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I said I'd comment further on my "Cwmbran" decoder brainstorm, when I heard back from Bachmann. I returned the failed loco to them very securely and carefully packed in Accurascale Deltic packaging by insured post. The package I received back from them is probably best described as something akin to the dishevelled packaging one occasionally receives from eBay sellers. Despite confirming that the issue was a defective decoder after all, but unfortunately not explaining any of the other curiosities, I then got confirmation from Jenni Ayres of Bachmann that despite this loco having been defective and rejected almost immediately after purchase, Bachmann do not refund postage on warranty returns ! I then had the loco checked over at my local model shop who supplied it in the first place, who were very quick to point out that there are now several parts missing, and that in their view this is a different loco entirely. Prior to returning it to Bachmann, at their suggestion I had also placed a small sticker that they supplied in an inconspicuous place inside the body (something that is apparently a useful device to deal with eBay fraudsters), and surprise surprise it's not there on the loco Bachmann returned to me. If I'd wanted a completely different loco in substitution or just my money back, that would have been so much easier. Instead I wanted what I paid for, namely a brand-new 35-335SFX Class 37/4 37430 'Cwmbran', which strangely was shown as out of stock at Bachmann the moment it was released, and allegedly is now impossible to find at the same price. Not a mistake I'll be making again in a hurry.

Apologies - finger trouble and a long day. That last post should have read CV2=either 1 or 2 point, and further down CV2=1

Quick post in response to Steve (55020) and MikeParkin65: Steve - thank you once again for the suggested slow speed running CVs; the difference in slow speed running of the fleet is simply staggering. Commenting on your CV=either 1 or 2 point, I found that with many v5s there is often a time delay between activating speed step 1 (of 128) which sets the control lever to "on" increasing the revs slightly, and the loco actually beginning to move, initially at an almost imperceptible crawl; the Legomanbiffo v5 for the Heljan Class 25 being a very good example of this. I suspect this delay is probably adjustable although for the life of me I haven't found which would be the correct CV to adjust this yet, although am happy to leave it as it is. With CV=1 on the Deltics, and using your other settings, I now get the same result, and after a few seconds delay following the initial increase in revs, they exhibit an almost imperceptibly slow crawl, and will then pull away beautifully from a slow crawl with absolutely no jerking or other inconsistencies. I can't tell you what a difference this has made. Mike - many thanks for the link to Steve's other post which I confess I'd missed, although I had picked up a note of the drive lock activation and lighting CV details directly from Accurascale when I queried this on receipt of my first loco, having discovered that drive lock is not operational by default.

Sincere apologies to to aureol140012 for essentially putting three separate posts into one, namely comments on and the correct email address for Bachmann service, a very useful upgrade to Bachmann's own v3.5 decoder equipped locos (37's and 56 is in particular) and my doubts with 37340 that the prime mover sound files are not actually as good as the much older version, and the curious tale of 37430's decoder's brainstorm with warning about Bachmann warranty invalidation. In going into detail on the issues with 37340, I deliberately didn't expand it further by providing details of the original functions assigned to each F number, as these can be looked up very easily. I did however provide details of the only functions that were actually working, in the hope that one of the many who read these posts with this far more expertise than me in programming might then have sufficient information to understand how particular functions have been remapped the way they are. For those who haven't read any of the previous posts, to choose but two examples of random we now have: F2 originally mapped as with most recent Zimo dcc sound decoders as the brake function, now turns the lights off at number 2 end instead; F4 originally mapped as a double horn now operates the engine room lights instead. This decoder's apparent brainstorm has got me baffled. However, it is often the detail of a problem issue that gives someone with more expertese sufficient information to come up with the answer. If nothing else, my post certainly generated considerable discussion about Bachmann's warning of warranty invalidation, and if I've helped anyone avoid Bachmann rejecting a warranty claim on a £375 loco, then I regard that as no bad thing.

