Thinking of trying again with The Scotsman

[dBerriff]

I bought one of the first Easterner sets. With a few too many problems I returned it. Now that the range has had an opportunity to grow a bit I am thinking of trying again but this time with Blink Bonny and The Scotsman (sound-fitted) set. I had a few problems with my Easterner set but I would hope that quality has settled down a bit. I am still disappointed with the scatter-gun approach to eras and regions but I can live with that and will just have to run a heritage line! 

One reason for trying again is that I do not have the inclination to build a large layout and TT:120 is a good compromise. Another reason is HM7000. I think it is a great system (I have tested it out with OO locomotives) and it makes "driving trains" more direct than stabbing at buttons on a Select or Elite.

I will have to wait for a J50 or BR (green) class 08 but at least they a possibility. 

I have cancelled my Accurascale Class 66 order to pay for this (I was never totally convinced that I needed this). I hope I am doing the right thing.

[GMD]

@dBerriff Welcome back, and it's great to hear of folk willing to see past the early teething problems. Here's hoping The Scotsman runs like a dream for you. Certainly the HM7000 is a superb system and adds greatly to the enjoyment. I know that they have slightly adjusted the tooling for the front bogies since the original sets, so Hornby are working away all the time to improve the sets. If you still do have any issues there are lots of chaps on here who are brim full of knowledge, and more than happy to help out. Enjoy!

[RB51]

Agreed, well done for having another go. I'm a convert to TT120 due to space restrictions and also use the HM7000 system which is brilliant. If you get any issues just ask. R-

[dBerriff]

I am fortunate to have access to a number of different layouts that are run for the public so I have all the OO operating opportunities that anyone could want. The experience of operating a layout for public display has changed my perspective over the last year.

I am quite happy working with software but being pulled by necessity into the world of JMRI and layout control buses (see MERG) has me longing for a return to a level of relative simplicity. The technology is clever but the documentation is dire, setting everything up is complex and I had enough of that when I was working.

HM7000 is a breath of fresh air - and yes, I do have it installed and working, Dongle included, on my temporary OO setup.

TT:120 means a few sidings and passing loops can be included on baseboards that will fit in our hatchback to make operating - and viewing - more interesting. Shunting puzzles, that kind of thing.

I know I can get good support on this forum and so I return to the fold. Thank you for the encouraging response.

I will stick with Hornby track for the initial layout, much as I like Peco Streamline. I just need to get something, anything, built! The TT:120 catalogue is helping with the planning. So is That Model Railway Guy. 

[Martin-369195]

Welcome back, @dBerriff.

I'm new to the hobby, just six months in, and, like you, the TT:120 scale appealed due to space constraints. I'm HM7000 only as I have no experience with DCC.

My experience has been mixed. My Blink Bonny worked for 10 seconds and had to be returned due to a faulty decoder. The warped track needed adjustment. The Pullman coaches drag, as does the Mobil tanker. The HST cars don't couple properly. I'm waiting for my Flying Scotsmen to be repaired and returned.

There was a point where I considered returning the lot and try something different.

But...

I've built my first baseboard - my first attempt ever at woodworking.

I've now acquired boxes of tools and other modelling bits (which is essential for every railway modeller apparently).

The Class 08, modified by This Way Works with the sound chip and stay-alive is a delight!

Hornby's customer and technical support teams are exemplary and as others have pointed out, Hornby are refining their models based on feedback.

The Hornby forum members are a great bunch - very helpful and informative.

I really enjoy playing running my layout as it grows. Well, apart from the fact it isn't big enough, so I'll have to build another one .

So I'm sticking with TT:120 as I think it has a great future.

Martin

[Rallymatt]

@dBerriff, great to see you tempted back. The early teething issues really do seem to have settled down. 

[John208]

Hi Martin.  Like you I'm having reservations about TT120 and HM7000 in particular.  My William Whitelaw and Blink Bonnie have both been back to Hornby on more than one occasion.  In fact they were both returned just yesterday, with new decoders and front bogies.  But still they derail and/or stop for no apparent reason.  It may be my incompetent track laying causing issues along with poor soldering of dropper wires etc, but my frustration levels are rising!  Like you, I've invested in the layout, modelled landscapes etc so I am reluctant to just stop, but ........

