oorail

Here are parts 3: and part 4: Part 4 of the Class 66 project is here, highlights in this video include building the RHTT lighting circuit, reverse engineering the DCC socket, using mini-breadboards to prototype circuits on a running train and the circuits are explained so (hopefully) a beginner will follow along... There is also an article which is listed in the description of the video..

The recent Hornby release of the Class 66 is a great model for the price. It has a lot of opportunities to enhance it, such as adding lights. I'm currently working on a project to upgrade the Class 66, you can find the first two parts: Part 1: Part 2: There is also an article where you can following along: https://oorail.co.uk/class-66-rhtt-project/ Let me know what you think. I'll be doing this to five different Class 66 from Hornby.

Decided to avail of some of the bargains over in Liverpool and picked up: BR Hawksworth 1st Class, Brake 3rd and 1st/3rd Brake Pullman 1st Class Palour, 3rd Class Kitchen and 3rd Class Brake Also waiting on R3138 HST to arrive, but I had these custom weathered at TMC. Hoping the P2 TTS Sound version and 2-BIL show up shortly, have both on pre-order :) The lot should be up on the channel as they come in, for anyone wanting to get a look! Thanks

You will probably want to check this out, the shelf layout in this video is pretty large, and about 5' or so off the ground.

Western Fan, I agree with you that the root cause of the problem is more than likely a dodgy set of pickups. The solution I posted above does work, and can save some hassle, here is why... If you look at a set of regular Hornby insulfrog points there is the plastic V and just ahead of the base of the V there are two plastic sections about 2mm or so in length on either rail. Opposite it there is a plastic rail. If you look at that section very carefully as a slow moving locomotive traverses it, some locomotives will have a wheel "dip" as it exits the V. Depending on the locomotive and how slow it is moving, that wheel will end up touching the plastic base of the V, and the 2mm plastic piece on the rail at the base of the V. If the pickup on the other wheel isn't great, then it will stop. It can though dip enough (especially at slow speeds) that the other wheel with pickups is raised enough off the track and it just stops. Painting the inside of the rail and then shortening the V (or shortening the 2mm plastic piece) allows that first wheel to remain powered even at slow speeds. It also solves the problem when some locomotives stutter across the points at slow speeds as well.

Are you using Hornby insulfrog points? It sounds like you might be (slow speed, loco stopping on the frog due to no electrical contact). The problem sounds like the plastic insulated frog is too large for your 0-6-0 loco. Since you are running DCC and don't need the isolation, one possible fix is to make the plastic insulated frog conduct. One way to do this is with "magnetic blackboard paint". I'm not sure if they sell it in the UK, but here in the USA they sell spray cans of whats called "magnetic chalkboard paint". This is a type of paint that you can spray on your wall to let kids use a section of your wall as a blackboard. Its not really magnetic, but contains small pieces of iron filings inside the paint. They market it as "magnetic" because the iron filings allow kids to stick those letters with the little magnets in them to the wall. To make it work you need to do this: 1. Buy a good quality magnetic blackboard paint (ideally black, grey or brown) 2. Spray it into a small container (plastic bottle tops are good) 3. Take a paint brush and apply it to something plastic (spare sleeper from flex track works) 4. Let it dry, and repeat for at least 3 coats 5. Using a continuity tester on a multimeter to check that its now conductive 6. Check the resistance isn't too high with the multimeter I went through four different brands of paint before I found one that would conduct well enough, luckily I have small kids, so we had the paint laying around :) Its more expensive, but there are a few companies selling electrically conductive paint but I haven't tested it. Once you found something that works, apply a small amount of it to the frog on the insulfrog points (essentially making the plastic piece that doesn't conduct smaller). Until the loco no longer stalls across the points at slow speed. Hope that helps

You might want to look into shelf layouts if space is a concern. They are easy to build and can be installed at various heights. I am in the process of building one in my son's room. You can easily get 2nd and 3rd radius curves between two shelves (eg. corner of a room etc). I put together some photos on YouTube of how I built my main layout in the basement. Its a little different from a large baseboard, but you can build some impressive layouts with the approach without it taking over your house! :) Some of the newer detailed steam locomotives from Hornby and multiple units from various manufacturers do just about get around 2nd radius curves. If space is a concern, you might want to look at the Atlas 18" radius curves, these are a little bit wider radius than 2nd radius track and seem to handle the multiple units better. Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/oorail77 for details Hope that helps

Yes LEDs are diodes, but you still need the rectifying diode to protect the LED from reverse voltage. I think the typical 3mm and 5mm LEDs have a reverse voltage tolerance of around 5V. Since the average controller can kick out upwards of 12V, then the rectifying diode makes sense unless you want to keep replacing LEDs or run your locomotives in one direction! :)

You can easily fit an LED instead. If you want directional lighting, you can use a standard LED connected to a resister (220 or 330 Ohm should work, the larger the resistor the dimmer the LED will be). I used an LED connected to a 220 Ohm resistor and a rectifying diode on mine. You connect one side of the LED to one side of the motor, and the other side to the resister. motor ========= (pin) LED (pin) ------ resistor ------- rectifying diode ----- motor You can test it before putting it into the HST chassis by touching it against the track with power applied. The above circuit should give you a constant LED light, unlike the regular bulbs that go from dim to bright as you apply more power to the controller. I actually posted a video on how to do this on my YouTube channel (same as my username here). mr.postman said: my hornby intercity hst directional light on the power car has gone,can anyone tell me where to get a replacement,and is it possible to fit a l.e.d instead? also i am thinking of getting a couple of pullman coaches with the working table lamps, will these work on standard dc or are they for dcc only? cheers everyone!