After a fairly lengthy session with the PowerCab I feel confident in writing this brief review.

I used my Broadway Limited Southern Pacific GS4 Daylight as the test vehicle. This is a fully equipped DCC Sound model, the DCC chip being factory installed.

The photo shows the set up, with the GS4 on rollers.

Having not used the GS4 for some time I could not remember if I had set the long address and my initial attempts to fire up the engine suggested that I had not, so I did a CV 8 reset. But I still could not get the loco to move or make any sounds, though the basic lighting came on.

I checked that the cable between engine and tender was making good contact. It seemed to be. Then I tried various keys on the PowerCab and set the long address and the short address and selected either one or the other. Still nothing. Then I noticed that there is a program option to assign the loco to a cab. I am still not sure why this is the case, but when starting up the PowerCab I had noticed that it was assigned to "Cab 2". So I assigned Loco 4452 to Cab 2 and pressed F9, the loco's startup function key.

Hey presto, the beast came to life (the GS4 sounds are quite superb, by the way).

I checked out the speed controls and the momentum settings - all worked as they should, though there is no way of seeing what the current momentum setting is. To begin with I couldn't get the 128 step option to work. NCE says that if the chip in the loco can run 128 speed steps, it is automatically assigned. However, I was only able to select either 14 or 28 speed steps. Then I noticed a button on the bottom row labelled 28/128 and this turned on the 128 option. I now assume that, for this loco, the PowerCab will automatically adjust the setting to 128, but I am not completely convinced.

Next, I was somewhat disappointed that the PowerCab only offers 13 function settings (F0 to F12). I had hoped for more. But my attempts at function mapping were successful, so I immediately assigned some of the higher function numbers to F7 (smoke unit was the default and my GS4 doesn't have one) and F10 (this became the standard US railroad crossing whistle - long-long-short-long).

I also reprogrammed some of the sound CV settings. These all worked as promised.

Programming really is easy, just as Digitrains said it would be. I tried both Main and Program Track modes and it is probable that I would use Main in the future - it's quicker.

I am still not sure why I seem to have to assign the loco to Cab 2 each time I switch on the system.

Compared to UK locomotives, the GS4 has four lights - Front/Rear directionally controlled head/tender lights, cab light (set to come on when the loco is stationary) and the Mars light, a simulated high powered headlamp that rotates in a figure 8 on the real thing. My UK locos have no lights which is one reason for me using the GS4 as the test bed.

So, a good purchase, though I do have a few reservations which may be expelled after having a chat with the experts.