Austro Daimler Build project - VIDEO

[GTB]

By 'scale colour' I assume that you are referring to the effects of lighting and distance to the colour that the eye perceives...... We are NOT going down that particular rabbit hole!

More like falling into a black hole in my opinion. Or maybe through the looking glass? ....... Glad to know we agree.

I'd forgotten about GWR stone. Probably suppressed the memory, as I got exposed to it at a sensitive age, when I discovered there were such things as model railway magazines and then found that in the letters page.

To get back to the point, given what old car engines of my acquaintance look like, pretty much any mid grey with a large helping of oil, grease, coolant leaks, rust and general grot would look about right to go with a rusty grey exterior.

I forgot to ask earlier how the mech design has worked out. It sounded like you were happy with it in an earlier post.

Graeme

[philipy]

I forgot to ask earlier how the mech design has worked out. It sounded like you were happy with it in an earlier post.

Think we are pretty much on the same page re colour.

The mechanical side of things is pretty much getting to where I want it to be.
The basic running is fine, but I've been playing with some add-on bits and pieces which have been a case of three steps forward and two backwards for a couple of weeks, but fingers crossed I think I'm on the last bit now.
Then just got to wait for my r/c receiver to come back from Micron. After a couple of weeks playing I simply could not get it to accept a minor program alteration. The Prog4 programmer didn't want to know and Andy said that they are so unreliable that he has stopped selling them. I then tried using my Tx22 in programming mode but that didn't work either, so I gave up and decided to let the expert have a go and posted it off about 10 days ago.

[GTB]

The basic running is fine, but I've been playing with some add-on bits and pieces which have been a case of three steps forward and two backwards for a couple of weeks, but fingers crossed I think I'm on the last bit now.

Been in that place more times than I care to contemplate. I think I've got a life membership in that particular club.......

I've become allergic to programmable electronics over recent years and deliberately chose the RCS version of the MR603 which is plug 'n play.

Graeme

[philipy]

I've become allergic to programmable electronics over recent years and deliberately chose the RCS version of the MR603 which is plug 'n play.

The Rx41d is plug n play as long as you want the pre-programmed options, and as I said the basic speed/direction control is fine but I simply wanted to program Ch4 on P3 to operate a servo and for which I need to send a set of 4 digits .... simples
I think the problem is to do with the serial-USB interface. The driver for the very old fashioned adapter cable now shows an error in device manager which says it was retired in 2012! It all worked the last time I used it which was in about 2015/17 -ish I think, but I suspect that Windows 10 doesn't want to play nicely now. It really isn't worth messing about buying new serial adapters and Andy at Micron was happy to do it for me. If I had told him exactly what I was trying to do he'd have done it anyway when he sold it to me.

[GTB]

I think the problem is to do with the serial-USB interface.

I went down that particular rabbit hole to perdition when I converted my HO layout to DCC about 15 years ago. I think that experience was what finally turned me into a neo-luddite......

I recently read through the Rx41d documentation. It took a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down to recover.

Graeme

[ge_rik]

.... It took a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down to recover.
Graeme

I had to look it up ......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bex_(compound_analgesic)

Rik

[Lonsdaler]

I've become allergic to programmable electronics over recent years and deliberately chose the RCS version of the MR603 which is plug 'n play.

I think the problem is to do with the serial-USB interface. The driver for the very old fashioned adapter cable now shows an error in device manager which says it was retired in 2012! It all worked the last time I used it which was in about 2015/17 -ish I think, but I suspect that Windows 10 doesn't want to play nicely now. It really isn't worth messing about buying new serial adapters and Andy at Micron was happy to do it for me. If I had told him exactly what I was trying to do he'd have done it anyway when he sold it to me.

I have usb to serial adapters of a similar vintage which I need to keep working for some long in the tooth software. The fix detailed here will get your adapter working again.
https://recoverit.wondershare.com/usbs- ... rking.html

[GTB]

I have usb to serial adapters of a similar vintage which I need to keep working for some long in the tooth software. The fix detailed here will get your adapter working again.
https://recoverit.wondershare.com/usbs- ... rking.html

It's a long while ago, but as I recall from the time I was fighting USB-serial adaptors one of the USB-UART chipsets to avoid was the Prolific one, as well as the counterfeit chipsets found in cheap generic brands of adaptors.

The FTDI chipset was regarded in that particular user community as more reliable and the Keyspan brand of adaptor was usually recommended, if you could find one. The FTDI driver software was rumoured to brick any counterfeit FTDI chips it encountered.