I hear what you all say, but I should add two caveats. Firstly that I am well versed in micro electronics and have built and rebuilt more locos than I care to remember, and secondly but more importantly, the information leaflet with this loco contains detailed body removal instructions that I suspect many owners will want to follow to fit crew et cetera. It does seem strange that Bachmann had left crew out of this loco unlike many other diesel releases over the years. I am perhaps fortunate in being able to number on the fingers of one hand the number of decoder failures I have had over the years, and I have to admit that this one has got me baffled; it is literally as if the decoder has somehow reprogrammed itself. My main reason for wanting to check, was simply to ensure that the decoder was properly seated; a common area that can lead to decoder malfunction. I would have felt a bit of a fool if Bachmann returned the loco to me with this as the explanation. Bachmann's reference to delicate wires, in fact relates to the nose light wiring which is very sensibly secured at either end with JST plugs and sockets; a nice touch. It is not particularly delicate but I suppose could potentially be damaged if body removal was done somewhat heavy handedly. The attached, with apologies to the rather poor quality of the image, shows the body carefully removed but with the end wiring plugs still connected. There was nothing obviously wrong, the decoder was properly seated, and I discovered an additional function still operating - F3 now operates the roof fan which I hadn't noticed previously as it is to all intents and purposes it is almost silent in operation. I returned the loco to Bachmann (in one of the Accurascale's superb boxes). It arrived yesterday and I await hearing from them with a diagnosis which I will post as soon as I get it, just in case anyone else encounters the same issue.

Wow - Steve - thank you so much; what a difference, and has inevitably saved me several hours of trial and error. If I might make a suggestion, I've just tried the same sequence but with the exception of CV2 to a value of 1 instead of 2, and which seems to create an even better very slow crawl. Thank you again Tim

Contacting Bachmann for service - and the curious case of Bachmann 35-335SFX Class 37/4 37430 'Cwmbran' I echo the suggestion to make contact with Bachmann. The contact email address is service@Bachmann-europe.co.uk . Jennifer Ayres of Bachmann I believe has considerable autonomy in respect of repairs and spares; I'm not sure if she is the head of that department but I suspect that might be the case. I am happy to report that she has been absolutely superb in assisting me with several spares issues in the past. I have however had some correspondence over the past few days with one of her colleagues, Clive Allen, following the failure of my brand-new Bachmann 35-335SFX Class 37/4 37430 'Cwmbran'. I noted that he has copied Miss Ayres into his emails. By way of a warning, it appears that if you remove the body from one of these, there is the potential of invalidating any warranty. To quote from an email from Mr Allen only yesterday (9 September) "If your dealer is unable to replace the model we would prefer you to send it in to us under the terms of the warranty. There are delicate wires and plugs attached inside the body that connect to the PCB on the chassis. If these are damaged during body removal they will not be covered by our warranty." Mindful however of the Information Leaflet supplied with the model containing instructions about removing the body, I doubt Bachmann would succeed in trying to invalidate a warranty if those instructions were followed. Anyway, the main point of this post is to describe a rather alarming issue with this model that I sincerely hope will not prove to be a common occurrence for other owners, and on which, hopefully, someone might be able to offer some suggestions. This particular model, the new 35-335SFX Class 37/4 37430 'Cwmbran', was acquired from my local model shop in the North-East, and in fact only on Tuesday this week we were comparing it on their test track to my earliest Bachmann sound equipped loco, another 37, 32-781DS Class 37/0 37057 'Viking'. All present were agreed that Viking in fact sounded very much better, even though it is only equipped with a Loksound v3.5, although I should tell you it was professionally retrofitted with a 100 ohm base reflex speaker fitted in the fuel tanks that I imported from the States and which completely transformed the sound. The sound from the new Class 37 simply didn't sound entirely correct and was accompanied by something of a buzzing/whining noise as the loco moved. The next time I tried it at home, for want of a better description the decoder appeared to have had a brainstorm. A brief summary of what it now exhibits is as follows: Placing the loco on the track front marker lights and tail lights operate at both ends and flicker; There is no sound; F1 now turns the lights off at one end; F2 now turns the lights off at the other end; F4 now operates the engine room lights; F5 now operates the high intensity headlight turning it on at both ends at the same time and flickering; F6 now operates the cab lights at No 1 end; F7 now operates the cab lights at No 2 end; No other function keys appear to have any effect; Several attempts at a CV8=8 reset made no difference whatsoever; Curiously, it now runs beautifully in both directions and the mechanism is almost silent, in complete contrast to the buzzing/whining noise it made when operating with sound. I contacted the dealer and rejected the loco as defective. Perhaps not surprisingly they had no additional stock of this loco, and on their checking the Bachmann dealer ordering site, it appears Bachmann are out of stock of this brand-new loco, hence my contacting Bachmann generating the current sequence of emails. Ideally I wanted a replacement for this loco, especially as it is no longer available at Bachmann, and do not simply want my money back. Notwithstanding Bachmann's warning against invalidating the warranty, I will be removing the body, as I suspect that either I simply have a defective decoder, or that I will discover some other wiring or hardware defect that has caused the decoder to malfunction. I have already suggested to Bachmann that they simply supply a replacement decoder, and it will be interesting to see what they say. Yes, I could return it to them for a warranty repair, but I am reluctant to do so. The last time I returned a defective loco, in fact to Hattons - one of their Class 66s - it mysteriously disappeared and Hattons continue to deny receipt. That was rather reminiscent of a brand-new Heljan Falcon that I bought from Hattons some years ago, only to discover on receipt not only that it ran dreadfully, but that someone had drilled holes in the bottom of the fuel tank for a badly glued in speaker, and yet this was supposed to be a brand-new loco from them - which I might add they then refused to replace. I have over 100 Zimo dcc sound equipped locos. The only issue I have ever had with any Zimo decoder was flickering on the taillights of an SLW Class 24, that was cured with a decoder reset. Until I have carried out some tests on this Class 37 decoder, I confess I am baffled. If anyone does have any ideas as to what might have caused this decoder to have what appears to be nothing short of a brainstorm entirely altering its function mapping and with the complete loss of all sound function, especially if this proves to be a more common issue with this model for other owners, I would very much appreciate any suggestions.

