New Railway Modellers Forums

Thanks for all the replies folks. (I hadn't thought about having the coal dust blown into the crews faces- that must have been unpleasant!)

Could not resist the Bachmann J11 DCC fitted @ 51.67GBP, so one is one its way to The Philippines now :D . Most of my trains are hauled by Tank Locos so run arounds & hauling the train bunker first is prototypical. Can anyone tell me would a J11 have hauled a train tender first? (My layout inclu...

I don't post pics very often. Despite all the good info recently available here (especially from Alex) I do struggle to get my head around using other sites to post on this site.
I would be very happy to pay a fee to support being able to post directly on this site. Its easy & convenient.

The Hornby mixed freight set is enough to put anyone off DCC!
To experience DCC properly you need a real DCC controller & quality locos. The only way I've been able to keep the locos from the mixed traffic set running faultlessly is by fitting them with 'keep alive' chips!

Different manufacturers have different standards. DCC Concepts have the copyright on 'Stay Alive'. Its important to realise that (usually)* this does not keep the loco moving, In the event of loss of track power it only retains the last instructions received so that when power is restored the loco c...

I also use the Brian Kirby method. After lots of experimenting with different magnets, superstrong neo, spacings, hole drilling between sleepers etc., I found that the simplest method was to cut the magnets from cheap magnetic cupboard fittings. I then superglue the magnets in position on the unders...

Thats one of the reasons I suggested downloading 'Anyrail' or 'Scarm'.
You can mix Peco electrofrog points (Code 100) with set track from Hornby, Peco or Bachmann, but as these points do not conform to set track geometry when planning you may find it easier to plan the layout with one of these tools

Can I suggest that you download a free trackplanning app? 'AnyRail' is a free download which lets you use up to 50 pieces of track in any plan with no expiry date. https://www.anyrail.com/ There is also 'SCARM' which is free with no limit on the number of pieces of track you use in any plan http://w...

Thanks for the picture Beynac. Well the rolling stock will negotiate that, but from an aesthetic point of view they do look quite different. Not sure how to disguise that....

Apology accepted shezza2.
We all make mistakes & change our minds at the outset.

In my defence I must state I drew this plan as a 6x4 triple loop, stating at the time it was a bad plan and recommending it be ignored! (I also asked not to be credited with it as it was a poor plan, only drawn to demonstrate 3 loops in the space was possible) When asked in a pm to expand the plan t...

Let us know how that works out Beynac, perhaps with a close up photo of the join?

A technician from my local electronics firm visited this morning. Initially he couldn't find the fault; then he took the RLM apart. Here he found corrosion inside the unit. It is pretty humid here & its hot in the loft so I suppose corrosion should be expected. He cleaned everything up & res...

When it comes to electricity I can be very stupid! When testing for shorts in the revloop I didn't notice a small loco tucked away in a spur. This was what was giving the continuity reading. (This is why I don't meddle with mains power!)

So it looks like its back to a faulty RLM

Thanks Flashbang. At the moment I am very, very carefully checking all the wiring for the reverse loop section. With the RLM removed a multimeter continuity check shows a connection between the 2 rails. (How the hell that has occurred I do not know - Its been working fine for a couple of years...) O...