Cavalex Class 56 P4 Conversion

[Triode]

I recently got a couple of these, and thought it would be worth a short post about conversion to P4.

As with recent releases from Accurascale and SLW, P4 conversion packs are available. To change the wheels, its a simple matter of unclipping the keeper plate of the bogie and levering the side frames away slightly so the axle ends can be eased out of the bearing cups. The bearings also serve as pickups, so no wiper pickups to fiddle about with, which is very welcome!

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A minor word of caution: I found the wheelsets as supplied to be a fair but under-gauge, and they would not run over my pointwork. I had to remove them from the loco again and re-gauge using the Society L-shaped back-to-back gauge. After this they worked perfectly. If you get one of these locos, it is worth checking the back-to-back before fitting the wheels to save time.

Another minor issue with just one of the locos was that the retaining clips for the worms on the gear towers were not pushed all the way in. This meant the worms didn't engage properly and the loco stuttered along. Once I found the problem it was easy to fix through openings in the sides of the chassis block, which provide easy access to these clips (see below).

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On a more positive note, I'm pleased to note that these locos don't rock side-to-side too much on their bogies, which is an issue I had with Accurascale's Class 37s, breaking the illusion a bit when they go over slight track bumps. On the Accurascale model I managed to fix the issue by adding very thin brass strips under the bogie bearing pips at one end, after which they run much better. It was good that the Cavalex model avoided the issue in the first place though.

Overall I would definitely recommend these locos, especially with sound which is fantastic!

[Terry Bendall]

A minor word of caution: I found the wheelsets as supplied to be a fair but under-gauge, and they would not run over my pointwork. I had to remove them from the loco again and re-gauge using the Society L-shaped back-to-back gauge. After this they worked perfectly. If you get one of these locos, it is worth checking the back-to-back before fitting the wheels to save time.

An essential check that needs to be done every time replacement wheels are fitted.

Another minor issue with just one of the locos was that the retaining clips for the worms on the gear towers were not pushed all the way in. This meant the worms didn't engage properly and the loco stuttered along.

I have had the same probem with models from other manufacturers, sometimes after the loco has been in use for some time.

Terry Bendall