I found it very difficult to get into the Kernow 1361 to hard-wire the decoder, it is beautifully designed and engineered with very fine tolerances and superb fit of parts, I had to study the exploded diagram carefully to identify where the join is between parts. The instructions say remove 2 screws in the coal bunker to remove the cab roof to install crew and speaker. In fact you don't need to remove the screws, they don't help at all. To remove the cab roof you have to carefully tweak some self-locking plastic tabs fixed to the rear edge of the roof and engaging with the coal bunker doors/shovelling plate. Anyway, some very careful disassembly later it was down to the running gear and I un-soldered the pcb to hard-wire a Zimo MX 648 sound decoder (shorter than an MX649 because there isn't much length in the smoke box/boiler with the wiring as well) and test ran it before re-assembly. It needs more running-in, so I need to progress on my rolling road next so that it can run whilst I work on the micro layout for it.

The rolling road is a great tool, wish I'd invested years ago, I've laid a length of EM track as the machine screw ends sticking out under the cradles are too far apart to fit within 16.5 mm track gauge (a strange oversight in design) and I've had to loosen the roller bearings as they came from the factory screwed so tightly to the cradle that they didn't revolve (again an oversight) The loco has had 2 - 3 hours running in each direction and has quietened-down a lot, I've oiled-round coupling rods and axles where it shows on the diagram, I plan to grease the brass worm too as I'm sure that is creating some of the noise. A crew is being painted and a little more weathering is needed.

I've installed a sugar cube 15 x 11 speaker in the coal bunker with a tiny chamber that started at 5 mm deep and ended at 3 mm with edges rounded and base thinned to enable it to fit in the bunker. Some test running showed that the volume needed turning down and if I can get it changed, I'll alter the short whistle sound to a toot!

Here's a short video on my YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/WqE1c46r62c

I've added the crew to the cab

The 1361 was hitting the nose of a short radius point on the diverging route on the new layout, wagons ran through without any problem, so I added a 10 thou sliver of plasticard to the check rail with butanone and it works!