I agree with MikeParkin65's comments about using a V4 as opposed to the supplied V5 in an AS Deltic; the start-up and very low speed running is much better. Mind you, acceleration rate, or rather the lack of decent adjustment to it, was an inherent problem with the V5s when they were introduced, and the V4 is simply better in this area. However, I also tried using a Zimo decoder in an AS Deltic (albeit with completely the wrong sound file so with sound off), and it ran from an almost imperceptibly slow crawl, accelerating slowly and superbly with no juddering at all. I had thought from some of the earliest announcements that AS were going to equip their Deltics with Zimo decoders, but AS confirmed when I queried it that apparently that was never the case. Mind you I have just had an unmitigated disaster with the supplied Zimo decoder in the new Bachmann Class 37, but that's for another forum. I tried the automatic motor calibration recommended in the V5 manual (page 72) but that didn't seem to alter matters at all. Ultimately it looks as though it's going to be a question of finding the right sequence for CV numbers 2, 9, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 116, 117, 118 and 119. I have spent a few hours playing with these already and although I managed some improvement, I'm still miles away from Zimo motor control. It is a shame that the currently available Digitrains Deltic sound files for Zimo decoders have not been upgraded, I suspect for some time. Had they been on a par with the Legomanbiffo or AS sound files, I would have happily re-equipped the entire fleet with them. On the subject of the bogie chains, while there are one or two other over scale items on the loco, these for me simply spoil the overall look. I encourage any of you in any doubt to take a picture of one of your AS Deltic bogies and compare it with any photograph on Google or anywhere else of the real thing - try for example https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uo6gvug6hVA/U4Tqh2XMVuI/AAAAAAAAGrU/p52SzmvLNFk/s1600/55002+25May14+EOS+g.jpg I have seen one or two other posts describing the AS chain as anchor chain - harsh but not entirely unreasonable. I have however managed to obtain some ultrafine jewellery chain, and have also carried out some experiments with very fine black cotton stiffened with superglue which in fact doesn't look too bad at all (look at the image link and you'll see the similarity), and I'll post some photographs of the results using these and the modified actuators I've made, In due course.

