pretty much out of the box.

That's exceptional. Love this layout. Pure atmosphere.

Have one consist with sound in both locos because I regularly split them while running (ie interesting shunt options), another with sound only in the lead loco and a speed matched LokPilot in the following loco. WheelTappers sell them as matched pairs. Kevin, FYI, I contacted MM directly and was advised by them to send the loco back to them for warranty repair or replacement. Excellent service and only took a few days to get a replacement loco sent back to me. I even got a note to say it had been test run and the sound checked. If you send the loco back to the middle man retailer you may have to wait while they send the model back to MM, from MM back to retailer, retailer back to you. Unless you can get the retailer to just send you a replacement immediately and they can deal with MM retrospectively saving customer a lot of time. Under consumer law your contract is with the retailer, but this manufacturer seems very good at honouring warranty issues directly. Just my tuppence. Most of the issues with disconnected or loose grab rails and hand rails are easily fixed by the user without need to use glue. They are friction fitted. Easy to remove for weathering and then put back.

Suggest contact MM by email and arrange to post loco back to them. They will just send you a replacement by post under warranty. Excellent service.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/model-trains-carving-out-a-little-corner-of-quiet-in-a-noisy-world-1.4432034?fbclid=IwAR0Hcdy7hJsdll_eJSf5_LLrzqDfNb0_IfkRubCOgrSc3bqFMhO5AJKUYsg

MM have excellent warranty support. They quickly replaced one of my 121s (faulty speaker) a few weeks ago. Obviously I had to pack it up and post it back to them, but being in Ireland I got the replacement back within 3 days. Suggest emailing MM direct for advise. No

They should go back on fairly easily using a tweezers without the need for glue, and the base of the stanchions nicely friction fit into holes on the side of the walkway. My eyesight is not great so I wear an optivisor to see what goes where. I had to remove the grab rails from my 121s to weather them including the cab door rails, but they went back on again ok. just be gentle. On one of mine the cab door grab rail fell off in transit inside the box, I had to use a micro drill to marginally enlarge the hole above the doors and used the tiniest smear of PVA to secure once pushed back into place. I’ve used a new technique if I ever have to revert to glue when fitting wire parts to models. I put the glue on a piece of plastic bag, hold the part with a tweezers and dip it in the glue to just get the tiniest amount of glue on the end of the wire so when pushed into a body side hole there is no unsightly or messy blob of glue visible. Not neccessary for friction fit parts like walkway rails. I never apply glue using its nozzle directly to a model, a recipient for a mess, instead always indirect transfer using a piece of plastic bag to dip in, or transfer using a cocktail stick.

Good shot. So some of them still had tablet catchers at that late stage even in CIE ST livery.

You can adjust brightness using CVs. MM should have an ESU tech sheet on this like they did for the 071 and 201 decoder projects

Yes well battery prices continue to fall exponentially rapidly approaching $100/kWh, and battery density tippled in the past 10 years now over 300Wh/kg and ever improving but unlikely to every be as small as a suitcase for a car. 15 years ago Hydrogen seemed the future, then Tesla came along and disrupted the entire auto industry and changed the world. The legacy manufacturers are still playing catchup. Dieselgate ironically may have been the best thing that ever happened for climate action as VW\VAG now lead the legacy's in a strategic switch to BEVs from fossil cars, about face GM, Ford, Daimler who are now rushing to catch up. Interesting times ahead, especially the next 5 years.

Yes, it seems so. Totally nit picking, but one minor enhancement would be easy access to add a driver to the inside of the cab, or provide the loco with a driver inside the cab (eg: magnetic or pop off cab roof unless loco comes with a driver inside).

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2019/0326/1038732-malahide-model-railway/?fbclid=IwAR3wKmQUQfU8-ab9FxfXbMh7P910u_7dfOch4BQTde6PaNq89VE2xcXXpRY

Despite Tesla's HGV, the future of HGVs seems more likely to be HFCEV (Hydrogen Fuel Cell) HGVs rather than BEV (battery). Its just physics, a battery big enough to haul a HGV load say 480km is likely to be heavier than the actual load, rather inefficient, energy wasted transporting energy store. HFCEVs missed the boat as regards cars (ie personal mobility transport) and there is zero fuelling infrastructure, but HFCEV HGVs could refuel in their own depot yards rather than public filling stations. In Germany they have been running trials with pantographs like the Luas for HGVs on autobahns. Rail really lends itself to electrification, we won't see big diesels lasting for decades, their CO2 foot print is off the richter scale!

