Lyd 85B

Very sad to hear this news. Chris was a wonderful, helpful, knowledgeable resource for the forum, as well as being a thoroughly decent chap. Condolences to his family.

I went through a similar exercise this time last year. Although I had previously sold a number of locomotives on eBay, with no trouble, I couldn't face the hassle of preparing thirty-plus listings and, especially, the packing, posting and admin necessary. I already had a detailed spreadsheet and emailed it to the two model shops mentioned in the previous post, as well as fourteen buyers who advertised in Railway Modeller magazine, of which only seven replied (make of that what you will!). Offers from the latter varied only slightly, but were all between fifty and sixty per-cent more than Hattons and Rails (who were almost identical). I accepted the offer of the highest bidder, who came to my home to collect them personally, paid in cash and was very honest in his assessment, bearing in mind that he also had to make a margin.

Only when bought over the counter, which for me entails a fifty mile round trip to my nearest model shop, adding yet more cost to an already-inflated and undiscounted RRP. The only practical alternative is mail-order, where I'm in the hands of the retailer for testing (or not).

Where responsibility should lie for QC seems to be debatable. Some say it's the factory, others that, given an extended global supply chain, where goods may occupy containers for weeks or months with extreme temperature and humidity changes, and with violent sea conditions, the domestic supplier should do it. As with used cars, where teething problems have been sorted, I often buy on eBay and have never needed to return anything. None of the models I've bought in the last ten years has been in a sealed box, so it seems that retail staff who spend their working lives handling models, should be able to check them without damage to box or contents. My local model shop, now closed through retirement, always ran newly-purchased locos on a test track, whether shop-purchased or mail-order.

In the last few weeks I have purchased, by mail order, three new steam locos (each from a different manufacturer and smaller retailer). The first was electrically dead and was replaced by another on which the underside detail had not been properly fitted, requiring dismantling, removal of the glue, and refitting; the second ran like a drunken duck, with incorrectly quartered drive wheels; the last would not run because a piston rod was corroded onto the slide rails. All could have been found before despatch, if properly inspected. I can already hear the cries of anguish from the trade, but the time, cost and hassle for buyer and seller, in emails, telephone calls, re-packing and re-postage, could largely be avoided. The only winners are Royal Mail and the other carriers.

I need to replace the left-hand piston assembly on a Class 42XX steam loco (same part as Class 52XX and Class 72XX). It is shown on service sheet HSS 390, next to the cylinder block, but without a part number, and is not included in the cylinder block or coupling rod packs. I've asked Hornby for help, but does anyone on here know where I might find one, please?

I'm surprised that doubts have been raised about the availability of Humbrol enamels. I've tried acrylics, but always go back to enamels; some of mine are thirty years old and still usable. There are many online suppliers, including Humbrol themselves, but they are best bought in batches to make economic use of p&p.

My Peco TT has a Locomotech non-indexing drive, but using a standard decoder allows such slow and fine control that I can easily align the TT with entry/exit tracks just by eye (and my eyes are pretty old!). F3 on the Digitrax controller allows click-on and click-off operation while the alternative F2 just has to be depressed and held then let go, to stop the rotation. It is also a cost-effective solution and more enjoyable to construct rather than just plug-and-play, and mirrors full-size practice, where over-running sometimes occurred.

As Rog says, ask the right questions about DCC when you buy any loco. More modern ones may be described as DCC Ready (it is fitted with a socket that can take a decoder), DCC On Board (it has a factory-fitted decoder - usually non-sound), or TTS (Hornby's own factory-fitted sound system). Older locos may be DCC Compatible but with no on-board socket (the decoder, or a socket, needs to be soldered into the loco), and Non-DCC Compatible, which usually applies to older split chassis models. The latter are capable of conversion, but it's a bit of a faff and not for the beginner. Learning about DCC has been very rewarding for me and I have done many conversions, but I'm always learning more.

Having now also spoken to the Bachmann Service Dept, they suggested raising the value of CV2, Start Voltage, the default value for which is set extremely low, and that solved the problem. I'll know next time!

I have used Model Fixings with good effect. If they don't have what you want, they can often find a source for it. www.modelfixings.co.uk

I recently purchased a new Bachmann 35-027 94XX Class loco and a Gaugemaster Next 18 Omni decoder, to go in it. In DC the loco runs perfectly, but as soon as I fit the decoder it runs in fits and starts and the firebox glow flashes on and off. Gaugemaster advised me to turn off DC running, back EMF and Railcom, but I am struggling to find the way to do that, and to understand why it should be necessary. I am using a Digitrax Zephyr controller and, despite having a wide variety of decoders, have never come across this problem before.

Like Bulleidboy, I have a Peco t/t powered by a Locomotech motor, controlled via a standard decoder. This enables the speed of rotation to be even more finely controlled via F2 and F3 buttons on my Digitrax Zephyr, and the whole thing is almost silent in operation. It has been in situ in a garden shed for at least five years, requires no maintenance and has always worked faultlessly. It adds a huge amount of authenticity and interest to the layout.

After a recent clear out, I decided to sell a collection of more than thirty assorted steam model locos. Previously, I've used a well-known online auction site for selling individual items but couldn't face the hassle for so many and sent a detailed list to sixteen trade advertisers, of which just seven replied. Why do the other nine pay for advertising, just to ignore responses? Interesting, too, that the best offer was fifty per cent higher than those from the two major 'box shifters'.

I had the Triang EM2 Elektra in the early 'sixties, and remember it as a powerful and robust model. I also bought one in kit form, which Hornby produced in the early 'seventies but, despite diligently assembling it, it wasn't a good runner. Happily, in those days, and for no extra charge, you could send it to Margate for adjustment and it was returned to me in perfect working order. Wish I still had them both.