Seacommander

If you have the space, by using a 4 pole double throw switch you can introduce an isolating section of track in between the live DCC power section and the programming section. I have used this on my layout with 100% success. Follow this link to get the circuit diagram: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/143258-fitting-programming-track-as-part-of-the-layout/

Well, I did suggest nichrome back in September. A possible problem with nichrome wire though is establishing a stable connection. In my experience it doesn't take solder, and anyway the temperatures involved would problem melt ordinary tin/lead solder. Some form of secure mechanical connection would be needed I think. How were the coil terminations secured in the original units?

Tri-ang motor magnets should be 20,000 Gauss or 2 Micro Tesla . Not sure about your units here MR 10,000 gauss is 1 Tesla which is mighty powerful. 2 micro Tesla is equivalent to 0.02 gauss; so no health risks considering diagnostic MRI scanners use magnets ranging between 0.5 and 3 Tesla or 5000 to 30,000 gauss. Your kettle comes in at 0.0124 gauss

Good advice from HornbyNC but I would be inclined to polish the commutator with something milder like Brasso; the abrasive in materials such as emery cloth and papers can embed in the soft copper and lead to premature brush wear.

Don't panic over ColinB's reply. Unless you are using the fuel simulation function of the Sapphire decoder V1.45 offers no advantages over V1.44. To quote from the Hornby firmware downlaod page: V1.45 contains a fix re the non-functioning Sapphire decoder fuel simulation support feature. There are no other changes above V1.44. See the history document in the download for full details of version history.

I agree with Crofty58 that a resistance of 33 ohms for a short length of 5 amp fuse wire is very high. Five amp copper fuse wire is around 35/36 SWG and the resistance of this gauge copper wire is approximately 0.5 ohms per metre meaning that 66 metres would be necessary for a resistance of 33 ohms. I strongly suspect that original smoke heaters are actually wound using nichrome resistance wire. An equivalent diameter nichrome wire has a resistance of about 35 ohms per meter - still a long length for a smoke unit heater. Even at 0.1 mm dia about 0.25m would be required to achieve 33 ohms but this is far more realistic than 66 metres or even 1 metre. Nevertheless is seems that ordinary 5 amp fuse wire does the trick; but I would be interested to know what current is being drawn.

Just had my v1.1 Select upgraded to v1.6. Despite current restrictions it was all done within the week and only cost £15 inclusive of VAT - so even better value than the £18 suggested. Great value Hornby.

Hello Oyster Creek. I have just unearthed my Schools (Sevenoaks) and removed the tender body to refresh my memory on where to apply the force. I see , however, that you have successfully removed the motor block - I think you will agree that a frightening amount of force was required to release the block. If you have not yet replaced the block I would urge you to file away some of the mounting lug to make replacement and any subsequent removal much easier.

On my Schools a considerable - and scary! - amount of force was required to release the motor block from the framings. Before reassembly I filed some of each lug away to ease replacement of the motor block and also to make any subsequent dismantling easier.

As your loco is new and fitted with I think a 5 pole can motor I would not expect that the resetting is due to excess current draw by the motor. I would be looking very carefully to try and identify any intermittent short circuits in the wiring both in the tender and locomotive. Also, valve gear if out of alignment is not unknown to cause intermittent shorting especially with metal chassis blocks. Try running the loco when there is no background noise so that any arcing might be heard and give clue to where the problem might be.

I have searched the Hornby downloads section for a Service Sheet for the R3767 Terrier but drawn a blank. There are Service Sheets for earlier non DCC ready models but I am looking specifically for the DCC ready version.

My 4MT tank runs fine with the spring in situ, although I do seem to recall having to 'fine tune' it with some careful bending. On the other hand, my Bachmann 3MT tank needed to have the similar style of spring removed before it successfully traversed all of my points and the transfer on and off the turntable.

Yes Jimbopuff, I think the track contacts are potentially troublesome and the weakest part of the turntable. Another point to consider with this turntable is that it sits on top of the baseboard rather than being inset. This means that the access tracks are necessarily on an incline to reach the level of the turntable. This calls for some imaginative ballasting to disguise the incline and the gaps under the access tracks.

