I just recently bought this loco with the sound fitted and despite the steep price I am really happy with it, I would second Ian and recommend this to anyone thinking about it.
Hi Ian, it’s a fantastic model, as you know I have a green sound fitted one. The sound surprised me as to how good it is with as you say a good variety of sounds most of which I don’t use! As for the cost, mmmmm, it is too expensive but most rolling stock in our hobby is very pricey, a new mk1 coach is nearly £50 so a rake of 8 coaches would cost you around £400 and of course the £250+ for the engine is a heck of a lot and I sometimes wonder if I should’ve gone with another thought I had when I first started was to model build ships and vehicles into dioramas. But the lure of watching trains run round grabbed me slightly more and of course my wallet!!! I had the same problem with my pony truck, I seemed to have cured that problem by tightening the little screw in it a little more but that’s not to say when the new iteration of Exehaven finally comes to life that it won’t happen again. A lovely review of a really good model Ian, I thoroughly enjoyed it, cheers mate, John
Good morning John, and thank you! I think the sounds will come into their own when automation comes into play! It can be fiddly to trigger the individual sounds when using the controller whilst also driving the trains, but with automation you can trigger them automatically! Yes, I totally agree! Costs in general are too high, but I just don't know how manufacturers can justify the cost of sound decoders considering the electronics involved! Yes, I remember you fixing your pony truck problem, and I did look into that, but mine was derailing at the exact same point, every single circuit, so I monkeyed with the track! :) All the best mate, Ian.
Nice review. I will probably buy a sound fitted loco when I next make a purchase. With the MT5 the extra £79 seems quite a good deal when a blank sound decoder seems to be selling for around £120 and then you need a way to load the sounds to the decoder. Anyway keep the reviews coming and looking forward to the next track update.
Thank you! Yeah, I'll probably keep purchasing the sound fitted ones! I just can't get straight in my head how the manufacturers justify the extra cost in terms of the electronics involved - especially as its now well understood and the development costs must have been covered! I'm hoping to get a track update out next week, but don't hold your breath! :) Cheers, Ian.
Hello Ian, I bought this model and had a similar problem of derailing on the front pony truck, problem was located to a very slight dip in the track at one point, which once sorted out resulted in the loco running much smoother with no further derailments. I am pleased with the loco and it is currently running/chuffing away as I type this. As regards the price of sound locos, as you say they are expensive but my thinking is, and using the 5mt as an example the loco without a decoder is £152.95, add a Next18 decoder (with brake function, which I like/prefer) which is £39.50, so making the model for me to purchase £192.45. The 5mt sound loco is priced at £237.95, the difference then is £45.50p, still quite a difference but to my mind a lot less expensive than adding a sound chip later which costs more than the difference between non-sound and sound. But as I say just my thinking. Thanks for the review, and have subscribed. Best wishes Joe
Hi Joe! Thanks for the sub! Yes, the front pony truck seems very sensitive to the trackwork, although John at Exehaven solved his problem by tightening the screw in the pony truck! Regarding sound decoders, using your example, that's £85 for a sound decoder, but I have to spend an extra £152.95 to get that deal! Obviously it would cost more if purchased separately, but I still feel that £85 is too much considering the electronics involved! Maybe I'm just being tight, which is why I wanted other people's opinions! All the best, Ian.
Hi Andy! Thank you! Haha! Sorry about putting temptation in your way, but you'll thoroughly enjoy the model if (when) you get one! :) All the best, Ian.
its amazing comparing the modern sound fitted ones to older models specifically how with an older one the mechanism is so noisy there would be no point sound fitting, praise indeed to make the things quiet enough its worthwhile
Hi Dale! Oh yes, it's incredible how much models have improved over the years! I should have inserted some shots of it running around the test track with the sound switched off, as it's virtually silent, with most noise coming from interaction with the track and foam baseboard! All the best, Ian.
I always love these reviews! Would you ever consider reviewing a Dapol or Graham Farish pannier 0-6-0 like the 57xx class? I'm an American who wants to model British N gauge, and having these reviews have really helped. Have a nice day!
