My apologies for the lack of posts recently, life has continually got in the way and killed any momentum with the modelling projects. Life has been very busy away from railways and this has been in a generally good way but many weekends have passed by without any modelling! Anyhow on a rare Sunday afternoon I got to sit down and put the Dapol Class 122 back together. I was very excited to put in the DCC sound chip and see test the unit properly with the body shell refitted, on my O gauge DCC test track. I glued in the glazing, put the custom destination blinds on from Railtec transfers (sandwiched between two thin pieces of glazing) and added a Modelu driver and some passengers. So far so good.
I had previously owned the Dapol class 122 DMU in OO gauge and after previous issues with the drive shaft on that model I had sworn I would never buy a Dapol locomotive again. However, the Dapol O gauge class 122 is a fine model and I eagerly purchased one when they were first released, probably some time around 2021. The unit never ran that well, so I replaced both of the original motors with a new motor and it now runs on one bogie only, which is fine for a small unit on an end to end layout. More concerning was when I put the body shell back on, none of the interior lights, including cab lights and destination blinds worked. In addition the directional lights are on different function keys.
So it turns out that the first release of the class 122 had a number of internal wiring issues, which has compromised the functionality of the unit. What to do? Having searched the internet for an answer, it turns out many other people have suffered from the same issue. However, whilst I have found the fix for Zimo chips and reprogramming written online, I have yet to find a answer for the ESU V5 chip (this one was programmed by Howes). I am certain that the functionality of the unit can be rescued by reprogramming CVs....however, whilst I am competent in reprogramming individual CV values, I am unclear how they all relate to each other to produce the desired outcomes. For example, the directional lights I need on one function key for both front and rear lights, not three separate functions. To do all of this internal reprogramming I need a recipe to follow......which currently I do not have.....so I am unsure how to proceed. I have asked a few people who are more knowledgeable than me but for the time being the unit is not functional, very frustrating (if anyone knows the solution please do post here). Beyond this, I am very happy with my weathering of the DMU it looks just right in my opinion, so getting it fully functional is a key priority in the next few weeks. I am now tempted to buy a class 121 DMU from Dapol to go alongside this model - they are great looking units and apparently the lighting issues have been resolved on later releases.
Beyond this, I need to get the layout to a state where I can take it to exhibitions. To do this I am contemplating removing the curved board section from the layout and replacing this with a shorter straight 3 foot board. The curves into the layout are very tight and create buffer locking, so I am contemplating the rather radical step of removing the curved board section all together. This curved section was included to fit the space of a room in the old house and the upshot is - it does not work well in our new house. When it is set up it effectively blocks the space between the lounge and the kitchen, meaning that the layout is rarely put up in the house...
The positives are that replacing the curved section with a straight baseboard would allow me to set up the layout more easily at home, allowing more play time and will provide better access for getting it finished. The downside is.....I am quite fond of the scenery on the curved board and starting a new board from scratch seems like quite an effort. Also I am not sure how I would get the skyscene correct on the replacement board, as it is a complete run of sky, with the curved section a four foot board and the replacement section a 3ft board. The alternative scenario is relaying the track on the curved board and replacing the Y point with a shorter right hand turnout. This will involve a lot of stripping of the scenery already put down but might be the simpler option, although it will still not allow me the space to play in the lounge that that I am hoping for. Any final decisions are currently on hold. I need to set it up and see how it goes before doing anything too radical. After building the layout, I want to enjoy winter afternoons running trains around, which in the layouts current configuration is not easy to do in our house.
Beyond this, I have just about finished detailing the Warship. There is a coat of varnish to go and then it is dcc fitting and putting back together. I have also nearly finished the next warehouse for the dairy complex, so this can be installed soonish. Other rolling stock builds are current on pause but I hope to find some time after August to get cracking with these and get them into the paint boxes.
