LGB Faur L45H... fitting the (lady) driver?

[Zerogee]

Has anyone else on here treated themselves to the new(ish) LGB SOEG Faur diesel (26450)...? Mine has just arrived from a very helpful German stockist, it's the first G scale purchase I've made for at least three years (!).

The loco looks lovely, and comes supplied with a hand-painted metal driver figure, depicting the actual driver of the real SOEG L45H, a redheaded lass by the name of Nicole (..."Papa??"). Does anyone else have any tips of how to actually install her in the cab (of course, there is zero mention of it in the instruction manual)...? She has a small screw in the bottom (of her feet - oi, I do the jokes around here...) which obviously is intended to fix her in place, and there is indeed a hole in the loco underside that goes up into the cab, through which you can pass the tiny screw on a magnetic-tipped screwdriver - but trying to get her in the right position (stop it...) and hold her there while then getting the screw in seems to be a job for somebody with at least three hands and the finger size of a newborn child, especially when you're trying to do it all through the cab window and the (viciously sprung-loaded) cab door!

Anyone know if the cab roof actually comes off, and if so how? I've given it gentle tugs in all directions but don't want to force it when I don't know where the clips are...

Jon.

 

[dutchelm]

The answer is “with great difficulty”. I managed after a struggle but the loco wouldn’t go after. I had managed to push the little switch in the cab over with my big finger.

 

[Zerogee]

The answer is “with great difficulty”. I managed after a struggle but the loco wouldn’t go after. I had managed to push the little switch in the cab over with my big finger.

Thanks Mike! So there is no "easy" route, just need to struggle with it...?
I assume you have to wiggle her into place through the window, then somehow hold her there while you pass the screw up through the hole underneath the loco and hope to find the screw hole by feel?

The cab roof does appear to be a separate part from the roof panels of the long and short hoods, but there doesn't seem to be any way of getting it off - probably screwed on from the inside... the days of LGB roofs simply clipping on and off seem to be long gone...

Jon.

 

[Zerogee]

Further information found... I tracked down a post (in German, but Googly Translate is my/your friend...) on the Gartenbahn Profi blog which talks about this exact problem - sadly the only solution it offers is what we've already surmised, you just have to do it by struggling with it and a lot of swearing....

Lokführerin Nicole, die Schraube und der Weihnachtsfrieden – Gartenbahn Profi – der Blog zum Magazin

Jon.

 

[dutchelm]

With the loco on its side you have to fiddle about with a finger until you get her located. Then hold her with a finger, ignoring the pain from the door cutting into the finger, whilst you attempt to put the screw through the floor. Then attempt to remove finger.
Check power switch by her leg or the loco will not go!

 

[Zerogee]

.....Then attempt to remove finger.

I think the cab door is trying to do that for you...

The GBP blog article suggests wrapping the jaws of some fine nosed pliers in tape, to avoid damaging Nicole's makeup (sorry, I meant paint...), and holding her in position with those while you get the screw in...

Jon.

 

[Zerogee]

I did think about putting a bit of blutack under her elbow and sticking her to the window ledge, until the screw is in, then carefully scraping it out?

Why, oh why, do they make things like this so bl**dy difficult? Do they think we actually enjoy it?

Jon.

 

[PhilP]

Oh! The innuendo!

Worthy of a Carry On film, and a Sid James laugh..

Thank you!
For brightening the end of breakfast coffee..


PhilP.

 

[Zerogee]

You're welcome, Phil!

So many of the jokes just wrote themselves - even I tried to keep them in check a bit, which as you know is unusual for me...

Glad it gave you a smile...

Jon

PS: even if you don't have one of these locos, it's worth reading the GBP blog article I mentioned - that will give you a chuckle once you've translated the text!

 

[dutchelm]

I did think about putting a bit of blutack under her elbow and sticking her to the window ledge, until the screw is in, then carefully scraping it out?

Why, oh why, do they make things like this so bl**dy difficult? Do they think we actually enjoy it?

Jon.

Who said the Germans have no sense of humour!

 

[Fezwig]

Oh! The innuendo!

Worthy of a Carry On film, and a Sid James laugh..

Thank you!
For brightening the end of breakfast coffee..


PhilP.

Desperately resisting the obvious replies, Have you tried making a cup of tea? Once made, place in cad and driver will detect said tea and self install in cab, certainly works for me

As an aside, Karen Harrison, BRs first female driver,

Karen Harrison - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dutchelm]

That loco has been a bit of a pain. It went OK when unpacked. Then it took me 4 days to put the driver in the cab, then it wouldn’t go. In the end I read the instructions which told me about the switch in the cab by her knee.
Next change the address. Using the Massoth programmer I changed CV1 from 3 to 18. Put it on the track & no response. I was reluctant to mess with the Marklin decoder but eventually I did a full check. Massoth had added a bit onto CV29 as it assumed it was a 4 digit address. It is now going & its a lovely loco but what a fight to get it sorted.

 

[Zerogee]

Desperately resisting the obvious replies, Have you tried making a cup of tea? Once made, place in cad and driver will detect said tea and self install in cab, certainly works for me

.....

The tea sounds like an excellent idea...

It's fitting the retaining screw that keeps her in place that is the really tricky bit!

Jon.

 

[PhilP]

That loco has been a bit of a pain. It went OK when unpacked. Then it took me 4 days to put the driver in the cab, then it wouldn’t go. In the end I read the instructions which told me about the switch in the cab by her knee.
Next change the address. Using the Massoth programmer I changed CV1 from 3 to 18. Put it on the track & no response. I was reluctant to mess with the Marklin decoder but eventually I did a full check. Massoth had added a bit onto CV29 as it assumed it was a 4 digit address. It is now going & its a lovely loco but what a fight to get it sorted.

Ah! Gotcha!

Did you by any chance, use the Massoth 'change address' function?

This changes more than just CV1.

Changing the single CV, should have been fine, though...


Although, if fitted with a Marklin/MFX decoder, then all bets are off!


PhilP.

 

[Zerogee]

That loco has been a bit of a pain. It went OK when unpacked. Then it took me 4 days to put the driver in the cab, then it wouldn’t go. In the end I read the instructions which told me about the switch in the cab by her knee.
Next change the address. Using the Massoth programmer I changed CV1 from 3 to 18. Put it on the track & no response. I was reluctant to mess with the Marklin decoder but eventually I did a full check. Massoth had added a bit onto CV29 as it assumed it was a 4 digit address. It is now going & its a lovely loco but what a fight to get it sorted.

Having "enjoyed" the little quirks of MFX decoders in the past, I cheated a bit on this one - I asked the shop I bought it from to test the loco thoroughly before shipping it (I didn't want to find any problems that might have meant I had to ship it straight back to Germany!), and at the same time, on my request, they disabled the MFX function (I will only ever be running it on DCC) AND changed the loco address for me... brilliantly helpful, and it means I shouldn't have to fiddle with the programming at all.

Great customer service, and on top of that I saved myself around £200 on the UK retail price - even after paying the VAT and ransom fee to ParcelFarce!
Jon.

 

[Gizzy]

So, have you screwed Nicole yet....

 

[dutchelm]

She has been screwed in the cab.

 

[Zerogee]

So, have you screwed Nicole yet....

I can neither confirm nor deny....

Jon.

 

[Zerogee]

I may well have a go at her this afternoon - we shall wait and see whether it results in a successful screwing....

Jon.

 

[PhilP]

PhilP.