Riddles

Great to see someone making progress with their garden railway.

I’d just like to second those thanks to Mike. Notwithstanding there is now a OO Garden Railway Facebook page, having a proper website presence does show that these projects are practical and worth taking seriously. Sorry I’ve nothing to show pics of. Compliments of the season to all.

I agree about it looking great but have never compared the sleeper thickness. Peco have always claimed that the plastic used in their flexible track contains additives to stop it going brittle after prolonged exposure to UV sunlight. I wonder whether DCC Concepts can claim the same.

Very interesting. In future the manufacturers will need to have more consideration for added features starting from the bottom up chassis design. Some are already ahead of the game but steam leaking from cylinders, as well as the chimney, needs careful planning but I am sure it is coming from the likes of Rapido. I think I was perhaps a little unfair in my post on Wednesday about the size of the TXS decoders. They are actually not overly large if you exclude the speaker and power bank connections. They are certainly much smaller than a basic decoder of the 1990s. Yes, I bought my first DCC controller in 1995 after struggling with Hornby Zero 1 since 1980!

Yes, the antenna does take up quite a large space. Some people had contemplated cutting off that part of the PCB as there are no obvious components attached. Perhaps a different type of antenna could be fitted but that would not be easy. I am wondering how they will fit TXS decoders in the TT120 locos they are advertising. Perhaps they will have bespoke decoders but I can't imagine they could fit a power pack as well. Good luck with the Class 20 or whatever you decide on. Apparently not all the types of sound profiles which they have announced are available yet.

Have you decided which loco (or unit) you will be installing the decoder in? I was very disappointed to see how large the decoder and power pack are. I was planning on trying them in a Hornby Britannia but there is no way they would fit.

It’s very easy to waste a lot of valuable time if you start following a thread. Far too much pointless arguing and insults as well.

Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on an HM|DCC sound decoder which start at only £64.99 suggested retail price (and expected to be available in the shops from £58.50). I would probably add on a power bank at £15.99/£14.50 but that is the only expense needed as I already have a fairly recent iPhone. Track power would come from my existing DCC system but it could work from a DC system turned up to full speed. The sound should be better than TTS (twin track sound) as there can be 3 audio tracks on the TXS (Triplex) decoders. The decoders are provided without any sound files as these will be downloadable free of charge. Initially there will be a choice of 35 files, each with 25 sounds, and the files can be changed at will, at no cost. The decoders come with a speaker with an enclosure which is customisable. They are said to work conventionally on DCC systems if Bluetooth control is not required. So far, no facility for point and signal control has been announced so that would be by conventional means or DCC. Hopefully an online manual will be available soon.

Mrs Riddles and I went on Monday and agree with all the above. There is a convenient bus shuttle from the Railway Station to the city centre (alight and re-board at The Clock). The Crewe-Chester leg of our journey was by a very full Transport For Wales class 153 unit but we did manage to get a seat. Thanks for posting the video.

A photo of the pigeon on top of the train would have been a good illustration of one of the additional challenges of running OO in the garden. You can't have your phone/camera with you every second of the day although some people get very close to it. Your words have let us imagine the scene in our minds very well.

Please don't be disheartened by the negative comment. It seems as though some people derive some perverse satisfaction in belittling other peoples efforts. I think it is more important to keep a record of your garden railway than trying to create an illusion of the real thing by adding sound from a separate recording. I do think that RTR factory fitted sound has definitely improved over recent years.. I have a Bachmann Deltic (D9007 Pinza) and the latest Accurascale version (D9020 Nimbus) and the improvement since 2009 is fairly dramatic. Watching your latest video of the Black 5, the only missing element for me is steam. A conventional Seuthe steam unit would do nothing but the water based TRS system would add to the sound and complete the effect. All extra expense and effort though. Please keep making your videos.

Perhaps your retailer could examine his other stock in case one of the other boxes has no driving/trailers but two NDMs! Most annoying for all concerned. I do sympathise.

I'm pleased to say that my GBRf 640623/640624, Dapol B913A are also unaffected! After reading your report I was a little concerned as I had bought them at Dapol's open day off their "Not Quite Perfect" table in 2014. As far as I can see it's still only the box that's NQP.

Incredible as it may seem, the tooling for the Bachmann wagons is over 50 years old. Commonly known as "whisky wagons," they were introduced in 1966 by British Trix who had them made by Liliput. They were fitted with Peco/Dublo couplings but had mounting positions for Tri-ang tension lock couplings. Liliput retained ownership of the toolings and supplied the British market directly after British Trix folded. In 1993 Kader Industries took over Liliput and the model passed into the Bachmann Branchline range the following year. It is still going strong and three different wagons are currently supplied in the "Whiskies Galore" train set with a sound fitted Class 20. With regard to changing the wheels of the Lima wagons, the axle length differs from other manufacturers and Hornby/Bachmann wheels do not simply drop in!

That is a brilliant development! I thought at first that you had used Train-Tech's Animated Smart Screens but your model looks much more like what an actual station display looks like. Yours is half the cost as well.

ViTrains certainly did have a connection as the company was set up by former employees of Lima after the takeover by Hornby. I heard that they had always wished to improve the quality of Lima's British range to the better standard of its European models but the importers were holding them to low prices. ViTrains saw the market for improved replacement mechanisms for old Lima 37s (and possibly 47s) and provided them.

It certainly looks much better around the front windows than a standard Lima model. Has it had etched windscreen surrounds fitted? Good to know the sprung points have survived well.

I've often thought that when I've noticed some around my garden. It would make a great scenic material for an indoor layout but it would need to be waterproof and regularly dampened so it's unlikely to happen!

Yes, it looks as though they will be sending you replacements if you bought from them direct. Seems like it will take longer if you bought them from a retailer. My faith has been restored!

Have you advised Accurascale of this discrepancy? I am truly amazed that a company which prides itself on attention to detail could make such a basic mistake. I think you should ask them to replace all the "wrong-handed" couplings with the correct ones. I would be surprised if they didn't agree.

Hi Mick, I'm wondering whether you used the speaker which came attached to the TTS decoder or something a bit more exotic! If it was the standard speaker I would be inclined to email, or perhaps even telephone Hornby and ask them how it is supposed to fit. It is, after all, a Hornby accessory for a Hornby product and should be compatible. Their original sound fitted Class 60s from around 2009 were fitted with ESU decoders but I don't know whether they have ever sold any with ready fitted TTS decoders. I will need to dig out my 60048 some time and see if it needs to receive some attention.

I'm guessing that wasn't Sir Nigel Gresley! 😀

I really wish I could remember all your faces! I know I bumped into you at an exhibition (perhaps Burton-on-Trent?) . The “good lady” has a much better memory than me. She probably gently interrogated you and will be able to recall everything you said, just to warn you! I wonder if Trevor will be reading this?

This website/forum whatever, was a real find when I came upon it nearly 10 years ago and I did wonder how one man, i.e. Mick, could find the time and money to have created it. I would be very happy to contribute towards the costs involved but I am too old to learn new computer skills, besides which I already have 2/3 almost full time voluntary jobs which have prevented me making progress on my own garden railway. I have hesitated to suggest this, and I know there would be negative issues, but has the time come to offer the domain to a commercial organisation such as a magazine publisher? At one time Pat Hammond ran an online discussion forum, called Model Rail Express I think, and this was much less formal than RMWeb but appeared most days. There was a brave attempt to put this on a commercial footing when Pat decided it was time for him to retire but I don't think it ever really took off. I do hope oogardenrailway continues.

Cheers. Thanks for clarifying that. It seems the safest trackbed is Rubbercrete or light thermal blocks, both methods needing a lot of planning and "civil engineering". Good luck with your 00 garden railway and enjoy it, whichever way you go. Riddles