Old Kent Biker

I have - a train! Yesterday, a Fisons sulphuric acid tanker arrived, and today, a Toad E brake van! Just need a loco now, a few more wagons, and my Inglenook is good to go... In the absence of a Hornby steam shunter, my choice at the moment is a Class 08, although that is a bit modern for my liking.

@cm said "But having received some laser-burnt MDF ones, I think they are too high." Are you mounting the track on cork underlay? This may take up the difference in platform height.

MTB point motors are very good with low profile (underboard), quiet, slow action, and flexible DC/DCC wiring options. Not the cheapest, but very good value I think. Czech-made, they are available from several UK suppliers https://www.mtb-model.com/pages/prestavniky.php?lang=en

The Graham Farish Class 08 is available with DCC sound - in N gauge! to be fair, that doesn't have the HM7000 wifi, but it could, I'm sure it could have been done. Perhaps given time, and once the initial surge has died down, Horby will be able to revisit this, either through redesigning the chassis or shrinking the decoder... In the meantime, however, I'm happy to make do without sound!

So what SHOULD we drop locos onto? Would a wooden floor be better?sweat_smile

Are the three named coaches in the Scotsman starter kit available separately as lit versions?

This is obviously a silly question, but looking at the "coming soon" list, I noticed two diamond-crossing track parts - one left-hand and one right-hand. What on earth is the difference?

To be fair, quite a lot of experienced OO modellers are embracing TT as an addition to their existing hobby, but yes, it is a crying shame that there is a lot of vitriol aimed at TT120 just because it dares to be new and different. (including from TT 3mm modellers). My response to them would perhaps be "at least my wheels are the correct distance apart!" :)

There is a class 08 TXS sound file already (or very soon) available - it's used by the OO scale 08

Not exactly a cheap option, but for a shunting operation, perhaps you could get a HM7000 sound decoder as well as the 6-pin version for the loco, install the second chip and speaker statically near the shunting yard, then run the two on the app as a consist? Just an idea...

Has anybody compared these errant Hornby curves with the Tillig equivalent? I believe they are supposed to be the same geometry.

Have you looked on Shapeways? It's a pain to search, but I've seen a few gates in 00 and N, the designers can be contacted and may be able to resize to TT scale.

The Metcalfe official Facebook group is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/164503870960532 I have mentioned it there in a few replies to posts. They recently had a poll on what new kits people would like to see...

@96RAF said "One aid to achieve this is the motor auto-tune facility. Set CV149 to 0 then with the loco pointing down a longish bit of track - hit F0 and the loco will race off at max chat, then stop. CV149 and various other CVs will be written with appropriate values for the motor." How long is longish? Is there enough straight track in a train set? I can see numerous "Blink Whitelaws" crashing off the end of the line... :(

There are already other systems that employ Bluetooth with DCC (Sountraxx Blunami for one example) but they do use their own protocols, as BT is not included in the NMRA DCC standards. I would expect HM7000 to remain proprietory for some time to come.

Can the standard Hornby couplers (or the Tillig alternatives) be uncoupled with under-track electro-magnets, or do they need a physical ramp?

In the item tech specs, what does the length refer to? i.e. for 4472 Flying Scotsman, the length is given as Item Length - Without Packaging (cm) 19.1 Is this over buffers, or including the full length of the couplings? (okay, so there appears not to be a front coupler - is that really the case? Can one be added?)

Is it possible to have several devices running HM7000 operating on a layout simultaneously? What I'm thinking of is setting up throttles on old smart phones that are locked to a single loco with slow-speed restrictions, all CVs locked, and perhaps limited sounds (not incessant bells and whistles!) for use by younger people, whilst I can still operate or take over any throttle from the main tablet?

I've not had much to do with DCC up to now, but I'm very interested in a new TT120 layout employing HM7000 for loco control. Can anybody explain (or point me towards) the different pin-types for DCC decoders? I've seen 4, 6, 8, NXT18 and 21-pin options. What do the different pin-outs allow control of?

Hobby, yes it does help. The Auhagen TTf version is static, non-working, although I am thinking of ways to create something that does move (probably just a rope-hauled shuttle along a straight section) The use of Z scale may be worth looking at, although I don't think they do sharp enough turnouts to mimic field track curves. Something else to ponder though. Thanks!

This is the sort of thing I have in mind (from the Auhagen website)

Whilst waiting for a useful range of rolling stock to be released, I am thinking of working on diorama to add to a larger TT layout. The idea is to have a smallholding/farm shop/nursery business, with a series of fields, barns, greenhouses, etc, served by a narrow gauge feldbahn railway to carry equipment and produce weaving around the site. I have found some 4.5mm? gauge static kits by Auhagen, but does anybody know of anything similar, particularly if it could actually be made to run?

Modular layouts have never seemed particularly popular in the UK, but are bigger in both the USA and Europe. With the introduction of a "new" scale to the UK, perhaps this may encourage a new interest in modular cooperation. Are there any established modular layout standards for 1:120 scale?

My TT "plan" is to model a branch-line preservation society. That way, I can operate a busier than normal timetable with relatively short passenger trains, throw in a few "demonstration goods" workings (and even a TPO perhaps?) plus any stock from anywhere and any era can appear as "visitors"!

What I would REALLY like to see is for Keen Systems to introduce their close-couplers and corridor connections for Hornby TT. These make such a difference to rakes of OO coaches, although I'm not sure how (if) they could be designed to fit around the NEM coupler pockets. To see how the OO versions work, https://keen-systems.com/Couplings.html