[KODIAK BEAR]

QUOTE (adecoaches26point4 @ 29 Apr 2019, 09:09) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hello Andy,

Yes, not bad for under a tenner!

I do not buy new, second hand can be good, use as a basis and super detail, it's like going back to 1970's modelling.
There are so many supporting detailing parts in Germany, so sourcing parts is not an issue.
Most contact can be in English and Paypal is now being widely accepted.

Enjoy.
Regards
David

Hello David,

I too have noticed how easy spares for Fleischmann, Roco etc are to be purchased, unlike the hornby !

As for contacting any European shops, I use google translator which tends to be good (ish) when ordering.

One thing, I’m not 100% sure if I want to use DCC again like I did with my british stuff ?

My main concern if I did is that if I wired it wrong, that would be an expensive mistake, I need to give it some thought on that one.

Do you use DCC David ?

Anyway, I need to get going here, thank you David for your information.

Kind regards

andy

 

[adecoaches26point4]

Hello Andy,

I have tried all the control systems with all the bells a whistles and have settled on DC, using the green Fleischmann MSF system, which I find perfect for my needs.
The DC Roco ASC 1000/ 2000 range are good, if you want it a little more refined with the brakes/acceleration and so on!!
Changing all my rolling stock to DCC is not economical and I find all the noise generated can get annoying, I like metal wheels crossing rail joints much more soothing!
But if DCC is for you go for it.

Regards
David

 

[Allegheny1600]

QUOTE (KODIAK BEAR @ 29 Apr 2019, 19:23) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>As for contacting any European shops, I use google translator which tends to be good (ish) when ordering.

One thing, I’m not 100% sure if I want to use DCC again like I did with my british stuff ?

Hi Andy, David,
I hope you dont mind me butting in here!
When I need to translate something, I use DeepL https://www.deepl.com/translator as I find it to be very superior even for technical stuff.

On DCC, I am a fan and have spent more on it than is wise! I really enjoy hearing a model loco making realistic sounds BUT I admit, I will turn off the sound after an hour or so!
So why bother? Surely all that expensive is not worth it for just an hour?
My main reasons are as follows;
Improved electrical pick-up, especially at very slow speeds.
Simplified wiring (I am an electrical numpty!).
Control of lighting on locos & vehicles.
Ability to double head locos with perfect control.
Control the whole layout from a single moveable position.
Control multiple locos very simply.

DCC is something that I've gradually adopted over the last 15 years or so and I've not converted everything yet but I find it gives great pleasure especially on a small layout. If I had a large roundy-roundy where trains only circulate at high speed, it may not add that much but for me, it's great. If I had to wire Leberecht up for analogue to give me the kind of control that is so simple with digital - I wouldn't know where to start!
Cheers,
John.

 

[adecoaches26point4]

QUOTE (adecoaches26point4 @ 30 Apr 2019, 11:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hello Andy,

I have tried all the control systems with all the bells a whistles and have settled on DC, using the green Fleischmann MSF system, which I find perfect for my needs.

Regards
David

MSF is "Multi Sensi Feinsteuerung" . It enables fine slow speed control in the marked MSF area by means of a continuous transition from half-wave through mixed waves to full-wave rectification.

Thanks to Alan Rees.

Regards
David

 

[KODIAK BEAR]

Thank you John and David

I have had a bit of a think, I might do both DCC and Multi Sensi Feinsteuerung.

I have an NCE powercab and for normal non DCC I have a couple of Gaugemaster controllers.

John, I am like yourself mate, I am an electrical numpty and I too would like simplified wiring but I fearI might have to ask someone to wire up my future layout.

Thank you gents.

andy

 

[SRman]

Not a new model as such, but new to me as I purchased it second-hand a couple of months ago. This Fleischmann DB BR 120 is actually quite an old model, but ran smoothly on test in the shop (on analogue DC) and it was reasonably priced, so I took a risk on it being either DCC-ready or easy to convert. On examination on the workbench, I found it was not going to be as straightforward as I had hoped, but after languishing on the workbench for a while, while I thought about what needed to be done to isolate the brushes, I bit the bullet, dismantled it and took a closer look. I had planned to drill around the screw holding the motor faceplate that grounded the left brush to the motor bogie frame, but closer inspection revealed a small tag of metal on the faceplate linking the screw part to the brush part of the circuits on the faceplate. A small drill made short work of that link!

After desoldering and removing all of the other wires, I tested the brushes and pickups to make sure they were not connected electrically in any way. All was going to plan now. The original PCB was discarded.

