RBE

It depends where they are fitted and whether there is an option for fit kinematic type couplers. There's very little option for a Kinematic on something like a 37 or 47 with the bogies right up behind the bufferbeam. I don't really see how the NEM pocket differs if bogie mounted or kinematic mounted tbh, its still in the same place.

Cool. I'm only there on the Friday though mate.

Whilst I agree to a degree, our PGA kinematics are absolutely superb, they do in general cause more trouble than they solve IMO. The idea behind them is good but as I said once you get a lot of weight on them you are relying massively on the spring pulling it to centre or the brute force of the coupling pulling sideways back to centre by the stock to get it into the middle at which point you potentially get the aforementioned potential derailing of the first wagon. On top of that there is more vertical movement in the pocket which is also undesirable.

The issue with Kinematics, and this is something that I have faced as a modeller too, is that they are great if your train is light. However the nature of how it works is a little counter productive. The weight of the train is taken on the chassis as the coupling moves out on the curve extending the spring that holds the coupling central, however when moving back onto a straight the coupling has to pull itself back in to get over the central 'mountain' that pulls the train back in reducing buffer gap. That's all well and good but the very spring that has to stretch on corners now has to overcome the weight of the train to bring it back to centre. You are effectively asking the spring to be both contradictory things. I do often wonder if we need to drop the buffer gap pride a little and just simply substitute the kinematic couplers for a simple sprung draught box.

If I'm honest I still don't know what the nail does. 🤷

No more so than any other kinematic coupler. It's a standard design. Uncoupling Kadees on curves is problematic whether the pocket is kinematic or not.

I am looking at revising the the model to have bogie mounted pockets for the 60 but it will depend on whether they foul the snowplough etc. As for the fans on DC, there is an issue with the current DC blanking plate and we will be making a replacement available that solves the issue soon.

That's odd. I thought the card was in all of them, maybe not. It is in the booklet for all of them certainly.

It is already included in the booklet and on the quick ref card in the box.

I'm not quite sure what the nail does? The Kinematic works like any other kinematic coupler. They don't swing with the bogie but they move to the side under load like any other. Personally I am not a big fan of them but when bogies sit back a bit like class 56 ones do then bogie mounted couplings can get restricted by the sand boxes etc. My ethos moving forward with design for Cavalex is to use bogie mounted couplers wherever possible. As for the flywheels, they are a standard size used in US locos. There is enough weight in them for what they are meant to do, that being to smooth out any uneven movement in the drivetrain, the power bank on DCC also does this even better, and the interia is built into the decoder settings. I am not sure what inertial run on in DC really proves in this instance, driving on DC should be full controller control anyway, no one is chopping to zero and hoping the train stops in right place on interia only. I will be the first to admit that our loco is very much designed for DCC with DC being accommodated as best we can with the complexity that multifunction DCC provides. DCC (and very much DCC sound) is where the hobby is going and DC is kind of like still trying to make modern software to also be compatible with Windows XP. 🤷

We are currently working on an all in one plug and play upgrade kit with Cavalex Loksound V5 and ESU Speaker in one package. If you can wait a tad longer they will be available to purchase soon.

They do tend to vary. Photo angle also makes a difference.

The angle of the photo makes the bogie appear in different locations as the bogie is further in than the bodyside. The wheels are also not evenly spaced on the real one.

The Hornby one has none of the sector colours correct.

Here's the driving advice. We also have a version of this in the manual under driving experience.

The real one had them removed.

You should be able to access the functions on any DCC decoder, however the Hattons 66 decoder is set up for that particular loco so why would it work correctly with the 56?

The loco can negotiate some curves with the pipes in place. Probably not 2nd radius though. The screw link and bang grid are both removable at will so those should be ok. Just depends how much the inner pipes restrict coupler swing.

Hi Luke, 023 didn't have the plaques etc in the period modelled so are not included in the pack. Send us an email at cavalexmodels@gmail.com and we will sort out a set for you from 074.

Provided you choose a decoder with enough functions then you can still access them all. However you will have to determine which functions operate what. You do not need a preprogrammed chip for basic functions but if you require more then you will need the specific chip. With new ever complex lighting functions demanded by DCC users I am afraid that there is no longer a one size fits all approach.

That's very odd indeed. Can you send us an email to cavalexmodels@gmail.com with a close video to help us determine the issue.

Only one retailer didn't get them and anyone with a pre-order with them should contact us direct at cavalexmodels@gmail.com so that it can be sorted out.

The bogies are designed to split to allow for wheelsets maintenance and wheel changing. If you remove the bottom keeper plate (there are four clips, one on each corner) that will release the side frames and you can then slide them outward to release the wheels. Don't pull it too far. You should then be able to reset the wheels into the pick up bearings on the side frames and reclip the keeper plate back on. If you have issues you are welcome to return the model to us direct for a warranty repair.

DC Kits will be able to blow ESUs file on for you. I think currently they have programmed their own to access functions but of course the ESU version is the correctly tailored one that we recommend.

We are just sorting out the logistics of getting these to customers. The lokpilot file for the Cavalex 56 by ESU is currently available to download free of charge from their website should you have the ability to blow your own decoders.