Noel

That's pretty much it. Not quite as @Galteemore's post above explains peco insulfrog point have plastic insulating frogs whereas peco electrofrog points have solid metal frogs requiring a switch to change the frog polarity depending on which way the blades are switched. insulfrog points work very well with modern locos that have AWD + all wheel pickup (AWP) as they are unlikely to stall, but 0-4-0 locos and 4-4-0 locos may stall. Electrofrog points were the solution to that years ago before modern quality loco chassis become the norm with AWD+AWP. 0-4-0 locos and 0-6-0 shunters might manage with keepalive capacitors on insulfrog points. KIngsbridge layout is all the older code 100 track and insulfrog points, but MM 141, 181s can crawl through any of the paintwork without interruption due to the excellent AWP on those locos. DC or DCC makes no difference to this issue.

I'll give this my best shot and hopefully answer the question you are actually asking: Assuming you have a double header pair (ie two loco consist), with the lead loco having a sound decoder, and the second rear loco having a non sound decoder Using a sound decoder in one loco and a non sound decoder is not a problem and seems very sensible and saves cost The number of functions in the non sound decoder doesn't really matter unless you want to match all the lighting functions of the loco with the sound decoder (ie in case the rear loco needs more than 4 functions to match the lighting on the first/front loco). Ideally you'd match decoders from same manufacturer such as an ESU LokSound in lead loco and an ESU LokPilot in the read loco, this is so you can setup both decoders to have similar motor settings (ie start voltage, acceleration and deceleration, etc). The most important thing is to select two almost identical loco models so that their motors, gearing and mechanical speed match each other at different throttle settings. Otherwise you will need to manually use CV settings in each locos decoder to make their throttle speed curves match. Some DCC systems combined with some manufacturers decoders have setup menus to configure this semi-automatically. Some even have an auto learn feature where the second loco's decoder using load and BEMF will self configure its own CV settings to match the speed, accelaration and deceleration curve of the lead loco. This is very rare The simplest way to consist is to pair two almost identical locos, and use the same manufactures decoder versions in both. That way you should not need to manually configure matching speed curves, and they will just be mechanically well matched. For example: ESU LokSound in lead loco + ESU LokPilot decoders in rear loco with CV 2,3,4,5 and 6 all set identically For anybody interest in advanced DCC stuff read up on CV19, 21,22,23 and 24. The NCE system we have looks after the basics automatically. Here's a useful guide that should apply with any DCC system. https://tonystrains.com/news/complete-guide-to-consisting/ NCE way: https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001112643-Setting-up-an-Advanced-Consist-the-NCE-way I understand DCC controller systems such ESU eCos and Roco Z21 systems have menu options to automate speed matching of mechanically different locos to each other. The NCE system we have has a really easy to use Consist menu that so far has worked simply with no learning needed pairing MM baby GMs (eg 141+141, 181+141, 121+121, 121+141, or even a pair of 071s). Easy peasey. It might sound complicated, but basically consisting is where a DCC system sends one throttle instruction to what it thinks is one loco, but it is actually received by two decoders in two locos. You can cheat it using a simple consist by giving two locos the same DCC address, but that's a PITA because you cannot then use those locos independantly. In the video at the start of the tread it showed two locos with their own addresses temporarily becoming a DCC consist and operating as one until the consist is deleted. On the NCE system a consist is deleted by either a) clearing the consist, or by b) deleting any loco from the consist. A consist is given a temporary address usually starting at 127. Thus any instruction sent to 127 is sent to the other addresses in that consist list (eg 182 and 181 in the video above). Hope this makes sense. Its like having three walkie talkies on the same frequency, one person talks, two others receive and hear the message.

