New Railway Modellers Forums

I suspect that they built the prototype and then realised that the (white) LED would not work on 3.3V since its forward voltage is higher than that. They should of course have used a yellow LED to get proper oil lamp colour which could run from 3.3V with a resistor. White LEDs that I have experienc...

. . . . You should be able to operate the signal on a voltage as low as 6V DC if required to reduce the brightness to sensible levels. While the LED is run from the supply voltage via a 820R resistor, so brightness is dependant on supplied voltage, the 'works' is powered via a 3.3V regulator, so an...

Most of the posts I read in the link were quite old, so maybe Dapol have improved the reliability now. I suppose, if the worst comes to the worst, I could remove Dapol's actuator and electronics and somehow attach a standard servo, of the type I've used for all my points.

Yes, the light was quite bright enough (too bright?) on 9v DC. It stands to reason the lower voltage -- so long as it's enough for the signal to work -- should cause less heat, so 9v DC is what I'll use for both my signals, in the hope that they'll last longer than those of many contributors to the ...

I recently purchased a single Dapol N-gauge home signal from Hattons, and connected it to 9v DC. The leaflet says " We recommend using a 12vDC stabilised power supply. ", and the wiring diagram says " 14vAC OR 9-12vDC ". I've got a 9v line for other electronics on my layout, so I...

Well, I've had a good look at the internet Talgo postings, and I get the general idea that the wheels are positioned by computer (and mechanical linkages presumably) to run at the optimum position on the rail. But they seem to be protecting their patents by not putting much detail on the internet :(...

Thanks Bigmet. I'll check out what the internet has to say about 'Talgo'.

Watching a TV programme recently -- Chris Tarrant I think -- there was a bit showing how Spain's high-speed trains have independent wheels, rather than pairs of wheels on a solid axle. I've always understood that the solid axle keeping the wheels turning as one, combined with the slight bevel on the...

Modern signals are certainly installed the way you describe Mountain, with the concrete bases sometimes a significant height above the ballast. At the moment I'm starting with a couple of Ratio GWR lower quadrant semaphore signals, and they come with a large circular base which I don't think replica...

Thanks for the replies. The real reason for my question (which I perhaps should have clarified in my OP) is to know whether or not I need to show the top of a concrete base, or simply ballast right up to and around the post. It's not clear in any of the photos I've been able to find on the internet,...

In the days of semaphore signals -- specifically GWR -- how were the post fixed into the ground. Was there a visible concrete foundation block with holding-down bolts, as per modern practice, or were they just planted into a hole in the ground?

Thank you Jim, single posts it will be, since they're also the simplest to build. In your reply to my second question about the possibility of distant signals being off while the home signal is on, you say 'Absolutely never, the distant signal was slotted so that it only came off when the correspond...

I have an N-gauge layout, loosely based on GWR, which I now want to add semaphore signals to. At a couple of locations I have twin lines, fast and slow, merging into a single line. Would the fast and slow lines each have a single post, one in the six-foot between the lines, the other in the cess; or...

I think it would help if you say what you want a PWM controller for

I use PICAXE chips to generate PWM to operate servos which control the points on my layout. Is that the kind of thing you're looking for?

I used DC/analogue when I had an OO layout, but when I replaced it with an N-gauge layout I converted to DCC. In my view DCC makes building the layout so much simpler than DC because you don't have to think about having separate isolated and switched sections to run more than one loco at a time; All...