Large (1:20.3) Scale Workbench

[Mayner]

Back to the wreckbench to restore #464s headlight and get RGS Motor #6 head and marker lights when running in a forward direction.

#464 headlight ceased to function after one of the jumper cables between the loco and tender failed several months ago. The wiring on the Bachmann K27 2-8-2 is quite complex with a circuit board in the tender and smoke box linked by a cable loom with two multiple connectors between loco and tender. 

The connections from the loom to the multi socket on the RHS of the loco wasn't in a great state when I picked up the loco well used second hand about 8 years ago, luckily most of the wiring was redundant since I converted the loco to on-board battery control ending up with one functional wire the -feed to the headlight which failed several months ago.

The smokeboard circuit board control lighting functions, headlamp, marker, cab/possibly firebox lighting and redundant DC/DCC changeover and smoke unit switches.

Original plan was to link the headlamp LED with the marker-light circuit but ended up blowing the marker light circuit instead!.

In the end used a Kiwi style no 8 baler wire repair crude but effective. 1st did some testing with a multi meter and discovered that some of the loom and LED wiring did not follow the usual conventions for + - the negative lead to the headlamp was red and positive feed to the lighting circuit board white. To complicate things further I used orange and brown for + & - jumpers from the circuit board to the headlight.

Actually managed to run some trains on Christmas Day. Thankfully #464s headlight fed through a resister now works, though I have not connected the marker (classification) lights. Apparrently marker lights were not usually illumiated in daylight.

Motor #6 is fitted with very small  filiment bulbs rather than LEDs, capture the atmosphere of 1930s 6v automobile headlights.

 

Looks like the prototype may have kerosene marker lights, possibly from a caboose. The RGS was very much a boot strap operation that would make Forbes County Donegal extravagent in comparisson.

Interestingly the entire RGS Goose (Motor) fleet has survived some in operating order on heritage lines and museums in Colorado & California, someone actually built a replica of the origonal goose Motor 1 which was used as a source of parts to build Motor 6 during the mid-1930s

Getting #6 lights functioning going forward was basically a case of soldering a jumper between the F & R lighting pads on the radio receiver/decoder

[Colonel]

Enjoyable seeing the big stuff - everything has real presence, particularly in close up.

[Mayner]

Back to the Wreckbench. Decided to dispose of a pair of my older Large Scale locos that haven't turned a wheel since I converted the garden railway from DCC track power to battery RC seven or eight years ago. Mainly to clear up space to start work on a 4mm layout.

One of the locos an LGB Forney 0-4-4T turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

Originally bought as an "1881 Wild West" loco from a US dealer, she was fitted with a NCE 4amp decoder and went through a partial repaint before entering service on the Jackson County about 16 years ago.

Interestingly while the Forney type were rigid main frame locos with a trailing bogie, the LGB Forney is closer technically to a Single Fairlie with a centrally pivoted power bogie and powerful-sure footed despite their relatively small size.

The Forney became one of the every day workhorses of the Jackson Country until replaced by (larger!) battery RC powered locos as I shifted from G (mainly 1:22.5) Scale to F (1.20.5) scale following a 2016 visit to the Colorado narrow gauge. The Forney type was mainly used on the Maine 2' narrow gauge and standard gauge elevated suburban lines, theoretically LGB narrow gauge models are meter gauge, though may have taken a pragmatic approach and simply "re-scaled" its Forney to match the proportions of its other American outline stock (mainly Colorado 3' gauge).

"The fun and games" began when I attempted to enable analogue(DC) operation on the NCE decoder. The Forney did not respond to DC after I fitted the decoder and I had mislaid the LGB Analogue Jumper which would allow the loco to run without a decoder.

I eventually managed to trackdown the decoder manual and a (2008) "My Large Scale" article on converting the Forney to DCC which I had originally used as a reference when I installed the decoder and included a diagram of the 'jumper' wiring.

The NCE manual indicated that the decoder was supplied with analogue mode disabled and managed to enable analogue mode by re-programming CV29 using a Digitrax command station and throttle, referring the the NCE programming CV29 Information Sheet.

Problem was the loco would only run reliably in a forward direction on DC, intermittently starting in reverse when selected, but changing to a forward direction when I closed and re-opened the throttle.

In the end I re-programmed CV29 using a different command station and throttle with identical results! As a final check I attempted to check/re-programme CV29 interfacing the JMRI Decoder-Pro app with my DCC system, unfortunately the RR-Cirkits "LocoBuffer-USB" interface which I once successfully used for route setting on an American N gauge layout about 20 years ago is now obsolete. Fortunately I was able to cross check that I had used the correct CV29 value from Decoder Pro and the NCE tables.

I sent in a query to the NCE help desk on the problem so will be interesting if I get a response.

The next step was to set up an 'analogue jumper" with the aid of the wiring in the 'My Large Scale" article, but it did not actually work in practice as there was no link on one side between track, motor and functions. T

In the end I simply installed jumper connections between the rails and motor bushes in order to allow the loco to run on DC, the lighting (head tail and interior) operates on FO, F2 may be used to operate a smoke units, F1 spare.

At this stage all bulb holders require replacement, with a long lead time for replacement, so working lighting or DCc functions largely irrelevant.

"DC" jumper! using parts from the local electronic store!

My idea of DCC ready!

10 Pin header connected to the decoder tucked up under the leads to the motor bogie and smoke unit!

10 Pin DC header plugged into the board loco operating on DC without lights or other functions!

Cab, bunker and pilot have been re-coated in a semi matt black aerosol sealed with a flat aerosol clear. Cylinder block has since had the same treatment.

I originally had planned to finish the boiler and brasswork in black but decided to leave as is, at one stage green metallic "Russia Iron" boiler jackets and polished meytal work was a feature of many American locos.

The Forney is a Chinese assembled LGB loco with plastic motion and handrail brackets rather metal on German manufactured locos. I replaced the plastic handrail knobs/brackets on this loco were easily damaged and were replaced with locally produced brass castings using one of the originals as a master.

I need to replace the lamp numbers to match the smoke box number No 4 inspired by a Bridgetown and Harrison or Sandy River loco.

The other loco in for attention is a Bachmann "Spectrum" Mogul again bought from a dealer in the States, fitted with a Lenz Decoder with stay alive a very reliable loco until she split a plastic gear on the driving axle (a common defect Bachmann Large Scale locos), gear and axle since replaced and a spare in stock and runs relaibly on DC!

The whole DC/DCC thing could be a moot point track power is becoming the exception among large scale modellers in NZ as they convert to battery RC

Hopefully with the large scale Farlie and Mogul largely out of the way I might get a chance to catch up on my 4mm Irish modelling projects.

 

Edited January 5 by Mayner

[Mol_PMB]

Very nice! Definitely sounds more like a Mason-Fairlie than a Forney. 
 

[Mayner]

Had bought a replacement set of batteries to re-instate RGS #20 which had been out of service for several years (https://www.steamlocomotive.info/largeimage.cfm?which=265) Once one of the mainstays if the line loco had been out of service for several years (once her old batteries wore out) & #463 had arrived to take over the lions share of the work.

A modified Bachmann Big-Haulier 4-6-0 loco had been re-built with shortened smokebox, new more correct funnel, new plasticard cab, tender body modified & fitted with airtank to resemble the prototype, converted to battery RC and more recently fitted with vinyl custom decals, but hadn't run in several years.

Turned out that the ESC "electronic speed controller" in the Radio Control set up had developed a fault since the loco was taken out of service and no direct replacement available. Manufacturers/suppliers of battery/RC systems for model railways is pretty much a cottage industry the original system fitted to #20 was supplied by RCS (Remote Control Systems) about 10 years ago, the owner Tony Walsingham had since passed away, Deltang a UK supplier of compitable systems had ceased trading and Micron a current UK supplier did not expect to have a suitable ESC in stock for another month or so. So #20 is now in storage waiting parts.

A more urgent immnent need arose when #464 failed in service last week with a weak battery and needed to be restored to service urgently. So fitted #20 batteries to #464 to ensure the railroad had one heavy freight loco & a back up.

#464s electronic system! The loco is a Bachmann K27 2-8-2 released in 2007, at the time 'no 'large scale" DCC interface existed so Bachmann developed a circuit board intended to interface with DCC & RC systems. RCS developed a 'plug & play' adaptor to interface with the Bachmann board and a separate ESC and RC servo modules. As far as I recall the ESC plugs into the Bachmann board with separate screw terminals to the RC receiver and a sound board. More recent combined ESCs and RC receivers are a similar size to a OO/HO DCC decoder chip!. Two 7.2V car batteries are mounted on the tender floor below the circuit boards, the heavy duty wiring and connectors on the right connect interface the batteries with the control system!

 

The K27 also fitted with a speaker! The wiring/control system of the Bachmann K27 was overcomplicated much of the wiring loom on the right is redundant, could be replaced by 4 wire if an when the existing wiring system fails. Small circuit board on tender floor at left is Phoenix sound system.

 

Anyway replacement batteries fitted! secured with double sided tape to foam strip at floor level, with capton tape across side and top of batteries.

RC receiver fixed in position at top of tender, boards powered up receeiving RC signal and loco in forward gear (green LED illuminated)

Headlamp had come adrift from platform so clamped in place while glue setting!

Out on trial successful trial run before dusk

Fitted a headbrakeman's Doghouse to #464s tender although loco does not appear to have been fitted with a Doghouse while running on the RGS I bought one as a spare part from Bachmann several years ago & add a point of interest to the loco. Apparrently fitted to some loco to accommodate the 'headbrakeman' as a result of a government requirement because of insufficient space in the cab for the full 'headend crew", the enclosures were fitted with steam heating, otherwise a man could quickly freeze to death during winter on high mountain passes crossed by the Rio Grande.

 

[Colonel]

A fine looking beast and absolutely iceberg like in what lurks beneath the sutace!