ColinB

Do not use a 4 pin decoder, go for a 6 or 8 pin, that way you have more variety in the choice of decoders. I am assuming the Merchant Navy is the rebuilt type as it is old. You might have difficulty fitting it all into the loco body. On my old ones I put the decoder in the tender and connected it to the loco via a 4 way connector as in Hornby's later locos. If the loco doesn't have a decoder fitted it will buzz on DCC, just like putting on an AC source and as someone said eventually burn out.

It is probably the 15 minute window. The time is measured from when you entered the first post to the end of the edit.

It doesn't matter, it appears that posts are limited to a window of 15 minutes from when you posted them. Unfortunately, when you decide to edit the post within 15 minutes it lets you do the edit but the timer is still working from the time of the original post. So as you edit the offending item, the timer times out and won't let you put it back. As I said to one of the administrators it would be helpful if gave a "pop up" error message. The logic is all screwy, it should stop the timer when you decide to edit and start it again from zero, then time out after a predefined time. This is where it does differ from RMWEB.

I suspect that is what happened. I did try looking at the source to check timings, I could find it for one of the posts but not the other. I must admit if the Edit option works, then I assume that it will load it back.

I think it was less than that. I posted the post, then noticed the Service Sheet they were referencing. 10 minutes at the most. Even so, would it not be an idea to have a pop up error that tells the user the reason? In the old system where it didn't like a word it highlighted it. Thank you for telling me though.

Its done. As this post is getting so much attention I thought it was a good place to put it.

Members 4.1k Posted 1 hour ago I think you might have a bug on the Edit function. Went to edit my post and it wouldn't save it. In the end I had to post the new edited version as a separate post. Couldn't see anything that was wrong with the new text.

I must admit I am at a loss why they would Ship them like that but perhaps they just fall off in transit. As to the diagram if you go to the New Modellers Site they list all the Service Sheets in a more logical order than on the Hornby site. If you can't find one for the Railroad A1/A3, try the Tornado which is similar, although there are differences with the chassis and valve gear cylinders.

I think you have a bug on the Edit function. Went to edit my post and it wouldn't save it. In the end I had to post the new edited version as a separate post.

I hear so many stories of this happening with Amazon on other things. This is what you have I suspect, its part number is X6873. It doesn't have a spring and a washer it is just a stepped bolt screwing into a nut loosely retained in the bogie. You can see it in the photo. If you have the bolt (the difficult bit to source) you may have lost the nut as it falls out the bogie if the the stepped bolt isn't screwed in. The nut is M2 type and I think it is what is called a reduced head, meaning its hex shape is smaller than it should be. The special detailed A1 bogie has what you are talking about but the bolt head is in the bogie and the nut and washer are above the slot in the bogie bracket. Effectively the bolt is upside down in relation to your one. If you want to add a spring and washer I would look for suitable ones on EBay. That is what I do.

I read this again, the other forum just dumped the badges not the package, I don't even know if they used this one. It was a Webpage forum for a totally different subject. I assume the badges are an "add on" that comes with most packages.

As far as I know I said there were more steps which I thought were unnecessary but I also said it was faster. I did make a derogatory comment but that got caned. Since then I can't remember rubbishing it, just pointing out that the badges were unnecessary for a serious forum which I am sure this is, it appears I am not the only one. As I keep saying it is ok, I even stated that I was happy with the text. So what is your issue? As to the other site that used badges that was for another one of my hobbies which is of no interest here. I use RMWeb a lot because generally they answer my questions and I find as long as I avoid the actual price of locos I get less grief. I have been working and developing software for most of my life, so I can generally work with any sort of web interface, but as I said this one is ok. I must admit I wouldn't have used check boxes, clicking on the title is a better interface as per RMWeb, but someone probably thought it was a good idea.

Perhaps it is because I have a desktop with a decent screen, the text is readable for me and that is without my glasses on.

I didn't rubbish this platform, actually I think it is ok. I was replying to the automatic issuing of badges, if you had read the posts properly you would have noticed. Now perhaps I am missing something but last time I used it about 2 hours ago RMWeb wasn't issuing badges. The only issue I have with the new forum is it updates too quickly when you tick the subject identifier , General, DCC or HM7000 and it updates without the normal flashing of the screen to indicate it has done it. There again now I know it does it, no issue. As to RMWeb, yes same package but obviously configured differently.

Impressive, when is delivery scheduled for?

You can't do it on content that needs someone to look at it and review it, as I said it is just a feature that would normally get implemented in something like Facebook, where it encourages people to throw in more and more posts. Things like what I had for tea tonight. As I said it was implemented on another site I use, I threw in a ton of photos and posts just to see what it did, total waste of time. As I said they binned it in the end.

New toy, so someone thought they would implement it. Another site I used, decided to use it and binned it after a couple of days, I imagine this will go the same way eventually. Having seen it before I was quite surprised they had used it on a serious application.

No it is not HM7000, I am sending it back, it kept cutting out in one direction as it was running but perfect in the other. I then did a reset CV8=8 and the Elite stopped talking to it. I moved it to my tester and it looked like I had blown it up. fortunately this time I had been super careful so I knew a simple reset can't blow them up. Eventually by wobbling the 8 pin connector it started working. I suspect it has either a very fine pcb crack or a duff soldered joint somewhere probably on the H bridge but I am not going there. Interestingly it is the first one I ordered off this make. To be honest for all my criticism the HM7000s work ok, I did have one blow up but Hornby replaced that. I suspect that was something to do with adding the powerbank as it failed just after I added it.

Great, thankyou.

Great so you have one, so does it have the big square hole where the firebox doors would normally be.

Thank you I had not thought of doing that.

I know, I did exactly that to mine yesterday. It was really useful as it has a slot behind it to fit the PCB. What I was asking was whether the latest one they are selling had the same. It is an incredibly expensive model so I was just wondering if they had covered the hole up because it does look a bit unsightly. Now if you are going to fit smokebox glow then perhaps it is ok, but it really is too big. My model is old so it didn't matter.

No they don't, I know that, but did they remove the square hole in the cab for it, say from R3565. My one R2249 still had the hole from when they did fit years ago. I suspect it was a bulb in those days.

Do you know I started this post to see if the model was worth buying and whether it was worth the incredibly inflated price. I also started the same thread on RMWeb. It appears this is a major production mess up by Hornby regressing to parts from a Railroad model. So it appears it isn't worth buying at the current price and even at half price the decision is questionable but I suppose we will see. I was looking at my one yesterday (it is DCC ready but quite old) and I noticed a very large square hole in the cab where on the really old versions it has firebox glow (with a bulb I imagine). Does anyone know if Hornby removed this on the later versions and this latest one.

That is probably not a good idea. The administrators lock any thread that is controversial at the moment so they would be busy 24/7 if we had an off topic chat. Even with the current system the posts are declining, so that would probably alienate even more.