SRman

With the much older ESU LokSound v3.5 decoders, recommended speaker impedance was 100 ohm, but ESU tacitly approved of running two 100 0hm speakers in parallel, reducing the impedance to 50 ohms, but the proviso was that one had to reduce the volume to below 50 (out of 64 which was the max for v3.5 on CV63). In practice, I found that many of my dual speaker locos with v3.5 decoders were perfectly loud enough at values of about 25 to 30 in Cv63. All are still running happily today. ESU do seem to build in a large tolerance for going over their "safe" recommendations, having done these things in their own locomotive products too. As DougJUK suggested, if anyone really is panicking about this, fit an 8 ohm speaker into the bay instead of the EM1/Accurathrash speaker. I have done this in one 37 with an alternative sound file installed, where the bass of the Accurathrash was a little too much. Even so, that can now be toned down by adjusting CV196 for bass and Cv197 for treble with the latest ESU firmware. For the record, none of my Accurascale 37s are running at full volume anyway, because I nearly always find that a little too loud for my tastes. Many non-Accurascale locos with ESU v4 and v5 sound decoders are running at volumes between 90 and 130 (out of 192), which renders them satisfactory to my ears.

Bouquets to Cavalex: I contacted them through their form on their website with a query regarding the LokPilot settings on behalf of a friend (yes, really!). Alex got straight back to me with a response: there is a downloadable file on the ESU website for the Cavalex class 56 LokPilot settings, which I have duly downloaded and saved - the link is https://projects.esu.eu/projectoverviews/8 Said friend has received his DCC-ready 56 and is buying a suitable LokPilot 5DCC decoder locally here in Melbourne. I have the LokProgrammer so I said I would be more than happy to put the settings onto his decoder.

I did all those things with my early Hornby version, as well as renumbering it to avoid an address clash on DCC. The one thing I didn't do was repaint the eggshell blue bands to off-white, a change that happened fairly early on with the Brush type 2 livery. I must fix that '2' that has partially rubbed off again. The crack apparent in the lower corner at left (in the photo) was the result of the dreaded mazak rot - Hornby sent me out a new chassis block. I was lucky to be able to catch it before more damage was done to the body. This also has an early attempt at the Mirrlees sounds from Howes.

I agree. I want to duplicate that effect from now on, if I can.

A second, cut-down section of hedgerow was done, again experimentally, using a spray-on glue rather than the sticky hairspray I used for the first one. The texture has come out a little differently, even though I was using the same materials. The new bit is on the right, behind the signal box. It looks more like a green blob. The photos were taken without the layout lighting on first, and with it on for the second., On a different tack, I assembled a 1960s/70s Freightliner train for the camera, after working on some containers and also adding another Bachmann FGA twin-set to the rake. I managed to locate a new pair at Simon's Trains online, although they were for the newer era with more modern containers. The existing set of five (pair of FGAs and three FFAs) was split to give visually better sets of three plus four as opposed to five plus two. Some of the containers are old Triang ones resurrected, others are Bachmann, and the rest are from C Rail. The more modern insignia on the newer-period wagons barely show when in service like this.

That sounds entirely feasible.

During our power cuts yesterday evening, I got working on ideas for the hedgerows. As I've stated before, I'm not happy with the results of previous attempts at a hedgerow along the road past the garage, and taking some inspiration from a 'Making Tracks' video, I used some cheap scouring pads as the basis for this one. there are actually two pads glued together for the width, with some polyfibre and Noch leaves glued on with hair spray. Overall, for the position I have posed it in (it's not glued down), it is too high and too wide, but this piece can be moved up the road a bit for a better effect there, and a thinner, lower piece put along this stretch. I'm thinking in terms of leaving the garage more visible. I am much happier with the effect of this technique, though.

The delays can be set. this is shown using LokProgrammer software, working on the function outputs. I'm not sure quite what you want for the turning on: simply press F0 (or whatever other function is needed) before starting to drive the loco would seem to be the obvious answer, but possibly you have something else in mind.

For shunting the usual lighting set up was to have one red and one white light showing at each end, permanently set while the shunting moves were taking place. It saved changing lights every time the locomotive was reversed during the manoeuvres. To that end, on DCC, I have set both my Heljan class 07 diesels to have the lights permanently on at both ends with F0 on, rather than being directional.

Here are a couple of shots of the wagons 'before and after'. They both have the same running number at present; I must get around to renumbering one or both of them.

On a slightly different note, I received some 3D printed London Transport wagon bits from Kim Durose. they form "dog ear" door bumpers. I have three suitable Bachmann wagons straight off, bit ordered enough of the parts to do twice that number. I just had to try one straight away, and this is the result. The left hand bumper has moved slightly, but I'll straighten it up again. The parts are very cleanly printed and only needed a minimum of fettling to get them to fit between the solebar channels.

I was fiddling with the function settings on my Kernow class 41 A1A-A1A Warship a couple of days ago, and while I had it on the test track, I drew a couple of silver arrows with a Sharpie pen under the battery boxes indicating which way was forwards. While that won't help me when the loco is on the tracks, it will assist in getting it the way round that I want while setting up a train. Of course, for normal viewing distances, the tiny numbers or letters near the cab doors are not readable, even if they are there.

