Wheeltappers DCC Sounds

[cravensdmufan]

Just wondering if anyone had had any dealings with http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk/

 

I'd never heard of them until last night whilst browsing YouTube for suppliers of 1st generation DMU sounds.  A search of RMW and Google doesn't come up with much about the company or individual.  But these DMU's sound quite good:

 

Class 101 

 

Class 105 

 

Looking at their website they appear to do lots of other diesel and steam sounds.  Some of the YT videos date back to a year ago. Strange that there's been no advertising etc.

 

There appears to be no contact name, telephone number or address on the website - just an email address.  Their decoders are £112, so well up there with the rest of them - but I'm a bit reluctant to order without knowing who I'm dealing with!

 

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Edited May 6, 2018 by cravensdmufan

[big jim]

He’s called Neil, he does a lot of stuff for Charlie Petty of D.C. Kits. I’ve got his Irish 141 sound in my Irish model and it’s very good.

 

Richard

That’s leggoman isn’t it?

 

The ‘about us’ page on the wheeltappers site says they are a group of railway enthusiasts

[cravensdmufan]

He’s called Neil, he does a lot of stuff for Charlie Petty of D.C. Kits. I’ve got his Irish 141 sound in my Irish model and it’s very good.

 

Richard

Thanks Richard.  I wonder if Charlie now demonstrates these sounds at exhibitions?  I only ever saw the Legomann ones in the past.

[New Haven Neil]

Biff isn't Neil IIRC. Nor am I.....not that Neil anyway!

[New Haven Neil]

Biff is Ian B I think - having thought about it!

 

I thought Charlie's steam sound guy was Italian?

[tender]

I have a Rebuilt West Country sound from WheelTappers, although i just ordered a re-blow file as the Loco was already fitted with Hornby  Loksound chip and Sound file which wasn't (IMO) very good. I was able to re-blow the chip myself with a LokProgrammer.

Neil was very accommodating as at first i wasn't happy with progression from chuffing to coasting and back so Neil tweeted the sound project for me and after a few iterations it's now sounding pretty good.

[scafellpike]

HI,

I have a number of Wheeltappers sounds on my DMUs and Steam Locos and am very happy with them. Neil the owner is very helpful, we used  their decoders on the groups Hackworth layout which was exhibited at the Severn Valley Railway last month.  His sounds can be bought direct from his website or via Charlie Pettie at DC Kits.  One thing I like about Wheeltappers is that they are able to demonstrate their sounds on youtube.

I think the situation is that DC Kits sell Legoman UK, Modern Diesel and Electric - Locoman UK Steam, and Wheeltappers UK & Irish Steam, 1st Generation DMU, and Irish Diesel.

[MikeParkin65]

HI,

I have a number of Wheeltappers sounds on my DMUs and Steam Locos and am very happy with them. Neil the owner is very helpful, we used  their decoders on the groups Hackworth layout which was exhibited at the Severn Valley Railway last month.  His sounds can be bought direct from his website or via Charlie Pettie at DC Kits.  One thing I like about Wheeltappers is that they are able to demonstrate their sounds on youtube.

I think the situation is that DC Kits sell Legoman UK, Modern Diesel and Electric - Locoman UK Steam, and Wheeltappers UK & Irish Steam, 1st Generation DMU, and Irish Diesel.

Found a couple of Irish vids but nothing British from them on Youtube - have you got a link you could share?

[cravensdmufan]

Found a couple of Irish vids but nothing British from them on Youtube - have you got a link you could share?

See my OP. If you view one of those then you can see a listing of all the others on his channel.

Edited May 7, 2018 by cravensdmufan

[charliepetty]

he demonstrates neil’s steam sounds at exhibitions and if I go to a few exhibitions with them and take my 141 too. I checked and I have an email from Neil who’s email address mentions wheel rappers! But if big Jim says the website says wheel tappers is made up from various modelllers then maybe that’s someone else! Charlie will see this at some point and clear things up I’m sure!

 

Richard

Charlie (DCKits) has worked closely with Legomanbiffo (Ian), Locoman (Alex) & Wheeltappers (Neil), the largest range is from Legomanbiffo (All Diesels & Electrics) followed by Locoman Superior Sounds (Only steam projects) and the Wheeltappers DCC Sounds (Steam and Irish Diesels)

 

Charlie (DC Kits) have been around for 28 Years + and is well known on the show circuit.

