SRman

It's nice to see you back again. Nice work on those signals.

The speaker enclosures should not be difficult to get as they are the same for 100 ohm or 4/8 ohm speakers. Many of my v3.5 fitted locos have two speakers in parallel (both sealed, of course). I agree that it is difficult to get speakers equivalent to the really good range available for the newer versions, but combinations of speakers can still improve things a bit. As an example, some of my diesels have a bass reflex or bass enhanced speaker together with a smaller round speaker (23 mm or 20 mm) to push the higher end. The main thing is not to exceed a volume of 50 (out of a possible 64 steps), otherwise you risk damaging the decoder amp. I have often found that I need less than half of that volume - around 20 to 25 - to get very reasonable results. The main snag with all of the above is that there isn't always room for larger speakers, particularly in steam locos. Some, like two of my Heljan class 33s, and a Heljan Hymek, started off with two 23 mm round speakers, one in the tanks, the other angled against the cab bulkhead at one end, with that second one having a severely cut down sound chamber to get it to fit within the body. Even that difference means the speakers behave differently and give slightly different tonal qualities that complement each other. Others, like a class 24 and a class 37 have a normal 20 x 40 mm oval speaker in the assigned space but fitted with a sealed sound chamber, plus a small 20 mm round speaker in the nose (class 37) or shoehorned into the body at the other end (class 24). As long as these decoders continue to work well, I see no reason to spend money replacing them with newer versions. Replacing the sound projects with bif's or Howes' ones is beneficial in many cases, though.

Like Peter C (45568), I remember Bachmann indicating that they could do a U from the N tooling. For the variations, the first batch of U's were converted from River class 2-6-4 tank locos. These had lower running plates and deeper splashers than subsequent new builds, which had splashers so shallow they were barely visible. As such, I would guess that any manufacturer's tooling would probably not be able to deal with this variant as well as the later versions.

The pickup method of transferring the power from the bogies to the PCB on the floor of the model is standard on many of Bachmann's DMUs and EMUs. If there is a problem with intermittent power, this is the most common location to investigate, in my experience. Only one model has given me cause to do something about this; a class 150 unit I fitted with sound. I ended up soldering some decoder wire between the vertical 'pins' on the bogies and the contacts on the PCB. That fixed the stuttering and intermittent losses of power for that model. I don't know why that particular unit suffered the problems more than any other with exactly the same mechanisms and power arrangements, it just did. It works perfectly now, though.

I'm enjoying your build here, Chris. I have been building a 4 EPB from DC Kits but it keeps getting put on the back-burner, although the shells are built and it has couplings and a Replica Railways motorised chassis, so can, and has, run on my layout. Can I make one small suggestion, something I have done with mine: before you finally glue the roof on, taper the underside slightly to make the visible front edge slightly thinner. I always think the roof appears slightly too thick as it stands. If you have glued the roofs on already, it would still be possible to scrape the underside of the leading edge above the cab just a little. The thickness at the trailing ends doesn't matter as it matches up to the coach ends. The thought of doing all those door hinges and grab handles does my head in, which is one of the reasons I keep putting the EPB set back in its drawer!

I love the panel in the signal box; it is also more like what I should have done in my LT signal box. I'll file it away in the back of my mind for future inspiration! I always love the atmosphere you have created with Tonbridge West.

Some further work on the class 123 DMSK, which will not be motorised. I have cut the side sections and butted them up, trimmed the roof (although a tiny bit more may need to be removed, cut a section out of the seat unit, removed the coach end at the cab end, and posed the resin cab at that end. Nothing has been glued and filled at this stage, there is still a small amount of fettling to do. The parts are shown just after cutting, and assembled loosely in a way that gives an idea of how it will look once completed. P_20191029_180336_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20191029_183951_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

A couple of photos from late in 2018, when we drove from home to visit friends in Echuca, on the Victoria/New South Wales border, a comfortable 3 hour drive with stops to explore small towns on the way. This is all pastoral land closer to Echuca than to Melbourne, but the scenery does vary along the way. P_20181120_133218_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20181120_133223_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

I was lucky, only one weight was glued in, and that came out with only a little persuasion from a stout flat-bladed screwdriver. The others just fell out when I opened the coaches. Even the one with the frozen screw was able to be opened enough to let the weight fall out when tipped over.

