What about the sound systems that go under the layout ??

[firechief811]

What is a good system for locomotive sound that just mounts on the layout or under it. I like the new sound that is in the DCC locos now but I hate to spend the money to buy new engines, and setting up my favorite locos now with whatever it would take to put sound inside the shell would be time consuming, not to mention costly. SO..I was thinking...I think i could live with the sound no being inside the Engine, just around the layout somewhere. BUT... I want a few things, I want alot of the same sounds you get when you buy a Broadway limited sound Loco.. Like the engine sound and the squelling brakes. I want the sounds to be synced to the throttle to speed up and slow down with the engine speed. And the brakes to squal when it stops. I can live with having to operate some sounds by control but I want the basic sounds to work with the engine speed. Am I asking to much?? If this system is out there which one is best??

[Roadtrp]

Good luck getting an answer. I've asked about the same question here several times without a response. MRC, the top name in MR throttles, offers several such systems. I've asked for advice on which one is best and never heard a word.

Maybe no one knows anything about them. Maybe the good folk here are just too advanced to talk about such a lowly system. Either way, I've never even gotten the courtesy of a "Sorry... wish I could help you but I can't" response.

[sigh]

Hope you have better luck than I have. [:)]

[Anonymous]

Have read a little about the new systems that are coming out for DC operations. Am not really familiar with the electronics but in laymans terms it sounds like it hooks up between throttle and track. Don't know about synchronization though. I didn't read that deep or the whole article because am not to that point yet on layout, but I remember filing it away in my mind that I could now get sound with DC. It was an add in May? MR.

[Anonymous]

I just orded a steam box from MRC. I'l post a message on what I find from it.
looks perfect for my 2x4 n-scale layout.

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: What is a good system for locomotive sound that just mounts on the layout or under it.

DC or DCC or other?

QUOTE:
I like the new sound that is in the DCC locos now but I hate to spend the money to buy new engines, and setting up my favorite locos now with whatever it would take to put sound inside the shell would be time consuming, not to mention costly.

The price will come down.

QUOTE: I want alot of the same sounds you get when you buy a Broadway limited sound Loco.. Like the engine sound and the squelling brakes. I want the sounds to be synced to the throttle to speed up and slow down with the engine speed.

Sound synced to throttle is easy, synced to locomotive speed isn't. Broadway doesn't even do a good job of that.

QUOTE: I can live with having to operate some sounds by control but I want the basic sounds to work with the engine speed. Am I asking to much?? If this system is out there which one is best??

If you really don't mind controlling the sound and are using DC there are still the old but good sound systems Sountraxx Sierra, PFM sound, PBL. etc. But they aren't necessarly cheap either. I saw a PFM sound system ][ go for about $700 on ebay around Christmas.

I don't think such a system exists for DCC yet, nor an automatic one for DC. In a few years with the feedback from the DCC decoders I am certain someone will make a system with speakers around the layout so that the synced off-board sound still follows the loco around. Plus the sound will be so much better because the speakers can be larger. It might actually get close to some of the low frequencies a real loco produces.

[winks147]

I think it is ideal on a smaller layout. I use a lot of small logging engines which cannot fit a DCC sound module. So, I fit a small dcc control in the engine and then have a dcc sound only module hooked up to a speaker under the layout. I then doublehead the engine with the sound module. The ear perceives the sound as coming from the engine. Before DCC I did this with a PBL Sound Sytem and it worked great. Won't work on a big layout (except in a yard or switching area) but it's just fine on a small one.
Winks

[Anonymous]

I designed a sound system that's activated by motion detectors mounted under the layout. When the train passes over the motion detectors it activates the sound system for either steam whistle or diesel horn depending on what you prefer by flipping a switch. I built my first diesel horn sound system from scratch using a door alarm, a push button from Radio Shack and a 9 volt battery. I had to manually pu***he button any time I wanted the horn to sound. Really prehistoric but it worked real well.

trainluver1

[twhite]

I've installed the Soundtraxx Heartland Steam system under my layout--two speakers spread out under the peninsulas. It works just fine. It has a 'doppler' effect that you can use, giving the impression that the train is approaching, passing by and receding. there are all kinds of weird and wonderful combinations that you can program into the system--I can even program in 'talking' air-pumps for my articulateds. The system seems to 'know' whether or not you're running articulated steam, as it adapts itself to the two sets of drivers. How, I don't know, but it does. Like I said, it works just fine for me. With that and my BLI and Genesis sound locos, I've got a nice, noisy garage.
Now if I could only find an aerosol that 'smelled' like a locomotive, I'd be a really happy camper.
Tom [:P][:P][:P]

[ErnieC]

Just installed a MRC sound box on the layout placing the speaker under a penisula, resonating against a hollow space in the middle of the room. My wife couldn't find the source as it seems to come from whatever engine is running. The sound quality is great and has to be turned down or the tension caused by being that close to a big working engine is scary. 8<)) However, the random sound replays are overkill. Still working on sync not successful with this yet. BTW, using DC in N scale. System is more than worth the $50 bucks it cost me.
Ernie C

