johnashp

Thank you Dominion. I'll see if the rest of mine match this list! The ones I identified certainly do. So no AWS siren!? On the list that was included, AWS siren is there which also slows the loco. I have found no sign of that.

I'll try these out tomorrow. Thanks again.  

PS Was there an indication on your list which of these sounds were "latching"?

On 07/01/2020 at 11:05, No Decorum said:

I have held off getting one of these locos until the sound became available. Rails’ Advent discount led me take the plunge.

The sound quality is, IMHO, good. Chuffs synchronise with the wheels and die away when coasting. Control is also very good.

On the other hand, it’s driving me mad! Most of the sounds and features don’t match the function list in the instructions and some features seem to be missing. As far as I have been able to work out so far, these are the actual sounds. I emphasise that I need another session to check the list below.

F1    Sound.
F2    Whistle (single note, playable).
F3    Whistle (random toot or toot toot).
F4    –
F5    –
F6    Safety valves.
F7    Injector.
F8    Brake.
F9    Flange squeal.
F10    Guard’s whistle.
F11    On: guard’s whistle; off: acknowledging toot toot.
F12    Drain cocks.
F13    Fire door (no shovelling, no light).
F14    Shunt mode.
F15    Auto uncoupling.
F16    Coasting?
F17    –
F18    Rattling?
F19    Flange squeal.
F20    –
F21    –
F22    –
F23    –
F24    –

This is driving me potty too. I took delivery of my pre-ordered-from-Hattons N7 with sound in October but it has been locked away till Christmas!

It runs well but then the problems start. The sound is very quiet. I have many other Loksound- and TTS-fitted locos and they drown this one out. I have looked at CV63 (Master volume) and that is set at the max, 128. I went to look at the individual volumes but accessing those via Railmaster and e-Link, all I get is "not used" for all of those. I have noted in the instruction leaflet that CV31 should be set to 16 and CV32 to 1 (it was set to zero), but, having checked and corrected that, I still can't access the individual sound volumes (CVs of which range from 259 to 467).

Most of the F key assignments are not as per the instruction leaflet, as ´No Decorum´said in his post, above. Some are so quiet, it's impossible to hear what they are supposed to be. I found AWS bell at F19 but no sign of AWS siren. Flange Squeal I concur at F9 and F11 for Guards whistle. I'm still checking the others.

It's a nice model but, having paid for sound, I expect to be able to hear it and to access the functions from a list that is correct. I will contact Oxford Rail as soon as the holidays are over but would welcome any ideas about the low level sound issue. Thanks. 

Roads are built on viaducts too. If you've got enough space I would suggest a road viaduct at one end of the layout crossing one end of the oval with a ramp down to within the oval, this will hide the sharp curves of the oval as well. You could also cover one end curve with a tunnel.

Thanks. Great idea. I'll ponder it.

I seemed to have started a Frinton frolick, somehow!

Thanks everyone!

I already have a level crossing with pedestrian gate to get to the main station! The outside track is right on the edge of the board and hence no room for a level crossing. I am going to experiment with these (below, Metcalfe kit)) to see if can create something effective. The idea is for the vehicles to disappear (never to be seen again?).

Nice pictures, by the way!

I have a small 00 layout (6'x4') with a double oval track with sidings and platform loop etc.

I had a problem getting passengers from the main station building onto the first platform (from there, there is a footbridge). To solve this I used 2x Metcalfe Platform Subways. I did not want to cut holes in the baseboard to accommodate these, so I trimmed the base walls and handrail and drew an illusion of steps going down. It works quite well and will place a couple of trimmed passengers on the "steps" as if they are walking up the stairs to the platform and down from the main station building.

I have a "village" with shops etc in the centre of the layout with a main street. The trouble is, there is nowhere for the cars to go and I'm trying to think of of a way of creating the illusion of an underpass under the track with cars disappearing behind side walls. I have not thought this through yet and my poor old brain has got a bit stuck. I thought I could use downloadable walls from modelrailwayscenery.com but that's as far as I've got. Just an idea.

If anyone has done something similar it would be great if they could post pictures. Or, if anyone has ideas.... I'd be very grateful

Many thanks.

John 

I too have had problems with Osborns. One has to be persistent to get a reply to emails."Automatic" email advising dispatch of a recent order not received, nor has the item ordered arrived.

A previous "non arrival" was "sent again" and did arrive. It seems I'll be having to chase, yet again, the item I am still waiting for. This is the only firm I've ordered from in UK that I've had such problems with. A great shame.  

I have been chatting with Wiggy and he agrees the sound is awful. At least, I assume he thinks that, as he said he was speechless when I sent a video of poor old County of Flint's sound behaviour!! 

All agree, it has to go back to Hattons to give them another chance and it is being posted off this morning. I'll report back when I get it back but Hattons are still muttering "Olivia sounds" and not sure they will use anything else. We'll see what they say and do.

Thanks for the support here, guys!

Thanks Wiggy & Nigel.

I´m sure Nigel is right, if the ESU is set up correctly. But I guess there's more to get wrong and it needs skill and knowledge which does not seem to have been applied in this case.  I do know, however, that in this case, my TTS locos are performing much more satisfactorily than this ESU one.

Hattons have offered to take the loco back and set it up again. Can I expect it to be any better, I wonder? To send it off from Spain to UK again and be without out it for several weeks with no guarantee it will be any better is all rather a pain.

I'm going to video its current performance and put it on Youtube for Wiggie to look at. I'll also share it here.

Thanks again. 

My Hornby County of Flint blew its DCC chip so I sent it off to Hattons and I decided to go overboard and have them fit a Loksound 4 & speaker, and they installed Olivia's steam A4 sound file http://www.oliviastrains.com/trains/mt/olivias-trains-sound-function-sheets/olivias-steam-sound-functions/

I was not that happy with the way it had been set up and, to avoid having to post it back from Spain to UK again, am trying to adjust things myself. I have downloaded the Loksound 4 manual, a lot of which is impenetrable to me, along with the Olivia soundsheet.

The chuff and other sound volumes are out of balance, the chuff being far to quiet. I read elsewhere about changing CV 31 to 16 (was already) and CV32 to 1, which I did. The separate sounds start at CV 259 but Railmaster via Elink won't read beyond CV255 despite setting CV range to read from 1 to 400. It does not get beyond 255. Is that a limitation of Railmaster? Which would mean I cannot balance the various sounds.

Something else I've been trying to overcome by adjusting acceleration rate is the fact that it gives a very long burst of steam as the brake is released and sets off quite fast with the steam still gushing; any slow chuffing can't be heard. Once the steam stops, the chuffs are then too fast for the speed. 

My 2 Hornby TTS locos are much more user-friendly and sounds and implementation are much better. Steam brake off, loco starts with chuffing at the correct rate. I think I have wasted quite a lot of money and, in future, will be waiting for the standalone TTS decoders etc to become available. I'd welcome suggestions, thanks.