Hi Jeff. Thank you for your.reply,   that is very good advice, I will have to find time to actually complete one of the kits that I have. Ho Ho Ho.  Happy Christmas to you all.    Kevin

Hi Jeff,

Try this out before you do your video and let us know how you get on with it, please.

  If you are fortunate enough to have an SLW Class 24 with original ‘factory fitted’ sound there is a hidden variation on the way the engine sounds operate. This can be accessed with a couple of CV changes.
   
  This has been part of the official sound project from the very beginning so anyone who has one of these models will be able to try it without needing to update anything.
   
  The default values of CV265 = 101 and CV387 = 150.
  Change these to CV265 = 103 and CV387 = 0
   
  This is how the sounds will operate after these changes:
   
  Start and Idle – normal
  Speed Step 1 (or F7) engine sound advances to ‘control lever to position On’
  Speed Steps greater than 1 – engine sound does not alter with speed.
   F keys 23, 24, 25, and 26 will put the engine sounds into ¼, ½, ¾, or full power respectively. These keys can be used individually or in combination.
   
  All of the dynamic controls via Throttle or F key still work as normal, so simulation of light engine or heavy train is just as convenient, but fully independent control of all engine sounds is now available at all times. (Although F6 still operates as normal, its use is superfluous in this mode).
   
Reversion to the original scheme can be achieved by reinstalling the default values in CVs 265 and 387.   
  This driving scheme will not suit everyone’s requirements or tastes, but for those who need or desire the ultimate level of control it will be prove extremely useful.
   
  Good Luck,
   
  Paul
  

Thanks Paul. I'm always willing to try different modes with sound projects. I'll give that a go in the next few days. 

I can't see me doing too much with the trains for a couple of days as it is very hot here - yesterday was 35 degrees C, today is predicted to get to 37, and tomorrow the weather bureau doesn't seem to have much clue with various press releases saying anything from 27 to 35! Whichever, it's not comfortable modelling weather, although good for quicker drying of paint.

Wishing everyone here a Happy Christmas.

Here's a shot of a pre-grouping train hauled by my Bachmann SECR C class 0-6-0, with every vehicle in the train (apart from the loco) having been kit-built. Most are plastic kits from either Cambrian or Parkside, with the brake van at the far end being a brass kit from Roxey Mouldings. All are still awaiting some of their markings, such as stock numbers and/or tare weights and loads, but look sufficiently complete to pass muster when in the train as a whole.

Further up the timescale, I have been fiddling with a Bachmann Wickham trolley to convert it to DCC. Visually, there is no difference compared to an out of the box example, but the conversion method I chose involved removing the PCB from the unpowered trolley and replacing it with a TCS Z2 decoder hard-wired in. To fit the decoder in the space, I had to remove the metal "finger" that previously retained the PCB; it is now quite a snug fit lengthwise, with plenty of room to the sides for spare wiring to allow some free play for maintenance purposes.

I identified which wires were doing what by desoldering the outer pair of wires and connecting test leads to them; nothing happened, so I then tested the remaining two wires, which (as I expected) powered the motor through its brush connections (it's actually a coreless motor, so probably doesn't have real brushes!).

Having connected the decoder to the correct wires, I tested on the programming track and all worked properly. I ran it on the main lines but it was a bit hesitant. Further investigation showed that the PCB also had two contact pads for the pickups from the trolley, so I had to dismantle it and solder two more wires on to get all-wheel pickup again.

That was successful, initially, (including on the programming track) but after some running, I found the rear, unpowered axle on the motorised trailer was very hot, so there is a short-circuit somewhere. Possibly, due to the light weight of the trolley and trailer, the pickups were not all working at once, but after the running had bedded them in a little they have a dead short - I'll have to check that the pickup wires are all connected to the correct side.

Further investigation revealed that there were two possible causes for the short; one was a piece of heat-shrink insulation had slipped, exposing some bare wire, and the other was one of the rather delicate springy pickups had got caught up when I reassembled the trolley, allowing it to contact the wheel back and the chassis at the same time.

It has now been sorted and runs nicely, although slightly hesitantly over my third and fourth rail in places (clearances?). Overall, though, it runs well and will be even better when I put some white metal figures in it. 

Assembling the trolley and trailer is quite fiddly, but having succeeded, I'm feeling quite satisfied with myself now! 

:D












Sorry the last two are a little fuzzy: I didn't have my reading glasses on!

Hi Jeff.  That was a quick break from modelling, or was it much cooler than the weather bureau had forecast? I find that reading glasses can be a PITA. I noticed that your Wickham Trolley was without PW personnnel, are they on their break?    all the best. Kevin

Yeah, they're on a tea break!

:cool:   :cool wink

I intend finding or buying some white metal figures, to add extra weight.

Hi Jeff.   Very good but track staff do have blank expressions, they need the sun⛱🏝🏄🏿all the best. Kevin

I have had another success in sorting out electrical gremlins today. This time it was with my Hornby class 92 with their class 60 chassis. I have been aware for a little while that it was not picking up on one side of the leading bogie, but put it aside on the workbench pending further investigation.