 

Charlie is jointly the owner of Realtrack Models, which produce high quality Multiple Units, these include Classes 143, 144 Pacers & Class 156 Sprinters.

 

The current DC Kits website (www.dckits-devideos.co.uk) is being re-vamped shortly to reflect the changes in the hobby over the last 15 years, thus many items currently on there will be discontinued.  The DCC Sections are being dramatically increased and restructured to represent the ever expanding ranges to be offered.

 

DC Kits has successfully developed & expanded the Legomanbiffo market share of digital decoders based on quality & features, not on price!!  Recently Ian has been investing heavly in all new sound project using high end digital equipment at recent recording sessions.

 

Alex (Locoman) has now recorded a comprehensive range of steam locomotives and is now putting all his effort into these new projects with advanced features & functions.

 

Neil (Wheeltappers) is currently developing & reworking his large range of steam projects to make the most of ESU's new range of decoders.

 

Here at DC Kits-Legomanbiffo we are increasing our show presence and developing our range of Sound Fitters-Trade Outlets.

 

Interesting developments are ahead!   Watch this space.

 

Charlie

[MikeParkin65]

See my OP. If you view one of those then you can see a listing of all the others on his channel.

Brill - thanks. Link here if anyone else looking for the same - https://www.youtube.com/user/wiggyattheweekend/videos 

[cravensdmufan]

Charlie (DCKits) has worked closely with Legomanbiffo (Ian), Locoman (Alex) & Wheeltappers (Neil), the largest range is from Legomanbiffo (All Diesels & Electrics) followed by Locoman Superior Sounds (Only steam projects) and the Wheeltappers DCC Sounds (Steam and Irish Diesels)

 

Charlie (DC Kits) have been around for 28 Years + and is well known on the show circuit.

 

Charlie is jointly the owner of Realtrack Models, which produce high quality Multiple Units, these include Classes 143, 144 Pacers & Class 156 Sprinters.

 

The current DC Kits website (www.dckits-devideos.co.uk) is being re-vamped shortly to reflect the changes in the hobby over the last 15 years, thus many items currently on there will be discontinued.  The DCC Sections are being dramatically increased and restructured to represent the ever expanding ranges to be offered.

 

DC Kits has successfully developed & expanded the Legomanbiffo market share of digital decoders based on quality & features, not on price!!  Recently Ian has been investing heavly in all new sound project using high end digital equipment at recent recording sessions.

 

Alex (Locoman) has now recorded a comprehensive range of steam locomotives and is now putting all his effort into these new projects with advanced features & functions.

 

Neil (Wheeltappers) is currently developing & reworking his large range of steam projects to make the most of ESU's new range of decoders.

 

Here at DC Kits-Legomanbiffo we are increasing our show presence and developing our range of Sound Fitters-Trade Outlets.

 

Interesting developments are ahead!   Watch this space.

 

Charlie

It looks like there will be a fantastic range available for all types of traction.

 

Will you be demonstrating the Wheeltappers sounds at exhibitions?  I'd be particularly interested in 101,105 and 108 DMUs.

 

Thanks.

[charliepetty]

It looks like there will be a fantastic range available for all types of traction.

 

Will you be demonstrating the Wheeltappers sounds at exhibitions?  I'd be particularly interested in 101,105 and 108 DMUs.

 

Thanks.

The 101, 105, 108 DMUs mentioned are Legomanbiffo Projects, and YES they are at Exhibitions.     Charlie

[cravensdmufan]

The 101, 105, 108 DMUs mentioned are Legomanbiffo Projects, and YES they are at Exhibitions.     Charlie

Sorry, Charlie, now I'm confused!

 

So the two videos on my OP that are shown as wheeltappers, are in fact Legomanbiffo?

 

The 101 on the video sounds very different to the Legoman one I already purchased from you a couple of years ago. A much longer (IMO better) 1st gear accelleration.

 

Sorry to come back to you on it, but I'm anxious to get my DMU's sound fitted.

Edited May 8, 2018 by cravensdmufan

[Albie the plumber]

Just wondering if anyone had had any dealings with http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk/

 

I'd never heard of them until last night whilst browsing YouTube for suppliers of 1st generation DMU sounds.  A search of RMW and Google doesn't come up with much about the company or individual.  But these DMU's sound quite good:

 

Class 101 

 

Class 105 

 

Looking at their website they appear to do lots of other diesel and steam sounds.  Some of the YT videos date back to a year ago. Strange that there's been no advertising etc.

 

There appears to be no contact name, telephone number or address on the website - just an email address.  Their decoders are £112, so well up there with the rest of them - but I'm a bit reluctant to order without knowing who I'm dealing with!

 

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

 

Well if they are as good as this DMU sound project , you won't have much to worry about .

Particularly love the whine of the transmission as it pulls away and the long gear change is good too !

[cravensdmufan]

Well if they are as good as this DMU sound project , you won't have much to worry about .

Particularly love the whine of the transmission as it pulls away and the long gear change is good too !

Yes, I agree about the long gear change.  I have got Legoman 101 and the first gear is useless.  Only lasts 3 seconds and you can't hold it in gear.  You can't prolong it and it's only good if you're moving around a depot. (I guess maybe it's because it was recorded on a preserved line where the unit's can only get up to 25mph anyway!). I also tried a Coastal and Digitrains - both since reblown.

 

It would be nice if we could have a DMU where we can manually "change" gears - in other words to be able to vary the lengths of the accellerations.  An essential feature for a first generation manual gear DMU IMO.

 

Sorry to seem ultra fussy but I like DMu's.    I have six units awaiting decent sound projects!

Edited May 8, 2018 by cravensdmufan

[Albie the plumber]

Yes, I agree about the long gear change.  I have got Legoman 101 and the first gear is useless.  Only lasts 3 seconds and you can't hold it in gear.  You can't prolong it and it's only good if you're moving around a yard. (I guess maybe it's because it was recorded on a preserved line where the unit's can only get up to 25mph anyway!). I also tried a Coastal and Digitrains - both since reblown.

 

It would be nice if we could have a DMU where we can manually "change" gears - in other words to be able to vary the lengths of the accellerations.  An essential feature for a first generation manual gear DMU IMO.

 

Sorry to seem ultra fussy but I like DMu's.    I have six units awaiting decent sound projects!

 

No need to apologize , I get fussier with age , particularly when it comes to DCC sound !

I'm just reading through the notes that accompanied the Zimo sound chip with Paul Chetter's Class 121 sound project that I bought at Warley but not yet fitted .

It seems that this project does include manual gear change . 

Can I assume these sounds could be used with other DMU classes ?

 

Anyway , a quick look through the Digitrains website should show the notes in question for you to read .

Feel free to tell us what you think .

 

Albie

Edited May 8, 2018 by Albie the plumber

[cravensdmufan]

No need to apologize , I get fussier with age , particularly when it comes to DCC sound !

I'm just reading through the notes that accompanied the Zimo sound chip with Paul Chetter's Class 121 sound project that I bought at Warley but not yet fitted .

It seems that this project does include manual gear change . 

Can I assume these sounds could be used with other DMU classes ?

 

Anyway , a quick look through the Digitrains website should show the notes in question for you to read .

Feel free to tell us what you think .

 

Albie

Thanks Albie - I still have one of Paul Chetter's Zimo Digitrains 101's.  I'll check it out again in the next few days and try and post a Youtube video of it in action along with comments..

 

But I'm still very interested in the "Wheeltappers" versions.

[charliepetty]

What I meant was the ranges on our website and at shows are all Legomanbiffos DMU's.  The mention above I hoped said that:

 

Charlie (DCKits) has worked closely with Legomanbiffo (Ian), Locoman (Alex) & Wheeltappers (Neil), the largest range is from Legomanbiffo (All Diesels & Electrics) followed by Locoman Superior Sounds (Only steam projects) and the Wheeltappers DCC Sounds (Steam and Irish Diesels)

 

The Wheeltappers DMUs can be supplied IF you wish.   Charlie  Just ring me! 01132 563415

Sorry, Charlie, now I'm confused!

 

So the two videos on my OP that are shown as wheeltappers, are in fact Legomanbiffo?

 

The 101 on the video sounds very different to the Legoman one I already purchased from you a couple of years ago. A much longer (IMO better) 1st gear accelleration.

