Duq

Is it possible to use two light sensors on a single input on the RCX? What I want to do is have two LED/Light sensor combo's to detect passing trains and I only need to know if one of them has been triggered, not which one.

Would it not be easier to swap the heatsink regulator with the one beside it? Or are they all eventually going to have a heatsink? Another option is to have the speed regulators on a board that hinges or slides under the table. Something like this:

Thanks for the tips Toastie, I've ordered this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CXYNV48/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's a nice looking diesel in its own right, nevermind the mechanism. Gonna have to have a go at a version of that decoupler myself one of these days.

I can't quite remember the sequence either so I'll go with what I wrote back then. Ben's challenge in Railbricks got me thinking. Then I found this picture by Chris Alano on Brickshelf: Then I combined it with the mechanism from set 8052; if you put axles through two half-beams (I hate the name lift-arm) and put them in adjacent holes of a Technic beam then they can turn a few degrees before they hit eachother. That few degrees turns out to be just enough for the switch. As a bonus for Haddock you can still manually throw the switch ;-)

@Toastie We're going a little off-topic here but it's interesting. Ben used a version of that as the reverse engineering challenge in Railbricks (remember?) and while working on that I came up with this variation: PF points motor by Duq, on Flickr The nice thing about this construction is that it can't pull itself apart.

Thanks Thorsten. My worry is the stories about damaging the rectifier if you use a DC adapter: https://pbrick.info/2013/10/using-an-adapter-to-power-the-rcx-1-0/ What do you power with your RCX? I'm planning on using it to run trains.

I have a v1.0 RCX and I'm looking for a replacement adapter. So this needs to be: Input 220-240 AC, UK or European plug. Output 9-12V AC, 7VA, 5.5x2.1mm plug. I would have thought this would be easy to find but I'm having a hard time with Amazon and eBay. AC to AC adapters turn out to be rare. Does anyone have suggestions for where to get an adapter? Would it be worth getting a 9V DC and taking out the rectifier? Has anyone done that and are there models that are easy targets for that operation?

The normal position of the lever is on the inside of a turn. Longer and/or wider trains could hit it. That's not a problem if the lever is on the straight side of the points.

The easiest solution is to not bring other people's designs to shows... But I do it myself as well. I have Ben's BR23, Holger's BR80 and Blokbricks' BR99 running along with my own trains. At brick.ie we use 'MOC cards' with a picture of the model and a short description of the model, the builder, how many pieces etc. It's easy to mention the designer if you are displaying models designed by someone else.

Market size is probably a big one. As you mentioned, US freight engines can be seen all over a continent with 600 million people. In Europe there are few trains that cross borders and appeal to builders all over the continent. Germany is a central country with an extensive railway network so it's no surprise that German train models are more popular around Europe than most other railways and as a result instructions do exist for a number of German models but others exist too. HA Bricks was already mentioned, and of course there's Holger's book. Blokbricks sell instructions and models of a lot of Dutch trains (as well as that cute Brick Express BR99). Michael Gale sells instructions for some UK freight cars on fxbricks.com. That's just a few I'm aware of. There are also free instructions like James Mathis on Brickshelf (http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=1626) and my own modest freight car on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/duq/albums/72157622442562186) Speaking for myself, there are three reasons why I'm not selling instructions. One is time. It would take many hours to create instructions for my models. I don't have unlimited time for the hobby and I'd rather spend that time fiddling with a new model than making instructions. The second is that there's a difference between a model that kinda works for me but is fragile and temperamental and a model that is robust and reliable enough to have others build it. Kind like when AFOLs have to re-learn how to build when they start a job in Billund.. The third is not having a platform. How/where would I sell those instructions? My little BL shop doesn't get much traffic and it would take a while to build a sufficient catalog to set up a webshop. However if someone here wants to have a go at setting up a coop to sell instructions from different builders I would be game to go give that a go.

Given that the Trains sections has had this hideous pink bunnies banner for a number of years now I wonder if there even is a moderator for this corner of Eurobricks...

@Zed_43 Can you post a link to the suspected seller so we can see what's there?

If you don't have any MOCs, then whose model are you using as your avatar? Why are you asking a bunch of strangers what you should build? You say you like 1960's UK. Do some research. Buy a model railway magazine, search the interweb. Find an engine that YOU find interesting or beautiful for some reason and start building that.

Nice cars! Like you said, simple but effective ;-) I remember my dad had one of those TEN cars in his N-scale layout. Very recognisable!

The image doesn't seem to exist.... Few things to check when building a steam engine. As others have said, use two axles with flanged drivers and blind for the third. If you're using parts and instructions from Emerald Night and Hogwarts then I'm guessing this is not your problem. Next thing is quartering. Make sure that the wheels on one side have the pins for the side rods at 12 o'clock while the other side of the engine has them at 3 o'clock (page 51 of the EN instructions). If you train runs fine on straights this most likely isn't your problem either. Next is what I think is your problem because that same page 51 of the instructions tells you to do it wrong. Do not put the rubber bands on all flanged wheels like the instructions show. The wheels on one side of your engine need to slip going around corners and with 4 rubber bands they can't. Take the rubber bands off on one side of your engine. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Brilliant model! Another great demonstration of how much more you can do at a larger scale.

As a Dutch person I've always found German relatively easy to understand. I've always struggled with the grammar though, which seemed unnecessarily complicated. Die, der, das all mean the same but I never know which one to pick. There's a rule about aus bei mit nach seit von zu. That sequence is stuck in my brain but the rule itself is long lost... Oh, before I'm accused of picking on the Germans, French is equally impossible to learn with their 27 conjugations for every verb and I haven't built up the courage to attempt Irish... Anyway, to me a Silberling is silver. (And a 103 is red and cream. Whoever came up with Verkehrsrot should be shot. But I digress...)

That's what I meant... They used to be called Silberlingen because they were silver, so I wondered if they were still called Silberlingen now that they're no longer silver. And Toastie confirmed that they're not...

:-D

Don't know why you feel you have to brag about spending money. Using expensive parts doesn't make your model better. Are those cars still known as Silberlingen in this livery?

Are the axles fixed? What you describe reminds me of my famous 'seat-gondola'; it's ok when pulled but derails regularly when pushed. Nice job by the way! Are you building some Fccppss next?

Very nice model! It reminds me of the Czech 'Goggles', class 754:

To me that means there is a design and/or QC issue. The turning of the magnet is essential to the proper functioning so if that doesn't work reliably there's a problem.

The magnets are probably equal in strength but because of the casing they're kept a little further apart. I've never had a problem connecting old and new. The only problem I've had is connecting new and new.... I regularly have magnets that refuse to turn inside their housing, resulting in a very weak coupling. After a few attempts they'll eventually turn the right way around but it's annoying. Fast forward in this video to 8:00 to see what I mean: