NuCast NC120a Sentinel Y1 Shunter - couple of questions

indeed a tenshodo can be DCC'd.

the nucast kits are a bit hit and miss. the trouble is the company has not really evolved at all since at least the late 90's and possible many years before that.

The quality of the castings is also pretty variable but should not be a problem.

Make sure you ger the right solder (70 degree) and carrs red flux (not red LABEL flux) and it should be easy.

I have built the nu-cast/kays garratt.


Peter

I've built the Sentinel. It requires some careful dressing of the main castings to achieve a seamless fit at the corners - you want it to look like a tin box , not 4 great slabs of whitemetal stuck together. The curved top of the ends and the underside of the roof also need careful dressing to achieve a good fit, and a touch of filler will probably be needed to ensure a smooth top on both sides to the bunker (Mind you this will carry a load of coal on top which helps)

Chassis is simple - a Tenshodo . These can be converted to DCC , but I understand the process involves breeaking in and severeing internal pickup strips. I haven't attempted it - the layout the Y3 runs on isn't going DCC. There should be plenty of room inside for a decoder though.

Frankly the performance of the Tenshodo was the least satifactory part of the model . I hate Tenshodos. But to fit a Beetle would mean discarding the large whitemetal casting to which you mount the motor bogie and designing and building your own motor bogie mounting/floor/chassis

Cost is £30 from West Coast Models - plus the Tenshodo