Graham T

That's a very kind offer Phil, thanks! Let's pop that on the back burner for now while I wait to hear more from Accurascale.

I honestly have no idea how the Austrian customs system calculates its charges. I've given up on trying to fathom their online "help" and of course it's not possible to actually speak to anybody about it. The post office cannot help because of course they don't set the fees. It does seem to be pretty random though; sometimes an item will just appear in my letterbox without any interference, and at other times fees are imposed that are even more than the value of the item...

Thanks for that, I've sent you a PM.

Really annoying Neal, and becoming more so as the day wears on. Accurascale are now insisting that they won't send a replacement decoder until they have received and tested the one that I have - even though, having gone through the steps as directed by their support tech, they have concluded that the amp on the decoder has failed. They offered to give me a refund for my loco, and suggested that I could then buy a DCC ready one from them instead. But I would of course have to pay to send mine back - to say nothing of the hassle and time involved. I don't relish more and more delay before getting a working loco that I have already paid a lot of money for. Accurascale have also said that they are closing their EU website, so I would have to buy the replacement DCC ready loco - if they still have any - through their UK website, which would mean getting stung for around 100 euros of customs fees on top of the purchase price. I'm afraid to say that I'm rapidly moving from having been very pleased with the Manor when I first ran it on Tuesday, to being rather p1ssed off with Accurascale to be honest.

Yes I gave that a try Neal, but no joy. The loco remains utterly silent. I've exchanged a few emails with Accurascale - who, to be fair, have replied very promptly - and after making some suggestions about CV settings, which I tried out, they've concluded that the amp on the decoder has failed. After one day! I pointed out to them that I am not a fan of ESU decoders (and this experience reinforces that view), but they can only replace it with another ESU item. Clearly I'm not hugely keen on that. It would be nice if I could reasonably expect a sound-fitted loco to make sounds for more than a day... To add insult to injury the post office informed me that they were holding a parcel for me from Alan Gibson. Value marked on the customs form = £30. Customs fees payable to Austria = 19 euros!!! Anybody want to buy a layout complete with rolling stock?

I think I read it in the Accurascale Manor thread Neal; there's nothing about it in the provided paperwork in the box. Although the loco still runs just fine, it remains obstinately silent. Hmm. Not going to try anything else today, I might attack it after a good night's sleep!

I also tried adjusting CV113 to 255, which allegedly gives up to 4 seconds of juice from the stay-alive - this seemed to do sweet FA...

I just had the same with mine Neal! Testing the Manor up and down the track in a break from work and suddenly - it's a mute. Tried a reset and still not a peep from it... I wish they'd put a Zimo in it.

The answer has been found @Cofga

Brilliant, thanks Phil. The manual could be a lot better on this point @McC; perhaps something could be put on the AS website help page for the Manor?

Now that sounds like an excellent idea!

Did you ever get an answer to the cylinder guard question! I can't figure out how to fit mine either!

Do you mean the cylinder end caps Neal? I've fitted those; I was talking about parts 141 and 153...

Looks like they're all waiting for their rum ration!

I also spotted a rather shady group of characters lurking outside the engine shed earlier this evening, all smelling of fresh paint (well, they would have done if I hadn't used acrylics).

I've made a start on fitting the detail parts, and have managed to get the coal load out of the tender without destroying anything, remarkably! A question for other AS Manor owners out there (@Harlequin and @Neal Ball for starters!) The detail pack includes a pair of "cylinder guards" - any idea how they attach? They seem superfluous to me but I must be wrong...

I have to admit that sound is just one of the many topics that I know almost nothing about (yet), and let's not even start on all the various functions of the Power Cab...

Properly balancing the sounds of my various locos is a job for further down the line, I think Neal. The majority, but not all, have Youchoos decoders, which are my preference. And the function button allocations aren't coherent across all locos, which is something I'd like to remedy. And finally, at some point I should try to fix the chuff rates...

There have been a few comments here and there about the low volume of the sounds on the Manor. I find that mine is far from deafening, but it's acceptable. I checked the master volume and that's already at max; setting function 5 (heavy load) seems to help a bit too. 7808 is on the rolling road right now, after which I will add the bits from the detail pack, and may have a look at adding some real coal if I'm feeling brave!

Would be nice Andy, but quite pricey I think, especially when you add in a sound decoder.

I think it would be worth paying that little extra John (but then I am not renowned for my patience...)

The eagle-eyed follower of events at Chuffnell R might have spotted something new in the previous pic... Like many GWR fans, i got bitten by the Accurascale Manor bug, and today I was finally notified that a package from Ireland was waiting for me at the local post office. Off I trotted, and was able to pry the package from the Austrian postman's vice-like grip without having to pay him any fees! (There was also a small parcel from Modelu waiting for me - but I had to part with 15 euros to get my hands on that one...) Anyway, 7808 Cookham Manor is now settling in to her new home. I've only trundled her up and down the layout a little; I imagine that a stint on the rolling road is in order, although she does run very nicely straight from the box. I will fit the detail parts tomorrow, and need to dig around the threads to find out some tips I read (and have forgotten) about adding real coal to the tender. I did order one of the Accurascale crews, but there's no sign of them at the moment. I seem to remember also speccing screw link couplings, but that's not such a big deal. That thing on the back of the tender will be going tomorrow! I'm really not sure about weathering this one - it will have to be a VERY light touch I think. I particularly like that the smokebox already has a nice matt, not quite black to it. Furthest from the camera is the Dapol Mogul, one of my first locos and a a bit of a favourite; looks good and a lovely runner too. In the middle we have Aberporth Grange, courtesy of Hornby, in what looks a rather odd shade of green to me. Something must be done! Don't quite know what though...

In other news, I thought you might like to see some of the vegetation at Chuffnell Regis...

Wish I'd known that before I super-glued screw links to them!

Not an awful lot has been happening at Chuffnell R because of work, but I do have all my cattle wagons now magnetised. Well, I say all - I'd fitted screw links to the GW wagons, so they haven't had anything done to them. I'm assuming (!), with my miniscule knowledge of how railways work, that the vacuum fitted wagons would have been marshalled next to the loco, and that I should also have a brake van at the tail end to look after the non-fitted wagons?