Graeme

[philipy]

Thanks guys. I'll make a note of it but can't/won't actually do much with it at the mo. Device Manager says that the driver I downloaded a week ago is working, except that it isn't. After that I'm in the hands of whichever malevolent entity is sitting on my back and causing me to constantly take 3 steps forward and 2.5 steps backwards on this entire project!!
As I said, I decided to just send it back to Andy to program it for me, which I did on 28th Sept.... yesterday he and I decided that Royal Mail must be using it to radio control their deliveries, because it it ain't turned up after 2 weeks! Soooo... I decided to order a brand new one and if the original turns up, I've got a spare in stock. Looked on his order page and it said "out of stock"!!! Much gnashing of teeth then asked Andy about an alternative and he said, "Ahh don't worry, there are two Deltang Rx called 41d one for planes and one for trains. I've still got the trains ones available..." so I placed the order.... but of course RM are on strike again today!!!

The good news is that what I've been working on 'on the bench' is finally working and doing what I want, as of yesterday afternoon..... if only I had a working Rx...... I wanna cry!

[GTB]

After that I'm in the hands of whichever malevolent entity is sitting on my back and causing me to constantly take 3 steps forward and 2.5 steps backwards on this entire project!!

If this keeps up, you need to find an exorcist, not a programmer................

Graeme

[Phil.P]

I had an empty unsealed envelope, in a 'whoops' Royal Mail plastic bag, delivered to me the other week..
It was franked along the edge of the envelope and open flap!
The contents (MR603) were missing (Obviously) so a claim has been initiated.. I had the automated 'we are sorry you have had a problem..' email, but nothing since.

Perhaps there is a cash-strapped modeller at the sorting office, somewhere?

Flagged for follow-up, 21 days from claim, if I don't hear sooner..

Phil.P

[philipy]

Something that has been worriting at the back of my mind since early on has now risen to the top of the heap.
This mobile sardine tin has a very odd looking centre buffer, but I can see nothing that looks remotely like a coupling of any kind. It clearly did have a coupling, one of the pictures shows it towing a line of skips and we know it worked on the Ffestiniog, etc. The centre buffer face has a hole in the middle, so I wonder if it had some sort of removable bar that went through the hole with a pin at the back. Any suggestions anyone?

[ge_rik]

Something that has been worriting at the back of my mind since early on has now risen to the top of the heap.
This mobile sardine tin has a very odd looking centre buffer, but I can see nothing that looks remotely like a coupling of any kind. It clearly did have a coupling, one of the pictures shows it towing a line of skips and we know it worked on the Ffestiniog, etc. The centre buffer face has a hole in the middle, so I wonder if it had some sort of removable bar that went through the hole with a pin at the back. Any suggestions anyone?

Didn't that sort of buffer use a bar with loops at each end (figure of eight style) with removable vertical pins holding it in place behind each buffer? I've been trying to find a photo but not found one as yet.

Rik

[ge_rik]

This replica of a Southwold wagon at Blythburgh Station has a similar coupling which I was reliably informed came from an Admiralty wagon rather than the chopper style couplings used on the SR

IMG_20220927_154234_810.jpg (1.84 MiB) Viewed 4355 times

Rik

[philipy]

Thanks Rik,
Thats kind of what I had in mind, but I've not come across it before.
Looking at the A-D drawings and photos, it looks like there could be a pivot behind the buffer head to allow it to swivel, but equally it could be the housing for a pin.

[ge_rik]

Here's another photo showing more clearly what I think I mean

2022-10-14-08-09-08-670.jpg (138.42 KiB) Viewed 7233 times

Rik

[philipy]

Thanks.
That is exactly what I thought when I posed the question.
Also, following the trail your picture above I followed the thought and ended up up this page:
https://resurgamrollingstock.co.uk/prod ... ad-wagons/

It appears that that type of coupling was used on RNAD wagons.

[philipy]

Armed with that info, the A-D drawing now makes complete sense. Thanks Rik.

Austro coupling.jpg (19.7 KiB) Viewed 7230 times

[GTB]

Armed with that info, the A-D drawing now makes complete sense.

It's called a link and pin coupler and there are numerous design variants going back a long way. US railroads used them in preference to the British 3 link coupling, although both are at the same barn door level of technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_c ... nk_and_pin

Very dangerous to use in full size and claimed to be the reason why the Janney coupler (knuckle, buckeye, MCB, etc. etc.) was invented in the US. It was said you could recognise a railroad worker by how many fingers he had missing.

My timber tram models use a variety of the things, some commercial, some scratchbuilt and they are as big a pain to use in model form as the common SM32 centre buffer and chain coupling.

Graeme

[philipy]

OKey Doke, thanks guys.
Well it's drawn up and I think is pretty close to the drawings /pictures. Getting the double curve on the face was abit ofa mare though! Also the helical spring... it is possible in Sketchup but I decided the learning curve was too steep for what it is. I'll print them without the link, obviously.

Screenshot 2022-10-14 13.32.47.png (34.73 KiB) Viewed 7217 times