I did consider the Hornby coaches, but there was no real price advantage, and the Bachmann ones have the close-coupling arrangement. As seen in the photos, I have actually coupled them using Hornby's close-couplers, somewhat ironically. These bring the gangways in contact on straights, but separate them nicely on curves. The incorrect height of the Bachmann coupling pockets doesn't matter here in a self-contained DMU formation.

Sadly, I have had to sell my old (Australian) Ford Falcon recently. I am getting too arthritic to look after it and do the minor repair jobs it needs. The car was/is a 1973 XB model hardtop (i.e. 2-door coupe) which has been appreciating in value in recent years. I have had it for longer than I have been married - over 34 years - and it was already 12 years old when I bought it. It was still fully registered, mechanically sound, and roadworthy (just! There were a few minor issues such as a corroded rear light fitting.) when I sold it. Anyway, it has gone to a good home with a friend who will spend the money needed to bring it back to a really presentable condition. P_20190806_165635_vHDR_On-Obscured by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20190806_165658_vHDR_On-Obscured by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Coincidentally, I have just a few minutes ago finished installing TTS sound in two Hornby HST power cars. These did not have any heat-shrink around them. I did apply some thick, double-sided tape to the metal weight in the unpowered car before sticking the decoder to it. There was no such problem in the motorised car as I used the plastic 'platform' Hornby provided already, minus its 'hood' as the decoder couldn't quite squeeze into the gap. I cannot recall what the previous TTS decoders I have had: whether they did or did not have shrink-wrap over them.

A tiny bit more preparatory work on the class 123 DMU: I have removed all of the weights from the Bachmann coaches (it really isn't needed as they have more than enough weight in their construction) and removed the end handrails and corridor connections from the outer ends of what will be the driving coaches. The driving ends are actually going to be completely replaced by the resin components, but removing the connections will make it easier to cut off the coach end while retaining the headstocks and buffers intact. What is going to be the DMSK (Driving Motor Second Corridor) has had its underframe trusses removed and the battery boxes shifted, then the resin engine/transmission and fuel tank components glued on. I forgot to mark the position of the centre screw on the coach underframe, so had to guess where to drill an access hole in the resin base - I missed twice, but no real harm done. This particular coach has one body fixing screw at what will be the cab end that won't budge. I have stripped the head of it in trying, but will end up drilling it out completely when the time comes to dismantle the coach for the side modifications. For the DMSK, I have to remove one window bay on each side to the rear of the centre door, then shift the forward portion back to join it, then add the resin cab moulding, so the side ends up with the cab bit, four windows, door, then three windows, a door and a toilet window. P_20191027_174838_vHDR_Cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr The DMBSO (Driving Motor Brake Second Open) is going to require a lot more work to incorporate the motorised chassis. Thinking out loud here (so to speak!): I intend to use one of the Replica Railways motorised chassis (they refer to them as RPCs), but as an alternative, I do have a Hornby class 121 I intended for conversions, possibly to power the intended class 119 unit. If the RPC has sufficient power and traction, I may even be able to use a half-chassis with only one motor, thus hiding it in the van section and still allowing full seating for the open saloon section. That would free up the other half of the RPC to power my currently unpowered class 456 EMU.

In a fit of impulsiveness, I bought a Silver Fox class 123 DMU conversion kit from their eBay store. I have always had an interest in the DMUs as an aside to the usual London and Southern-influenced stock, and have done quite a few conversions over the years. I had a class 121 'bubble car' long before Lima brought one out. I have class 104s converted from Hornby 110s, a class 120 converted from class 117 components with Craftsman brass etched overlays, and have done several conversions of Lima's class 117 to provide DMS cars rather than having two DMBS cars in a set. With this list of previous conversions in mind, plus future class 119 and 129 conversions still in their boxes, I have now set up the class 123 Swindon Intercity unit to be done. This will accept several compromises, not the least of which is that the 123 units did not really have marK 1 side profiles, but had a flatter upper section and shallower windows. However, the layouts of the internals and external windows and doors was very, very close to those of the equivalent mark 1 coaches. The set will be a 4-car unit with this formation: DMBSO + CK + SO + DMSK. I used mainly bargain bin coaches from Bachmann, but was only able to get a CK and SK in blue and grey (saving repainting of the centre coaches). You may notice that one of these needs to be an SO rather than a corridor SK. I dismantled one of the maroon SOs that I had bought, and swapped the roofs and interiors (the roof vent layout is different between SO and SK), and fitted B4 bogies while I was at it. The driving motors should have B5 bogies, but I will accept the B4s for now, but when I next order something from Replica Railways, I'll pick up some B5 side frames. I forgot to do this when I ordered a motorised chassis (64' with 12mm wheels), plus some other unrelated bits and pieces for use in other projects. One minor irritation is that the maroon SOs, as bought, came from earlier Bachmann moulds and had prominent transverse ridges on their roofs, while the blue and grey corridor pair (as bought) have smooth roofs. No further work has been done on the conversion other than that described above and the fitting of B4 bogies to the remaining two coaches. Here is what I have for now. There were extra conversion bits to be used in the Silver Fox box not shown here. P_20191026_092955_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20191026_092934_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr While I have collected all of the components, it may still be a while before I complete this conversion. There is a bit of cutting and shutting of sides involved for the DMBSO and the DMSK.

