2e0dtoeric

I'm not sure if RAF96's comment is a joke or an insult, so I'll not react to it.

@Margate - 7. Before the conversion, the loco was cleaned and serviced and running perfectly at low speed on DC.

If you use solenoid points, you might find you need ONE CDU as well, it gives a bigger 'kick' to the solenoid, to ensure it switches cleanly. You only need one CDU for the whole layout.

Have you removed any/all capacitors in the TRACK? If you have used power-connecting tracks, they have caps built in. If you've hard-wired and soldered, then that doesn't apply, of course. Were you using an ultra-sonic track cleaning device before? If you have not removed it, that can kill your decoders.

Any hifi buff will tell you that to get big bass sounds, you need a big speaker and a powerful amp to drive it. You cannot fit a 30" bass driver, which also needs an acoustic chamber, and a 100 watt rms amp - into a tiny model, no matter what it is a model of. So - you have to use your imagination, and pretend you can hear the low sounds, just like all your little plastic people that never move - have to be pretending to do things.

You might find that your Scotsman will not go round radius 2 curves. I think, if you have the room, you would be better calling your existing track the 'inner', and adding an 'outer' of radius 4.

Does anyone else find this constantly popping up pop-up annoying? I don't want to subscribe, but there seems to be no way of turning it off!

@Howbi - I look in now and then, but see the same old questions repeatedly coming up.

Which Evening Star? The 9F steam outline, or the Type 66 diesel? The R number would help.

Obviously the fun police are around again, and fail to understand humour. Ok, I'll go away. Goodbye

While not MODEL rail, a cab-ride vlogger on You-Tube insists on English being used in her chat-room, even though she is Norwegian! (although she does make the occasional comment to someone in her own language). I gather that some of their training is done in America, so English is a requisite for potential crews.

What do you mean by a 'turnround' at each end? It seems that dc running on the decoder has not been set to off, and Maud is responding to a noise spike, either dirty track, wheels, or pickups, or a dodgy wire connection could cause this. If you power up the select, with Maud OFF the track, then put her on, does she immediately shoot off at speed? - The numbers displayed on the Select, on power up, are just telling you what update status the controller has installed. (Edited for typo's)

Are you meaning the socket (the little box the coupling plugs into) or the coupling, has broken? Are you sure it IS broken? On some models, the pocket (box) is designed to slide from side to side, for going round tight curves.

Don't touch 'lead-free' solder, it is a pain in the derrierre to use, needs a hotter iron, and doesn't 'flow' readily. You can buy tin/lead multicore solder just about anywhere, in assorted length reels, and several different diameters. Loads of choices here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=electronics+solder&_sacat=0

Not in position! I was wondering how you were going to go through the blue wall! 😛 A bit of straight track after the hinged flap might be less prone to derailments. Trying to get track to stay in line on a curved lift-up is always problematic. I appreciate that is only a sketch! You could add muddy wheel marks across the centre of that roundabout, to show where a boy racer failed to make the turn!

You can, of course, give the four loco's the same 'address' code, but speed-matching could be a problem.

It might! It depends on whether dc running has been disabled in the decoder. IF it runs, you probably won't get many sounds from it. To run DCC you need a totally different kind of controller, but that new controller would quickly destroy all your old dc loco motors. There may be other problems as well, which have been covered multiple times on here and the DCC threads.

As you noted, something is mis-aligned somewhere. The easy way would be to replace a section with a length of flexi-track, thus enabling you to make your own 'weird' radius curve, without the square corner!

As you said yourself, the problem is the 1960's standard of coarse wheels and modern track. Youy "could" try grinding down every wheel on the complete set, but may still find that the train 'trips up' on every point, because the wheels not only had bigger flanges, but were thicker, and probably will short out on the frogs, if they don't get stuck! You have two options - put the train in a cabinet, and enjoy looking at it, or raid the junk-shops, etc, and find decent old track, and make a layout just for old loco's. You may also find that your controller keeps tripping out, if it is a modern one, as old motors took more power. That's a problem that keeps getting posted!

Slightly off-topic - the o/p mentioned that he was looking for the Bulleid 'Leader' loco, the steam engine that looks like deisel - if he looks up KR models, they are planning on making some, to go with the GT3 and the shunter I don't recall the name of.

It's only trivial, but has anyone noticed that if you look into the forum without logging in, every time you use the 'back' button, the viewed page jumps to the bottom of the previous page, but if you HAVE logged in, it jumps to the top - last thread posted to! 😎

A lot of reviewers have commented that it won't pull the skin off a rice pudding! (and that a 6 pin DCC decoder that fits is harder to find than golden hen's teeth!)

First off - Please DO NOT use the Meccano control unit, until it has been tested by a qualified electrician. The old components within may have deteriorated from age, and you really do not want 240 volts squirting up your (or your children's) fingers. Plus - that recessed hole on the top, probably had a light-bulb in it to show the unit was on, but is also an inviting little hole for children to poke things into, and as there is a mains transformer in there - - - - !! Second. The power track - they look like spring clips, so pressing down on the 'tab' should lift the other end, so a bared wire can be trapped under them. Third - the track - is steel, and heavily tarnished. The silvering has worn off, and cannot be easily restored. You will never get anything to run reliably on that track, sorry. The little piece in your hand -the fish-plate, or rail joiner - is visibly corroded, and the end has splayed out, therefore it is no good. You can buy packets of new ones quite easily (when the shops re-open) or by mail order - when they are in stock. (but see the previous comment) The loco - I cannot see the wheels, but suspect they will have large flanges on them, so it will not run reliably on modern track, which is lower to the sleepers. The same will apply to any trucks or carriages you have. Depending on how well-used it was, and how long it has been standing, it would need a thorough, strip-down, clean, lube, and probably ne brushes before it will run well. - So - although it would be very nice for you to get your old trains going again, I would strongly advise you that it is not worth the effort, and that you should start with new equipment, or be prepared for alot of hassle and expense. By all means, keep it all as a display thing, for the memories, but don't expect it to work well. - No doubt others will have other ideas. :-)

@RDS - use a car sidelight bulb - you can see that in the dark! :-) If, as written, the O/P has used a BUS, there shouldn't BE any dead areas. That's the whole point of the bus! So either the dead section has not been connected to the bus AND all four of the fishplates (either end of the section) are duff, or there is something else wrong.

Oil is oil. It might get thicker if it is VERY old. More likely that the smoke generator coil has burned out due to old age or having been run dry too often for too long. Smoke oil might look good, but it smells like hot oil, not coal smoke, and splats all over your models and layouts, as well as lingering in the layout room, and making the other furnishings smell and feel greasy. If you are breathing smoke oil fumes, imagine what it is doing to your lungs!