Really like these Ballast wagons. They uncouple and couple really well using kadee as per IRMs recommendation to glue kadee's under the NEM pockets, or use the pockets in fixed rakes and just modify the end wagons as per Stephens original suggestion. These would not have been shunted or marshalled like other two axle stock, but the bubbles might have been marshalled into any type of formation with other wagons in the early days. Looking forward to weathering the rest of my Ballast wagons over the winter. Might even respray some of the loads to Gypsum colour for a bit of variety. These wagons were a game changer for the Irish modelling scene and a taste of all the goodies that were to come afterwards from this stable. Never have we had it so good. IRM seem to have helped grow the size of the Irish modelling market, so glad that folks who missed out on the first run will now be able to benefit from these exciting re-runs especially in CIE and IR liveries not to mention the Gypsom variants.

Hi Graham, I know, Don’t worry no offence taken, I grew up with the old Zero One mantra ‘just two wires’, layout track was laid in 1994 and it’s still working, no oxidisation, some former isolation joints were bridged with friction pushed 5cm long wires under rails (no solder), absolute sacrilege I know but it just works, no DCC bus, no droppers, made conversion easy. A good pal of mine has droppers to every separate piece Of track. My only regret is that I didn’t use electro frog points back then which would have needed some local frog wiring and switching. Gort though has a few droppers. For newbie folks reading this starting out with a new layout some DCC bus droppers seem like a prudent idea if not more work. I got away with it on about 400ft of code 100 track. I do remember paying particular attention to the level of friction and snugness of all fish plates when laying the track back in 1994/1995. Initially I used peco foam underlay with the intention of replacing it within a few years, but never got around to it until this last year, and most of it bar one roll and a few point underpays proved UV robust. There’s only a few feet where it’s started to perish 27 years later. In time it will all be replaced but it’s so ultra quiet transmitting no noise to ply baseboard. On Gort I used closed cell dense 3mm foam.

Something like that. It's a while since I read up on the detail of how its implemented. But the important thing is functions are passed to both locos, but can be filtered too so that only the lead loco receives specified functions.

Some DCC systems have a setup menu that will easily set up a consist for you without having to manually setup CV19 in each loco. USA layouts can have consists with many locos (3-8). In this part of the world double heading (ie a pair) is the most, except for the early days in cork, when 3 steam locos used to be used to pull the cork-dublin express up the hill out of cork through the tunnel. Once up the hill one of the locos uncoupled and returned to cork yard. The GSWR 800 class were built to handle this by themselves and were amongst the most powerful steam locos in Ireland or GB, rivalling even the GWR castles for tractive effort if not the speed of the LMS princesses, nor LNER A4s. PS: An alternative to using DCC consisting is to simply give two locos the same DCC address (ie but make sure they both travelling the the same direction for 'forward' CV21).

Enjoyed a running session earlier with a pair of Murphy Models CIE 181 class locos double header both running sound as an advanced DCC consist. Setting up an advanced consist is really easy on NCE, no CVs need to be manually managed. Baby GMs double heading was common in the 1960s and early 1970s until the 071 class arrived. Enjoy.

My tuppence, Advantages of DCC over DC for me were: Sound Prototypical driving simulation. Acceleration, coasting, braking, driving trains properly Less wiring - (ie no block sections needed), literally just two wires needed for track power (I have no droppers on our layout) Ability to double head (consist) Ability to run locos right up to each other without isolation rails DCC can act as a bus for all accessories such as coach lighting, point motors, signals, no extra wiring needed Much simpler to wire than a DC layout, quicker to get trains running - two wires Our layout was built 28 years ago as a DC layout with extensive wiring for block sections and isolation rails (eg loco she's, sidings, terminus platforms, etc. To convert to DCC all I had to do was connect two wires from DCC controller to my DC switch box and flick every single switch on and leave them on. It took me 20 minutes. No droppers anywhere, and no tales of woe encountered it just works, and come of the track sections are quite long. The fishplates have made excellent conductors. DCC = Simpler

2 axle goods traffic being overtaken on the loop by 16:43 arrival from Kingsbridge with double headed 182+B181 on Platform 1. B165 waits on the down loop as pilot for the expected 16:58 goods working. J15 steaming up on P4 in preparation for 17:30 departure to Dungarvan. Local branch train from Dungarvan arrives at Platform 4. Mixed passenger + goods. Provincial wagons coupled to coach with exGSWR brake van.

