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81F

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The light is battery powered.

I've a Gaugemaster 'D' which I use.  The 08 starts moving very slightly just on 20-21 indicated, or about as low as any other healthy locomotive.

That new A/Scale 66 uses the same power when she starts 'whispering' on the tracks as well, but weighs perhaps 3x as much, or more!

I've just got a digital meter hooked up, but it starts registering at ~ half power, so I need a lower-rated one.

Al.

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2 hours ago, ntpntpntp said:

Have you run it on DC with a multimeter in series and checked the current draw?

It's 81F that has that problem, not atom3624.

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13 hours ago, 81F said:

I have a real problem with a Silver Fox Co-Bo. It seems to run perfectly on DC bit it struggleds to get going oDCC and frequently stops.

I have serviced the motor which helps but it tended to overload. The chip also got vey hot to the extent I burned myself on it

I was looking something else and came across this, I have saved this so as and when I set-up my layout, this will be a must so I can see the Load of the motor in DC/DCC mode. Just an thought.

DCC Concepts DCC-AVA.1 Alpha Meter, image copied and pasted from DCConcept,

1-16.jpg?&width=600&height=380&bgcolor=f

 

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Posted (edited)

Nice bit of kit but that's a helluva  lot of money for a bit of metering, where all you really need is a test track / rollers and a £10 multimeter to check DC current draw, of course you can also test a DCC fitted loco assuming you've not disabled DC running in the decoder 🙂  I'd always advise railway modellers to have a multimeter in their toolkit, useful for so many jobs on the layout.

I'll admit I have a DCC Specialities RRAmpMeter module I bought years ago which does a similar job to the DCC-AVA.1. The RRampMeter is also usable as a portable measurement tool and comes with test leads & crocodile clips etc.   I was planning to use it with my garden railway (up to 10 amps DCC) but never got round to it.  For loco testing I just use a bench power supply with built-in metering and a set of rollers for whichever gauge needed.
 

Edited by ntpntpntp
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Ntpntpntp +1 for everyone should have a multimeter. I have two fancy ones but the one I use most cost £2.99 about ten years ago and is just left on the side ready for use. It might not be 100% accurate but for a quick check it’s perfect. It doesn’t have the continuity beep so I just use a low resistance setting and if there is continuity it drops to zero. It also doesn’t measure caps but if I ever need to do that I have one that does. Great for checking batteries, controller power or whatever. I don’t know how people manage without one. 

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72000 Clan Buchanan has been worked on quite hard over the weekend!  Target is to renumber and rename - 72000 Clan Buchanan to 72010 Hengist.

Removing the '0' was quite difficult.  Very small compacted pieces of Brasso held tightly in fine pliers were used to start it off, then I resorted to very focused, careful scratching - seems to have worked.

The 'Clan Buchanan' nameplate is considerably longer than the Hengist, so had to be removed.  I kept with the Brasso on this one, as scratching would be more obvious on the blinkers.

Replacing the transfers means I need to seal in with lacquer, which would again make scratching obvious.  Before 'sealing with lacquer' I took the opportunity to add a few high voltage electricity warning signs as well.  All seems to be going well .... so far !  It won't be perfect, but looking quite good.

Al.

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Posted (edited)

Clan name / number change is now complete - lacquered last night, renamed this morning.

Photo indicated a small 'blob' of excess B7000 glue beneath the nameplate - now removed.  Not perfect, but generally very pleased.  Smokebox is 'natural / as received', as is the black on top of the cab and the running board, the rest has a light covering of gloss lacquer.

Al.72010Hengistarrives-240609-1.thumb.jpg.9ccb71d7092c342e6aa26efebb3c5e7c.jpg

Edited by atom3624
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54 minutes ago, atom3624 said:

Clan name / number change is now complete - lacquered last night, renamed this morning.

Photo indicated a small 'blob' of excess B7000 glue beneath the nameplate - now removed.  Not perfect, but generally very pleased.  Smokebox is 'natural / as received', as is the black on top of the cab and the running board, the rest has a light covering of gloss lacquer.

Al.72010Hengistarrives-240609-1.thumb.jpg.9ccb71d7092c342e6aa26efebb3c5e7c.jpg

Excellent Job. Thanks for sharing.

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Yes it does look like a good job. I need to do something a little less ambitious with my two class 20s. They are both numbered D8000, so I'm intending to change one to D8001. Your procedure for getting rid of one of the zeros will therefore come in handy.

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Hi BM.

