so cross with model trains at the minute that i have declared war!!!!
all scenic work is suspended! all rolling stock buying is suspended!
- phase one is to get the two main line running loops going well at all speeds
- phase two will be to get all 6 loops in the fiddle yard running faultlessly in all directions with no short circuits!
- phase three will be the trailing cross over
- phase four sidings / depot (the biggest challenge as i need slow running here)
- phase five the 2 sidings in the fiddle yard
if this war is lost then there will be a lot of n gauge going on ebay!!! the funds raised would be going on train dvds and days out to see real trains instead!!!
so far this evening the track rubber, paper and the hoover have been employed in a shock and awe approach on the running loops!
a class 150/2 and a class 47/4 are currently running round ok, but at slightly above scale speeds!!!!
tim
:Class31:
Quote from: bluedepot on June 11, 2012, 09:01:37 PM
if this war is lost then there will be a lot of n gauge going on ebay!!! the funds raised would be going on train dvds and days out to see real trains instead!!!
tim
:Class31:
Positive thinking required here, Field Marshall bluedepot. If you think the war will be lost - then it will! You have an army of supporters here on this forum that will ensure you win the war.
Remember Chuchill
"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight on the two main line running loops, we shall fight on fiddle yard, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength on the trailing crossover, we shall defend our layout, whatever the cost may be . . . we shall never surrender."
cheers pendy! that's the spirit!!!!
tim
It may be early in the campaign but might I suggest chemical warfare????
Hit it with a barrage of IPA and wet and dry paper and se how it goes,
I had a small conflict against bad running myself and now that my we is over it didn't seem that bad, just remember as said were all here for anything that flumucks you I found all the ammo I needed to win my battle with bad running here,,,,,,,
Good luck,,,,,,,
Quote from: Pendy on June 11, 2012, 09:21:46 PM
Quote from: bluedepot on June 11, 2012, 09:01:37 PM
Positive thinking required here, Field Marshall bluedepot. If you think the war will be lost - then it will! You have an army of supporters here on this forum that will ensure you win the war.
Remember Chuchill
"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight on the two main line running loops, we shall fight on fiddle yard, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength on the trailing crossover, we shall defend our layout, whatever the cost may be . . . we shall never surrender."
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :thumbsup:
I really hope things work out for you but if they don't I can lend you my Powder Monkeys Licence to buy some Gelignite, the rest will be history ;D
Suggestion for weapons
Solder iron for more electricity points, tooth brush for cleaning and smooth laid track combined with a little bit of patience.
good luck
M.
Quote from: bluedepot on June 11, 2012, 09:01:37 PM
so cross with model trains at the minute that i have declared war!!!!
all scenic work is suspended! all rolling stock buying is suspended!
- phase one is to get the two main line running loops going well at all speeds
- phase two will be to get all 6 loops in the fiddle yard running faultlessly in all directions with no short circuits!
- phase three will be the trailing cross over
- phase four sidings / depot (the biggest challenge as i need slow running here)
- phase five the 2 sidings in the fiddle yard
I'd suggest adding another phase to that list - 'service all rolling stock and motive power'. Clean wheels, check BtBs and ensure all stock is free running plus service locos and units - clean wheels, check and reset pick ups, lubricate as necessary, and so on.
H.
On the other hand............you could always get rid of it all and turn to drink :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: Joe 90 on June 12, 2012, 11:09:19 AM
On the other hand............you could always get rid of it all and turn to drink :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
That was supposed to be my line! I do find a modest (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-eatdrink009.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php) and a short brake (train speak!) helps when things get tough, best of luck and stay positive :thumbsup:
1 litre of IPA arrived today!!!!
the UN may need to come and inspect my chemical weapons programme!!!
"I'd suggest adding another phase to that list - 'service all rolling stock and motive power'. Clean wheels, check BtBs and ensure all stock is free running plus service locos and units - clean wheels, check and reset pick ups, lubricate as necessary, and so on."
cheers H, that is an excellent idea. i'll add this on. the testing is all being done by a class 150 and 47, but once they are working fine on every piece of track and at all speeds then i will work through all the locos and rolling stock and clean / service them all!
is using fine grade wet and dry paper ok to do then?
thanks for the messages of solidarity!!!
not turned to drink yet....
Tim
I have used 400 grit w/d paper. Coarser grades leaves scratches on the top of the rail which can catch dust and grease.
cheers malc may try w/d paper.
so far tonight the inner loop is running ok with a class 47/4 running at scale speeds and good slow speeds too.
outer loops not too bad but not quite as good as inner loop.
getting the mainline loops running is the easy part though, the sidings and depot area are the hardest because of all the points to cross over at slow speed...
tim
I declared war on the diabolical running (more often stalling) of my kit built LMS ex L&YR Fowler 7F 0-8-0 last night, which was well on its way to becoming a static exhibit. It has a heavily modified Farish 8F chassis, (it has inside cylinders like the Union Mills 0-8-0s) to the extent that the chassis is only properly rigid when screwed onto the body.
I've had some pretty bad running locos before, but never one that would stall at full power, light engine!
Suffice to say, I ended up dismantling the chassis to clean it properly. The motor, when separated from the wheel set, worked like a dream after I'd removed, cleaned and replaced the brushes and cleaned the commutator, but would not move at all after I'd re-assembled the chassis :o I thought I'd messed up totally but held my nerve and took it apart again..... An hour after starting, the loco was back together and able to crawl just above stall speed in both directions. ;D
Fantastic! It's so rewarding to be able to tame the beast :beers:
My Farish Jubilee took a dive off the club layout (and was nicknamed The Flying Scotsman) the valve gear one one side was damaged and after getting spares and painstakingly putting everything back together, I had a loco that ran perfectly without the body but had a massive short as soon as I replaced the body.