I traced it to a broken wire hidden under a speaker at the leading end (the front as far as DCC is concerned, anyway!). A quick fix with the soldering iron and a new bit of heat-shrink tubing has seen it running perfectly again, with no hesitations where it hits small irregularities in the third rail.

While I had it on the workbench, I also reglued and replaced loose or missing third rail shoe beams (I have a supply bought from Peter's Spares a while back). As the class 60 bogies seem to be resistant to most of the glues I have tried so far, I tried a contact cement this time. We shall have to wait and see if this works any better than the previously used cyano-acrylates and plastic solvents.

Still on a roll with soldering, I have now fitted lights to a third car of my 6-car Underground S Stock train. I added an extra resistor into the wiring for this one, so the lights are slightly toned down compared to the first two cars, although still bright.

Please forgive some slight disjoints in the photo; it is actually a blend of three photos with different focal points, to compensate for the lack of depth of field in each.




Now, only three more to do. They aren't difficult, but they are fiddly to do, seeing as I am running wires from both bogies and then running them under the seats via a resistor, and up one end of the coach to the lighting strip.

Hi Jeff.   Very good job, handy with a soldering iron too. I thought the S Stock were sold in four car units? but over the years LT have ran so many different combinations from a single car "The Pony" which I believe were later converted as part of the Q Stock batch, which as you know were formed from various issues from 1923 through to 1938, I actually worked on that stock (love em or hate em?) but, they shifted the crowds. Anyway keep up the good workall the best. Kevin

Hi Kevin. The LT Museum sell the S Stock as a four-car set, with four more cars individually available; I bought two extras as my loops and platforms can only handle six-car sets.

My own Q Stock train currently has five cars, with two Q23, two Q27/31, and one Q38 car, but I will be adding one more car at a later stage.

Fourth car lighting fitted on the S Stock. Two to go!

I had a bit of a session with the soldering iron again today, adding a 470 Ohm resistor to each of the S Stock cars in turn, plus wiring the final driving motor car for the lights.

The first photo shows two of the cars (nos 3 and 4 in the train) for comparison of the before and after; the one on the right has the extra resistor in the line.

The other two photos show the entire 6-car train with "tamed" lighting fitted. I am much happier with the result now.








I suppose the next job will be to paint the seats, now that the interiors can be seen so clearly, and perhaps tidy up one or two stray wires.

Hi Jeff,

The extra resistor has made a big improvement.  The layout is progressing nicely too.
I still have a pair of third rail pickups (Hornby).  Do you still want them.  I can put them in the post for you or I plan to come down the first weekend of Feb to see Penhayle Bay's last open day before its all gone.
Mark

Hi Mark, and Happy New Year to you.

I am also planning to go to Rick's on the 4th of Feb, so can catch you there. I'm not sure if those pickups you have will be of any use to me, but if you bring them along I can have a look. Many thanks for offering them in any case.

:cheers

Those look excellent Jeff, I do have a soft spot for outside framed vans.
I hear you on the application of transfers. I sometimes find that the first side takes several sessions and then the second side takes minutes - or so it seems.

A job I have been putting off for ages and ages is to glaze the various London Transport Q Stock cars. Part of what slows me down is that I like to paint matt black (or dark grey) into the window rebates.

Anyway, I tackled the first two cars of the five car set yesterday, with a Q23 DM and a Q27 Trailer now done. I chose to flush-glaze the windscreens on the DM, and the glue (Krystal Klear) was still wet on the centre screen in the photos - it starts of like a white PVA glue but dries clear.






The close-up shows every blemish in the finish on the Q23 car!

Hi Jeff.  Excellent work, the sight of which takes me back to my early days on trains, and the first time I ever drove one, the driver said to me "Take her away" anyhow away we went. My first time at the controls, it looked just like any other train? But I soon found out about "Notching Relays" I had only driven newer trains with RPA ( Rapid Pneumatic Acceleration ) straight round with the handle, Crash, Bang, Wallop, as the train shudders when the overloads drop out, and that was only the start, re set the overloads, Second attempt "Inch, Series, just get the train moving? Then into parallel . Stopping a "Q Stock can be a challenge " The driver was nearly as surprised as me when we nearly "Ran through the Station", Cosh It said he, which meant an Emergency Stop it was me, I had heard about the braking system, but it had gone out of my head, the "Q Stock" was really old fashioned but the EPB worked differently on "Q Stock", but that it is enough about me. It is the 21 st Century and model railways is the subject. Well Jeff I really wish that I could "Launch Myself into Kit Building" I have so many either half finished, or in various stages, it is the fiddly bits , the transfers, and the painting that gets me. Keep up the good work.  Kevin

Thanks, Kevin.

I enjoy hearing about the driving experiences of others. It helps get a feel for the models too.

As for finishing half-done projects, I am just as guilty! Glazing is the bit that really slows me down. As you can see from this topic, wagons with no glazing generally take me a lot less time to finish, and they frequently overtake other projects on my workbench.