Accurascale's First Steam Locomotive; GWR Collett 78xx Manor Class!

[Northmoor MPD]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

One thing Fran - it still has that considerably oversize reverser handle.  Compare with the Sdn drawing below. (although it might well have been corrected by now as it was noted as oversize when teh EPs were first posted).

 

 

 

 

My understanding from what Fran said is that it was part of the original batch to receive decoration but got lost in transit and has recently turned up, so I can’t imagine any tooling mods had taken place between the decorated samples as they were created around the same time? 

[Ian Hargrave]

A nostalgic look at the BR lined black with red plates for me. My first journey behind a Manor was with 7829 similarly adorned , Vale of Neath Aberdare HL to Neath ,early 1950’s. A day’s outing to the Gower which included an onward trip via the Mumbles train ( we didn’t call it a tram then )

 

 

 

[AForce]

Ahh, the one I've been waiting for as I help out with the real thing. Looking good! 😎

 

[Miss Prism]

It may be a trick of the model lighting, and I'm aware that chimney fixings did/do vary in style (particularly on preserved things), but generally, chimney fixings are a couple of sizes down from 'normal' (e.g. smokebox) rivets, and the ones on the skirt on the model chimney are a tad too big in my view. (The middle pic is not a Manor btw, it is 9466.)

 

 

cheers

Miss Picky

 

[Hilux5972]

Dinmore Manor looks fantastic. Can’t wait for these to be delivered. 

[No Decorum]

20 hours ago, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi everyone,

 

One notable absentee from our decorated sample line up was 7820 'Dinmore Manor'. Unfortunately this was sent after the first lot of decorated samples and got somewhat lost along the way, but it has finally shown up. 

 

Once again, please note that this is a pre-production decorated sample, so usual caveats apply! 

 

 

 

Constructive feedback welcome as always, and look out for the running video with Hornby magazine tomorrow along with a further Manor update next week!

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

 

 

Keep looking for Anthony Manor, Fran!

[Neal Ball]

12 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

Keep looking for Anthony Manor, Fran!

Im sure the decorated sample is there somewhere…. But hey! We have sound today 😎

[SteamingWales]

Premiering at 12. Got the popcorn ready 🍿🍿🍿

 

https://youtu.be/OVC70B-fwCI

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by SteamingWales

[McC]

 

[Northmoor MPD]

21 minutes ago, McC said:

 

 
I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas  🎄🚂🤣 

[AForce]

I'm looking forward to seeing this. It's my favourite Western engine at the GWSR and one of the easier ones to work on, particularly when it comes to ashing out. The drop grate is extremely useful, as is the sloped ashpan. 

 

Since it's return from the SDR over the Christmas period, the loco operates south facing as per my photo.

[Hilux5972]

The loco sounds great. And looks great running too. Thank you Hornby Magazine for the video. Really can’t wait for this model. Thank you Accurascale 

[Miss Prism]

Very impressive.

 

GWR coach doors sounded a bit softer than those nasty metallic MkI things!

[Free At Last]

 I liked the laughter sounds of the manna.

[Harlequin]

I'm afraid I was underwhelmed. It sounded similar to many other steam sound projects I've heard and I was hoping for better bass reproduction. (I realise that it is difficult to capture model sounds on video, though, so maybe it sounds better in real life.)

One of the starts was worryingly jerky.

 

[Accurascale Fran]

1 minute ago, Harlequin said:

I'm afraid I was underwhelmed. It sounded similar to many other steam sound projects I've heard and I was hoping for better bass reproduction. (I realise that it is difficult to capture model sounds on video, though, so maybe it sounds better in real life.)

One of the starts was worryingly jerky.

 

 

Hi @Harlequin,

 

I think it's very important to remember that the sound is in an early sample, and agree that it is hard to capture this on video, but there are also packaging in such a small loco to consider too. We will try our best, naturally.

 

It is also important to note that since this sample the PCB has been totally redesigned to allow more space and better motor control. We will go into detail on this in our update next week, and this is also a first draft sound file, in a pre-production model. The final model customers receive will naturally be a lot better. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[Harlequin]

7 minutes ago, Accurascale Fran said:

 

Hi @Harlequin,

 

I think it's very important to remember that the sound is in an early sample, and agree that it is hard to capture this on video, but there are also packaging in such a small loco to consider too. We will try our best, naturally.

 

It is also important to note that since this sample the PCB has been totally redesigned to allow more space and better motor control. We will go into detail on this in our update next week, and this is also a first draft sound file, in a pre-production model. The final model customers receive will naturally be a lot better. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

 

Great!

 

Thanks Fran, that's all good to know.

 

(Do you know if any sound project has yet applied psycho-acoustics to improve the perceived frequencies??? Might be worth investigating.)

 

[longchap]

An interesting video showing how the sound capture was done, but not how it was processed to produce the sound file or indeed how the all-important installation was carried out. This is the information ideally expected before placing an order.

 

I must concur with the comments from Harlequin, although accept Fran's comments that work is still required and the final production version is still to be worked up.

