Decoding Decoders

This week I have been working on the last two 442 class locos that I recently purchased second hand at the Brisbane Model Railway Show.  The first one had its motor replaced because it did not work.  I installed four LEDs and took it to the test track and for the life of me I could not get it to operate the lights correctly.  So I hit the Lenz decoder with a big hammer and reset it.  However, it was still giving me issues as I was using my portable NCE Powercab for the programming.  It was only today that I remembered that there was a documented bug with an old version of the Powercab that when you exited Program Track Mode, some function buttons were reversed and appeared to not work.  You guessed it, that happened to me.  I think I found that bug.  I could easily upgrade my Powercab to a later version but I only use it for programming locos and as a basic cab on my 5 Amp system.  Using it as a wireless radio throttle on my layout, that park of its features is rock solid.  So I think I was chasing my own tail on Friday afternoon when I was testing my loco on the programming track and I could not get some buttons to work correctly.  I thought the issue I was having was related to me not knowing what Lenz decoder was in the loco and me not knowing what CVs related to the various light functions that I had used.  However, on Saturday morning I took it to Shelton’s place to put it on his JMRI setup and see what that said when we put it on the test track and did an ‘Ident’ on the loco.  That didn't work that well.  Mind you it still did not detect it as a Lenz decoder, but that could have been operator error.

But eventually we got some of the lighting functions working on his layout.  So today I put it back on my layout and changed a few CV’s, recycled my Powercab, and gave it a new test and it seemed to work OK.  Through trial and error I worked out what value to set to a couple of CV's and now the lighting functions are all working correctly.  I just forgot about the known bug with the Powercab.  So that has been re-written to permanent memory in my brain for later retrieval.

The second Jumbo loco I was working on, was a dummy loco.  I just added a TCS 4 function FL4 decoder that I had laying around and wired up my standard 4 LEDs.  Everything worked first time.  So let’s say after this activity, that I am not a fan of Lenz decoders.  Finding Lenz manuals online and being able to determine if your decoder is of that type is next to impossible.  It might be different if you buy a new decoder and it comes with a manual and CV list.  Finding a list of their decoders online is also a waste of time.  We did find a CV list in Decoder Pro that says that the first function (F1) is directional and thus has two CVs associated with it.  I worked out the second CV that I needed to use and set it and it worked perfectly.

Today I thought I would give a few trains a run.  Let’s send a cheerio out there to Clinton, and yes the XPT got a run from Grafton to South Brisbane Interstate Station and back again.  It was running through Clapham Yard and it all of a sudden stopped.  On Closer inspection, there were two geckos dead on the track in front of it.  I have no idea how long they were there, or even how they got there.  So they were cleaned up and the train resumed its run.  I did have some issues with this train and I just hate it.  Wheels just derail for no reason.  

I did do some other pottering around.  I moved some wagons around on the narrow gauge and positioned the two Jumbos (in a consist in Cassino Yard.  I have also started fine tuning my presentation for the New England Model Railway Convention in October.

It's Flown Out the Window

Tuesday this week, we went over to Barnacle Bob’s Mosquito Creek Layout for our Tuesday get together.  We had about 10 in attendance.  Bob's layout just continues to blow me away when you view it.  Again Barnacle has made another addition.  The local pub, no doubt the watering hole for the local wharfies, now has inside and outside lights and inside one of the bars, you can see a TV flickering away.  But you can’t really tell what is showing on the TV.  Maybe because they cannot afford an aerial yet.

Well I’ve been reasonably quiet lately.  I did do a couple of changes to my presentation on Building Wagons in Styrene during the week.  On Saturday morning after a very late relocation of the meeting due to all the rain, I gave my presentation first up at the NMRA meeting.  The presentation following mine was very interesting and was about Craftsman Kits.  I had to leave early to attend a birthday party, so I have no idea what happened after that.