 

Sorry to come back to you on it, but I'm anxious to get my DMU's sound fitted.

[charliepetty]

Yes, I agree about the long gear change.  I have got Legoman 101 and the first gear is useless.  Only lasts 3 seconds and you can't hold it in gear.  You can't prolong it and it's only good if you're moving around a depot. (I guess maybe it's because it was recorded on a preserved line where the unit's can only get up to 25mph anyway!). I also tried a Coastal and Digitrains - both since reblown.

 

It would be nice if we could have a DMU where we can manually "change" gears - in other words to be able to vary the lengths of the accellerations.  An essential feature for a first generation manual gear DMU IMO.

 

Sorry to seem ultra fussy but I like DMu's.    I have six units awaiting decent sound projects!

Have you tried asking us to tweek the first gear for you.      Charlie

[pauliebanger]

No need to apologize , I get fussier with age , particularly when it comes to DCC sound !

I'm just reading through the notes that accompanied the Zimo sound chip with Paul Chetter's Class 121 sound project that I bought at Warley but not yet fitted .

It seems that this project does include manual gear change . 

Can I assume these sounds could be used with other DMU classes ?

 

Anyway , a quick look through the Digitrains website should show the notes in question for you to read .

Feel free to tell us what you think .

 

Albie

 

All my Heritage DMU sound projects have manual gear change options.They also feature very long first gear which can be changed to medium duration at the press of an F key.

 

If you like, 'Hill Climb' or 'Normal' mode.

 

However, there are several versions of each type (101, 105, 108 etc) some of which have the more usual auto progression for users who prefer not to have manual gearchange so it's important to know which version is being compared/highlighted.

 

In the same way that Bif may be able to accomodate your specific requirements, Digitrains can offer individualised solutions. After all that's where fully programmable decoders will always have the edge over TTS.  But none of us can know that you are not satisfied unless you feed this back to the appropriate sound provider.

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

[cravensdmufan]

Have you tried asking us to tweek the first gear for you.      Charlie

I messaged Bif about it some time ago and spoke to him at BRM Peterborough 2016.  I'm hoping to go to DEMU Showcase this year so maybe can chat with you then.

 

Thanks very much for clarification.  

[charliepetty]

I messaged Bif about it some time ago and spoke to him at BRM Peterborough 2016.  I'm hoping to go to DEMU Showcase this year so maybe can chat with you then.

 

Thanks very much for clarification.  

I shall discuss this with him, as at shows we are crazy busy with little time to chat.  Especially DEMU.     Charlie

[cravensdmufan]

Further to my OP back in May, I recently decided to try a Wheeltappers Class 105 Cravens DMU sound.

 

I am absolutely delighted with it – just what I was looking for. You can drive the DMU changing up and down the gears, manually varying the length of the gear engagement by simply pressing a function key as the train is moving along. This is a feature which I believe is not available on other first generation DMU sound projects (all the ones I purchased previously change through the gears automatically which I found frustrating!). You can also move the unit around the depot or sidings slowly with engines ticking over after a very short burst of throttle, which is ideal.

 

It also has a manual braking feature so you can apply the brake via a function button to make the DMU slow down quicker. The intensity of the braking force can be altered by changing a CV but I haven't tried that yet.

 

The gear change is set to a prototypical scale speed so you can't go any faster without changing gear! That is a very good feature.

 

Also included are really good sounding horns, flange squeal, AWS, and a fantastic stationary engine rev up, so typical of these old units.

 

Here is a link to my YouTube video featuring many, but not all, of the sounds, which I hope conveys how good this is.

 

 

I fitted a small iPhone speaker under the power car; I guess a larger speaker would provide a louder and deeper sound, but this is good enough for my small layout.

 

I have no connection with this supplier www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk – just a very happy customer. I shall definitely be ordering another DMU sound, probably a 101, in a couple of months time.

Edited August 16, 2018 by cravensdmufan

[Sails]

Further to my OP back in May, I recently decided to try a Wheeltappers Class 105 Cravens DMU sound.

 

I am absolutely delighted with it – just what I was looking for. .......

 

 

 

Agree with you there, I have two Irish diesels fitted (071 & 141) and both are fantastic. The 071 is my favorite sound fitted diesel, could listen to it all day.