 

I am very concerned that further delay in ordering may result in missing out what promises to be an exceptional locomotive and due to being impressed with Accurascale's engagement with customers and good reputation from existing products, that I have placed my order for a sound fitted Anthony Manor.

 

Looking forward to further updates.

 

Bill

Edited July 8, 2022 by longchap

[Islesy]

13 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

(Do you know if any sound project has yet applied psycho-acoustics to improve the perceived frequencies??? Might be worth investigating.)

Probably best to keep in mind that this is a 4mm model of a locomotive @Harlequin, not Porton Down's test bed 🤭 I think we need to keep some perspective here...

[The Stationmaster]

Very interesting and I would agree that it does need work with that lack of bass as it stands (sounds?).  The carriage door closing sound was odd so definitely needs tweaking.

 

But coming to the loco sounds two things stood out for me.  Firstly the vacuum pump is a tad noisy, you could even hear it above the exhaust at one point but it is fair to point out that in the first place it was recording of a noisy vacuum pump - in need of a drop of the magical juice (which is a trade secret, sorry).   The other thing is my standing moan about virtually all small scale steam sound although I think here that  it also applies to the driving, and hence the sound which was recorde.   And that is the reverser not being wound back as speed increased which would alter the exhaust note.   Saying that is easy - how on earth to deal with it is a rather different matter which would probably need more recordings to try to get at a way of providing some sort of variation?  Leaving the reverser wound out is great for exhaust sound but a bit of a blunt instrument and definitely not Western driving.  

 

The whistle also sounded a bit odd at one point (and only at one point) but I think that was probably due to lack of bass speaker range.

 

I'm trying to avoid being carping - even if it sounds like it - but overall I think there is a good basis there to work from in refining the sounds and the way most of them work together.  The injector noise is very good as is the ejector noise, which I though excellent, (although it needs to be used properly and not as seen at one point in the model video).  I don't know if the exhaust injector was recorded, and I know some Firemen weren't keen on them, but an awful of traffic mileage was worked with the exhaust injector on rather than wasting steam using the live steam injector.  And was a recording taken of the engine blowing-off I wonder?  Press a  key to get the blowing off noise and then press another to turn on the live steam injector then a little while later turn off the escaping steam noise - that would be truly good stuff.

 

So overall I think a pretty good starting point albeit with one or two caveats.  And what about recording GWR carriage doors being closed - totally different from the Mk1 as it w involved two actions - shi ut the door and then turn the door handle to keep it shut?

[Harlequin]

1 minute ago, Islesy said:

Probably best to keep in mind that this is a 4mm model of a locomotive @Harlequin, not Porton Down's test bed 🤭 I think we need to keep some perspective here...

I think it would be easy to do. There are plugins you can buy for many audio apps. They (partially) make up for frequencies that a speaker can’t reproduce by supplying the harmonics of that frequency that the human brain expects to be present. The sound file would be processed in this way before it’s stored in the decoder. So no hardware or software changes needed in the decoder or the loco.

 

Someone is going to try it one day, and who better that you guys???

 

[Accurascale Fran]

10 minutes ago, longchap said:

An interesting video showing how the sound capture was done, but not how it was processed to profile the sound file or indeed how the all-important installation was carried out. This is the information ideally expected before placing an order.

 

I must concur with the comments from Harlequin, although accept Fran's comments that work is still required and the final production version are still to be worked up.

 

I am very concerned that further delay in ordering may result in missing out what promises to be an exceptional locomotive and due to being impressed with Accurascale's engagement with customers and good reputation from existing products, that I have placed my order for a sound fitted Anthony Manor.

 

Looking forward to further updates.

 

Bill

 

Hi Bill,

 

I'm sorry, but I dont quite follow. Installation? They come fitted with this sound from the factory, so you put it on the track and run the locomotive.

 

Sorry, I might have misinterpreted your point.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[rprodgers]

It’s possibly been mentioned earlier but the shirt button on Cookham Manor seems over prominent and in a bolder format.

Its also appears yellow rather than the gold I thought is was.

Did the shirt button change in appearance over time ?

Also will the bogie axle ends be painted black?
 

Really impressed overall with this model and already ordered two 

 

Thank you Accurascale

[Accurascale Fran]

Just now, rprodgers said:

It’s possibly been mentioned earlier but the shirt button on Cookham Manor seems over prominent and in a bolder format.

Its also appears yellow rather than the gold I thought is was.

Did the shirt button change in appearance over time ?

Also will the bogie axle ends be painted black?
 

Really impressed overall with this model and already ordered two 

 

Thank you Accurascale

 

Hi @rprodgers,

 

Yes, the shirtbutton colour was debated earlier in the thread and this is still the same sample as that first previewed sample. The bogie axle ends will indeed be black.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[rprodgers]

3 minutes ago, Accurascale Fran said:

 

Hi @rprodgers,

 

Yes, the shirtbutton colour was debated earlier in the thread and this is still the same sample as that first previewed sample. The bogie axle ends will indeed be black.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

Thanks Fran you just keep on making me poorer!