How can people STILL not grasp the decoder thing?!?!
Stop eating crayons and think about it.
There is indeed a standard set of functions on most decoders. This is VERY BASIC.
This will ‘usually’ work the front&rear lighting directionally, then Aux1 on F1 and upwards.
If you put one of these in a high end model, such as the Cavalex 56, it will run, but you wont have access to all of the features.
If you put this in a more basic model (Hornby 56) it will also run, with the directional lighting likely working in the very basic way from 10 years ago...
If you want modern day locos to be able to turn the tail lights off for pulling a train, turn the main headlamp off for working within a yard, turn one cab light on at a time as the driver doesnt have 60ft long arms (unless he is Mr Tickles) and have fans that can spool up seperately to everything and each other rather than a rubber band, then you will need a loco with all of this circuitry built in.
Not every manufacturers locos will have the same features, so its not something you can easily standardise anyway.
To operate a loco with all this stuff, youll need to have a decoder that is set up for it too.
If you went and bought a blank ESU Loksound decoder it would be the same thing, it would also only have the test sound file loaded with a basic diesel sound and a squeaky horn.
Suprise suprise it needs to be ‘Re-blown’ to have a class 56 sound project on, aswell as the correct function mapping.
Same with a Lokpilot (non sound) decoder, it also needs to have the function mapping set up for a 56. In the same way.
Some retailers will have the correct setup for a Cavalex 56, which they will have to load onto each decoder they sell, aslong as the customer states its for a 56.
EXACT same story as other manufacturers locos that are up to modern day levels of features.
If i went and bought a Bachmann Deluxe 47, it also wouldnt work properly with a decoder on basic settings.
ESU is the recommended decoder for these, as it is what Cavalex have set the loco up for.
You could probably set up a Zimo decoder to work in it quite happily too, if you altered the function mapping.
Most other brands of decoders dont let you alter the function mapping however, hence you wont get everything to work.