I don't know why the aerial at one end of my 56 120 seems to have been more vulnerable than the other, but I kept knocking the #1 end and bending it. It ended up with a break, not completely through, and gluing it repeatedly failed as I kept bumping it again, so I cut it off flush, masked the surrounding cab roof and drilled a hole where it had been. Some brass wire of the same diameter as the aerials was stuck in with superglue, and any gaps filled with Glue n Glaze, which had the added benefit of strengthening it. Once it was all set properly, a quick coat of Humbrol RC422 grey nicely matched the roof colour. The aerial at the #2 end has remained unsullied and pointing up, exactly the way it should. I'll have to be more careful now as any accidents with the #1 end could now be rather painful for me. 😬 😂

Yes. I still have trouble with those! 🤣 In those cases, turn on the lights if it has them and see which end lights up. I can think of quite a few classes of diesel that are difficult to tell. Sometimes there is one asymmetrical feature, such as a boiler port, but I still have difficulty remembering which way is the #1 cab end (or the 'A' end on Western Region locos). Such classes include class 41, 42 and 43 Warships, class 52 Westerns, class 53 'Falcon', and Class 55 Deltics. There may be others I have missed.

Those Øresundståg trains are quite comfortable. We rode quite a few of them in 2022 while staying in Copenhagen. They are used as local and regional trains in Denmark, and become almost Intercity trains in Sweden. We were staying in Ørestad, on the Kastrup Airport line which continues over the bridge into Sweden, and using the trains for the one stop trip into Copenhagen Central, and in the other direction into Sweden to various destinations, some of which are almost two-thirds of the way to Stockholm. Mostly they were running as 3- or 6-car units, but we did see one 9-car set (i.e. three units) on our very first arrival into Denmark at the airport station. I have strung the Danish train footage together into a video on YouTube - the 9-car set is in the very first scene. The Swedish video is here: This photo of our Øresundståg train was taken at Alvesta. We actually went to Växjö then back to Alvesta, where we changed trains and hopped on one of the SJ's X2000 units to Stockholm. The pale grey and silver livery really doesn't do much for the X2000s, although a new scheme with a darker grey on the noses and doors is coming in on refurbished units. With the livery on the photo, they remind me just a bit of the Ice Warriors from Doctor Who! All in all, I found the train travel in Denmark and Sweden very enjoyable. Mrs SRman was reasonably impressed, so that's really saying something!

Back to the Cavalex class 56. For some reason I keep knocking the aerial at the No. 1 end of the loco. I haven't quite broken it completely, but it had a distinct break in the middle so it was only a matter of time. I reglued it a few times but as that wasn't working (you can see the bend in the video I posted earlier today), I decided to cut it off flush and replace it with a bit of brass wire of the same diameter. I used some masking tape to protect the cab roof around the base of the aerial before cutting it and then drilling a hole to stick the wire into. It was superglued in, then the slight gaps around the bottom edges were filled with some Glue n Glaze. Some Humbrol Acrylic RC422 was used to paint the aerial and the touched in areas. the results are in the photo below, together with the untouched and undamaged aerial at the No. 2 end. This does mean that if I try to damage the aerial again, it will be somewhat more painful for me! 😬 🤣

The two C-Rail containers I have been decorating and weathering are all but finished now. The weathering has had a coat of matt varnish to seal it and the transfers (which had already had one coat). The varnish has dried slightly glossier than I really want, but it is still a very dull satin sheen that seems to sit well. I'm not sure if the roof hatches on the Bulkhaul container should be a different colour though. maybe a grey rather than the blue?

I have posted a video of the Cavalex 56 running on Newton Broadway.

Unfortunately, I don't have the space or resources to actually build a foreign layout, but I have a weakness for trains I have ridden in or been close to, so have accumulated quite a few Danish, Swedish and German models. I also have a few Swiss models (I've never actually been there, but it's on the bucket list), and also some Australian models for the same reasons. These all make occasional appearances on my British-based Newton Broadway layout, and I just have to accept the compromises that involves for realism, including wrong-line running for most of those. Sweden does still have left-hand running, a legacy from when they also drove on the left; they decided it was too expensive to change the railways over when the roads swapped sides (1968, from memory). I do like to see a good Continental layout at exhibitions or in magazines, although I find quite a lot of exhibition layouts for Australian subjects have a certain sameness about them (sorry guys, to the ones who do put a lot of effort into building those layouts).

The radiator area was more boxy, but that wouldn't be beyond several of the modellers in RMweb. https://www.derbysulzers.com/cuba.html

Having now seen the prices in Kernow's newsletter, it looks like they'll be very competitive, although to be fair, Accurascale's model promises a working fan, whereas to get that feature on the Bachmann model, one has to pay a premium for the deluxe model. Likewise, from what I can understand in the specifications, the auto uncoupling feature in Bachmann's model only applies to the deluxe model. Still, it will be interesting to see how the sales pan out. Personally, I have only one 30/31 on order, and that is an Accurascale model with LT tripcocks.

From Phil "John McEnroe" Bullock! 😜😂

Checking the photos in my post, I agree. I hadn't really noticed that before.

I tend to buy my decoders locally here in Australia then for sound decoders, buy the sounds I want - most suppliers will email the files locked to the serial numbers for ESU and Zimo decoders. For non-sound, the settings are not really copyrighted like sounds tend to be, if you purchase an ESU LokPilot, once Cavalex have sorted out their settings for that decoder, if you ask them very nicely, they might send you the settings to load into the decoder. I did exactly that with an accurascale class 92, and they were very obliging in sending me the necessary settings to work everything properly, including the servos for the pantographs. I would suggest that having the working fans on the Cavalex model would fall into a similar category in needing the extra bit of programming.