[RB51]

Hi, @John208, if you are having problems ask on here in the first instance. You can decide based on the advice you get back whether to proceed under your own steam or send the engines back to Hornby if under warranty. I imagine you can also ask them to fix things that are out of warranty. They can take a little while with a repair and, if in warranty, they will refund your postage costs. It also means that they get to learn what the common problems are. Keep all your receipts and boxes as they will need a code off the box to identify the batch in which the loco was built. R-

[BritInVanCA]

I find the track work on TT120 very similar to what I remember from my days of N gauge (back when my eyesight was better!). It is very fussy. This may be partly because I'm using Peco flex track rather than Hornby set track (that is what is available in Canada) and you need to be extra precise with flex track.

As I've said before most of my problems have been with HM7000 not TT120. The new versions of the profiles corrected some of this but I still get cutouts of straight sections of track you could "eat your dinner off" every now and then. I know the experts here are not supportive of this but I might try fitting some stay alives because I think part of the issue is the reset time for Bluetooth when the decoder detects a "potential power spike". I wounder if it is just too sensitive and although that has partly been resolved with the profile versions it is still happening. Anyway big tangent.

Overall I find the challenges manageable and some of it is satisfying when you resolve an issue. Things aren't as fun when everything is easy! The complexity of a layout that I can fit in a small space and the high level of detail on the models are both things that keep me coming back.

[John208]

The more I 'investigate' the more I think it's track/power related, certainly causing intermittent power loss, with then loss of BT control.  I may have to take up the track (no ballast yet thankfully) and start again, and make sure all my droppers etc are properly secure and all joints are perfect.  I agree that a challenge can be fun, but it would be nice to be able to get some consistent running.

[ateshci]

@BritInVanCA

I have installed stay-alives in my HM7000 1st gen "Blink Bonny" ( of Scotsman fame) and "Night Hawk" after having had some funny experiences with BT before. Now I run them exclusively on BT and power the tracks with a 15V SMPS from an old laptop - no hickups, no need for DCC. Dead frogs are negotiated easily. Even the boffins can be wrong at times.

[Martin-369195]

@John208 Interesting. I've not had any issues with HM7000, either configuring or running. Well, except for the curious case of the HST decoders would only work one at a time after the first run. Again the DCC forum helped me sort that out. I learned a lot about the HM7000 app that day. Are you using the Hornby track? I ask because I did have problems when I had the track on the dining room table. It turned out my dining room table and the the track wasn't flat. I've never looked back after pinning to a proper baseboard and making sure the baseboard was level.

@BritInVanCA I haven't cleaned my six month old track (yet) and have not experienced the problems you have. Odd.

 

[RB51]

57 minutes ago, John208 said:

The more I 'investigate' the more I think it's track/power related

Do you have a method to test power to the track @John208? I use an LED bulb and just touch the wires in the suspect area. R-

[John208]

Hi again.  Yes I am using Hornby track, and it is on a baseboard, albeit glued down and not pinned.  I'm pretty sure that my issues are related to the track not being 'perfect', since the locos do seem very sensitive to any slight track deviation resulting in derailments of the front bogie wheels. Despite dropper wires at reasonably frequent intervals, these track discrepancies are seemingly enough to disrupt power and therefore BT.   I reckon it's going to have to be a track lift, get everything perfect on the baseboard, and then relay the track, this time perhaps pinning it down rather than gluing it with PVA.

[John208]

Hi RB41.  Yes I do, and furthermore I have the lit pullman coaches which I move around to make sure the lights stay on, and they do.  It must be tiny power discrepancies causing the problems, maybe loose connections/fishplates etc.

[BritInVanCA]

First of all apologies that I took this down the HM7000 route. The moderators are going to be after me 😉

When my Night Hawk HM7000 decoder was back at Hornby for repair I ran it on DC with a 15 year old Atlas controller and it ran like a dream. Of course wireless connectivity is much more dependent on an uninterrupted connection so it will be more sensitive. If I have time I might trying running on traditional DCC since I have a Select. Of course I'd have to take the time to get the HM7000 decoders running in DCC mode again which is another story!! (and also not appropriate for this forum).

[dBerriff]

It is all relevant.

With HM7000 it always seems to be the decoders that are blamed. There are at least two sides to every communications link and I say "at least" because with BLE we can have a mesh established.

Then there are things like DECT phones that can swamp Bluetooth devices in some circumstances.

As for switching between BLE and DCC I would always check short address against long address. I have been running long addresses on Bluetooth but found in DCC mode the settings had remained on short addresses. At least with HM7000 you can quickly check the CVs.

