Hi Simon. Always enjoy watching the trains go by. Looking forward to your loft adventure Pete

@ngaugeonashelf4417

4 ай бұрын

Hi Pete, the first part of the job is done upstairs. I've put in battening to support the insulation. Next job is buy the insulation! But now the sun is appearing I've got an awful lot of outside jobs to catch up with. I've just had 2 tons of top soil delivered and I've just remembered I'm no longer 45!

Eastern Anglia eh!!!??? That's a bit far from the Tropic of Gloucester? Looks good though, despite the couplings!!!! That actually runs pretty well considering the issues you were concerned about!!! The Ministries version is going well mind. And that's from the 1970's? They're both brilliant, despite it falling off over the points! And exceptionally good in the dark!!! Excellent video. What's DCC? No, I really don't need to know!!!! It's a great layout with some fabulous trains, and yes, there's Ron & the Police Box on the platform! I love the detail on the Eastern Anglia engine too! That takes me back to when, at their terminii, train drivers polished the brass before starting their next journey (yes, even on the tubby tank engines that went from Enfield Town to Liverpool Street!!!!). Brilliant, beautiful and something that takes me back to a bygone age!!!!!

@nevillehubbard7347

4 ай бұрын

Bloody predictive text! That should of course have read "Minitrix"! Doh!!!!

@ngaugeonashelf4417

4 ай бұрын

Hello Neville, not sure why I didn't reply to this. It does run well apart from not liking parts of my track. The Minitrix from the 70's runs well although I do have to clean the insides an awful lot. What is DCC? It is a digital control medium. Full power is applied to the track meaning the lights are bright. But a computer controller send a message via the track to the chip inside the loco instructing it how fast to go and in what direction. The controller can operate 10 locos depending on what setup you have. You can also control other things with it too. Like motorised points and signals. You can go the whole hog and use a computer programme to run everything for you and drive everything for you. It obviously comes at a cost.

@nevillehubbard7347

4 ай бұрын

@@ngaugeonashelf4417 As I didn't watch the video until Thursday, I'm not surprised that you missed it! Thanks for your reply. DCC is, indeed, beyond my comprehension, but if it means that the trains run in the dark, showing off the carriage lighting, that's good enough for me!!!!

Hi Simon! Nice to see the comparison between the Dapol and the Minitrix! It's a bit odd how some locos derail on that point - I wonder what they've all got in common? Train packs are a great idea, especially when you're just starting out, but also to help you quickly build a relevant train! With the light bars, I thought I saw some that activated once above a certain voltage and then remained at a constant brightness, but maybe those weren't Dapol ones! All the best, Ian.

@ngaugeonashelf4417

4 ай бұрын

Hello Ian, well I've had a few issues with Dapol. I've looked att he flanges and they are very shallow. I think that is the problem. Another Dapol video coming up in 3 or 4 weeks. I've got Dapol light bars and they are dim at slow speeds. On DCC they are bright all the time - even if the loco isn't moving.

Hi. Maybe you need to check your point blades, make sure that they engage the railss properly. I have two of the Minitrix Britannia's. Britannia itself and Bodecia. They can both haul like Shire horses. No amount of coaches is a problem. I also have their A3 Flying Scotsman and two A4's, Mallard and Sir Nigel Gresley. They are all pristine and are probably some of my best engines despite being over twenty five years old. The blood and custard coaches by Minitrix are good performers too. You have a nice layout. Good luck with the Dapol loco's, I have their Footballers set and another one in BR green. Not really had the chance to run them yet so I don,t no much about their performance. I hope that I don,t have as many problems as you have been having. Sometimes the old,uns are the best. Good luck.

@ngaugeonashelf4417

3 ай бұрын

Hello Brian, I've famously gone through a few Minitrix Britannias! I keep buying non runners and getting them going. Then I sell them on for a small profit. I've got one now I had to get going. I quite enjoy that bit. The old ones run well but the old motors need quite a bit of cleaning to get a slow crawl going and slow start. It's that 3 pole motor. Still love them. I've not had much fun with Dapol and so I will not be buying anymore. Cheers

@BrianSanders-tn7pi

3 ай бұрын

Hi there. I think that you have hit the nail on the head, 3 pole motor. I can vagely remember that there is a fix for that, something about soldering a tiny piece of wire across the gap between the poles so that you end up with a continuous pole. Look into it first before you commit to doing it though. Maybe get an old 3 pole and see what yoy can do. Better to destroy an old motor rather than a new one. Try and see if you can find something on youtube about improving slow running on 3 pole motors. Good luck

@ngaugeonashelf4417

3 ай бұрын

@@BrianSanders-tn7pi You can buy replacement coreless motors. I tried it and managed to glue the new motor in not quite the right place and the worm drive was binding. I ruined it. But as it happens I kept it for spares and bought a non runner with the rods broken. So I was able to put together 1 worker out of 2 non runners. Just wish I hadn't bought that coreless motor that had to be glued in place. Not a good idea. Fortunately there is a reasonable supply of junk Minitrix on ebay to find doner parts. Cheers

@BrianSanders-tn7pi

3 ай бұрын

@@ngaugeonashelf4417 Actually now that I think of it it was something to do with making a Farish loco into a DCC engine. My memory is confusing me. I know that there is definately something you can do to improve slow running. Again look on youtube to see if you can find something , I can see what I will be doing for a couple of hours. Good luck.

@ngaugeonashelf4417

3 ай бұрын

@@BrianSanders-tn7pi I will have a look around in the future. My usual answer is to make the communtator shine and then it runs really well.

Jush shows old is better

@ngaugeonashelf4417

3 ай бұрын

That's what I tell my wife! I might be selling that one, take the loss and move on.