So at the moment, I'm struggling to get motivated to start any model railway work.  I do have quite a few things on my To Do list, but I just cannot motivate myself to start work on any of them.  I think I might need to sit back and review my current list, and what is to occur over the next few weeks and I will see if any new priorities pop out.  Who knows, something might trigger some renewed motivation and then I can start working on a few items in my To Do list and get stuck into them.

Big Model Train Weekend

While some of my mates ventured down to Sydney by plane for the Epping Model Railway Exhibition this weekend, I spent my time in Brisbane doing other model railway things.  It started on Friday about lunch time when the postie delivered my application for the Armidale Model Railway Convention in October.  I'm all in for that.  So this application is ready to be returned.  On Friday I also returned my application to the Redlands Exhibition in August, which has been accepted.  I then ventured over to HobbyOne to pick up a can of paint for PK. Which I gave to him on Saturday at the Club.

On Saturday morning I visited Aurora Model Trains on my way to the Club.  I picked up a HO car in their bargain bin.  I can use this in a future flood scene.  At the Club, I had a good catch up with some mates.  We spoke about the May Show, and a few other item.  We then started to prepare for the Sunday Buy and Sell.  After the monthly meeting we got the trailers out of the shed and moved them down the back as the shed was being used to house some sellers the next day.  When I got home on Saturday afternoon I packed the car to enable an early get away today.

So this morning I hit the road and got to the Club and setup early.  I paid my seller’s fee to Norm, and was ready to go.  Norm reserves a good table for me.  Anyway there was some really fantastic items for sale today.  I picked up a dozen 12mm wagons.  I could have bought more, but I thought I 'd leave some for other buyers.  One wagon had bogies and no wheels and one was wheelless.  But absolute bargains.  I picked up some AR kits bogies for cheap as well.  I will use these for some future track cleaning wagons.  I found a replacement motor for my damaged Austrains 442 loco.  I also picked up some large petrol tanks for my oil depots.  These will require some work, but that is job for the future. I also picked up many other great items.

When I got home, I unpacked the car and then got to work.  I put the 12mm wagons on the track and gave them a bit of a test.  Some wagons will need some work on their bogies, but they are mostly pretty good.  Some wagons will need to be painted, but that is also an easy task to do in the future.  My collection of 12mm wagons is growing.  I must have close to 70 wagons now.  I think I spent about 3 times more at the Buy and Sell than I gained from sales of my items.  Oh well!

Next task was to immediately got down to work on the 442 Class motor.  I removed the brass flywheel weights from the old motor.  I removed the flywheel weights from the new motor.  Both motors were the same size and type.  However, the new motor had a thicker shaft.  So I had to drill out the old weights to allow them to fit on the new shafts.  I superglued these on and fitted the new motor to the old loco.  Brilliant!  All for an extra $10 on the price of my cheap second hand jumbo.  I just need to reattach the decoder, and add some LED lights to it.  Once this has been tested, the loco will be reassemble.  It will then be programmed and added to the fleet along with another 442 class, which is a dummy loco.  I think these guys will replace some of my 44 class locos in my roster.

Next weekend is the local NMRA meeting.  I must have an understanding wife doing all this model railway stuff.  I’m giving a presentation at the meeting next week and then I have to scoot over to a 1^st birthday party for one of my niece’s kids.  All these activities should then settle down.

Then I can prepare for the Armidale Convention.

A Few Dead Ends, and a Run-around

Last Sunday night I unpacked the car and all the things I took to the Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition over the previous 2 days.

On Monday at about lunchtime I got to work.  I first pulled the top off the recently purchased dummy 442 (Jumbo) loco.  Boy is it empty inside and no weight either.  I should be able to install a 4 function ‘function only’ decoder inside and install my standard LED lighting set up.  I happen to have 2 of these decoders laying around.  The functions are for the front and back headlights and No.1 and No. 2 end cab lights.  So in theory I can then run this loco as a double header with any of my other locos.  That will add a bit of interest.

