garya I have one, but I'm away from home right now. I can check it when I get home at the end of the week. I put it in the tender of my daughter's Hogwarts Express, and she likes it. I have no idea what a 1900 2-6-0 sounds like, though.
I have one, but I'm away from home right now. I can check it when I get home at the end of the week.
I put it in the tender of my daughter's Hogwarts Express, and she likes it. I have no idea what a 1900 2-6-0 sounds like, though.
OK, I checked the one I have. It is an MRC 1665 Steam Sounder. The sound settings I used were:
Whistle 29
Bell 5
Bell Rate 13
Chuff Type 10
Chuff Rate 1
Single Chuff
Chuff Start Rate Adjustment 4
Random Sounds On
Gary
SpaceMouse And the size of the speaker looks like it's better suited to the door panel in my wife's van than the tender of a 2-6-0, although the last one I got has a depression with pre-drilled holes that has to come pretty close.
And the size of the speaker looks like it's better suited to the door panel in my wife's van than the tender of a 2-6-0, although the last one I got has a depression with pre-drilled holes that has to come pretty close.
The Sounder comes with a 1" speaker with an attached enclosure. In the picture, you're looking at the enclosure side. The actual speaker is only about 1/8" thick.If your 0-6-0 tender has an opening in the floor, it's almost certainly designed for a 1" round speaker. In that case, you don't need the enclosure - the tender body will act as the enclosure once you put it all back together. You can unsnap the speaker from the plastic enclosure, or buy a 1" speaker and use that.
However, depending how big the tender is, finding room for both the regular decoder and the Sounder might be a bigger issue....
The New Freedom train is a recently built replica. Theoretically it should sound like an original, but it was built with modern methods and materials, for obvious reasons.
Strasburg's locos HAVE been recorded by the sound decoder makers. As, I presume, have Cass', since they have some of the only running geared steam locos.
Is NH&I actively running steam? They were when I was a kid and rode it, but I thought the steam loco was not in service. Same with WK&S, they have a steam loco but not currently in service. There's also the touring 0-6-0T that I've ridden behind on the Allentown & Auburn in Kutztown. And R&N's 425, ex-GMO 4-62 - pretty sure the sound guys were all over her as well. One of these days we will have either 2102 or 2100 back up so there can be real recordings made of a 4-8-4. And of course once UP gets 4014 running - all these Big Boy models and there are no true sound recordings of one done live off the loco with modern equipment.
This is a railroad state - so many ran here, and so many were BUILT here. Between the production of Baldwin, and what was turned out home-built by the PRR at Altoona, and more than a handful turned out by Reading, there were a lot of steam locos made right here in PA.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
You're forgetting about the 1860's 4-4-0 American in New Freedom PA and the 1925 2-8-0 Connie in New Hope PAThen there's a whole heep a bunch at Strasburg, including #89 2-6-0 mogul class.Pennsylvania seems to be made for running steam excusions. We probably have the most steam engine sites in the USA. (But I'm guessing) Although Cass, WV might be bigger overall. I'm not sure on the later.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
That will work.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Not really, but there is a newly restored CNJ 0-6-0 running near me. Sooner or or later, one of the decoder companies will be by to mic her up and get recordings. My bet's on TCS or ESU getting there first, they are the closest two.
So what you are saying is that I can't be picky.
I'm SURE you are dealing with a limited set of engines - there just aren't running examples of every loco listed on some decoder maker's sound lists. You can do a lot to clean up old recordings, but recordings made in the 50's on a "last chance" fan trip and sold as vinyl recordings weren't done the way they do now on still running locos, with multiple microphones to pull the exhaust from the accessories from the whistle from the turbine from the air pump. If you are lucky, it was a recording crew set up in a baggage car coupled behind the locow ith a shotgun mic. Yeah, modern signal proessing can do a lot with that but outside of distinct whistles, it's going to sound a lot the same for any remotely similar loco. And whistles are no big deal - plenty of collectors and those samples can be made seperately even if the loco it came from has long been turned into razor blades.
Overmod "Louder exhaust valves"?
"Louder exhaust valves"?
SpaceMouse DigitalGriffin Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue) I found a similar video for chuff. Thanks. It seems like it will work. I just don't know how accurate it will be.
DigitalGriffin Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
I found a similar video for chuff. Thanks. It seems like it will work. I just don't know how accurate it will be.
Given the expense, conditions, and complexity, most chips are likely just remixes of similar engines that have been tweeked though an EQ. More bass and elongated chuffs & louder exhaust valves for super power.I'm not saying they are all 1 engine. But I'm willing to bet you are dealing with 2, maybe 3 engines at best remixed. You aren't going to get dead on with operating steam being so somewhat rare.
