Has anyone done it ?

I'm toying with the idea of buying one of the recent Hornby Ivatt Std. Class 2 locos although I don't really know why ………………..

It's DCC ready with an 8 pin socket and is presumably designed with Hornby's own TTS sound project in mind.

If I do buy one, and I do fit sound, I'd want to use a Zimo decoder.  Has anyone done one and if so, is it a tight fit ?

I note the decoder socket is in the tender but is there also room for a speaker ?

Regardless of decoders, has anyone bought one of these locomotives and are they any good ?  I have read that the detail is superb, as is the paint job but the same review had significant reservations about the power and reliability of the motor……………

It's not a cheap locomotive and if it turned out to be just "pretty", I can think of prettier things to spend my hard earned cash on………………….

It's a while since I did mine but as I remember it, I took out the socket and hard wired the Zimo MX645. I carved up the tender to fit the speaker and stay alive (Lais). I probably took the weight out as well. I made a cover from fly screen mesh for real coal to sit on top.

Thanks Pete - I may well ask more questions about it ………………..

I've just ordered one from Germany - I have a non-sound chip in stock so once run-in, I can at least use it on the layout before deciding which sound decoder might be best.  I'm not sure the "MX" range is still available, replaced, I think, by the "MS" range.  I'll have to check on their relevant sizes once I know how small the tender is …………..

I've looked online for details about fitting sound to this loco but only found passing comments about the available space, or lack of it - no details about which decoder or speakers were used.

Yep, the MX series has been superseded by the MS, or MN if no sound.