I am thinking about buying a pair of F7 A's in HO scale. From what I have heard on U-Tube sound is on par with my BLI and PK2000 sound engines. Not worried about there lack of detail either.
Only thing I don't like about my 3 DCC on Board Bachmann is there lack of CV 6 and 5.
Thanks for the coming answers!
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
I have some experience -- a club member owns a Sound Value Alco S4 that we use on a Timesaver switching layout we set up at train shows. It's an impressive little engine -- cool sound, good running characteristics, and it holds up to frustrated newbies who are rather deliberate with the throttle. I used to volunteer at a RR museum with a real Alco S4 and I am impressed at how good the sound is. We can tell when someone is getting impatient with the Timesaver by the sounds from the model -- if the turbocharger never spools down, we know they are having a hard time.
Hope this helps --
Aaron
They sound like tsunami's, because that's who makes the decoder. They are Soundtraxx, so they would not be the same motor control as your DCC On Board Bachmann's.
I dont recall if the sound value Tsunami supports Cv5 and 6. I set my Alco S2 on 128 speed steps and I liked its performance. You can also choose preset speed curves which kind of does the same thing as individually adjusting cv5 and 6
- Douglas
I don't know if all the Sound Value decoders are the same, but a 2013 or so 2-6-0 did not allow setting cvs to keep sound off when layout power is turned on. Full Tsunami allows that. It drove me nuts so I switched out the decoder. I won't buy another unless I want the loco type and plan to change the decoder. My preference.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
My S4 has been a great performing locomotive to date..
However,and IMHO the turbo whistle is a tad loud.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I've got two of them, a Mikado and a GG-1. I like them both very much.
I'm not much of an audiophile, really, and the sound from both engines suits me fine. They seem crisp and sharp. I've played with the output levels a bit, but I've got no major complaints.
The lack of speed control is a bit of a problem. I simply reduced the top speed significantly, since I don't need it anyway on my small layout that is NOT a drag strip, and I added some momentum on acceleration. That's pretty much eliminated the jackrabbit starts that both of these engines were subject to.
Junk couplers? What does any of us expect? I dropped in new Kadees the first chance I got.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
The only sound unit I have is a Sound Value SD70ACe. No complaints. I don't have a home layout right now and my future plans wouldn't call for such a locomotive anyhow. It only sees service on the modular club and we generally run full throttle anyway.
Thanks for the answers folks!
MisterBeasleyI simply reduced the top speed significantly,
Mr B how did you slow down the engine's?
Any more owners here?
Thanks again, Ken
cudaken Mr B how did you slow down the engine's?
I'll have to go look that up. I don't think I wrote it down on my CV spreadsheet.
Ken,
I just got a FA2 unit, to match the AB P2K units I was given, and, (the small amount of testing I could do) it seems to be a nice unit. Sound was decent, and control seems to be decent. I added some acceleration and deceleration to it, and turned down its volume, and will be swapping in Kadee's shortly.
Detail is fine for me, as finer detail is not noticeable while it is moving anyways.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
cudaken Only thing I don't like about my 3 DCC on Board Bachmann is there lack of CV 6 and 5.
This is completely wrong information. They are there, just not documented in some instruction sheets. My DDA40X has them, and I just MU'd it to an Athearn SD40-2 with an Econami-100 decoder in it last weekend, so I know this is correct.
I love that DDA40X, it was my first factory-installed DCC+Sound locomotive, and it's always been super reliable. It also helped me check my trackwork to make sure the massive D-D trucks could move through the turnouts. The sound is awesome. The only things I don't like about it are the cheap looking exposed LED instead of a real beacon and the exposed black flywheels between the prime movers, but for a $100 engine (on sale) it's awesome.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
fieryturbo cudaken Only thing I don't like about my 3 DCC on Board Bachmann is there lack of CV 6 and 5. This is completely wrong information. They are there, just not documented in some instruction sheets. My DDA40X has them, and I just MU'd it to an Athearn SD40-2 with an Econami-100 decoder in it last weekend, so I know this is correct. I love that DDA40X, it was my first factory-installed DCC+Sound locomotive, and it's always been super reliable. It also helped me check my trackwork to make sure the massive D-D trucks could move through the turnouts. The sound is awesome. The only things I don't like about it are the cheap looking exposed LED instead of a real beacon and the exposed black flywheels between the prime movers, but for a $100 engine (on sale) it's awesome.
CV 5&6 might just be on the sound value engines.... But non-sound (strictly motor control) DCC on bound..... CV 5&6 has zero response.
(At least on the one I have seen anyways.)
BRAKIEHowever,and IMHO the turbo whistle is a tad loud.
Having once been on the walkway of an Alco S4 as it was cranked up to notch 5 -- a little worrisome, as we were on a very short length of track -- I can tell you that while the turbos are silent at idle, once they spool up, they really are pretty loud!
The 3 point speed table adjustment CVs 2, 5 and 6 are available on all Sound Value decoders Bachmann factory installed to date.
But, if the CVs documentation for the Sound Value equipped Bachmann HO EMD F7A is accurate, then CV 5 and CV 6 are disabled and the 28 point user loadable speed table is enabled and is the factory default for this model.
The Bachmann non-sound decoder supports CV 2, does not support CVs 5 and 6. And the decoder does not support a 28 point user loadable speed table.
RR Baron
Yes when they work.I have one that runs fine but the sound just stopped working today. I have one I sent back because the front axle was bent. To be fair, the rest of my sound value engines are working fine.
My DDA40X has the baseline acceleration and braking rate set to 6. I found that setting a little weird. For the Econami it was defaulted to 0, and that created all kinds of problems when the SD40-2H with the Econami and the Bachmann DDA40X are consisted together. By the time I discovered it I was sick of adjusting the CVs, and I put 6 into the Econami instead of lowering the setting on the Bachmann. I really should see if I can make that DDA40X crawl.
RR Baron The 3 point speed table adjustment CVs 2, 5 and 6 are available on all Sound Value decoders Bachmann factory installed to date. But, if the CVs documentation for the Sound Value equipped Bachmann HO EMD F7A is accurate, then CV 5 and CV 6 are disabled and the 28 point user loadable speed table is enabled and is the factory default for this model. The Bachmann non-sound decoder supports CV 2, does not support CVs 5 and 6. And the decoder does not support a 28 point user loadable speed table. RR Baron
Yeah, sorry about that. I misread what cudaken said. There is a lot of bad information floating around these boards in regard to Tsunami decoders and CV5 and 6, some of which is the fault of Soundtraxx for not properly documenting it.
The F7 shells from Bachmann are alright. I have a fictional Chessie F7 from them and the paint is very shiny in an attractive way.It sits on an older Bachmann Plus chassis, but the whole thing is far nicer than the ugly Athearn F7 shell. The fact that they're still selling that abomination, even in train sets borders on criminal.
See a decent number of them at the club.
Only one that I can think of that has to go in for service and that was recent. Appeared to be a bad decoder.
Other than that, pretty solid so they seem.
Thanks Folks! I just bit the bullet and have 2 F7A's on there way! Your comments helped and I do like Bachmann as a whole. But, it was the that made me do it! Well to Sound engines and a decoder for $189.00 with shipping was not bad either.
I may just post a review after I get them broken in.
Thanks again, Cuda Ken
Please try to do the review before you break them.