ColinB

I don't know if this is much help, but I use one of those cheap controllers out of a set to test my locos. I found the backward/forward switch doesn't always make contact. In my case all I have to do is push it to the left or right a little then everything works.

For some reason LokSound decoders seem to do this. I don't usually buy LokSound decoders, but on the ones I have bought second hand they definitely do it. I don't know why, it is as if it is using the data from the last DCC run, before accepting the new DCC data.

Here are some photos of my one.

Those Peco PL-13 are horrible, I have had so many issues with them. They add an enormous load to the point motor and because they are just a copper wiper moving on effectively a copper clad PCB always oxidising and giving issues, plus they is no adjustment for the throw of the point I used them extensively on my layout to power frogs and isolating sections until I realised the issues. If you are going to do it this way use some of those lever microswitches on the plastic point lever. As I use Peco electrofrog points and DCC, I found a better way, by using the blade of the point to operate a relay.

I did say I didn't have one, so in that case pay the money and use the Zimo MX616. If that doesn't fit, I doubt anyone will.

There has has got to be something wrong with those Coronation class locos, I have two of these and they work very well. Generally modern Hornby locos are very quiet, well at least for the first few runs. I criticise Hornby a lot but most of their modern locos are very good mechanically (we will forget the "Hush Hush" and its front bogie).

I have this loco with the smoke unit. Hornby at the time made a range of 4-4-0 locos that had the same smoke unit. Most of mine still work although I have removed them from all my locos as they tend to distort the body. There is supposed to be a piece of tin foil around the unit to stop some of the distortion but it does not work that well. I think when I looked the coil was wrapped around mica, it didn't look like asbestos. I used the Seuthe or the normal smoke oil on mine when I ran them.

I bought an "Edward Thompson" which came after the initial batch and it was perfectly ok. My order for "Sun Castle" was cancelled by Hattons and when I was looking everyone had sold out, so I am assuming that the one you are looking at is from a new batch.

I don't have one of these so I can only guess. In the Terrier I used a Zimo MX616 which is really small, but if it is like the Rocket where the decoder wraps above the socket then a 6 pin leaded Zimo MX617 will probably do. These decoders have a maximum current of 0.8 amps compared to 0.5 amps for a Hornby equivalent, so if they are like most Hornby 0-4-0 locos, are better suited.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Sadly with this loco the gear on the wheel axle has a habit of splitting. It depends on your level of competency, the easiest fix other than sending it back is to buy a new set of wheels although I notice the usual sources don't have them. The next thing is get the wheels off which you will have done to check if the gear is split. Remove the gear by removing the wheel off the axle and count the number of teeth. Not many people seem to know this, but quite often that gear wheel is the same physical part as the Duchess/Rebuilt Merchant Navy intermediate gear X8849. Alternatively get a brass one off Ultrascale Products.

When I first bought my one second hand I added pickups to the tender and the 4 pin lead to connect the loco to tender. Adding tender pickups is relatively easy, you just buy the cheapest A1/A3/A4 tender bottom that has pickups, lever out the pickups to put in the P2 tender (which is an A1/A3/A4 one anyway) and throw the rest of the bought tender bottom away. It seems wasteful but I think mine was about £2-50 from Lendons so you are not losing much. Unusually, I didn't put the decoder in the tender, as I normally do, I think it was because I fitted lamps to the loco and with the decoder in the tender it is impossible to do. So although I used the standard Hornby 4 way connector I only used the two other wires for the tender pickups. With pickups in loco and tender it runs much better. I also added a sliver of phosphor bronze to the front bogie to give it extra weight, mine kept derailing on points.

I assume the 4 car CEP is the Bachmann product. I bought mine years ago when they were a reasonable price, the only issue I had with the CEP is the silly little drawbar connectors between coaches, but the plus point is that they supply the lights between coaches so only one dcc decoder. I don't know much about the Hornby VEP.

Thanks Going Spare, they look good enough. I will use plasticard to make the compartment dividers.