Indeed, as John says (above), Silver Fox appears on eBay as SK Modeller. I have only just received a class 123 DMU conversion kit from them, bought on eBay a week or two ago, so yes, they are definitely still around.

I have reported your previous post to draw the Moderator's attention to your request. The Lone Star models are interesting and bring back a few memories from my childhood. Hopefully your posts will end up in the correct section and continue from there.

I might be talking through my hat here, but wouldn't the 156 have just been free-wheeling at those speeds? I know there were regulations for Southern Region EMUs that allowed 75 mph units to be run at 90 mph without detriment when attached to suitably geared units, as long as more than two-thirds of the powered axles were geared for 90 mph. Of course, the transmissions are completely different between DMUs and EMUs, so maybe someone with more knowledge of such DMUs might be able to clarify a bit.

Beejack is absolutely correct: a 4-function decoder is required. I have a later Bachmann decoder, 36-557 (the SoundTraxx one, not the even later and better ESU one), which works perfectly well in the 128, including operating the cab lights at both ends independently.

I found that the noise was emanating from the intermediate layshaft in the gear train on my 09 (also a 'Dick Hardy'!). This meant removing the top cover and oiling the ends of the layshaft, then reassembling it and running for a few minutes. It has never made any untoward noises since.

Mark 1 Cortinas hold a the odd memory for me: back as a child living in Crawley (West Sussex), I used to get a lift to school sometimes from our neighbour, who had a white Cortina estate with mock wooden trim (like the old Corgi model). One Winter when all our quiet side roads were iced up, the neighbour started us off in first gear and we spent the next few seconds bouncing off the kerbs on both sides of the street. Things improved once she went into second gear! Much more recently (in the 1980s), a friend in Brisbane had borrowed his parents' mark 1 Cortina and parked it at his local railway station to catch his train to work. The car was stolen while he was at work, but eventually recovered in good condition where it had been abandoned in a side street. Said friend was utterly incredulous that the thief (a drunk, apparently) had chosen the Cortina rather than anything more modern - cars at that time were still not very secure, and easily started and driven away.

New South Wales.

I have found with the occasional other locos and rolling stock with this problem that a small spot of Blu-tack, or equivalent, placed in the dovetail slot for the pocket will usually keep it in place and also prevent it from drooping, while still allowing the side to side flexing.

I have just redone the concrete wall beside the London Transport branch line on Newton Broadway. The previous version printed with a pink hue, but this is rather better in colour. I also reinforced the joint a bit. There is much that is still temporary in the scenery on this area, including the brick wall on the left, which is Hornby Skaledale and can't be curved. The tunnel mouths are Peco but recycled from my old layout, so really need to be replaced with better items too. Still, I am happy with the progress, slow as it is. P_20191011_170759_vHDR_Updated by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Not yet mentioned, but smooth runners and compact locomotives also are the Hornby Pecketts and Hatton's Andrew Barclays. I am also surprised that your USA tank is not a smooth runner. Mine runs extremely well. On the other hand, much as I like the models, I have found the Heljan 07 and the Golden Valley Janus locos to suffer from dodgy pickups. They are fixable with a little effort and a soldering iron, but may not entirely suit your requirements.

We saw this Danish oddity at their tramway museum outside of Copenhagen last year. I may possibly have posted this pic of a Triangel O40 series 60 (which, as an aside, has a Leyland motor) earlier, but in view of the central or 'wrong-side' driving position discussion, this fits here too. P_20180922_141629_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr