I am amazed in this day and age that a company cannot get simple things correct. They make the effort to do the mars light front end, then put a yellow lamp in the mars light! If that whistle is a NKP whistle, the closest thing I can find on DVD is when the berk is at full track speed. With the real locomotive still around, and running, and running the mars light for many years in excursion service, you would think they could get it right, instead of screwing up a perfectly good model. I guess my money will wait till someone comes up with a way to correct the yellow mars light at the least. I can live with the whistle, but the yellow mars sticks out like a sore thumb. And I dont like the berk without the mars so the early version is out. I guess I am just disappointed that in a modern digital age, a company cannot get such simple things right. Mike
Is the color just wrong; or does it not function as a Mars and act as a normal headlight?
I have two of these and the Mars light functions, but should be clear white, not yellow. My plans are to replace the LED, or bulb with a white one.
The whistle is poor since it sounds like it is running at speed and has some echo in it. Both of mine also have some kind of software problem at speed when you hit function 6. Both have experienced this problem with a loud noise emitting from the speakers when function 6 is used at speed.
Even with the sound problems, it is still one of the best NKP models available for the price.
Thanks, I was just curious.
I don’t believe this is an issue with the N scale versions though…I don’t even think they have a mars light. So you guys be thankful for what you got. [:P] [swg]
Sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing. One of my philosophies about model railroading is that ignorance is bliss. I wouldn’t have even known the Mars light was the wrong color and would have been perfectly happy with it.
Sorry if I sound a bit insensative, but this is a long way from the “old” days where manufacturers would slap roadnames on everything to sell them. The P2K Berks seem to be very accurate for the NKP, PM and C&O and with something as complex and road specific as a steam loco, thats quite a feat. The Mars light should be a relatively simple fix as stated above. As for the whistle, I think sound is still in its infancy for the most part and will get better in the next few years too. I understand where it can be annoying to shell out a good amount of money for something that is obviously wrong but the light is easily fixable unlike other things like a wrong style of tender or wrong/missing feedwater heaters.
Rick
Just curious, when new, what sort of bulb was used in the Mars light. Modern bulbs are brighter and more white than the classic 32 volt bulbs that used to be used in headlights. Out and out yellow is wrong, but the golden-white type of LED is pretty close. It’s not pure white, but slightly yellow. The ones fromMiniatronics have a clear case whitht he yellow filter inside so the LED doesn’t look all yellow when turned off. Other kinds look orange when off. For more modern times, the sunny white LEDs look close. Plain white LEDs are too blue to work as an incandescent headlight. If they used the typical orange when off LEDs, just swap it out for Yelo Glo from miniatronics.
As for the whistle, this is where I like the Loksound decoders. If YOU have a better recording of the whistle, YOU can fix it. QSI won’t have that ability, for some reason they don’t feel it is necessary. But better sample can be sent to QSI and if useable they will make updates.
–Randy
One of Benjamin Kubelski’s old radio gags involved Jack and the gang going into a small roadside diner and inquiring of the proprietor - no menus were available - what he had to eat.
“You name it,” said the proprietor, "and we’ve got it!’
“Okay,” said Jack, “Bring me a tunafish sandwich.”
“We ain’t got no tunafish.”
“Okay, bring me a chicken salad sandwich.”
“We ain’t got no chicken salad.”
“All right, bring me a ham sandwich.”
“We ain’t got no ham.”
“Wait a minute. You said 'You name it; we’ve got it!”
“You ain’t named it.”
You obviously ain’t named it!!! When you need a Berks with an amber Mars light you’ll know exactly where to go to get one. In the meantime … .
Are you running H.O. or N scale? Just remember not to run them at O-27 speed of light! Just run them slowwwwww. Kevin
You know a set of Rose tinted glasses might help with the colour…
Just a thought [:-^]
But in all honesty you have made a valid point I too get frustrated with all the different colours of "white when it comes to headlights. Athearn went with an orange LED with the Challenger, Bachmann a Chrome yellow in the 2-10-2. BLI seems to have it right but replacements are hard to come by. (tried to source a bunch from them to put in all the other locos)
Until “They” get it right, we MR’rs will have to do what we’ve always done
Canabolize!!
It’s the only way
Fergie