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Swiss crocodile review

2556 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  neil_s_wood, 
Doug
3


Neil has given us another great write-up of a very interesting loco. Articulated...hmm. I like that


Click here for the review
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B
Excellent review Neil - thanks.

I'm lucky enough to have one of these brutes in my own collection - it's a bit noisy from the gears, but otherwise the performance is on a par with the prototype. I think the noise is partly due to the Lenz 1024 decoder in it !

Incidently, I used to have a Roco one but it was one of the rubber band mech' ones & it never ran very slowly without jerking.
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Excellent review Neil.......at least I won't have to buy one.

Regards
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neil_s_wood
QUOTE (dbclass50 @ 13 Aug 2007, 21:10) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Excellent review Neil - thanks.

I'm lucky enough to have one of these brutes in my own collection - it's a bit noisy from the gears, but otherwise the performance is on a par with the prototype. I think the noise is partly due to the Lenz 1024 decoder in it !

Incidently, I used to have a Roco one but it was one of the rubber band mech' ones & it never ran very slowly without jerking.
I have a bit of a whirring noise from the gears too but its not too obtrusive. It seems to sound appropriate.
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dwb
QUOTE It seems to sound appropriate.
I've heard the LGB RhB Krokodile with sound. There seems to be a lot "clonking" goes on inside.

David
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neil_s_wood
QUOTE (dwb @ 14 Aug 2007, 08:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I've heard the LGB RhB Krokodile with sound. There seems to be a lot "clonking" goes on inside.

David
That doesn't sound prototypical.
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dwb
QUOTE That doesn't sound prototypical
It may have been the start up sequence. It's over a year since I heard it. The memory that has stayed with me is that the noise from one these electrics is not as boring as you would expect. Dietz list an SBB Ce 6/8 in their sound list. You can reach the mp3 sample from this link.

David
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PaulRhB
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QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 13 Aug 2007, 23:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That doesn't sound prototypical.

Oh yes it does
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neil_s_wood
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QUOTE (PaulRhB @ 20 Aug 2007, 02:21) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Oh yes it does

Thats good to know
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S
Just bought the Trix weathered version yesterday (22363), it seems they started and stopped production of this variant in the blink of an eye. I too have that problem of the trailing wheels being stiff, at one end it hardly rotated although I still haven't tried lubricating them yet. I notice if you press down slightly on the trailing bogie, the wheels start to rotate easily.

Has anybody fitted a sound card to one of these?
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neil_s_wood
QUOTE (simonj @ 17 Feb 2008, 22:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Has anybody fitted a sound card to one of these?
No but I am thinking about it.
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S
QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 17 Feb 2008, 21:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>No but I am thinking about it.

I had a closer look at the trailing bogie problem. I think its that copper metal contact strip that presses on the axle that causes the resistance. I've oiled the bearings and the sticky axle now works better although not 100%.

I guess you'd use a loksound unit? Marklin did/do an mfx sound version of the croc, checking loksounds website, the version with the 0.91inch speaker should work.
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neil_s_wood
QUOTE (simonj @ 18 Feb 2008, 09:38) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I had a closer look at the trailing bogie problem. I think its that copper metal contact strip that presses on the axle that causes the resistance. I've oiled the bearings and the sticky axle now works better although not 100%.

I guess you'd use a loksound unit? Marklin did/do an mfx sound version of the croc, checking loksounds website, the version with the 0.91inch speaker should work.
Yes there is a Loksound decoder. You could just plug this in. What I would have to look at is where to put the speakers. I would get an extra speaker for it too.
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S
Well I read through your review and have just had the central bodywork off to see whats inside and how much space. I couldn't see a NEM socket, where your chip is on the circuit board, there is a smaller chip on mine , but no wires coming off it.(is this a connector that is just placed in the NEM socket so the loco will run on DC?). I measured the internal width of the body ends and its narrower than the 0.91 of an inch that the standard loksound speaker is. Its about 21mm or so. I didn't take them off to see if a speaker would fit in arranged vertically. My version is the recently released weathered version, the paper in the box says try not to handle the loco too much as the weathered paintwork may come off.

thanks
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neil_s_wood
QUOTE (simonj @ 19 Feb 2008, 10:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Well I read through your review and have just had the central bodywork off to see whats inside and how much space. I couldn't see a NEM socket, where your chip is on the circuit board, there is a smaller chip on mine , but no wires coming off it.(is this a connector that is just placed in the NEM socket so the loco will run on DC?). I measured the internal width of the body ends and its narrower than the 0.91 of an inch that the standard loksound speaker is. Its about 21mm or so. I didn't take them off to see if a speaker would fit in arranged vertically. My version is the recently released weathered version, the paper in the box says try not to handle the loco too much as the weathered paintwork may come off.

thanks


This is the loco with the decoder in the socket. Before this is installed there will be a blanking plug which needs to be removed. This enables the loco to run on DC.

Looking at this picture there doesn't seem to be an awful lot of room for a speaker. I would have to take it apart to check thoroughly though as there is often a way. Its a while since I looked inside this so I can't remember off hand how much space there was.
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