The second 442  loco that I purchased on the weekend also had its shell removed.  This Jumbo loco seems to be complete inside, except a wire was off one bogie and there were again no lights.  So that will also be adjusted to have the 4 LEDs added.  I resoldered the detached pickup wire.  However, upon testing it would not run.  So I did not know if this was motor or decoder delated.  I went looking for my spare motor that I have somewhere in the shed, and I could not find them, nor could I think where they could be hiding.  So I might have to consider replacing the decoder altogether.  I will get back to this loco.

So eventually I did find my spare motors, but it was different.  So it might have been from a 44 class loco not an Austrains Jumbo.  So I decided to just add power direct to the motor and by a process of elimination, decide if the motor or the decoder was to blame for the non-running.  Well when power was added direct to the motor, it was the motor.  So I am now after a replacement 442 class motor.  Anyone got one?

So back to last Monday.  Later in the afternoon, I then went to Clapham Yard and installed two RH 12mm points to form a crossover from track 7 to track 6.  This allows me to stable a longer train in track 7 from the main line heading north and also allows track 7 to act as a headshunt for three narrow gauge sidings at the southern end of Clapham Yard, so I can have a bit of a play with some shunting in that location preparing various trains.  I can also now run around trains in track 7 without impacting either end of tracks 4 (dual gauge) and track 5 when operating the layout.  I still have a couple of jumper wires to add around the insulated sections on the points to ensure that I have power on all parts of track 6 and 7.

I also looked at where I was going to add another 12mm point into Acacia Ridge Yard to allow another run around track to be created.  This will be a future project.

I then started looking at the various 3D printed items from Platform Printing that I picked up on the previous weekend.  I still have lots of items that I purchased from these guys last year.  Who knows when I will get around to painting these items.  Boy they are top quality.

So Friday afternoon this week I had to pick my son up from school after he was finished watching some interschool sport late in the arvo.  So he took the opportunity to get a few minutes of night time driving up, as he drove home.  Saturday was spent driving him around some more.  It was Football and Rugby just up the road at the School home fields.  Again he drove there but I drove home as we were under a strict timeline, with other activities later in the day.  So two weeks of school sport and the school has won all three ‘firsts’ games - very convincingly I might add.

So today I was able to do some modelling.  It was limited to cutting the various gussets under the QR HO wagon and affixing them.  I am now just trying to find some suitable shunter’s steps.  I was also working on my power point presentation for 2 weeks time, at an upcoming meeting.

Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition

This week I had Friday off work to help with the bump in of mine and Geoff's stand at the 2022 Brisbane Model Railway Exhibition yesterday and today.  However, before then I went to my niece’s place to pick up some knurled steel rollers for my track cleaning cars.  Her husband made them at work the day before.

At the show yesterday I visited the stand of Rusty and Joan and picked up a couple of Loco bargains.  One was a dummy Jumbo and the second was a DCC powered Jumbo Loco.  I have not yet tested how each runs on the rails, or even if the dummy had lights connected.  I can easily wire up a two function or 4 function decoder with no motor control so it can lead or be second unit on a train on my layout.  I had quite a few people visit my stand on the Saturday.  I was sitting next to Geoff and he had the same issue.  By the end of the day we were both completely horse.  We never shut up all day.

Sunday morning I went cruising around the exhibition looking for various detail items required to tart up a number of wagons.  I got some decals from Casula, screws from Aurora Models, arranged some decals from PGC, 12mm points from Queensland Scale Models, bought many 3D printed animals from Platform Printing.  Boy they have some very nice items.  They also had a packet of 10 railway workers.  Their painted samples on their small dioramas, looked absolutely brilliant.  I will have to try and replicate some of their magic painting and them place some on my layout.

I also had a dry throat from talking all day today.  We sure did talk to lots of people.

It was great to catch up with mates over the weekend, David, Chris and Adam, Anthony, Mark, Jeff, Brendan, Daniel, Matt, and plenty of others.  I Also had some really long talks with many new people, from various locations like Mt Isa, Townsville, and Sydney.  People come from many places for this exhibition.

I will be back next year for sure.  Thanks AMRA.