Thanks very much Jimmy! Very kind of you to say! I have a Dapol 57xx Pannier, and it's on my list of locos to review! I can't promise it'll be any time soon though, as there are a fair few other models in the queue ahead of it, and these reviews take quite a long time to put together! I'll move it up the queue a bit though in view of your request! All the best, Ian.
Great review and thanks for that as I just managed to pick up one of the non sound fitted versions of this model from TMC a couple of weeks ago in one of their sales. Definitely a great looking loco, but feel that the sound fitting is a large extra cost!
Thanks very much Ben! It's a great loco isn't it? Glad you managed to grab one on sale! I just can't get past how much extra the sound fitted ones are considering the electronics involved must cost very little by comparison! All the best, Ian.
Looks like a great model, didnt realise also there were so many black 5s built. Price seems quite fair TBH for sound fitted these days, compared to some OO models well beyond £300 for similar. N is always bit cheaper.
Good morning John! Yes, I was quite surprised at how many were built when I was doing the research! Haha! If we're talking prices - EVERYTHING is too expensive, not just model trains and their sound decoders! :) Cheers, Ian.
Ivr hsd similar problems on mine with the pony truck derailing, seems rhey are quite sensitive to unever track especially on curves. Had to adjust my track aswell to fix it. Otherwise a lovely loco and runs great and sounds good too, a bit more bass from the speaker would be nice but its still good!
Hi Steven! It really is a lovely loco! Most sound fitted N gauge locos could do with a bit more bass, but I guess their size prevents this! I know others have had success fixing derailing pony trucks by tightening the screw that holds it to the chassis! It's a bit fiddly to do though, so I haven't attempted it on mine... yet! Cheers, Ian.
Very helpful review thanks Ian. I’ve had an eye on this model for a little while but cost put me off but I think I’m going to take the plunge. This is part of my ‘loco driven only’ policy - no more tender drives. Not sure I would bother with sound as all I would use is basic chuff (is that a technical term?!). Stephen
Hi Stephen! Thank you! I'm glad the review was helpful to you! It really is a great model, and I'm positive you'll be pleased with it when you receive yours! Yes, I know Dapol have a bad reputation for their tender drive units, and I've steered clear of them so far! However, I have an A4 on order, so it will be interesting to compare when it arrives! I also note that GF's latest Black 5's have a tender drive, and am at a loss to explain why! Haha! Yes, I believe chuff is definitely a technical term! Lol! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Hope you have better luck with the Dapol A4 than I did. It did not like running at low speed at all, and the back end wobbled on 2nd & 3rd radius curves. Also very noisy. It went back to the supplier, and I purchased the Farish 5MT instead. I agree with you, it's a lovely model, although after just over an hour of running, the little drive rods on one side came out of the front box (sorry don't know the technical terms). So that one also went back! I've just received the replacement so hoping for more luck this time!
@@standawe617 - Hi Stan! I've heard lots of bad reports about Dapol's tender drive units, including the A4! However, some people seem to have no problem with them, so I'm hoping to be one of them! Only time will tell, and I'll be sure to report my experience with it when it arrives! I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the 5MT! It sounds like there was a loose screw / bolt in one of the coupling rods! Hope the replacement behaves as expected! Good luck! All the best, Ian.
Morning Ian, an enjoyable and useful review 🙂 The detail and running certainly do look good on this - whilst I don't want one of these myself I'd like Graham Farish to produce more steam loco options if this is how good they're going to be each time! Yes I think the sound chips are over-priced in pure silicon terms, but I suspect scales of economy make a big difference, and the fabrication of the board isn't where the cost comes from because sound in 1:148 in model railways is a nice in a nice in a niche! Personally I've become a sucker for it - I can't bring myself to pass-up sound in a new release loco now, so I simply view the mid-£200s as the cost of a nice loco, rather than as up to £100 extra for sound. I think it's a lot of money though, so I'm being more picky about getting new locos.
Good morning Jonathan! Thank you! Yes, I wish all steam locos were manufactured to this standard - I'm looking at you Dapol! :) Interestingly though, I watched a review of the newer Farish class 5, and they'd changed it to tender drive, which I couldn't understand! I don't think the N scale sound decoders are any different to the OO scale ones - being Next18 - so they should have sold enough units to recover cost of development considering how long sound decoders have been available! I agree with you though, I'm also a sucker for sound, and will continue to purchase it when I can afford to! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Oh, it will be interesting to see how Graham Farish do with tender drive then! Ah ok so the decoders are just a niche in a niche, but yes, if it's shared across the scales it seems like they should have come down in price by now.
Hi Ian Did you try adding a bit of extra weight to the pony truck. It has worked for me on a couple of locos. A small lump of blutac on the coupling will tell if it will test whether it works. Thanks for the videos I always enjoy them. Richard
Hi Richard! I haven't tried adding extra weight to the pony truck! There isn't an awful lot of room between the top of the truck and the bottom of the chassis, so I'm not sure how much weight could be added! I'll put it on my list of things to try though, so thanks for the idea! Glad you're enjoying the videos! All the best, Ian.
This is why I've never gone for sound. To make a decent sound you've got to make the air molecules dance and the speakers on these and larger models are just too small to do so. It's a lot of extra money for a tinny sound. There is no base to it at all. Cheers.
Hi Simon! I honestly think they make a pretty good sound considering the restraints placed on speaker size! They're not trying to reproduce a high fidelity soundtrack, rather give an impression of what a loco sounds like - similar to how the detail isn't as visually precise as on the real loco, but gives a good impression of how it looks! All the best, Ian.
I just recently bought this loco with the sound fitted and despite the steep price I am really happy with it, I would second Ian and recommend this to anyone thinking about it.
Hi Ben! Thank you! It's a great loco isn't it? The sound just adds that extra something, and maybe that's where the value is? All the best, Ian.
Thanks Ian, for a wonderfully detailed yet concise review!
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it, as I thoroughly enjoyed making it! Cheers, Ian.
Lovely model Ian, thanks for the information. Chris
No problem Chris! Thanks for watching! It really is a lovely model! All the best, Ian.
Interesting review Ian, enjoyed the repots and agree, looking inside would be a Nono for me too, cheers mate. Phil
Thanks very much Phil! Yeah, I'm definitely too much of a wimp to open this one up, especially as it runs so well! All the best, Ian.
Lovely model Ian and great review.
Thanks very much Chris! It really is a marvellous model! All the best, Ian.
Morning Ian. Nice looking loco and a very good review to boot. 😊cheers Euan
Good morning Euan! Thank you very much! It's a terrific loco, and would look great running on away day excursions around Blackwood! :)) Cheers, Ian.
Great review, well done Ian, regards Terry 👏
Thanks very much Terry! Very kind of you to say! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, it’s a fantastic model, as you know I have a green sound fitted one. The sound surprised me as to how good it is with as you say a good variety of sounds most of which I don’t use!
As for the cost, mmmmm, it is too expensive but most rolling stock in our hobby is very pricey, a new mk1 coach is nearly £50 so a rake of 8 coaches would cost you around £400 and of course the £250+ for the engine is a heck of a lot and I sometimes wonder if I should’ve gone with another thought I had when I first started was to model build ships and vehicles into dioramas. But the lure of watching trains run round grabbed me slightly more and of course my wallet!!!
I had the same problem with my pony truck, I seemed to have cured that problem by tightening the little screw in it a little more but that’s not to say when the new iteration of Exehaven finally comes to life that it won’t happen again.
A lovely review of a really good model Ian, I thoroughly enjoyed it, cheers mate, John
Good morning John, and thank you! I think the sounds will come into their own when automation comes into play! It can be fiddly to trigger the individual sounds when using the controller whilst also driving the trains, but with automation you can trigger them automatically! Yes, I totally agree! Costs in general are too high, but I just don't know how manufacturers can justify the cost of sound decoders considering the electronics involved! Yes, I remember you fixing your pony truck problem, and I did look into that, but mine was derailing at the exact same point, every single circuit, so I monkeyed with the track! :) All the best mate, Ian.
Hi Ian. Love the review.
Thanks very much Paul! Much appreciated! Cheers, Ian.
Nice review. I will probably buy a sound fitted loco when I next make a purchase. With the MT5 the extra £79 seems quite a good deal when a blank sound decoder seems to be selling for around £120 and then you need a way to load the sounds to the decoder.
Anyway keep the reviews coming and looking forward to the next track update.
Thank you! Yeah, I'll probably keep purchasing the sound fitted ones! I just can't get straight in my head how the manufacturers justify the extra cost in terms of the electronics involved - especially as its now well understood and the development costs must have been covered! I'm hoping to get a track update out next week, but don't hold your breath! :) Cheers, Ian.
Hello Ian,
I bought this model and had a similar problem of derailing on the front pony truck, problem was located to a very slight dip in the track at one point, which once sorted out resulted in the loco running much smoother with no further derailments. I am pleased with the loco and it is currently running/chuffing away as I type this.
As regards the price of sound locos, as you say they are expensive but my thinking is, and using the 5mt as an example the loco without a decoder is £152.95, add a Next18 decoder (with brake function, which I like/prefer) which is £39.50, so making the model for me to purchase £192.45. The 5mt sound loco is priced at £237.95, the difference then is £45.50p, still quite a difference but to my mind a lot less expensive than adding a sound chip later which costs more than the difference between non-sound and sound. But as I say just my thinking.
Thanks for the review, and have subscribed.
Best wishes Joe
Hi Joe! Thanks for the sub! Yes, the front pony truck seems very sensitive to the trackwork, although John at Exehaven solved his problem by tightening the screw in the pony truck! Regarding sound decoders, using your example, that's £85 for a sound decoder, but I have to spend an extra £152.95 to get that deal! Obviously it would cost more if purchased separately, but I still feel that £85 is too much considering the electronics involved! Maybe I'm just being tight, which is why I wanted other people's opinions! All the best, Ian.
Great review, the 5mt wasn’t on my shopping list but you’ve tempted me, bad Ian. 😉
Hi Andy! Thank you! Haha! Sorry about putting temptation in your way, but you'll thoroughly enjoy the model if (when) you get one! :) All the best, Ian.
its amazing comparing the modern sound fitted ones to older models
specifically how with an older one the mechanism is so noisy there would be no point sound fitting, praise indeed to make the things quiet enough its worthwhile
Hi Dale! Oh yes, it's incredible how much models have improved over the years! I should have inserted some shots of it running around the test track with the sound switched off, as it's virtually silent, with most noise coming from interaction with the track and foam baseboard! All the best, Ian.
I always love these reviews! Would you ever consider reviewing a Dapol or Graham Farish pannier 0-6-0 like the 57xx class? I'm an American who wants to model British N gauge, and having these reviews have really helped. Have a nice day!
Thanks very much Jimmy! Very kind of you to say! I have a Dapol 57xx Pannier, and it's on my list of locos to review! I can't promise it'll be any time soon though, as there are a fair few other models in the queue ahead of it, and these reviews take quite a long time to put together! I'll move it up the queue a bit though in view of your request! All the best, Ian.
Great review and thanks for that as I just managed to pick up one of the non sound fitted versions of this model from TMC a couple of weeks ago in one of their sales. Definitely a great looking loco, but feel that the sound fitting is a large extra cost!
Thanks very much Ben! It's a great loco isn't it? Glad you managed to grab one on sale! I just can't get past how much extra the sound fitted ones are considering the electronics involved must cost very little by comparison! All the best, Ian.
Looks like a great model, didnt realise also there were so many black 5s built. Price seems quite fair TBH for sound fitted these days, compared to some OO models well beyond £300 for similar. N is always bit cheaper.
Good morning John! Yes, I was quite surprised at how many were built when I was doing the research! Haha! If we're talking prices - EVERYTHING is too expensive, not just model trains and their sound decoders! :) Cheers, Ian.
Ivr hsd similar problems on mine with the pony truck derailing, seems rhey are quite sensitive to unever track especially on curves. Had to adjust my track aswell to fix it. Otherwise a lovely loco and runs great and sounds good too, a bit more bass from the speaker would be nice but its still good!