To be honest, when I first saw Wolf27's picture of the aftermath of the derailment, while admittedly it was only on my mobile phone so rather small, nevertheless it reminded me immediately of DP2 after its July 1967 altercation with the cement wagons near Thirsk !

On the Zimo v Loksound issue, aureol40012 is quite right; Mike Wild did indeed say that his personal preference would have been for Zimo as opposed to ESU decoders, and then both he and Richard go on to discuss the lack of active braking which is present on the Zimo decoders, although Mike does say that it is available on ESU but is not as intuitive. My sincere apologies if I've incorrectly attributed any of Mike's comments as a criticism. If I did have a criticism and this is certainly not directed at Mike or Richard, it's that all of the locos that they show have the buffer beam pipework already fitted at one end, and I wish that that had been the case with the models released to us mere mortals - it's okay for you youngsters, but for those of us of a much more advanced age with less than perfect eyesight et cetera, populating the buffer beams with the delightful array of additional parts supplied is anything but an easy task. Mike's comment when pointing to all six that what is here now is what's coming in the boxes in that respect was not correct. I appreciate it's a subjective issue but surely it's much easier to remove such detail if you don't want it or if you're intending to run with tension lock couplings. The slow running they achieve also merits mention. On the braking feature issue however, and I'm sure Jeremy of Digitrains will not object to my quoting him on this, in recent email correspondence with him, among other things he stated " . . . we could easily rework a ESU sound project already on a decoder to give it brakes on F2, that’s only basic function allocation and mapping work, do-able with a Lokprogrammer. " If that works, than those of us (me included I must confess) who thought the F2 braking function was unique to Zimo decoders are in for a pleasant surprise, albeit that a couple of the other functions would have to be swapped around. While I'm perfectly competent at basic CV adjustments and have a Lokprogrammer, I am not up to speed with the intricacies of function remapping et cetera, and I think it's a shame that there do not appear to be any definitive works available (unless hopefully someone can direct me otherwise) with detailed step-by-step CV adjustments to achieve lots of different remapping or general changes for numerous locos. I am most grateful to AS for publishing the method of activating Drive Hold for the DCC sound equipped Deltics, as I must admit I wouldn't have had a clue how to activate this otherwise. The correspondence I was having with Jeremy related to the availability of Zimo decoders for the Accurascale Deltics, and preceded the release of the models to us all. This arose because I was rather keen to try Zimo decoders in the DCC ready version. I had heard at an exhibition early this year that Digitrains were working on a new Deltic sound file, but regrettably that's not correct. Quoting Jeremy again: " . . . the rumours are incorrect, we still do not have brilliant new Deltic recordings to work from I’m afraid." Having activated Drive Hold on the DCC sound equipped versions, the sound output on these locos is generally superb (I'm not entirely convinced by the braking sound on deceleration but again that's just personal opinion), all of which is marred only by the rattling speakers mentioned previously which I have no doubt AS will help me and others equally afflicted cure by provision of the missing screws for the plastic clips to hold these in place. There are one or two other solutions to this that I could try, but I'm loathe to spoil the basic configuration, at least for the moment. Such minor issues notwithstanding, my overall impression of these locos remains that they are quite simply stunning.

Hi all Another 3 arrived today. None have the speaker securing clip screws; the clips are just loose and there's no sign of glue marks to suggest they had been glued in place. To those decrying my posts, can I emphasise this is simply a minor annoyance that I know AS will sort quickly. Indeed they immediately suggested I return the first one when I reported the speaker buzzing/rattling and loud clicking (sounding like a wheel flat) - incidentally I supplied them with short videos demonstrating each issue. At the end of the day these are fantastic locos, but as with any product the first batch inevitably will have odd teething issues. I'm not sure that the slow speed issue is ESU decoder related, having spent a couple of hours fiddling with CVs 2,3,4,5,6 and 23 on the first one to no avail. If anyone does find a good CV fix though, do please post it. This could however just be a running in issue, with the motor struggling to overcome the initial inertia until everything's bedded in nicely. As many others appear to have found, above speeds of 10mph or so they're silky smooth. Perhaps Fran or McC could comment/confirm. To those who mentioned that Zimo decoders might have been a better option and haven't seen the earlier posts, not having them equipped with Zimo decoders was Mike Wild's only real criticism of these locos in the Hornby Mag YouTube review.