B135 arrives from Dungarvan with a local branch working, passenger and goods mixed.

Agree. MDF can be unstable over a long period (ie even Everrard junction's baseboards had to be ripped up and redone in plywood) I've used these locals in Dublin. They cut Birch ply to order. http://www.woodworkers.ie/prices/p_sheet_plywood.shtml

This might help. It was a very easy fit with no 18s. I’m a bit pedantic about all my stock having kadee’s at correct magnet height and so Different stock can inter operate and couple up together.

That's a fabulous run around sequence

Very very nice. I like the detail, and micro scenes

Thanks Fran. These should prove very popular especially with folks who missed out on the first production run. Good to see re-runs of these wagons. You mentioned above these are original tooling, so just double checking, are the NEM pockets still positioned a little high as per the original run? (ie not at kadee height). Like the look of the CIE variants.

Fab-U-Lous

I still have My Zero one in a box in the attic.

Yes grey 071 is 7078. The only modern yellow stuff I have is a pair of superb IRM ballast ploughs. I bit modern for my era, but they looked so good I just had to collect a pair last year. But sadly the weed spray support wagons and spoils were not on my menu. Anthony Smyth nearly turned me after seeing his incredible weathering of his spoil wagons. Transformative. I'm already at risk of rotting in the bogie of eternal stench for having some mk3 resprays. Don't worry never will a modern boring yo-yo toy 22k set wheels upon my rails. Was getting the train to cork last year, when I saw it was a 22k set on the platform instead of the proposed CAF Mk4s I walked away and waited an hour for the next cork train which was CAF Mk4s pulled by a proper engine with a smiley face, buffers and lights.

This clock work Thomas gave me and my then young son more fun that all the scale stuff back then. We used to bet how many laps it could do before the spring ran out, each loop there was a slight hump and it would nearly stop, but if it got over that it would whirl off for another lap of the oval. The Thomas behind it is electric.

@WRENNEIRE take 3

Yes a fascinating time when ancient 1950s A class loco's hauled modern air-con coaches and CWR was progressively growing out from Houston through kildare on the Cork line. Ironic that the A classes looked all modern and aerodynamic yet mechanically they were old tech, whereas the boxey looking GMs were much more up to date. A time when you could pass through Limerick junction and see a uniform rake of modern containers in an adjacent line or siding to a mixed rake of loose coupled 2 axles goods wagons and/or bulleid corrugated beet wagons, with 1950s coaching running through the station at the same time as the swish of mk2d's behind a pair of baby GMs. Pure magic for diversity and variety of operations, the goods shed siding in each small station had its days numbered as the sun started to set on manually handled pick up goods traffic. At least the non-supertrain passenger formations still had fabulous variety in their make up. As JHB often commented often were there were rarely more than two coaches of the same type in a rake. Glad I lived through those days and traveled by train a lot. Watching the tracks fly by underneath large gaps in gangway floors was exciting and the noise an assault on the senses as they rattled and clanked.

That's a fabulous photo to have. B&T livery locos hauled the original super train livery mk2d sets for some years before all the locos got repainted in super train livery to match the A class locos which match the roof profile of the mk2d's as well as the livery. I remember the 1972 CIE TV adverts vividly, looked like the height of modernity coming to an Ireland of Peat, Turf and Bogs, still getting used to the idea of colour traffic lights instead of black and white ones. When the Riordans were peak time TV viewing and if even the word 'toilet' was mentioned on the late late show, croziers were beating down with Bishops letters of condemnation the following Sunday at services. A time when the riordans had tractors and mini skirts

Both companies up for sale again apparently.

Did they not rationalise product lines with Roco who took over HO?

Velly enterusting. Benny Hill? I think I saw a kit of one of those in Marks Models once