[Roadtrp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ErnieC

Just installed a MRC sound box on the layout placing the speaker under a penisula, resonating against a hollow space in the middle of the room. My wife couldn't find the source as it seems to come from whatever engine is running. The sound quality is great and has to be turned down or the tension caused by being that close to a big working engine is scary. 8<)) However, the random sound replays are overkill. Still working on sync not successful with this yet. BTW, using DC in N scale. System is more than worth the $50 bucks it cost me.
Ernie C

MRC has several under the table sound units. Could you maybe give me an idea of which one you have? One seems to be more "generic" and is described as follows:

<<Product #: 500-AA550

Product Name: Sound Station 312
Brand: Model Rectifier Corporation
Description: The rumble of a speeding diesel, a diesel horn, the repetitive chuff of a steam loco, the sound of brakes, whistles, bells, crossing gates and more, these are the sounds of model railroading, the sounds of Sound Station 312. These are the sounds that bring model railroading layouts to life. The system includes sound-on-sound control which allows some sounds to play continuously. Others can be added on top of the continuous sounds to create combinations that match your model train activity!

Realism that’ll change the way you run your railroad!

Two speakers, 18 sounds plus sound-on-sound...set some sounds, like an engine rumble, to play continuously. Then use the sound-on-sound capability and add the blast of a diesel horn. Select a combination, and they’ll simultaneously blast away, one sound from each speaker. It’s intense.

Plug ‘n play...no hook up. No power supply needed. Just plug into a household AC outlet. The hand held controller has push buttons and slide switches to make your selection easy. You control the volume for the most critical sounds.

Features:

- Diesel horn 1 long
- Diesel horn 1 short
- Diesel horn 1 combination
- Diesel horn 2 long
- Diesel horn 2 short
- Diesel Horn 2 combination
- Whistle 1 long
- Whistle 1 short
- Conductor
- Whistle 2 combination
- Brake Sound
- Steam release
- Coupling sound
- Engine bell
- Crossing gate bell
- Rail clack sound
- Steam chuff
- Diesel Engine rumble >>

The other system comes in versions for both steam and diesels, and is described as follows (I've listed the Diesel version):

<<Product #: 500-1023

Product Name: Sound Box for Diesels
Brand: Model Rectifier Corporation
Description: Diesel Sound Systems with Handheld each play 13 different sounds from anywhere on your DC or DCC layout.

Sounds include:
- Bell
- Long and short horn
- Sand release
- Brake release
- Conductor
- Dynamic brake sound
- Gear shift
- Air release
- Air pump

All sounds also play randomly, making your layout that much more real. Hear diesel rumble with adjustable rates. You can even control the volume. Simple 2 wire hook up to power packs or accessories- no messing with decoders or programming locomotives. Real sounds made real easy.

Includes push button control, speaker and amplifier.>>

Do you know which of the above you have?

1) Sound Station 312
2) Sound Box for Diesels / Sound Box for Steam

Any information you could provide would be MOST appreciated.

[:)]

[ErnieC]

Jerry,
I have the "sound box for steam" and will probably buy the one for diesels too (product #500-1023). That one has just been released and allows for somewhat syncronized sound with the current fed to the engine. It works with DCC too.
Have fun,
Ernie C

[robengland]

Soundtraxx (in conjunction I believe with Digitrax) have been working on a project called Surroundtraxx, for a surround sound under-the-layout system linked to DCC feedback for synchronisation. I'm waiting for that. www.soundtraxx.com/dcc/surroundtraxx.html

All this B.S. with MTH lawsuits will have set that project back by several years, thanks Mike!!

In the meantime, I've got one sound-equipped diesel and one steam. I'm starting to think you don't need any more than that anyway. SOund is just for a treat, or when showing off to visitors. You can get tired of sound. Last night I operated on a layout with four sound-equipped locos going at once (mostly the new Atlas factory-equipped diesels) and man was it noisy. And each loco wasn't set too loud either, It was something of a relief when it all shut down.

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by twhite

Now if I could only find an aerosol that 'smelled' like a locomotive, I'd be a really happy camper.

Olfactory Odor's made such a scent. They can still be found on e-bay if you keep your eyes open.

Also some of the toy train smoke manufacturers are making smoke fluid that has coal, oil, or wood scent. I haven't seen any diesel "flavor" yet.

[Don Gibson]

Sound ain't cheap

QUOTE: Originally posted by firechief811

.,,, I want alot of the same sounds you get when you buy a Broadway limited sound Loco.. Like the engine sound and the squelling brakes. I want the sounds to be synced to the throttle to speed up and slow down with the engine speed. And the brakes to squal when it stops. I can live with having to operate some sounds by control but I want the basic sounds to work with the engine speed. Am I asking to much?? ...

Your BLI locomotive's fill the bill - with QSI sound only cost $110 pre-installed. Installation's alone, will cost you that much PLUS the cost of the board and speaker's. True 'in-sync sound requires mechanical additions, which for most woul'd be considered unaffordable, or impractical.

The MRC 'TABLE TOP' SYSTEM is the only system that's cheaper.