Skd 224 NSB from NMJ
Introduction
Container trains arriving at a station usualy just drops of it's wagons. It's then the shunters job to take care of the wagons in order to get them in the right track. Another use of shunters is to move locomotives around when they are in for service. They can also be used for preparing wagons for passenger trains. Skd 224 is one such shunter.
NMJ have created several editions of the Skd 224. I have a NMJ catalog from 2016 with pictures of the model, so I belive the version I bought was released in 2016. The catalog states that this particular version is an improved version of a previous release of the model. The improved model have an improved circuit board and is equipped with a condensator. I bought the model in 2025, but didn't take the time to have a look at it then. The edition I got is the one with the latest NSB logo (before it became Vy).
Skd 224 is still in stock as of writing this article. The editions that are available at the time of writing is:
- Skd 224 216 with NSB logo (The one I got)
- Skd 224 218 with CargoNet logo
- Skd 224 220 with Jernbarneverket logo
- Skd 224 223 in redbrown color
I do not have any insight into what models have been created in the past unfortunately.
First look at the model
The model came in a box with plastic for protection for the most part. The model came with some additional parts and a short manual containing a part list and some history about the prototype. Bellow is a picture of the box and the model after unboxing it.
My first impression of the model is that it is decent looking with quite a lot of detailing. One neat thing about the model is that all detail parts seems to be fitted from the factory, which in my opinion is a great thing. It's also a nice addition that there is a driver in the cab. NMJ models usually comes without a driver.
One thing I did notice wih the model was that there where some oil spilled on the underside of the model. Bellow are some pictures of the model seen from different sides.
Pictures of the Skd 220
I do not have any pictures of the Skd 224 unfortunately, but I do have some pictures of the Skd 220 which looks somewhat similar. I am not sure what all the differences between the two are, but it looks to me that the door arrangement is different for example.
I have also visited a railway line that is taken out of service that serves as a tourist atraction where you can ride a rail-cycle draisine on the line. That line have an abandoned Skd 220 that you can check out. Bellow are some images of the abandoned Skd 220.
First run
The first run went ok. I did have some stalls when stopping. The lights would stay on indicating that the condensator works, but none of the pickups would have contact with the track power. It would thus not be possible to operate it once it was stopped and the light would eventually turn off. This issue is not suprising, as the shunter only have two axels. Models with pickup on two axels will be prone to bad current pickup. I also noticed that the locomotive is unable to crawl smoothly at very slow speeds. I find that a little bit dissapointing for a shunter. There where otherwise no issues during running in.
Another thing I tried was to haul a locomotive using shunting mode. That did not work well unfortunately, as the speed map of the models in shunting mode was different. Hauling a locomotive will require reprogramming the speed settings on either one. I am not going bother with that for now, so I will use the shunter for wagons.
A squeaking sound started to appear after I had run the model for some time. The intersting thing was that the sound only was present when going in reverse. I therefor decided to add some grease and some oil to the model. Grease where applied to the cog wheels and oil where applied to all the bearings. I also added some oil to the rear motor axel. Note that the rear motor axel isn't connected to anything. Both axels on the model are driven by the front motor axel, so it's therefor probably not necesary to apply oil to the rear motor axel at all.
I then ran the model in different directions for some time to let the oil and grease spread out inside the model. That did not help much in regards of the sound. I therefor did some further investigation and found out that the problem actually was one of the pickups. The pickup was pushing too hard toward the wheel. Bending the problematic pickup a bit closer to the center with a plier fixed the problem.
Light functions
The light functions is actually one of the most dissapointing things in my opinion. The model have only one light and that is the light in the cab. It would have been nice to have more light functions, but the limitations might be due to the decoder in the model and it's small size.
Programming the decoder
The decoder that this model came with is a Train-O-Matic Lokommander 2 Micro N18. That is a brand and model I have never heard of before. There is not much to program as there are lights only in the cab. So why talk about decoder programming then? Well, there are two things I always do in terms of decoders on my models. The first thing is to change it's address, the second is to read out all it's config using JMRI.
Changing the adress of decoders is usually a simple operation with no issues. This was however not the case for me. The repgrogramming of address was simple, but the light in the cab stopped working. I first thought that the light somehow broke due to the address change. I did however decide to reset the decoder to factory settings. That luckily fixed the problem.
Reading out the decoder config is also a problem-free process usually. The challenge with this model is it's bad current pickup. The shunter moves slightly whenever it's programmed. That causes the decoder to lose connectivity with the command station. Most of the read operations will therefor time out. The way to workaround that issue is that you have to slighly move the shunter whenever you notice read timeouts in JMRI. Another way to do it could be to take the decoder out of the model and use a decoder tester to program it. That makes the process of reading out the decoder config more cumbersome.
I decided to change one function binding on the model. The function for shunting is F3 by default. I changed it to F6, since many of my other models have F6 for shunting mode. That function mapping can be changed from the "Brake/Stop" tab as shown in the bellow screenshot.
One thing I might change on the model in the future is the speed. The model is in it's default state extremly fast. Shunters are not built for speed and defintely should not be as fast as it is now. It should be noted that the high speed on the model might be necessary for the shunter to be able to haul longer trains.
Inside the model
Opening up the model was actually quite easy. I decided to start by unscrewing the two screws for the coupling. I have later found out that there is no need to unscrew those screws. I used a PH1 screwdriver for the screws. Bellow is an image of the model seen from the underside. Note that there are pickups on both axels.
The next step is then to lift the shell off. Note that both the shell and the section between the chassis and the shell might be loose. The shell can be gently gently pulled up once the two flaps securing it to the chassis is loose.
What we can see after opening up the model is the circuit board and the decoder. The light in the cab uses the red and the black wire that is connected with the connector under the circuit board. The two black wires at the rear is for the motor, while the black wires next to the decoder is for the current pickup.
The condensator is located under the circuit board in the front.
Final thoughts
The model works fine, but I find the lighting functions to be a bit lacking. The current pickup issue in addition to the crawl issue is also annoying, but that is to be expected with two-axeled models. The model is otherwise quite detailed with detail parts fitted to the model from the factory.
Superspeed500 2026