I found the Digitrax Sound Project page and unfortunately, they have very few steam locomotives. It's possible that some of the British sounds might work, but the MRC seems to have workable sounds.
DigitalGriffinHere too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
You don't need the programmer to use Loksound decoders., you can get them already loaded with whatever sound you want.
You need a PR3 or PR4 to load sounds in the Digitrax sound decoders. The original 8 bit ones are not so good, but the 16 bit ones are decent (the ones with the X in the model number). You have to use the right sound files - the 8 bit ones will load into the 16 bit decoders but sound extra horrible.
Some people say they aren't very loud, but I don't know what they've done to their speakers - I tested an original Sound Bug just laying on the table, no enclosure on the included speaker, and it was easily audible in the next room.
rrinkerI am now strictly Loksound, I have one Atlas Trainmaster with a QSI but that's the only sound loco I have that's not Loksound.
I'm afraid that Loksound is way out of my price range. Their programmer alone is unfathomable.
So, what about the Sound Bug? With speakers it works out about the same as MRC and is programable with a PR3 or PR4.
Will the interface you sent me work for this? I know the PRs will connect the computer for use with JMRI.
Back when I was here before there was a link to the sounds avaible. Do you still have that link?
SpaceMouse rrinker I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped. I tried to play the Tsunami but I think the mp3 file was corrupt. I tried to play it on the website and I downloaded it and still couldn't get it to play. I couldn't find an audio file for the MRC, so I'm going deaf and relying on the ears of others.
rrinker I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped.
I tried to play the Tsunami but I think the mp3 file was corrupt. I tried to play it on the website and I downloaded it and still couldn't get it to play. I couldn't find an audio file for the MRC, so I'm going deaf and relying on the ears of others.
Here are the sounds:
http://www.modelrectifier.com/Articles.asp?ID=264
Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmAsVtD8qzw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehEdKUvFcqk
I'm no huge fan of Tsunamis, either. At least their diesel ones - the horns are incredibly weak sounding.
I am now strictly Loksound, I have one Atlas Trainmaster with a QSI but that's the only sound loco I have that's not Loksound.
There are 32 different sounds as I change the CV, so that part is true, but I asked them what horn each one was - P5, M3, A2, etc. Answer from MRC tech support: "We don't keep track of that"
This seems more like sloppiness than anything. Sheesh.
If it's like the MRC decoder I got, all MRC will be able to tell you is that there are 16 choices. They won;t be able to sya which engine you get for each of those 16 values in the CV that controls it. There's supposedly 32 horns on the one I have. There are 32 different sounds as I change the CV, so that part is true, but I asked them what horn each one was - P5, M3, A2, etc. Answer from MRC tech support: "We don't keep track of that"
I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped.
SpaceMouse RR_Mel I use a 3.3Ω resistor in series when using one speaker. That was the question I really had.
RR_Mel I use a 3.3Ω resistor in series when using one speaker.
That was the question I really had.
snjroyPersonally, I would buy a new sound integrated decoder to save space.
On the plus side, I'll have 5 more soundless decoders to add to the 11 I already have.
SpaceMouse RR_Mel One thing to make note of is they are 4Ω. I'm not sure of the signifcance. I know my car speakers are 8 ohm. The question I have is can you fit one of those suckers in your 0-6-0 tender?
RR_Mel One thing to make note of is they are 4Ω.
I'm not sure of the signifcance. I know my car speakers are 8 ohm.
The question I have is can you fit one of those suckers in your 0-6-0 tender?
MRC's are usually 8 ohm, which is different than other manufacturers. I blew an MRC decoder when I tried connecting to another 8 ohm speaker that was not an MRC... You can get an MRC speaker only pretty cheap anyway (they are sold separately). And will they fit in a small tender? I installed one in a small MDC tender, but it required a little bit of grinding to remove some of the metal that serves as weight. I doubt it would fit in a sloped-tender. Personally, I would buy a new sound integrated decoder to save space. The MRC's are pretty inexpensive (although you get what you pay for).
Simon
DigitalGriffin Chip, I wouldn't use a 4 ohm as it doubles the power through the speaker which is hard on an amp. I would at the very least cut the CV volume in half or run 2 of them in series.
Chip,
I wouldn't use a 4 ohm as it doubles the power through the speaker which is hard on an amp. I would at the very least cut the CV volume in half or run 2 of them in series.
So what would be a good resistance for a decoder speaker?
DigitalGriffinI guess you don't have amazon prime?
No, but my live-in son does. I guess he'll be getting random ads for transistors and blank circuit boards on Facebook and Tumblr for a while.