New Ixion Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 Standard Contractors Tank

Well,

Better late than never. I finally fitted the decoder. The weapon of choice was a six pin xen decoder with stay alive.

I took the engine apart to get at the decoder which unfortunately involves disconnecting the rather flimsy pipe work. Then you take off a wee cap located on top of the boiler which reveals a screw. A screw which only just bites into the retaining post underneath and no more.

Take away the boiler, the chimney falls of which I don't think it's meant to do and the factory fitted plug and play DC chip is revealed. It easy . Just pull the DC chip out and push fit the DCC chip in its place. I may say at this point, there was no obvious markings to tell you which way around the DCC chip should go.

Anyway, I reckoned I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right or maybe even blowing up the decoder. ( this conversation rings a bell ) anyway, decoder was duly fitted, loco placed on the programme track and ......... Nowt. My NCE handset would not read the decoder. Uninstalled the decoder, turned it the other way ....... Try again ....... Bingo. It recognises it now and the programming was easy from there on in.

It took longer trying to refit the lousy pipe work again than it did to fit the decoder and programme it. The actual loco build is not the best. Unfortunately you only find this out on trying to take it apart and rebuild it again. Never mind, it's back to normal and running quite well.

One down and one to go. I'll save that until later this week. It's time to take on a slightly more challenging decoder fit out ...... The Deltic and my " big Buddah " awaits.

Cheers for now.

Toto

 

Never even noticed the dodgy bunker.

 

You make me laugh yo do ...... Sound indeed. No, seriously, it would be nice but would need to see if there is enough room for a speaker. I think there may be other candidates I'd go for before this though. If I were to pick a small shunter for sound, it would maybe be an 03.

We'll see. Not for right now though.

Toto

 

Very good. Quite a lot of sound for such a small loco. might just consider it. I have a second one to fit with a 6 pin Zen decoder. may get done tomorrow after I get the Class 35 out of the way. It will require a little soldering as the stay alive comes separate from the chip. easy to do though.

cheers

toto

 

That's the second Hudswell Clark fitter with another 6 pin decoder with stay alive. Much easier second time around when you already know how to take it apart and reassemble again.

Hopefully move on to my Class 35 tomorrow night.

toto

 

I'll give the insulation test a whirl Paul. The capacitors look quite small beasties but there is a bank of them.

SWMBO is at dancing classes tomorrow night if they are not cancelled so it could be Wednesday after dinner at mumsies. I get back around 8 pm.

Cheers

Toto