After much head scratching and peering at the chassis and replacing the body over and over again only to get a short, I put a strip of kitchen wrap along the top of the chassis between the body and the chassis and assembled it. It has been fine ever since.
It pays to persevere. You always learn something along the way.
:NGaugeForum:
Can i ask what are Back to Backs and how do i check them? also i use cotten buds and IPA to clean wheels on locos is that ok?
Dave
Quote from: bbdave on June 16, 2012, 12:50:14 PM
Can i ask what are Back to Backs and how do i check them?
* Blatent self promotion ;) * ; the following was in
N'spirations issue #4:
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8121/btbqo.jpg)
Hope that helps.
Perhaps you really ought to purchase
N'spirations on a regular basis ;D
H.
Quote from: bbdave on June 16, 2012, 12:50:14 PM
also i use cotten buds and IPA to clean wheels on locos is that ok?
That's fine, IPA is probably the best stuff you can use for wheel/pickup cleaning, just don't get any on the loco body as it will strip paint eventually :thumbsup:
Paul
Not sure i can check the loco BtBs as that means taking them apart :o but wagons etc i can but have no problems.as yet.
My worst runner is my Dapol Hall i've cleaned the wheels etc and tried a couple of test probes across the wheels only one fails to pick up one of the front pair i guess the pick up isn't but no idea how to adjust this so it'll have to do.
I did buy a copy of Nspirations but i'm not really a magazine person so doubt i'll buy many.
Dave
Quote from: bbdave on June 16, 2012, 03:09:58 PM
Not sure i can check the loco BtBs as that means taking them apart
You shouldn't need to take a loco apart to check the BtB - just turn it over and check between the wheels. You may occasionally need to remove a wheel-set (not to take the loco apart) if it needs adjusting, but that is not always necessary.
H.
Yeah but to take them out of the hall i have all those pushy in out roddy thinghies (expert talking) to take off ::) but as it's nearly been out the window a few times i may use it as practice ;D
dave
Word of warning. If you attempt to adjust the back to back of lightbar ready Dapol axles they will easily split the middle plastic bit and break. Spares are not (or last time I checked were not) available
Alan
It's the pick ups i want to look at mainly so that's not an issue.
Dave
still plagued by short circuiting on points :(
i spend all my time adjusting wheel back to backs or point blades.... but the problem is never solved. i adjust a set of points for one route, then when the route changes short circuits re-occur again. it was the dmu's being the main offenders but just had problems with mk1 coaches too.
tim
Quote from: bluedepot on June 17, 2012, 09:43:22 PM
still plagued by short circuiting on points :(
i spend all my time adjusting wheel back to backs or point blades.... but the problem is never solved. i adjust a set of points for one route, then when the route changes short circuits re-occur again. it was the dmu's being the main offenders but just had problems with mk1 coaches too.
tim
Do you use terminal blocks underneath your board?
One problem that I came across was that one very fine wire strand was loose from the 7/0.2 wire that I had used on one of the terminal blocks, almost unseen until I used a torch on the blocks. Once spotted and corrected the shorting problem disappeared. In my case I think that the throw of the points was enough to vibrate the strand to cause the short. It may not be the case with you Tim, but just a thought.
Hello Bluedepot,
I probably shouldn't even comment on this as my knowledge of electrics is very basic but you shouldn't be having this much trouble with points and short circuits. If everyone else had similar problems no one would model in N gauge at all!
Could I suggest that you post photos or a plan of your layout and an indication of which points are giving problems ? Maybe you have made a simple wiring mistake that is causing all the drama. It could be as simple as having missed out an insulating joiner somewhere.
There are experts on the forum who will be able to advise you. Perhaps there's even one who lives nearby who can help.
This is a wonderful hobby and you shouldn't be having such a frustrating time of it.
Regards
Veronica.
:NGaugersRule:
I was actually thinking the same. As I am building my own layout at the moment I am totally in , installation wires etc. and for me it also looks that there's something wrong with the wiring.
I agree too. Do you have any frog polarity switching, and if so how is it done?
I think it's a good idea to join your nearest model railway club, even if you don't want to run a club layout. I floundered around for a few years and then joined a model railway club. I've never regretted it as I have access to a wide range knowledge thanks to more experienced modellers. Every club has a resident electrical expert and most are only too happy to help.
I'm very fortunate that I know a few people who can do wiring, one that fits decoders and another who can repair locos. I've learned to do some basic wiring and can solder rather badly and can even do some loco repairs but it's nice to know there are experts at hand.
You've done the right thing by joining this forum as you have access to lots of help from the modellers here but maybe an on site visit is called for.
Regards
Veronica.
Quote from: bluedepot on June 17, 2012, 09:43:22 PM
still plagued by short circuiting on points :(
i spend all my time adjusting wheel back to backs or point blades.... but the problem is never solved. i adjust a set of points for one route, then when the route changes short circuits re-occur again. it was the dmu's being the main offenders but just had problems with mk1 coaches too.
It sounds like a wiring/switching issue and that you need specialist electrical help if you can't fathom it yourself. Generally other N gaugers don't have issues with Peco points and rolling stock, so it's possibly something you've introduced in the wiring. The advise about joining a club is good (even if your electrics aren't ;D).
H.