Hi Steven! It really is a lovely loco! Most sound fitted N gauge locos could do with a bit more bass, but I guess their size prevents this! I know others have had success fixing derailing pony trucks by tightening the screw that holds it to the chassis! It's a bit fiddly to do though, so I haven't attempted it on mine... yet! Cheers, Ian.
Very helpful review thanks Ian. I’ve had an eye on this model for a little while but cost put me off but I think I’m going to take the plunge. This is part of my ‘loco driven only’ policy - no more tender drives. Not sure I would bother with sound as all I would use is basic chuff (is that a technical term?!). Stephen
Hi Stephen! Thank you! I'm glad the review was helpful to you! It really is a great model, and I'm positive you'll be pleased with it when you receive yours! Yes, I know Dapol have a bad reputation for their tender drive units, and I've steered clear of them so far! However, I have an A4 on order, so it will be interesting to compare when it arrives! I also note that GF's latest Black 5's have a tender drive, and am at a loss to explain why! Haha! Yes, I believe chuff is definitely a technical term! Lol! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Hope you have better luck with the Dapol A4 than I did. It did not like running at low speed at all, and the back end wobbled on 2nd & 3rd radius curves. Also very noisy. It went back to the supplier, and I purchased the Farish 5MT instead.
I agree with you, it's a lovely model, although after just over an hour of running, the little drive rods on one side came out of the front box (sorry don't know the technical terms). So that one also went back! I've just received the replacement so hoping for more luck this time!
@@standawe617 - Hi Stan! I've heard lots of bad reports about Dapol's tender drive units, including the A4! However, some people seem to have no problem with them, so I'm hoping to be one of them! Only time will tell, and I'll be sure to report my experience with it when it arrives! I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the 5MT! It sounds like there was a loose screw / bolt in one of the coupling rods! Hope the replacement behaves as expected! Good luck! All the best, Ian.
Morning Ian, an enjoyable and useful review 🙂 The detail and running certainly do look good on this - whilst I don't want one of these myself I'd like Graham Farish to produce more steam loco options if this is how good they're going to be each time! Yes I think the sound chips are over-priced in pure silicon terms, but I suspect scales of economy make a big difference, and the fabrication of the board isn't where the cost comes from because sound in 1:148 in model railways is a nice in a nice in a niche! Personally I've become a sucker for it - I can't bring myself to pass-up sound in a new release loco now, so I simply view the mid-£200s as the cost of a nice loco, rather than as up to £100 extra for sound. I think it's a lot of money though, so I'm being more picky about getting new locos.
Good morning Jonathan! Thank you! Yes, I wish all steam locos were manufactured to this standard - I'm looking at you Dapol! :) Interestingly though, I watched a review of the newer Farish class 5, and they'd changed it to tender drive, which I couldn't understand! I don't think the N scale sound decoders are any different to the OO scale ones - being Next18 - so they should have sold enough units to recover cost of development considering how long sound decoders have been available! I agree with you though, I'm also a sucker for sound, and will continue to purchase it when I can afford to! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Oh, it will be interesting to see how Graham Farish do with tender drive then! Ah ok so the decoders are just a niche in a niche, but yes, if it's shared across the scales it seems like they should have come down in price by now.
Hi Ian
Did you try adding a bit of extra weight to the pony truck. It has worked for me on a couple of locos. A small lump of blutac on the coupling will tell if it will test whether it works.
Thanks for the videos I always enjoy them.
Richard
Hi Richard! I haven't tried adding extra weight to the pony truck! There isn't an awful lot of room between the top of the truck and the bottom of the chassis, so I'm not sure how much weight could be added! I'll put it on my list of things to try though, so thanks for the idea! Glad you're enjoying the videos! All the best, Ian.
This is why I've never gone for sound. To make a decent sound you've got to make the air molecules dance and the speakers on these and larger models are just too small to do so. It's a lot of extra money for a tinny sound. There is no base to it at all. Cheers.
Hi Simon! I honestly think they make a pretty good sound considering the restraints placed on speaker size! They're not trying to reproduce a high fidelity soundtrack, rather give an impression of what a loco sounds like - similar to how the detail isn't as visually precise as on the real loco, but gives a good impression of how it looks! All the best, Ian.