Members' Sales

[JulienW]

I lusted after that when I saw it at Swanley...

Bit beyond my budget though :'(

[The Sales Team]

Go on, Julien - you know you want need one!!

The Sales Team

[Adam Saunders]

How much for the Crane Tank? :)

[The Sales Team]

I'm tempted to say that if you need to ask you probably can't afford it - but that would be rude and unkind. In fact I can't actually remember although it is quite a lot  :o (an e-mail to Brian Guilmant at Sales [members-sales@009society.com] will give you the exact figure). However, like all the models from this particular collection it is unusually fine and therefore not cheap...

David.

[The Sales Team]

After the success of the previous advertising, here is another item from the same collection to tempt folk:

crane by clayliner, on Flickr

It has been built to the same exceptional standard, and its price, to Society members only, is

[Chris Wright]

Hi
Have we had any info yet regarding when the new Minitrains Forney is likely to arrive?
Chris Wright

[The Sales Team]

Not too long now, I suspect (but that's unofficial!) - will post info when there is something definite to report.

In the meantime, just to reiterate what has been posted elsewhere, the next outing for the 009 Society Members' Sales Stand will be at the NG Open Day in Colehill, Wimborne on Sunday 30th November. The 7mm NGA sales stand will also be present and there will be 7mm, 5.5mm and 4mm NG layouts plus one or two demos and 'how to' presentations. This is not a formal public show but a more informal NG get-together with a chance to learn, see how things are done and pick up tips (and bargains!)

10.30am to 3.30pm at Colehill Memorial Hall, Cannon Hill Road, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2LR.

Entrance

[The Sales Team]

Just a posting to warn members that the Sales Team will be taking their Christmas break quite soon - this year we are having both Christmas Day and New Year's Day off!

If you want Santa to bring you something special in time for Christmas please get your order in soon so that the elves can dispatch it in time. Otherwise the next packing day after the holiday will be on 8th January.

The Sales Team.

[The Sales Team]

One of the (many) good things to come out of the Narrow Gauge Day at Colehill last Sunday was a solution to the problem at least one member has raised regarding the new - and otherwise excellent - Minitrains controller. It seems that it is sometimes possible for trains to travel faster in one direction than the other, for the same controller setting.

The cause and the solution both appear to be quite simple: it happens because the control knob can slip on its spindle from the proper central position. There are actually two ways to rectify this: either to turn the knob to its full deflection and then (carefully!) some more, with the aim of shifting it on the spindle back to where it should be; or alternatively to open the casing by removing the four screws in the base and then directly re-setting the knob centrally.

We'd be interested to hear from any member who has experienced this problem (so we can gauge how common it is) and whether the foregoing was any help in sorting it.

David (for The Sales Team)

[B.Meldon]

For me at least I think it is a pity that these Minitrains controllers have a centre off.

As well as the problem described above the central click was not very positive on the controller I tried.
Both these problems would have been avoided with a direction switch with a centre off position and the sensitivity of the speed control would be twice what it is now as the entire movement of the speed controller would be used not just half the travel as it is now.

But I guess this is all down to personal preference.

Brian Meldon

[The Sales Team]

I can see your point, Brian, especially if that's what you are used to. Is sensitivity an issue, I wonder, with these?

I also wonder whether when one is controlling a loco one is paying attention to the position of the controller or what the loco is actually doing - does one 'drive' empirically and move the controller as required to produce the desired effect?

What do other users think?

David.

[rod335]

I have just got so used to the direction switch used by Gaugemaster after 25+ years, I really do think it's just what you are used to. I try to watch a locomotive and control the speed accordingly rather than using a set controller position. With locos with side rods I usually watch the speed the rods are moving at rather than the speed the loco is moving at as this gives an easier, to me at least, reference to the 'correct speed'. With diesels it's another matter though. Although most people seem to run their locos too fast for my tastes. But I do wish Gaugemaster would use better quality direction switches. Maybe there is none available.

Rod

[Elmgate]

I agree that it is what you get used to. Obviously, with only half the potentiometer rotation available in each direction, compared to the full rotation with switched direction, there is less sensitivity when attempting to run slowly up to stock etc. - i.e. moving by 1 degree faster or slower will result in twice the change of speed relatively compared to switched. Another point is that, in the event of needing to stop in emergency, I get used to turning the potentiometer (normally anti clockwise) quickly to 'Off'; if using a centre-off controller, the risk is either turning speed Up not down, or going through the Off position, and reversing at high speed! I have not used a centre off controller since the late 1960's, when it was an H&M Duette!  ;D

[B.Meldon]

The old H&M controllers had a very positive central off. The Minitarins one that I tried was nowhere near as positive.  I suppose it may improve with use, but the chances are the centre off click will weaker with use.

I guess it is all down to what you are used to and how the controllers are used.

When doing lots of shunting I find it very easy to just leave the controller set so the loco crawls along and then use the centre off direction switch to stop and start it as required leaving the speed control set in one position.

On Meanderbahn we have one controller of each type in the panel and after a few minutes the operators almost always decide to use the one with the switch, not the centre off type. (Only one can be used at a time.) They are an ECM Compspeed with the centre off and and a home-made one by Dave Gibbs with a direction switch.

Brian Meldon

[Frank]

I agree with Brian.

With the radio control system I use, you can program each loco to respond to the controller either as centre zero or as zero to full speed with the switch controlling the direction.  I find I am converting them to zero to full speed with a direction switch, as it gives better control.  Control of the loco is very good with radio control, especially at low speed, and to use it to the fullest extent I find the zero to full speed setting works best for me.

Frank