One of my issues was the same as Roy Langridge - loud buzz/rattle from a speaker at tickover and notch 1. He said that: "Accurascale support has informed me that the clips should be retained by screws which are not present on either of mine" Accurascale have suggested I return mine (there are other identified faults too such as a loud clicking as it runs along), but with another due today and 2 more of my o/s orders due on Monday, I decided to remove the body and see if I could locate the problem. So much for the clips that hold that speaker ! There's only one clip, which isn't secured by any screws at all. That speaker not being secured at all explains the buzzing/rattling sound, as I confirmed when I started it up with the body removed. I suspect this will prove to be a common issue. I'll be sending them photos with a request for the missing parts and will post on the speed of spares delivery.

Hi All In response to one or two posts about F5 Drive Hold, and with apologies if it's been mentioned already, it does take some finding but the published fix to activate it is as follows: To change the 'primary load' feature on F5 for drive lock / hold you can change the following CV's. CV31 = 1, CV32 = 1 ---------------------- CV267 = 32 CV268 = 2 CV31 = 16, CV32 = 8 ---------------------- CV372 = 128 CV373 = 64 CV374 = 0 Seems rather convoluted, but it works, though quite why it's not activated by default is beyond me. Sadly, I've also got the rattling speakers, square wheels, and juddering crawl problems, which seriously detracts from what I'd been expecting. While I normally rate Mike Wild's opinions, his comments in the Hornby YouTube video that these are at least on a par with the SLW 24s might well be correct for overall detail, but imho simply isn't correct for slow running and sound quality out of the box.

Just found this topic, so huge thanks rowanj for reviving so many fond early 60s memories. A little to the North as you say was Benton Quarry Junction with, as you approach from the Newcastle direction, a North West curve to the Blyth and Tyne at Benton station, and a North East Curve joining the Blyth and Tyne towards Blyth and the Coast. There was also a curve in the other direction from the North joining the Blyth and Tyne just to the east of the North West curve junction at Benton station. I spent many long hours in the 60s recording trains from a house opposite the signal half way up the North East curve. The North East Curve is quite a climb, and in inclement weather if a steam hauled train of any length was held at that signal, as often as not it would get stuck and need a banker, although I do have one amazing recording of some seriously skilful driving as a 4MT struggles up the bank unaided with multiple slipping. I suspect the signalman was in constant contact, as the loco had already slipped past the signal when an EMU is heard passing. The banker when required was usually there within 15 minutes at most - with the exchange of whistles as it arrived and when they were ready for the off - so I would not be at all surprised if one was stationed in inclement weather at Little Benton Sidings rather than having to come from Heaton - pretty smart signalling work required mindful of the passage over the ECML, which was much busier then than it is now. The early to mid 1960s saw a variety of locos both on the North East Curve and also using the North Tyneside line, including J26s and J27s, Q6s, K1s, Ivatt 4MTs, WDs, 9Fs, 24s, 25s, Claytons, and EE1s and 3s (20s and 37s to those of a younger age !) mainly on coal drags and the return empties, Gresley articulated EMUs on the North Tyneside passenger workings with DMUs on the Blyth and Newbiggin services, with the EMUs replaced in 1967 by a motley collection of other DMUs, and also a facinating selection of all sorts of locos and stock, including some notable rarities, on fairly frequent ECML weekend diversions via the North East Curve. A rarity I used to catch en route to school until about 1964 was the 08.18 service from Benton to Manors (ex Blyth I think) which even at that last date was still a V3 with a 3 or 4 coach rake of Thompson suburbans. On one point you raised, it was rare though not uncommon for EMUs to use the North West Curve, and I can well remember a particular occasion when I traveled that route in one when a K1 had derailed at the entrance to Benton Station Yard and services from the Coast were reversed at Benton, down the North West Curve and thence to Newcastle via Heaton and vice versa for most of that day. Empty stock from Gosforth Car Sheds would also frequently use that route to get to and from Heaton and Newcastle.

