(T)RUSTY RUSTON

Whilst I’ve been happy to stick to old fashioned DC for my narrow gauge models, I’ve been quite keen to embrace DCC and sound for my standard gauge models. I quite like the extra dimension that sound brings, plus there is the added complications when it comes to driving them over and above just turning a knob that I find more satisfying to operate. Suspect that driving mainline streamlined railcars for a living and antiquated narrow gauge steam engines for a hobby has something to do with that. 

Being something of an electrical dunce, up til now, all my DCC locos have either been factory fitted, or gone off to Paul at EDM Models for fitment. I am keen however, to better understand the models I run and how they work, with improving my knowledge of DCC being high up on that list. 

For reasons I will outline later, I found the Heljan O gauge Ruston 48DS to be irresistible and an order was duly placed. Heljan’s policy of not supplying DCC fitted locos and the lack of a need to synchronise chuffs with wheel revolutions made this an ideal prototype to practice installing DCC on. Plus, the loco comes fitted with a speaker so that’s one less thing to fit. 

The 48DS duly arrived, a beautiful and diminutive design, with some serious weight to it, I chose the Ruston factory finish green liveried version. 

It didn’t take long for those more experienced with fitting DCC to share their experiences online. Through the Gauge O Guild forum I was able to identify a suitable set up, with a simple combination of Zimo chip and stay alive combination. Bought through Digitrains, my purchase included the authentic Ruston 48DS sound file.

A few weeks elapsed before I embarked on the fitment, by which time several other variants had been discovered by people far more knowledgable than I on the subject. With more experience I might embark on these, but for now I’m happy with what I’ve got. 

With the DCC chip and stay alive to hand, it took a few minutes googling to work out where to solder the wires from the stay alive to. I also discovered that I’d missed the part on the Digitrains website that says that for £2 they would have soldered the stay alive to the chip for me. First lesson learned!!

After a quick and remarkably fine piece of soldering that I surprised myself with, the chip and stay alive were connected, the body was removed from the loco as per the instructions, the blanking plate removed and the chip was fitted. 

The way I’ve fitted it, the stay alive will be in the cab, so a small groove was filed in the cab floor to let the wires come through in to the cab.

Another five minutes saw the loco reassembled and the loco was given its first successful test run on ‘Elsbridge’. In due course, when a driver is fitted and the loco weathered, I will fix the wires and stay alive down so that you can’t see them from normal viewing. 

To be fair, this is about as simple as it gets for DCC and my advice for others is to take the plunge. Whilst I might be tempted to fit the odd diesel myself, think I might leave fitting steam locos to the experts!

The 48DS is probably a little small for the Melyn Valley. Though as the photo above shows, sat next to the Minerva Manning Wardle 0-4-0, it’s not that small in comparison. It might end up as a quarry shunter, or it could be that the MVR has purchased the Ruston as a more cost effective means of hauling the quieter winter time freight traffic. 

In reality, the 88DS might have been more suitable. And I’m not ruling out the addition of one of Accurascale’s forthcoming models, but none of the liveries being offered has tempted me…. yet.

As mentioned earlier, there are reasons behind my succumbing to the temptation of buying the 48DS. 

Firstly, my late friend Neil Blair was a fan of the type, he had a liking for the Burneside Tramway in Cumbria that had one. And I’m sure that had he been alive still, he would have bought one for use on his Elsbridge Tramway. Being the current custodian of Neil’s layout, mine will get run alongside his steam tram locos from time to time and is where this initial running took place. 

Secondly, like many others, my modelling choices are dictated by experiences in my younger life. Growing up in the 1980’s, our annual Welsh holidays had a longer lasting impression on me than my trips out around a sectorised British Rail network. Having become members of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, my Dad wanted to get more involved, which he did by both volunteering on the railway and taking an active part in the local East Midlands Area Group and at various times, all four of us have volunteered. 

Within the East Midlands Area Group, the late Rev Chris White (traffic volunteer, Museum Trustee and former Chairman of Council) organised winter working parties which our family went on. Sometimes we worked in the museum and other times we worked up the line, doing whatever jobs ‘Sir’, then Chief Engineer John Bate directed us too. There were a fair bit of moving things that needed moving, delivering items that had arrived at Wharf to Pendre, Crossing Timbers and even a large corrugated iron shed down from Brynglas are things I remember. Plus tipping the odd wagon of loco ash. Motive Power was almost always No 5 ‘Midlander’, the railway’s stalwart Ruston 44/48 diesel loco. 

TRPS East Midlands Working Party - winter 1989/1990.

Over time, as I got hooked on volunteering, No 5 was the first diesel loco I drove and quickly became my steed of choice if I needed to shift a few wagons around. In the yard, shunting is easily achieved by walking alongside in the way one would walk a horse (fully intended, these locos were designed to replace shunting horses as much as steam locos) combined with a decent turn of speed out on the mainline. 

Nowadays, in due deference to its age, No 5 is used much less and in any case, I don’t get much chance to drive the Talyllyn diesels. Though during Loco No 7’s last ten year overhaul, given the job of collecting No the tank, cab and bunkers from storage at Quarry Siding, I enjoyed a fun trip out on the trusty Ruston. 

Putting the Heljan model on the rails, I pressed the cold start option on the controller and it was just like being at Pendre, the engine turned, eventually the decompressor lever was pushed in and the engine reluctantly spluttered into life. After a short while building up the engine oil pressure, the revs were reduced and the engine settled into its distinctive idle. Thankfully, there weren’t any clouds of blue smoke and I was sat in the comfort of a warm home.

Driving the loco, acceleration builds up steadily, with pauses as each gear change is made. Then you’re in third gear and off it goes. The klaxon on F7 & F8 is spot on too. After trundling the length of the layout, braking to a halt was followed by the distinctive clatter as the driver changed direction and we were off again going the other way. Finally, when stopping the engine, you hear the revs die down, the decompressor comes out and finally, the engine rattles down until there is silence. 

Very well done Heljan for a cracking model and equally well done Digitrains, as someone who’s driven Rustons, I was instantly transported into driving a real one. The only issue is that to get the full benefits of driving the DCC fitted locos, I need to think bigger rather than smaller in my layout aspirations. That might lead to some tight curves, but then that just helps justify the railway’s need for a small Ruston, or two…