[Rallymatt]

Glue or pins makes absolutely no difference at all to the operational reliability of a layout. Fitting a stay alive on an all but the shortest locos that might have pick ups affected by pointwork, is 100% an indication of a continuity issue. Clean well laid track first and make sure wheel back to back is not causing problems. 
A capacitor is not a magic device, it simply provides power when regular pick ups can’t. 

[taunmarc88]

I’m actually at the point myself of switching back to DC. Perhaps I should invest in a DCC system in the future but I’m not a fan of the Bluetooth at all - two main reasons are that I do not like having to use a device (essential for HM7000) and when it all cuts out because a Pacific derails and catches the points it takes a while to get it all going again.

One thing I would note however, running DC using Hornby offerings from The Scotsman set is no piece of cake either. I have also found one dodgy set of points, possibly damaged by aforementioned derailing of a Pacific. So I shall need to invest in a better DC controller. Also I have two locos without blanking plates so that’s a shame. 
I am only planning a very small DC layout however and intend to return to DCC control if I make a larger layout. That would be sensible and by then I will hopefully have learnt more regarding track and perhaps getting my Pacific locos that derail sorted out. I don’t think I will buy anymore large steam era locos though, the bogies are too much of a pain and I think diesels will run better on the tracks.

Just my thoughts. I hope you enjoy your return to TT!

[Silver Fox 17]

2 hours ago, taunmarc88 said:

I don’t think I will buy anymore large steam era locos though, the bogies are too much of a pain

I have around 60 locos with bogies, mostly Hornby as bought, but, a few that I have made/converted all using only Hornby bogies like on 2-6-4 tank locos, 4-4-0, 4-4-2 locos and not had any problems.

[taunmarc88]

1 hour ago, Silver Fox 17 said:

I have around 60 locos with bogies, mostly Hornby as bought, but, a few that I have made/converted all using only Hornby bogies like on 2-6-4 tank locos, 4-4-0, 4-4-2 locos and not had any problems.

I’m glad you have had no issues.

[dBerriff]

I picked up The Scotsman TXS set today in Derby and, touch wood, all is good so far. I have set up the track and power supply as provided and 2550 Blink Bonny is now live! It did not take long to update the sound profile (fast broadband).

I have been working with an N-gauge layout this week and for me that really is too small unless you get something simple and solid like the Kato range. I am now convinced that  TT:120 is the better compromise for a UK-based home layout. The realism is still there for my eyes.

Sound plus lighting in the coaches. Wow, I'm spoiling myself. Add up the cost of just the A1 and the coaches and it far exceeds what I have paid today for the set. I can use the track too so I am happy. The 1A power supply will not go unused. So the sets, for getting started, are the best value.

I ordered the baseboard kits this morning as I want to try an all-plywood, modular approach. Expensive but light and portable for moving between house and garage. Finally, the prevaricating ends. 

 

Edited April 19 by dBerriff

[Moccasin]

11 minutes ago, dBerriff said:

I picked up The Scotsman TXS set today in Derby and, touch wood, all is good so far. I have set up the track and power supply as provided and 2550 Blink Bonny is now live! It did not take long to update the sound profile (fast broadband).

I have been working with an N-gauge layout this week and for me that really is too small unless you get something simple and solid like the Kato range. I am now convinced that  TT:120 is the better compromise for a UK-based home layout. The realism is still there for my eyes.

Sound plus lighting in the coaches. Wow, I'm spoiling myself. Add up the cost of just the A1 and the coaches and it far exceeds what I have paid today for the set. I can use the track too so I am happy. The 1A power supply will not go unused. So the sets, for getting started, are the best value.

I ordered the baseboard kits this morning as I want to try an all-plywood, modular approach. Expensive but light and portable for moving between house and garage. Finally, the prevaricating ends. 

 

Your prevarication is quite short compared to mine. 

[Paul M]

I started with the Scotsman. Had to send my Blink Bonny for repair, but no problem, and no issues with my Night Hawk. I have DC only using a twin track controller and segregated inner and outer loops. Sidings for 3 trains, so can run 2 out of 3 at any time. Objective was simply to have and watch trains go round. Oh, and to relive my childhood with the  Duchess of Atholl, which I had as  Dublo 3 rail. Looks quite good with 2 trains running in opposite directions.

[Yelrow]

Paul, hi, Still running Dutchess of Atholl, today, along with 20 odd other, 3 rail locos.  You get addicted to sound of tin track. Am able, due to space, to also run , DC, and DCC, so, somewhat spoilt for choice. Have  the Blink  Bonny set, in TT. Along with 5 other TTTriang locos, and load of rolling stock, trucks.   Be a sad day, when I have to downsize.