Narissis

Train wheels appear to be back in stock! In other news, I've just finished upgrading my second loop with all 9V and FX Track... I forgot to order the box of 1.6 / 3.2 to complete the yard geometry, but I took that as an opportunity to slip in a few Bricktracks 1.6 to create isolated sections so my parked 9V trains won't be trying to run. I'll just have to push them in and out. It'll do as an interim solution until whatever comes first - isolator tracks, or my upgrade to a more advanced control system!

And already out of stock again, it looks like. The cables have also been restocked and are still holding out, however.

I love BPB's video guide! I also like that the wire he recommends comes in a 4-conductor version. As I gear up to electrify my inner loop, some doubled-up power leads will come in very handy in the future. They also make it possible to make a lower-resistance extension by doubling up the conductors, for less voltage drop on long runs. I did that for the 'train go button' I use at unattended layouts, so I can have a long lead on the footswitch for flexible placement.

I reached out for you and the answer is no, not this year.

Maybe I could hide a sleeping bag under the bleachers in the dome.

I've been strongly debating whether to dip into long-term savings to buy up everything I'd need to convert my second loop (which is currently all PF/PU track with some BrickTracks and TrixBrix). But that'd entail doing the other half of my yard which would mean 4 boxes of points. >_<

The only problem with being able to uniquely number four locomotives or buying two copies to build a B unit (assuming you also want an A unit to go with it) is the purchase limit of 2 sets per household!

The first BDP set I've ordered two of!

Shipment arrived today; I took some quick & dirty photos of the insert for you: https://imgur.com/a/DVsZupy

While I can't speak to the more technical questions, I can address a few of the simpler questions until Michael gets a chance to step in and field the advanced ones... Where to find them: The initial batch has already sold out on fxbricks.com, but they might be available from next month at JB Spielwaren. Power level: 9V, with speed controlled via PWM on an infinitely variable slider (as opposed to fixed voltage steps like a first-party speed regulator). No 12V support on this design; that may come in the future with a 'pro' version of the speed controller. There are two selectable PWM modes (can hold down the function button to change between them). Motor handling: From personal experience, I can tell you the controller handles four 9V motors at once quite comfortably. Impact on rail length between power drops: Given that both are 9V systems, this is comparable to what you'd experience with a first-party speed regulator. I use two equally spaced power drops for a layout with around 45 feet of track and that's more than adequate. 2 or more speed controllers together: Michael specifically advised me against doing this; it is preferable to use one controller per loop and stack multiple power drops on its output, rather than attempting to use two controllers. DCC support: Not in this model; that would be a consideration for future deluxe versions.

Looks like it, they're flagged as out of stock.

It looks like the issue was related to regional inventories activating separately; some were still held back. Mine has now gone through so Canada appears to be released. Go on and give it another try, folks. :) There is now also a new blog post to peruse!

Same situation here in Canada; I have reached out to Michael via an alternative channel as well.

If you know some 9V train enthusiasts, you might have an easier time buying the pack of 8 and re-selling the extra 6 than you would trying to find somebody interested in selling off two pieces.

The new products are still there and still flagged as 'sold out,' so... nope. :P I check a couple of times a day and haven't seen any changes since the listings appeared.

FWIW, I don't think thermistor issues present any risk of actually 'burning out' the motors. Just of causing subpar performance. In the long run, the preference would of course be to run FX motor bogies with the PWM FX power supply; I'm sure those will be highly compatible. It does make me wonder if this is a small oversight in Michael's testing, though, since I know he prefers to bypass the thermistor in all his 9V motors as a matter of course. But he's also meticulous enough that I feel like he'd test a few non-bypassed ones as well, to ensure compatibility. Maybe it's an issue that primarily affects worn motors, so fresher ones don't exhibit problems? I know a lot of my 9V motors struggle even on the standard first-party speed regulator.

Only Michael could answer that definitively but given that the retail packaging is underway, I would hope within a month or two. Maybe less if they're already in primary shipping.

Not quite yet but they should be dropping soon.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm eagerly awaiting the power pickup axles for two projects: One, a steam engine powered by a dune buggy motor. That motor puts so much load on the battery that a AAA PF battery box can't even run it at all. And it kills my 650mAh battery (marketed fallaciously as 1100mAh; thanks Green Gecko Workshop -_-) in only a few minutes. So that one's going on wall power ASAP. Two, the Orient Express, which I could certainly have motorized with batteries by now if I wanted to, but given the weight of the train I think it would also have battery endurance issues so I've been holding out to use rail pickup instead. Still haven't decided what motorization approach I want to take, but I prefer for my steam engines to actually deliver their power through the large 'drive' wheels for, I suppose, a certain sense of realism. So leaning toward maybe doing two face-to-face motors connected to a common gear. We'll see!

Thanks for the update! I do like a plug-and-play solution so I'm quite interested in the breakout cables and/or the 'smart' bogie. Even more interested in the power pickup wheelsets in the near term so I can convert my dune buggy-powered loco to 9V; PF batteries simply cannot handle it! And I'll have to finally start looking into motorizing my Orient Express, a project which has been holding out for the power pickups...

No idea; it's always a bit of a guessing game with FX products. But I've had hands on them physically so I can say for certain a production run has at least been manufactured. Michael had a few wire products in plastic bags but that was preliminary packaging; I think the holdup right now is getting the products into their final paper-based retail packaging. I'm optimistic we'll see some movement within the next few months.

The FX Track ones should be coming soon; AFAIK they're manufactured and are basically just waiting for packaging in the final retail boxes (they had sampled polybags but will be using boxes instead for the final product).

Maybe soon those old 9V speed regulators will be replaced by FX Bricks ones... I had a chance to test out the new prototype at Bricks in the Six; seems to work well although the duty timer I use for my 'press this button to make a train go' feature did not like the PWM output very much. I might have to add a capacitor to its power supply wire.

Another big W for Maria (Mind_the_Brick), who also designed the Old Train Engine Shed.

If you move the road bridge down to align with the harbourfront road in a T-junction, that'd give you additional space for an incline. I think you could then make it fit if it starts right after the curve, especially if you have your trains oriented so they're always going downhill on the steep incline (then you could use a shallower one in the back where you might have the luxury of more space for a gentle uphill return grade).