I converted one of the these turntables for use on my DCC layout and on the whole am pleased with its performance. A regular complaint is that it is noisy - well, yes it is if it's made to turn at a speed that would put a NASA astronaut training centrifuge to shame - but at more scale speeds and under DCC motor control plus the addition of the odd washer here and there to control the end float of the plastic gears, it is quite quiet. One thing to watch out for is the registering of the turntable track with the outlet tracks. It may be something I have ommited to allow for in the Geneva drive re-assembly, but when turning anti-clockwise the registering is perfect, however, in a clockwise direction there is about 1mm max misalignment of the tracks. Have other users come across this? As a budget accessory I think it is fine - if buying secondhand make sure that the phosphor bronze contacts you refer too are in totally undamaged condition. They can be a pain to reprofile if distorted and as far as I am aware no longer available as spares. As part of the DCC conversion I no longer needed them but up to that point they were forever getting caught up on the outlet tracks and becoming bent.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions. Bulleidboy - yes cost is a primary reason; for one of the simplest body mouldings and application of separate details I have never ceased to be amazed at the price Hornby attached to the unrebuilt light pacifics. Also my loco stock is probably as numerous as I would wish. Thanks for pointing out the Bideford body on Ebay; I had already seen it and have gone ahead and purchased it. I would, however, be very tempted by a RTR Leader if it was ever released but I suspect it might be a little too specialised for the likes of Hornby and Bachmann. Going Spare & Modelnut 19 - thanks for the cautionary notes. I will let you know how the changeover went.

I am wondering whether the Hornby Bideford body will fit onto the chassis of my R2218 Wilton Super Detail model without any major modification. Bideford (including its spell as an oil burning conversion) was my grandfather's favourite Bulleid 'light pacific' during his years as a driver on the Southern and I thought it would be a fitting tribute to have this loco on my layout. Thanks in advance for any help.

If you look at Hornby service sheet 178 you will see a part number M1321 which is an ingeniously simple piece of printed circuitry that switches polarity of the bridge track as it revolves to ensure that there are no polarity conflicts between the bridge and outlet tracks.

Thanks very much for your comments and thoughts. My error on my Elite firmware version - it's 1.44 not 1.40. I had considered updating to 1.45 but as far as I can see the only change over 1.44 is a fix for the fuel simulation problems with Sapphire decoders which I do not use. Jane2 and Flashbang - yes, your comments and recommendations had gone through my mind and £15 +VAT is indeed not a great expense for the benefit of having a fairly decent controller especially since I picked up the Select secondhand for a reasonable price. Thanks again for your comments.

I am using a Select Walkabout running firmware v1.1 in conjunction with my Elite running firmware v1.4 in Standard mode. I ONLY use the Select as a remote unit to control locomotive speed and direction. Is there any benefit in these circumstances in my paying out to have the Select firmware udated to the v1.6? My loco stable will never exceed the 59 able to be handled by the Select. I understand that there are potential point control problems with Select v1.1 when used as a walkabout with an Elite in standard; this does not affect me as point control is totally DC using a CDU and passing contact switches.

I'm with you on this one Jane. The Duke 71000 is to be congratulated rather than negatively commented on for his very interesting and informative contributions; especially, written as they are, in good clear English. If individuals are not keen on his style of presentation there is no need to make negative comments - just move on to something else. The article on the composition of SR trains was especially of interest to me as the grandson of a Top Link driver on the the Southern working in the 1950s and 60s on a daily basis on passenger duties on the Waterloo - Southampton - Bournemouth routes.

Back in the early 1970s using a circuit diagram in Wireless World (July 1972) I built a PWM controller from individual components. This particular circuit also allowed automatic acceleration and deceleration. It provided incredibly smooth control of XO4 and Ringfield motored locos and gave me many years of utterly reliable service. Although I have moved on to Hornby based DCC I still use my PWM controller to test new locos before converting them to DCC.

If you Google more specifically for XO4 motor rewinds you will find details of wire gauge and numbert of turns per pole. 270 turns of 40 SWG enamelled copper wire per pole has been recommended. Some of the references also suggest how the blank armature might be prepared prior to rewinding to avoid pitfalls such as shorting out of the coils.

Another possibility (the one I encountered with a Hornby 4MT) was that the body of the tender was stuck quite firmly to the red paint on the buffer beam which is part of the framing.