I'm sure there are plenty of videos on YT, but this time Hornby had done a fantastic job, with everything, including the printing - very difficult to remove.

State the obvious, but attach within a certain accepted 'collateral damage zone'.

Some even mask off to try and limit this as well - worth a thought.

Al.

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3D printed Kitson body being painted in Manchester Ship Canal livery. I need some white/black/white lining from somewhere. Maybe an order into Fox? This is designed to fit an old type Hornby Terrier chassis. 

The paint looks dreadful on the photo, it looks fine in real life!

IMG_0022.jpeg

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It’s designed to use the old style Dapol/Hornby terrier. It was originally a Hardy’s Hobbies kit but now available from Oak Hill Works. By chance I had the correct chassis in my spares box. I think Hardy’s included a driver but I have a few spare so not a problem there. 

I bought three kits at the same time from Oak Hill Works and was very happy with them. They’ll keep me busy for some time!

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A quick demo of Hengist and Pegasus ....

Please ignore the 'Marvin the Paranoid Android' commentary - meant to be helpful really.

The Clan does catch on the curves, noticeable when running slowly, which should improve a little in time, but once on the move, and HOW she moves!!  All is good!

Al.

72010    Hengist: 

 

 

60700   Pegasus: 

 

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Not so much on the workbench, but under the boards!!  I am in the process of replacing seven Peco solenoid point motors with Cobalt Digital iP's - then programming them to my Elite. This is a temporary set-up, eventually all twenty eight Cobalts will be push-button operated via the Cobalt Alpha system. 

 

IMG_1708.jpg

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Three fitted and working. These three are on my lift-up section across the door, so I can stand and work. Downside is that as the Cobalt is bigger than the solenoid motor, the droppers attached to the points are in the way, so have to un-solder(?) and reposition. Four to go, but not as accessible as the last three - so some removing of a kitchen wall unit (it's on the floor) and storage boxes etc., to be done.

 

IMG_1709.jpg

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Just recently left the work bench is a Bachman GWR 56xx DCC ready, I thought his was going to be a fight for the relatively large 7K decoder, and AE stay-alive, but in the end  just the removal of the weight above the pinion was required !

With the wonders of  Kapton tape and Black-Tack it all just about fits, speaker and enclosure black tacked in smokebox:

56xxdcc.thumb.jpg.ff343f7f29900914027fc7718a687e99.jpg

The next 3 (non DCC ready) I want to fit the same decoder, speaker and stay alive have been assessed today.

1. Bachman GWR 5700 pannier - Ordered an 8 pin board to (hopefully) make life simple !

2.Bachman GWR 4575 Small Prairie, possibly be hardwired, will require some dremel action to fit decoder and stay alive.

3.Bachmann LMS Jinty 3F has had some newer chassis parts ordered to make life easier, but I need to get the diecast running plate separated from the body, despite finding all the screws it is not yet co-operating, I must be missing something ...

Edited by Too Tall
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That blue Hornby 08 shunter had it's motor replaced a week ago.

It's still faster than the EWS 08 shunter - but can be controlled down to smooth crawling speeds - having a speed very equivalent to the 2x Bachmann 08's I have.

Here's a 'bit of fun' I had this morning (apologies for the unsteady camera and the early 'heavy breathing' - just got off the exercise bike and was crouched down in a not-very-comfortable position!!)

Al.

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Bachmann 4575 Prairie, DCC-7k fitted with stay alive.

Speaker on smallest enclosure in smokebox, chimney drilled out. Hardwired because the room is minimal ! With a bit of dremel type tool action on the bunker interior panel the stay alive will just protude on the cab floor base where you would have to look hard to see it especially as there is a driver and coalman aboard!

4575dcc-bodyr.jpg.504325addc7a0ae8ec740f71d9b219bd.jpg

4575dcc-sa.jpg.af0c2dbfa4878b4b751178938b015758.jpg

Another attack of the dremel on the inside of the boiler to just give me room to fit the decoder between the weight and the body after insulating the weight.

4575dcc-bodyf.jpg.77228c1694282fa9d7bd452f668d4b37.jpg

There was no room for plugs, hence the hardwire, even then I had to make a cover for the worm gear as packed in wires will find a way to find it with my luck. it wasnt easy, to get it all to fit without something  going where it shouldn't, but its all in place now.

4575dcc-body.jpg.2ad33b228efa28fb174ad625ee5ffd75.jpg

Not a very neat job, but it works !

Edited by Too Tall
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