I know these are a bit old now, I must admit I didn't even know I had them until I was searching for coaches for my new Caledonian loco. I remember Hornby didn't fit seats to these carriages, but does anyone know if it was possible to get seats from a third party supplier, that you could add to them?

I have got to admit I replace the fingers with those as you call them "pesky little plugs". Admittedly you have to be careful with the plugs and I have had ones where Hornby didn't crimp the pins properly, but generally they are more reliable than the fingers. The only ones that still have the fingers in my collection are ones where the model was so original that I didn't want to carve up the box to allow for the permanent connection. The big advantage of the 4 way connector is that the drawbar can be fixed with stepped screws allowing movement vertically between loco and tender.

That is a bit worrying I was going to upgrade to one of them in the future. I test my locos with an Elite, but on my main layout I have a Fleishmann Twin Track controller. The TTS decoders work perfectly with both. I have the two types as I got them cheap because they didn't work. From what you are saying you are using a software interface to the Digikeijs DR5000, you need to test it with the raw Digikeijs DR5000 software if there is such a thing, to check that it is issuing the commands properly.

To me it sounds like an issue with the Select Digital Controller, the display not working properly should have nothing to do with the loco you are running. The only thing I can think is that the Select's power supply cannot source enough current to run the Flying Scotsman so it keeps cutting out. Does the Mallard have TTS? Someone with more knowledge of the Select can advise you, I don't have one.

Perhaps if someone ever has the ear of Simon Kohler, they might suggest that rather than disabling DC on TTS decoders an idea might be to only disable it if it sees a valid DCC signal (for any loco or accessory), in software this is easy to achieve and it would solve issues like this in the future. Detail may be everything but if there are no young people to buy the stuff in the future then you are wasting your time. Ok you wouldn't get the sound but at least the loco would work. Seeing as these sorts of locos appear to be targeted at the younger generation it would at least not put the person off quite so quickly.

Oh that explains it. There should be a lead linking loco to tender. If this is the case then the DCC decoder is in the tender. The instructions should tell you how to get to it but if not. At the back of the tender is the coupling, this is push fit to the tender. Remove the coupling and its holder from the tender base by pushing down from the top. Underneath this should be a crosshead screw, it will be recessed inside the tender. Unscrew this and carefully pull the tender top upwards, it is attached to the front by a "push in" piece on the front of the tender, so be careful. You should then see the DCC decoder 8 pin header that you have to replace with the blanking plate. The tender looks quite big with no coal bunker, so you can just leave the decoder in situ, as someone said just insulate the decoder pins so they don't touch anything.

A lot depends on what it is. If it is a Mallard that has sound then probably it is fitted with a TTS decoder which will not work on DC. If it is a Mallard that is fitted with just a DCC decoder then it could be that someone has disabled the DC option, also if someone has programmed an address into it other than 3 (the default value) then the DC option is usually disabled. The easiest thing to do is find where the DCC decoder is (loco or tender) and replace the DCC decoder with a DC header which you can get off EBay. What is the model number of your Mallard? I can look it up and tell you where the DCC decoder is located.

Before you pull the bodyshell off you unscrew the speedo drive from the connecting rod and wheel. Once you have done this, the drive should pull off, then it is a good idea to screw the screw back on without the speedo, so you don't lose it and it also stops the con rod falling off. Then you can unscrew the body from the chassis by unscrewing the slotted screw at the front and pulling upwards and slightly backwards to release the tab from the back of the body.

You are right I shouldn't be surprised just because they are cheap. I did find that they weren't so good if the DCC signal was intermittent but there again I only found out of the ones I have tried only the Zimo and Hornby ones were better.

The part number for the Pendulino is X9712, you also need to remove the worm drive off and flywheel off your old one. You then remove the twin worm drives off the Pendulino and replace them with the flywheel and worm drive off your old motor. New Modellers had some when I looked at £7.95.

I think my units are fitted with LaisDCC 21 pin units which surprisingly work really well. Sorry but when I used the Gaugemaster predecessor admittedly not in a 21 pin version I had similar issues as to what you are getting. They are not cheap either.