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Piko German V 60 diesel switcher
I would like to address one of the “Cons” listed in the “Pros and Cons” section at the end of the print magazine review.
Although the instructions for a PIKO loco naturally recommend the use of a PIKO decoder and sound unit, the loco can certainly quite easily use other brands as well. The internal wiring connections can be loosened from the screw terminals and the wires can be connected as appropriate to various brands of decoders.
The PIKO decoder and sound unit, designed for this specific loco and manufactured for PIKO by Uhlenbrock of Germany, do offer some advantages over other brands: The high-quality speaker fits precisely to the speaker mounting that is moulded into the loco chassis, to give optimum sound quality and volume. Also, the decoder mounts easily with screws to the mounting posts that are provided inside the loco, which is more secure than mounting a decoder with double-stick tape. To date, I have not heard of a G-Scale NMRA standard for the size and placement of decoder mounting screws.