Some great pics. I have fond memories passing under that bridge on Shannon hire cruisers of summers past. A popular spot with anglers as the hot water running out of the power station just to the east of the bridge seemed to attract some of the larger coarse fish. Yes sad to hear about the closures of these two once important power stations, but there seems some cause for optimism about new jobs perhaps on the boglands as they are converted into wind farms, forestry and carbon traps. End of an era but as a nation we have little choice due to the need for urgent climate action. Here's hoping for new employment in the midlands from green energy and forestry, etc. I see from the national grid dashboard that most of ROI's grid is now coming from wind and natural gas with coal generation almost eliminated (<5%). Changing times.

Ah one of the incredible Gareth Brennan scratch built specials. One of only 21 ever built. Probably on a Bachman class 20 chassis so a good runner too I expect. Rarer than a faberge egg. Love that livery. MVL?

Hear hear.

Hattons, Rails of Sheffield and DC Kits should have them in stock by now.

I'd better get the finger out over Christmas and get this SF 101 kit finished.

Wonderful. Pure class

IR 127 arrived today. Borderline modern era for me but this livery really pops on the GM 121 class and looks great. Put the Murphy Model supplied EMD 645 ESU LokSound decoder in it but struggled to understand some of the sound instructions and functions here: http://www.murphymodels.com/Class_121_DCC_Information.docx I could not for the life of me find out which function or how to switch the head light on/off while the running lights remained on. It seems the two running lights and head lamp are programmed to operated together as a unit like the earlier 141/181s (ie all three on or off). I know the head lamp is wired separately to a separate aux function than the running lights so it should be possible if the decoder was programmed to facilitate same. Gorgeous model. The speaker is working but is suffering very slight distortion. I've reduced the master volume CV63=60 which may save it from failing completely. No problems with hand rails or grab rails, all 100% in tact and in position as are both vacuum pipes. One needs to be careful unpacking not to knock the front cab end horn off when removing the padded box insert from on top of the loco. Beautiful precision runner. Will spend some running time tomorrow trying to find if there are any hidden 'full throttle features' (eg coasting, braking, train loads, etc). So far I haven't found any, it seems to have similar driving controls to the 071 and 201 projects which were also done by ESU for MM. Super sharp paint job. The tippex stripes are so well done. I do prefer the look of IR points logo over the later IE 3 pin plug logo. When I get the sound sorted out I will give this a very gentle weathering just to tame the orange down a little. Have kadees to fit as well. Happy days, thrilled to have one of these post CIE era models and looking forward to consisting with 143 or 156 hauling a rake of cravens and park royals, a mk2d set.

Personally I have always regarded the 121 cab end as front and set up my decoder direction that way. Driver sits facing forward on LHS beside the side window with the controls on his RH. I was always slightly mystified why there was such driver resistance to driving bonnet first when these GMs were first introduced given that steam locos had been driver boiler and smoke box first with poor visibility due to cab at the rear. The visibility from 121 Cabs facing bonnet direction was much better than a steam loco (ie four windows), no need to stick head sideways out of cab opening. Perhaps it was an IR exploit at the time? Visually bonnet seems sort of the front.

PS: Mind you reattaching the handrails on the 121s is easy to do with a tweazers. No glue needed. They clip in and friction fit very nicely. (ie unlike the 141/181s)

A recent 121 delivery from one supplier was not IMHO adequately protected inside the outer box just one layer of bubble wrap which does not prevent the MM loco box from moving within the outer packaging box, nor protect it from shock (eg if the outer box is dropped or chucked on to a load). No apparent harm done, all the grap rails where still stuck to the model unlike my 1st grey 121 a few months ago which had virtually every hand rail shaken off for the same reason (ie no bubble wrap at all, just some thin paper). Ideally the loco box should not be in direct contact with the side of the outside packaging box and should not be able to move around freely within the outer box. Should be stuffed with bubble wrap or an alternative padding. Mind you first world problems.