Sincere apologies to zr2498 if I didn't make the point clearly. While the loco to tender connector plug is of a similar design, it's the size of the loco to tender gap to which I was referring. On the new Bachmann V2, it's appalling (image attached) with the (tender mounted) cab doors also leaving an absurd gap and hanging in mid air. On the GT3 by comparison the gap is tiny (image attached) and while I haven't checked for a cam mechanism, it reverses without difficulty through Peco small radius points on my test track. Let's not forget the RRP for the V2 is considerably higher than the GT3's RRP. Many thanks also to cctransuk for the suggestion. However, I don't think it's a side play issue, and the back-to-back measurements are fine. The loco has a small though distinct limp for want of a better description at low speed, which gives the juddering effect as speed increases. This might suggest a possible quartering issue, so I suspect it's time to subject it to the full Birkin F exam to see if I can locate the problem.

I managed to get hold of one of the second run of these. A superb loco in almost every respect except one, with lots of features of which other manufacturers would do well to take note; for example the very effective close coupling between loco and tender. Apart from my comments below, the only alterations I plan to make are the installation of a better speaker as the factory fitted version is a tad feeble, and to sort out the head code discs. My real problem with this loco however seems to be one that I've now heard is fairly common with other owners, and is well demonstrated in the excellent YouTube video of it running on Little Bytham - see On the video at speed you can see it's juddering from side to side, although not as bad as the BG at the rear of the train ! Mine has a very definite waddle, and at speed judders in the same way. It spoils the running of what is otherwise an excellent model and, to be blunt, on a model at this price if, as appears to be the case, it's is a common fault, then it's really not acceptable. At first glance I'm not sure if it's a rear driving wheel issue, or an issue with the connecting rods. Has anyone with this issue found a simple solution rather than replacing driving wheels and/or replacing the collecting rods ? I hasten to add I've not yet contacted KR for their comments, although I suspect it's an issue about which they'll be well aware.

Shades of Blue I hope this 25/3 topic will turn out to be a long-running topic, doubtless with considerable additions once the SLW version is released. Some of the details in previous posts have been most interesting and illuminating. I am going to confine this post to shades of blue on three locos, one of which is Heljan's D7661, although adding one other subtle livery issue on that loco as running in 1969. I'm afraid the shade of blue Heljan have used is just plain wrong, being far too dark. By comparison, Bachmann made the same mistake in the limited edition Modelzone Class 25/1 D5218. Phil Sutton on the other hand got the chromatic blue shade just about right in my opinion on the SLW Class 24 D5021. Hopefully Hornby have the chromatic blue Class 31 D5578 up their sleeve for release at some stage, hopefully with small yellow panel, although it ran without them for a while. I confess to being old enough and sad enough to have seen both D7661 and D5218 running in chromatic blue with small yellow warning panels in the late 1960s. 7661 was normally pottering around between Willesden and Euston, and I normally saw 5218 at Cricklewood. There was however one occasion I recall vividly in 1969 when we were stuck on board a Euston train for over an hour just south of Wembley, and right beside us were 7661 and 5218 buffered together but not coupled. To my eternal regret I did not have a camera with me, and of course those days were light years before the always handy mobile phone camera that inevitably we have with us now. There are however some excellent colour pictures of both locos on the net from this period which are easy enough to find; if anyone would like links, simply post a reply to this and I will post them. Those links do however confirm what I knew from my own photos taken of 7661 at the time, and that relates to a small error by Heljan that I have pointed out to Phil Sutton (not of course that he didn't already know !) hoping that it won't be repeated on the SLW version. The Heljan model correctly shows the second man's side window surround on number 2 end in bare metal. However, as my photos and the online photos from 1969 show quite clearly, the bare metal surround was on the second man's side only, and not on the driver's side at number 2 end; an odd curiosity that I noticed for the first time when I saw it one evening at the buffers at Euston. This is an interesting livery variation on several other members of the class, and on some locos (D7666 (25 316) for example), all four side window surrounds were bare metal at least for a time. While not difficult to correct the extra bare metal window surround on the model, correcting the shade of blue on the Heljan model is simply beyond my level of expertise. The finish is so good on the model itself that I simply haven't got the heart to consider a full repaint, although I am toying with full yellow ends and a renumbering to D7662. I will wager that Phil Sutton gets it right however (I have no links with SLW incidentally other than as a very satisfied customer). Happy modelling.

