Example 1: Dapol OO GWR Manor with MS sound and stay-alive

Kit: MS580Next18; RE BabyBoomer 26X20X08 speaker; STACO1 stay-alive kit

Continuing the design principles of Dapol's Mogul and similar Next18 models, the GWR Manor repeats many of the same ideas, seemingly executed well (at least in the examples we have seen so far). A slide-out PCB in the boiler for the decoder, and the choice of either a 15x11mm StickyGasket speaker in with the decoder, or a larger speaker in the tender, all pre-wired.

Ping off the boiler door and slide out the PCB.

Tender first... very simple - remove 4 screws and the tender body comes off easily. Wires are provided for the speaker, so we just need to join them up to our 26x20x8 speaker and secure down with some double-sided tape. Could have got a bigger speaker in, but this one works very well already - certainly much better than the StickyGasket option in the boiler.

Our MS580 decoder clips in, PCB slides in and we're done! Very simple install, and sounds great.

Although our example ran very well, a stay-alive is always useful, and the MS580 makes this feasible even though the model does not provide any connection points for it. We employ one of Zimo's new STACO1 kits, which is a little PCB and 3 mini GoldCaps. This combination gives a number of seconds backup time once charged up, so excellent results.

The GoldCaps are connected in series (each 2.7V so this adds up to 8.1V which is what the STACO PCB is designed to work with. Each GoldCap is 0.3F, which means the overall capacitance available is 0.1F, which is huge!

The PCB slides back in, and once wrapped in Kapton tape, we slide in the GoldCaps and the STACO PCB too. Quite comfortable - plenty of space.

Pop the boiler door back on, add crew, coal, and we're done - fabulous model!

Example 2: MS581G with GoldCaps

Kit: MS581 'G'

Updated install to use the later MS581 decoder - this has solder pads for direct connection of a pair of mini GoldCaps. The 'G' version of the MS581 comes with the wires already attached to the decoder, and the 2 GoldCaps as part of the package, so really easy.

Connect the GoldCaps in series.

Please note that these guides are provided as useful resources for you, as-is. YouChoos cannot be held responsible for errors in the information, or for any damage caused to your models or equipment if you choose to follow any of the steps detailed here.