The next stage was to wire in a decoder. I chose a Lenz Standard+ decoder as being entirely suited to this job. Wiring the red and black wires to the trailing bogie pickups and the black to the small metal plate with that previously mentioned screw on the motor bogie, red to the pickups on the right-hand side (with the motor bogie trailing), completed the first bit. Orange and grey wires were connected to the brush plates on the faceplate circuit board. Another test on the programming track proved it all worked perfectly.

I have left the wires to the directional lights unconnected at present, because I am seriously contemplating replacing them with some bicoloured LEDs. The Lenz decoder has four functions, so can be wired to power the tail lights independently of the headlights.

Anyway, here she is: DB 120-160-7 ready for active service, although she won't meet the lighting standards for safety yet!


P_20190525_164041_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190525_164522_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[Michael Carter]

This is my BR.120 by ACME in Italy. It's a very smooth runner with controlable cab lighting, bright headlights, and very good detailing.

I have installed an ESU 21 pin sound decoder that works very well with this model.

 

[Michael Carter]

Another recent purchase is this Roco Ã-BB 1014, a sister locomotive to the 1822 Brenner Loks. This is also a smooth and silent runner, but the headlights are so dim and tiny you can't tell if they are on or off under strong room lighting. Since there is no sound file available for this locomotive, I opted for a Viessmann standard NEM652 decoder. The highlight of this decoder is the extremely smooth and slow stopping and starting the decoder provides. The stopping distance is incredible.

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Michael Carter @ 8 Jul 2019, 21:12) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This is my BR.120 by ACME in Italy. It's a very smooth runner with controlable cab lighting, bright headlights, and very good detailing.

I have installed an ESU 21 pin sound decoder that works very well with this model.

I have an ACME DSB EA electric loco on pre-order. I have no experience at all with this brand, so it was nice to read that your 120 runs well and appears to be a high quality product.

 

[Michael Carter]

I had none either before this purchase but they are a quality brand I've found out. Detailing is very good; rivet-counter quality actually.

Looking forward to seeing your new locomotive.

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Michael Carter @ 9 Jul 2019, 10:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I had none either before this purchase but they are a quality brand I've found out. Detailing is very good; rivet-counter quality actually.

Looking forward to seeing your new locomotive.

Thanks, Michael. It may be a while as it isn't supposed to come until the 4th quarter of this year. I'm not sure how reliable ACME's delivery dates are, though. I will certainly post photos of it when it arrives.

In the meantime, I have a couple more DB locos on the way: an ultra-cheap Piko BR 218 (I know it is a very basic model), and a second-hand Roco BR 151, which may or may not be DCC-ready, but looks to be a good quality model. I don't think it will be too hard to convert the 151 to DCC even if it doesn't have a socket.

 

[Michael Carter]

I bought a Roco Br.111 on consignment from Reynauld's in the States. It is probably the same drivetrain as your 151 and it too is a smooth runner. My Br.111 had the eight-pin NEM 652 socket so I popped an ESU decoder in it. It performs really well.

You might want to get a new set of tyres for it. Mine threw one about six months after arrival. No telling how old it was.

 

[34C]

I do occasionally look in here and admire the various HO pieces. (I get my hands-on fix with continental - mainly Dutch - relatives who
have a fair number of rail enthusiasts among them. In one cousin's home we sit on old locomotive buffers as stools from which to
operate the layout. He needed a specially strengthened floor, I need to pay attention to avoid serious bruises to knees and toes.)

I am very happy that RTR OO has acquired so much from HO technique now that production is in China. It was a long time coming, but
very welcome now it is available. Still lagging well behind the maximum refinement that HO can offer, but so much better than what we
had just 20 years ago, on which:

QUOTE (Allegheny1600 @ 25 Mar 2019, 13:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Isn't it amazing that with a Lokprogrammer and a suitable decoder, you can download whichever sounds you wish for a vast array of
different locos?

All except British ones, of course!

This REALLY annoys me - that EU, US, World loco sounds are available freely yet British ones are not...
It's a function of a less mature market for this product. DCC didn't 'take off' in the UK until circa 2005 by my estimation. Until then it
was strictly individual enthusiasts finding their own way. Then came general provision of decoder sockets, decoder fitted and DCC sound
fitted locos. The business is squeezing every penny out of DCC sound while the good times last. What it needs is enthusiasts for sound
to start creating projects and making them available. (Actually I am happy they are not, give me the sound of metal wheels on rails, and
I can generate the other sounds in my head.) Well, that's my opinion anyway.

