Q1 and smoke

Just put a digitrax z decoder in, it is fantastic!! Still wondering about smoke, and also Kadees? Any input group? Thanks as always

In message , Rob writes

The NEM pocket on the tender is too low.

I haven't tried the one on the front of the loco yet.

I'll take my Q1 out of the box this evening & have a look. BTW the Fowler tank needed slightly modified 31 Kadee's back & front,

The NEM sockets are marginally too low, all I did is to put a slight kink in a No.20 and both couplings are the perfect height. I must say I prefer this type of NEM socket to Hornby's previous offerings. The loco depite it's ugly appearance it a credit to Hornby, it really is a silky smooth runner. I think it might be practical to fit an SDX sound only decoder in the tender with maybe a 1/2'' speaker but smoke IMHO is out of the question without another means of holding the loco body on the frame.

In message , Richie writes

How did you do that?????

Please tell more!!

I'm sure youv'e done this ! Just put a slight bend "upwards" in the shank of a No 20 we arn't talking about alot just enough to make it fit the Kadee height gauge.

Hi Rich Sorry, still dont get it. I tried to bend a Kadee 20 but I must be missing something. I got the front one OK, by gluing it on top of the supplied NEM? conector, but cant do that on the rear? Still thinking about a 99 smoke unit though, although it seems it would involve cutting away the screw receptor, and it may be too hot near the decoder, shame, I would love to have smoke on this one, (its the only smoke im allowed these days) Rob

I guess we need to lobby Kadee to expand their range of NEM couplers to include some with offset (ie raised) heads as Hornby and Bachmann have chosen to produce at least two different NEM pocket heights.

David

OK lets try again: take a No 20 kadee fit it into the NEM socket front offer it up to the Kadee height gauge and judge or measure how much too low it is. Remove the No 20 from the NEM socket and using figure pressure bend the body upwards so that the overal height is increased. OK it will sit at a slight angle, but mine only needed to be increased by 1/2 mm or so. Maybe your model is different to mine. Mine is 33037.

I have to agree with this, while Hornby's change to an NEM socket is an improvement, it would have been better if the socket was higher as it's alway easier to shim downwards. Bachmanns small Prarie has the same problem IE NEM socket marginally too low. The problem with the socket and the Mk1 coaches is well known. The std class 4tank is another model with a totally incorrect height of the NEM sockets. Perhaps our two major manufacturers need to told what the correct height is. This as a critical specification and should be maintained as a standard regardless of manufacturer.

Given the variability that exists maybe a variable NEM mount Kadee is what we need - ie shank plugs into mount, with a set of spacers/ bolts which are then fittd to in to to allow the Kadee mounted on a separate shank to be set at the right hight.

Mike Parkes snipped-for-privacy@mphgate.removetoreply demon.co.uk

Thanks Rich. I managed the same result with a 2 pairs of needle nose pliers last night. So obvious I'm kicking myself now.

I'm pleased at one stage I thought it was a windup ! regards R