MP40058's weathering on his blue one is a dream compared to the Green 2531 D5244 I have just opened - see pics. I bought a pristine 2533 D7661 and the weathered 2531 D5244 at the same time. D7661 I fitted with an ESU v5 decoder from C & PR (highly recommend their Class 25 sounds by the way), but was awaiting delivery of a Zimo MX644D decoder from Digitrains with Paul Chetter sound file before opening D5244, as I wanted the best available decoder for that one, anticipating the weathering would be at least on a par with their 26s etc. I was already aware from the D7661 installation that Heljan have neglected to include a plug and leads to wire a speaker to the CN6 speake r socket with these locos. The ESU v5 has speaker leads whereas the Zimo decoder does not, but fortunately I had a spare plug and leads from a Class 27. You can imagine my horror when I opened the box and looked at this loco. This is the one I was looking forward to as Heljan weathering has been acceptably good in the past. The “factory weathering” on this loco however appears to have been done by a 6 year old with a toothbrush or worse – it is frankly utterly appalling including fingerprints on the ends !!!! I will be returning this by insured post tomorrow for full refund for the loco and my postage cost, and trust the supplier will pass on my disgust to Heljan.

Thank you both so much for your kind responses. As I have a variety of decoders, I will do both and remove some of the hit and miss effects of the labourious trawl through multiple CV settings manually to get the results I want. Love the atmospheric photo Yardman - shows the Hornby 08 to excellent effect in a stunning 1960s setting. I am old enough sadly to have been living in the North East at that time when DMUs ruled, certainly post 1967 after the North Tyneside Electrics finally bowed out, DMUs then radiating to all points from Newcastle. Now if only one of the manufacturers would market a decoder that includes the first gear hold at full throttle with every rivet rattling, and the four to five second gear change from first to second, but I digress. I do pefer the Hornby 08 model if I'm honest, but the Bachmann one wins with it's sprung centre axle that makes very slow running without stalling a dream withouit any modification. However I do have one of my Hornby 08s on the workbench presently into which I am installing a Zimo SC68 capacitor, and which is a reasonable fit having removed the bottom section of the cab interior, though I might go the whole hog and also fit a Zimo decoder if only to avoid the risk of damaging the Legoman ESU decoder as I try to solder the capacitor wires to it !

I have a Bachmann 08 fitted with a LokSound decoder which runs perfectly (unlike several Hornby examples to which I will need to add stay alives), and which has lights fitted, the four lights at the ends independently operated by F4, F5, F6, and F0. F4, F5, and F6 also control sound functions. I say has, but the truth is it had, as I've mucked it up ! The horn volume was too low and not thinking straight I decided simple to reset the decoder with a CV8=8 reset, followed by individual sound level adjustments. Surprise, surprise, the only light now operational is the one controlled by F0. I'm sure there must be a simple answer to this, but having searched I cannot find it. Can anyone suggest how to remap the other three lights back to their F4, F5, and F6 sound function keys, or even remap all the lights to F0; 08s often wandered around with lights on at both ends anyway, and I'd settle for that if I cannot remap separately. There must be a detailed "How To" manual for all sorts of detailed cv adjustments and settings for different makes of DCC Sound Decoders somewhere, but I have not been able to find it. With the excellent Zimo decoders, I'm told the secret is to understand the manual - oh that it was that simple !