New Railway Modellers Forums

They're also available on Ebay - just search on "Preci-Dip" (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Preci-Dip-2-54mm-2-Way-1-Row-Straight-Through-Hole-Male-Spring-Loaded-Connector/113026787048?epid=15020001946&hash=item1a50ebe6e8:g:g~kAAOSwAnJbYB8X ). But the large picture perhaps doesn't show ...

Credit to Hornby though: when my Q1 started suffering this problem they repaired it free of charge even though the model was 7 years old! In my case the problem wasn't intermittent, it was permanent.

The simplest way of representing a double slip is as two separate turnouts, as in reality the slip is just two turnouts overlaid on each other. Then it's very easy to see which route is set.

I found it a bit overwhelming at first, as normally when I access forums the first thing I go to is "New Content". It wasn't easy to see how to do this with RMWeb at first, but I've now cracked it. If you're on a PC full screen then "activity" appears in a bar at the top. Hover o...

In that case it's your choice as to how granular you want to be. Where you have the issue of crossovers you could simply treat the track there as single blocks with the turnout in the middle of the block. But you will need IRJs on both diverging rails so that a train passing on the adjacent track do...

How are you going to use the detection, and in particular what software are you planning to use? Are you going to be using some form of automation to drive trains, as the software will need to know where in a block a train is so that it can stop the train in the right position. Having turnouts in th...

Surely I will need to supply the point with power and give each point its own dropper if I'm to isolate the point from the track that requires the detection? I'm using DigiRails occupancy detection - so current based detection. For a simple length of track leading into a point and having two siding...

No need for a separate power bus for the points. But you will need to isolate the points from the detected sections with insulated rail joiners so that trains passing over the points do not activate the detection. This assumes that you are using a detection method that uses occupancy detectors via t...

It depends what you are trying to achieve with the monitoring. I run Traincontroller from RR&Co and the recommendation there is not to include points in monitoring. Trains move from block to block and knowing which way the turnouts are set allows TC to keep track of where trains are. My station ...

The blue dot one is a Hornby R8249.

Definitely don't solder rail joiners, especially in a loft layout or your track will buckle in the next heatwave. If you really want reliable electrical connectivity then solder a track feed onto every piece of rail, advice which is often given if you are using DCC. Do leave a gap to allow for expan...

dubdee1000 wrote:What? Lenz have brought out a new controller??

Indeed - the LZV200 with release 4 software. I've been told by a reliable German box-shifter that Lenz have told them to expect delivery at the end of the month. And that's January 2019 not January 20?? as it has been for some while!

They announce at midday next Monday 14th.

I would like them to announce that all the models that were announced in 2016, 2017 and 2018 will actually be shipped this year.

I'm very pleased to see some Bulleid coaches from Hornby in this announcement - and different ones to what Bachmann announced last year. What's also very refreshing is that these coaches will be available in April/May this year. Compare that to some of Bachmann's products: I pre-ordered a 2-HAP in M...

I had the DJM model at first but it was very slow, and underpowered for my needs. I tried it on an 8-coach train with 3-4 Hornby Pullmans and top speed (as measured by Traincontroller software) was little more that 45mph. It was also quite noisy with a lot of gear-clicking. I gave up on it and retur...