Cavalex - all new Class 56 in OO

[Waverley West]

21 minutes ago, Grimleygrid said:

Well I have to say that was quite a weekend. To see our first locomotive turn its wheels for the very first time on Saturday morning was an incredible sight and the feeling that accompanied this was something that I will never forget. A milestone reached.

 

To say that we are excited about this project is an understatement!

 

 

Here is another clip of the Romanian example on some of our BBA wagons in EWS livery.

 

Our thanks to Mike Buick for allowing us to run our loco on his superb Oak Road layout.

 

Brilliant, Alex, well done, a fantastic achievement. It looks a stunning model.

 

As you know, I can't wait to see some of these turning their wheels on Waverley West.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Revolution Mike B]

On 25/07/2022 at 18:32, RBE said:

 

The first run of our eagerly awaited class 56 at DEMU showcase. The locomotive was put through it's paces by Mike Buick of the fantastic Oak Road. Stress testing included a very long MoD train and a typical rake of 20 Redland PGA hoppers which it handled without incident. The 20 wagon hopper train was treated to Mikes self admitted problem crossovers both hauling and propelling the rake. Despite every wagon on the train having kinematic couplers it passed over the trackwork with zero incident both fast and slow in both directions. We are more than pleased so far.

The drive train on the 56 is superb and irons out the track undulations perfectly. I’ve never been a fan of grids but I feel a Colas one or two may find their way on to the layout. For an EPS, I’m seriously impressed and I couldn’t derail it on my rather dubious track work no matter how hard I tried. 
 

In true eBay styleeee…..5* A+++++++++

[wombatofludham]

On 28/07/2022 at 09:26, Grimleygrid said:

 

Andy, I am now preparing a stringent testing schedule for the model!

 

I have a couple of ideas.

Do they involve pulling you along on an office chair or driving underwater?  Asking for a "friend called Sam".

I didn't get the chance to quiz the Cavalex team at last weeks fantastic DEMU show but saw the model running and the bodies in the display case.  I was just wondering if there are any further updates with projected/estimated delivery times and prices for the noisy models?  I'm doing my pre-order financial planning and with the running EP stage having been reached I'd imagine you might have a better idea of likely delivery dates and the like.

[RBE]

2 minutes ago, wombatofludham said:

Do they involve pulling you along on an office chair or driving underwater?  Asking for a "friend called Sam".

I didn't get the chance to quiz the Cavalex team at last weeks fantastic DEMU show but saw the model running and the bodies in the display case.  I was just wondering if there are any further updates with projected/estimated delivery times and prices for the noisy models?  I'm doing my pre-order financial planning and with the running EP stage having been reached I'd imagine you might have a better idea of likely delivery dates and the like.

We are currently working on a completed production run prior to Chinese New year 2023. Delivery thus around April/May. 

 

As for sound loco prices we are still to finalise the costs based on added equipment, sound recording and the custom sound project etc, however we are expecting a sound fitted prrice of around £100 on top of the DCC ready price of £189.95.

[wombatofludham]

Just now, RBE said:

We are currently working on a completed production run prior to Chinese New year 2023. Delivery thus around April/May. 

 

As for sound loco prices we are still to finalise the costs based on added equipment, sound recording and the custom sound project etc, however we are expecting a sound fitted prrice of around £100 on top of the DCC ready price of £189.95.

Fantastic, many thanks.  Good pricing for such a detailed model.

[WCML100]

Hi Cavalex guys,

 

myself and my brother spoke with you at the DEMU showcase a few weeks back and discussed livery options for the 56, Fastlined (or even better a debranded version) was mentioned but i cannot see any mention of this anywhere? Is this something you are planning for a secone batch or limited edition of kind ? Thanks

[RBE]

8 hours ago, WCML100 said:

Hi Cavalex guys,

 

myself and my brother spoke with you at the DEMU showcase a few weeks back and discussed livery options for the 56, Fastlined (or even better a debranded version) was mentioned but i cannot see any mention of this anywhere? Is this something you are planning for a secone batch or limited edition of kind ? Thanks

Hi there, yes I remember speaking to you.

 

As I said at the time Fastline livery is not part of our first run, we don't feel that releasing every livery at once makes good business sense and Fastline was one of the liveries that is a little less popular than the others and thus was left out this time. However, it will be something that we will look at for future runs for sure, we will also look at the potential for a debranded version also.

Edited August 8, 2022 by RBE

[WCML100]

Thanks for getting back to me. Glad it is being considered for a future release - I may be tempted by the the Colas version in addition in the short term, shame the DC Rail is just slightly too new for our era, as that's a stunner as well. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by WCML100

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

Yes please,is it here yet..............

[37038]

It's stablemate 081 is now in plain BR blue, ready for the tour.

[Grimleygrid]

Class 56 Project Update

 

 

We have been testing out the haulage capability of our forthcoming class 56 on Barrow Hill Junction using 36 of our weathered HAAs!

 

Click the link to see the latest project update: class-56-update-october-2022

 

Links below to video clips of the Class 56 in action:

 

 

 

Our thanks to Michael Rhodes for helping us with the testing stage of the project.

 

Michael Rhodes’ Barrow Hill Junction is featured in the latest issue of Hornby Magazine.
 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Grimleygrid
Text amended and Links added

[Philip Jackson]

On 28/07/2022 at 10:33, Grimleygrid said:

Well I have to say that was quite a weekend. To see our first locomotive turn its wheels for the very first time on Saturday morning was an incredible sight and the feeling that accompanied this was something that I will never forget. A milestone reached.

 

To say that we are excited about this project is an understatement!

 

 

Here is another clip of the Romanian example on some of our BBA wagons in EWS livery.

 

Our thanks to Mike Buick for allowing us to run our loco on his superb Oak Road layout.

It looks quite good in black. I'm not wish listing but maybe a br black "what if" like the early diesels? 

[bradfordbuffer]

1 hour ago, Philip Jackson said:

It looks quite good in black. I'm not wish listing but maybe a br black "what if" like the early diesels? 

Probably gbrf will do a 69 in 1000 and 1001 black with silver trim

[APT Fan]

On 29/07/2022 at 11:17, RBE said:

We are currently working on a completed production run prior to Chinese New year 2023. Delivery thus around April/May. 

 

As for sound loco prices we are still to finalise the costs based on added equipment, sound recording and the custom sound project etc, however we are expecting a sound fitted prrice of around £100 on top of the DCC ready price of £189.95.

 

Hi,

So Cavalex are creating a custom sound project for this model rather than using a currently available aftermarket one? The reason for the question is that I've just received a Bachmann class 47 with factory fitted sound and the system integration with the sound decoder is superb. Whereas I have a Hornby class 56 with an aftermarket sound decoder and the integration is not the best and I think this is all down to the sound project that has been chosen as they are both loksound v5 decoders? I've no idea what Bachmann have used for the 47s but the sounds and functions are very responsive to function control changes.

 

Also as I've preordered two of these with factory fitted sound is there anything else to do for double heading beyond setting up a consist address?

 

Thanks

 

[RBE]

6 minutes ago, APT Fan said:

 

Hi,

So Cavalex are creating a custom sound project for this model rather than using a currently available aftermarket one? The reason for the question is that I've just received a Bachmann class 47 with factory fitted sound and the system integration with the sound decoder is superb. Whereas I have a Hornby class 56 with an aftermarket sound decoder and the integration is not the best and I think this is all down to the sound project that has been chosen as they are both loksound v5 decoders? I've no idea what Bachmann have used for the 47s but the sounds and functions are very responsive to function control changes.

 

Also as I've preordered two of these with factory fitted sound is there anything else to do for double heading beyond setting up a consist address?

 

Thanks

 

 

Yes we are working with ESU and an ex BR class 56 driver to record and create a custom sound file that not only drives and sounds like the real locomotive under different operating conditions but also drives the roof fan motors (independently powered to allow none, one or two fans to run) to reflect how the real roof fans work under differing loads and power levels. We are aiming to create a class 56 driving experience tailored to our loksound V5 chip and speaker setup.

 

As for double heading, I would imagine it would be a standard consist however once the sound project is complete we will test and tweak as necessary and report back to everyone.

Edited October 7, 2022 by RBE

[Wolf27]

I finally got to have a proper look at the 56 today, I was blown away by the detail, the body moulding with it’s see through cantrail grilles, the bogies, the look of the cabs. The painted samples will look stunning. Get the sound right with the thump and this will be the best model of 2023 by some considerable margin. 

