Clearly I've had/currently have far too many projects. I just got back some more of my old "I was sure it was gone forever" stuff. Among this batch was my Stewart F7 AB set. I knew I had a decoder in the A unit (B is a dummy). I even remembered I set the address to 1234 because the unit is unnumbered. What I did NOT remember is that I got a lot further on my project to put a Soundtraxx DSD-100LC decoder in the B unit. I sure did when I put it on the track and sounds started coming out of it! So I undid those silly oddball Kadee couplers I use 5-6 years ago when I did this and opened it up. Sure enough, I had the DSD-100LC all wired in, with a large plate of thick styrene to seal against the carbody and make the lower half the enclosure, with a large oval speaker. I THINK the speaker came from an old computer actually, not the one I had purchased when I got the decoder It's got plenty of bass response, there are some spots that need betttr sealing to make it a true enclosure though. It's fairly loud, and as far as I can tell is only on about half volume.
Couple of things need to be done - make it more of a true enclosure, drill some holes to let the sound out, and follow Marcus Ammann's instructions to add a keep alive capacitor to it - I'll be able to use quite a large one with all the space inside the empty B unit.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi!
Yup, more than a couple times I've found projects in progress that I had forgotten about. Along those same lines, I've made trips to the LHS for that special item that I already had and forgotten about. Let's face it, those of us who have been in the hobby a long time typically have lots of projects and "stuff" tucked away here and there, and we often get surprised at what we find.
I'm tempted to say "its an age thing" (I'm 66), but I've been doing that for a number of years.
By the way, the access to "good sound" is a major perk for this relative newbie to DCC!
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I'm guilty of the above!
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
What I hate is buying the parts for a project I am getting back to doing only to find I already purchased them earlier. Could this be the onset of oldtimers? What do I do with all the duplicate detail parts?
Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
I've done that too, and I'm only 44 - that could be trouble. I have two sets of those nice wire strippers, too, because I swore I hadn't picked up a set yet and bought one, and when I got home I already had one. Parts I am generally buying to complete my undecorated RS-3's - bells, proper horns, etc. My solution if I buy an extra set of horns is to buy anothe rundec RS-3 - however eventually that strategy will fail as I currently have 5 to do.
Randy,
Clearly you do have too many projects. I am pushinig 70 and lose a lot of things (temporarily!) but have never lost a sound equiped AB with DCC! I wish I had though? You need an organizer. I made a spread sheet with all of my rolling stock listed with prices paid and all the specs associated with them, but then I forgot about it and it is now about 18 months out of date.
Keep looking though,
Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Well the 'losing' part of the loco comes from several life-changing events including a foreclosure. What I forgot was that I actually had gotten so far as to have the decoder and speaker actually installed in said B unit - I really only last remembered still playing with it on the bench trying different speakers and working up a way to use the B unit body as the speaker baffle. Turns out I was a bit further along than that.
farrellaa Randy, Clearly you do have too many projects. I am pushinig 70 and lose a lot of things (temporarily!) but have never lost a sound equiped AB with DCC! I wish I had though? You need an organizer. I made a spread sheet with all of my rolling stock listed with prices paid and all the specs associated with them, but then I forgot about it and it is now about 18 months out of date. Keep looking though, Bob
Been there, done that. Even bought the T-Shirt, but for why, I will never know. I started a Spread sheet with all the materials and prices for all the bench-work and the rolling stock that I had previously purchased. Now, I have purchased a lot more rolling stock and Loco's in the past 4 or 5 years but I will be darned if I can remember what I paid for them, or when, or from whom. And I am pushing 70 from the wrong side.
I am not saying that my memory is failing, but some days I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast. And that's before I get to lunch. LOL.
Oh well, I still enjoy running my trains and "She Who Must Be Obeyed" still allows me to go out and buy a new toy every now and then.
Blue Flamer.
About 10 years ago - when I was accumulating rolling stock - I put together a "fancy" inventory spreadsheet with all kinds car specific data. I kept it going for several years, and had well over 600 entries.
Ha, I still "double bought" more than a few times - once actually "triple bought" the same kit.
When I realized I was never going to get a train room bigger than what I had (11x15), it hit me that I had literally hundreds of cars and several locos that would never be built/used. So that spreadsheet came in real handy for identifying "overages", and helped me select those destined for Ebay. '
I'm now down to about 300 cars (about 140 in kits), and what I have makes much more sense for my situation.