Trainbuilder N class on the bench.

I purchased this Trainbuilder N class oil burning steam locomotive, N 431, back in September 2020 and then it was sent to me via DCCSound to have a LokSound V5.0 micro decoder and speaker installed in the tender. It has been stored since that time, but now with a functional work bench setup in the layout shed I have finally been able to get the loco active and do some decoder and running tests on the rolling road.

I did my usual things like quieten down the sound a little and also dim the lights right down.

Image of the lights as delivered.

And then the lights dulled down with setting them via JMRI and the function outputs with a value of 3. And the rear head and marker lights below, got the same treatment.

N 431 running at speed on the rolling road under test. I had to take the brake rigging off and adjust some of the 'pads' as they could contact the wheels and cause very rapid shorts. I thought I had some images of the brake rigging removed, but I cannot find them now. Here is a still from a video showing the area that was shorting.

Now this was not happening all the time, just erratic enough to be a nuisance. Anyhow, removing the brake rigging and giving it a slight adjustment before refitting has eliminated this issue now. So, below is a photo and then a video of the motion running on the rolling road now fully spark free!

Video from my ewechube channel below:

New arrivals.

A couple of new arrivals from Trainbuilder. The AF and AX all brass car transport waggons. History and these classes of waggons can be found here: AA / AF - Motor Car Body Transport (pjv101.net) and here AX / VMAX - Motor Car Transport (pjv101.net).

A lot of protype detail can also be found here: AX Automobile Transport (victorianrailways.net). I'll upload some images of them soon...

A HO scale model of the Victorian Railways VFBY class waggon VFBY 2 with stanchions commissioned by Trainbuilder and delivered in 2021. This waggon was originally built as a Q class, Q 85 before becoming QF class QF 2, the VFBY class, of which this is modelled.

History from Peter J. Vincent website.

Q 85 31/07/1915 Newport Workshops, built new WHB, Iron

/12/1963 North Melbourne Workshops to QF 2

05/07/1979 North Melbourne Workshops to VFBY 2

circa 1990 - to VFBF 2

VFBF 2 - 28/04/1991 Tottenham Yard Stored