[andyman7]

23 minutes ago, Wolf27 said:

I finally got to have a proper look at the 56 today, I was blown away by the detail, the body moulding with it’s see through cantrail grilles, the bogies, the look of the cabs. The painted samples will look stunning. Get the sound right with the thump and this will be the best model of 2023 by some considerable margin. 

Likewise - i took up the offer to handle the samples and the unpainted but complete model was weighty and substantial with fabulous detailing.

[Grimleygrid]

Thank you to everyone that visited our stand over the weekend at the Hornby Magazine Great Electric Train show.

 

 

It was very special to see a rake of our HAAs lapping round Making Tracks 2 all weekend - thanks also to Pete Waterman and the Railnuts team for allowing us to haul their HAAs with our 56 EP sample! Looking forward to the painted samples arriving.

[Grimleygrid]

One of the characteristics of the Class 56 was the fitting of Slow Speed Control for work on Merry-Go-Round traffic to aid with the loading of coal at Collieries and unloading at Power Stations. This was an important feature that we wanted to include on our model to allow customers to recreate this on their layouts.
As part of the testing process, the EP sample was run at slow speed under load to check that our model can run smoothly at slow speeds.
Here is a video of our 56 sample on Barrow Hill Junction on speed step 6 pulling 36 Cavalex HAAs on test. It is a long video, but we felt that it was important to show this capability of the model.

 

Our thanks to Michael Rhodes for allowing us to run our 56 and HAAs on Barrow Hill Junction.

Michael Rhodes’ Barrow Hill Junction is featured in the latest issue of Hornby Magazine.
 

 

[bradfordbuffer]

38 minutes ago, Grimleygrid said:

One of the characteristics of the Class 56 was the fitting of Slow Speed Control for work on Merry-Go-Round traffic to aid with the loading of coal at Collieries and unloading at Power Stations. This was an important feature that we wanted to include on our model to allow customers to recreate this on their layouts.
As part of the testing process, the EP sample was run at slow speed under load to check that our model can run smoothly at slow speeds.
Here is a video of our 56 sample on Barrow Hill Junction on speed step 6 pulling 36 Cavalex HAAs on test. It is a long video, but we felt that it was important to show this capability of the model.

 

Our thanks to Michael Rhodes for allowing us to run our 56 and HAAs on Barrow Hill Junction.

Michael Rhodes’ Barrow Hill Junction is featured in the latest issue of Hornby Magazine.
 

 

Not very prototypical for slow speed unloading......at fiddlers ferry it was go....stop...go...stop...setback ....go forward...stop....set back....forward....stop... we gave derailed the wagon coz we put banger on it to get coal out as it was wet / frozen imported coal....

 

Brill action on model

[RBE]

That was running on speed step 6, it still pulls at speed step 1 and is very slow indeed, we are very pleased.

 

Sadly the youtube video compression doesn't really do it justice as it tends to skip frames for streaming purposes.

[keysan]

Is that a slag heap or the Scottish islands in the back ground 🤣 

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

This is shaping up to be quite a model,i like the slow running trials as its far more important with it being a freight loco that it performs well at creep and realisic running speed. I can see pairs of these on Mendip traffic,is double heading a thing to test also or is the test article an only child.

[Grimleygrid]

Class 56 Kadee coupling test

 

 

At GETS earlier this month, we were asked about the compatibility of using Kadee couplings with our Class 56. Thanks to Allan Cromarty and The Stafford Railway Circle, who kindly allowed us conduct a test to test on their layout “Whiteacres”. The locomotive and first wagon were coupled together using Kadee couplings and as can be seen from the below video, no issues were experienced using these type of couplings.

 

Thanks again to Allan and The Stafford Railway Circle.
 

[Grimleygrid]

On 26/10/2022 at 11:56, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

This is shaping up to be quite a model,i like the slow running trials as its far more important with it being a freight loco that it performs well at creep and realisic running speed. I can see pairs of these on Mendip traffic,is double heading a thing to test also or is the test article an only child.

 

Thanks for your kind comments, we are pleased to hear that you like the look of our Class 56 project so far.

 

Regarding double heading, this is is something that we will be testing once the painted samples arrive. We would expect this to be the same as with all Loksound V5 fitted locos with the consist setup being mainly down to the DCC controller being used.

 

Hope that helps.