QUOTE (Allegheny1600 @ 30 Apr 2019, 12:48) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>DCC:
Improved electrical pick-up, especially at very slow speeds.
Simplified wiring (I am an electrical numpty!).
Control of lighting on locos & vehicles.
Ability to double head locos with perfect control.
Control the whole layout from a single moveable position.
Control multiple locos very simply.

DCC is something that I've gradually adopted over the last 15 years or so and I've not converted everything yet but I find it gives great
pleasure especially on a small layout. If I had a large roundy-roundy where trains only circulate at high speed, it may not add that much
but for me, it's great.
Same here, and over a similar period. I feel that lights are hardly worth bothering with for UK operation, and sound, meh! It's grossly
inadequate with my high fidelity sound reproduction hat on, positively painful to listen to.

But the control aspect with DCC, wonderful, per the list Allegheny1600 put up. And there's more. I really like being able to speed and
acceleration/deceleration match the locos in groups, and the easy way you can put locos 'on shed' with no need for isolating sections.
My layout is large, with about four scale miles of the eventual planned sixteen now operable, and DCC plays well to this too. Slow speed
refinement and control benefits for shunting moves, the high reliability for trains operating out of sight, starting and stopping very gently:
full automation thereby a realistic future element of the layout.

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Michael Carter @ 9 Jul 2019, 19:47) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I bought a Roco Br.111 on consignment from Reynauld's in the States. It is probably the same drivetrain as your 151 and it too is a smooth runner. My Br.111 had the eight-pin NEM 652 socket so I popped an ESU decoder in it. It performs really well.

You might want to get a new set of tyres for it. Mine threw one about six months after arrival. No telling how old it was.

I love the colourful printing on some of these locos, and your BR 111 shows exactly what the European manufacturers can do so well.

As for traction tyres, well ... Bullfrog Snot is my friend!

 

[SRman]

Well, as promised, the other end of the spectrum, with my new Piko Hobby (i.e. very basic in this case) DB BR 218 B-B diesel hydraulic. I knew beforehand what the model's shortcomings were, so am not in any way disappointed. For the brand new price it still represents excellent value for money. it looks like a 218 from normal viewing distance. and it runs as well as any of the more expensive locos, being both quiet and powerful, with a good deal of traction weight.

Running-in was done on the rollers on DC, before fitting a Lenz Standard+ v.2 decoder. the 8-pin socket has position 1 clearly marked. Programming it took a few attempts. The first go appeared to work properly, with every step being read properly and acknowledged with clicks and movements. However, it totally failed to respond to the control when I put in the long address assigned to it (8167, for 218 167-8). The second attempt once again produced correct read-backs on the NCE Power Cab, and this time I got movement but no lights (which had worked on DC earlier). I thought maybe the decoder was plugged in the wrong way (in spite of putting the orange/red wire end of the plug at the #1 end of the socket) so reversed the plug and tested again, with the same result: no lights. After reversing the plug again to the correct orientation, the third and final attempt worked properly, with movement and lights working. I have no idea why it was being difficult, but it all works as it should now, anyway.


P_20190716_194550_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[Michael Carter]

That is the first time I've seen Piko's Hobby Line. It's not a bad looking locomotive, but you are right in that there is much detail lacking. Hey, if it pulls the train though and looks good at three feet, what the heck.

My Roco Ã-BB three coach set arrived on Saturday to go begind Ã-BB 1014 locomotive. Nice looking coaches and three of the best rollers in the fleet so far. I'd swear these were on roller bearings they roll so nicely. I still have to install the hand grabs and under-carriage details.

 

[dwb]

The 'SAD' markings on the side of those coaches mean that their primary use is on regional express trains between Innsbruck (Austria) and Bolsano/Bozen (Italy). The usual loco type for that trip is the multi voltage 1216. The voltage change is made at Brennero at the top of the Brenner pass.

I have the ACME set which came out about six months before the Roco set was announced. All told, I think I prefer Roco coaches; they are always very good and their close coupling is excellent.

David

 

[Michael Carter]

When ÖBB 1822 class was used for this service, which paint scheme was used on the coaches? I read that the 1822's were called the 'Brenner Loks' because of them being used to get over and through the pass.

 

[David Pennington]

Just received a Marklin 60979 sound upgrade kit for my SBB 482 Cargo. Ordered through EBay on Monday and delivered from Germany at 9.30 this morning!

 

[dwb]

Re OBB 1822 Brenner Loks - There is a video on this page which should give you some colour clues for the coaches.

My comment is about the trains which have been run over the last few years since I first took an interest in the traffic over the Brenner Pass.

David