torikoos

You could surely use Coastal for a fitting service, however if you know someone local (club perhaps) who can do it then that's also an option. There are also several tutorials on line, it's not too difficult really, just need good lighting, a few basic tools, and a soldering iron. Which loco are you intending to take the QSI out of? If you have a look at the Soundtraxx website, they have instructions for many different types of locos on how to fit their decoders. In many cases these instructions would also be valid for any other brand of decoder. For example here's one for a GP 35 http://www.soundtraxx.com/documents/appnotes/athearn_gp35.pdf And here's an overview page: http://www.soundtraxx.com/choose/step2.php?s=ho

That's correct there's a drop down menu , but if you find that the sounds you need are not listed, check the ESU website if it is available, if it is, they will happily load it for you, just give them the sound file number from the ESU website. I did this for the non turbo EMD sound for an SW1500 I needed, and it's now part of the drop down list. You'll also notice that his prices are very competitive. Normally ships within 2-3 days depending if you ask to load up sounds etc. Koos

Hi Mal, the Select is the basically the same decoder as a Select Direct, but on the Direct it piggybacks on top of a larger circuit board that is designed to fit as a replacement board for Athearn/Atlas style boards. In that format it has nearly the same physical dimensions , very similar to a Tsunami board. As a 'straight' Select it plugs in to the loco light board via an 8 Pin NMRA connector, which can be found on many manufacturers build in boards. So my comments for the Select Direct, other than the way it mounts/connects in your loco, are also valid for the Select. Specify which sound file you want in it (the numbers of the files are available on ESU's website) and your dealer should be able to load them for you. Try Coastal DCC ( http://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/esu/) for example, Kevin there has given me good service for that sort of thing. Koos PS: Here's more on the Select: http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-select/

Hello Phil, either would probably work, but to judge this better do you have a picture of the loco with the hood removed so we can see the insides (unless someone here has this model of course). A Loksound Select Direct is designed as being a replacement board for the circuitboard found in many modern HO locomotives, it would fit into an Athearn or Atlas in most cases with not too much trouble, hence the 'direct' bit. A Loksound V4 is a smaller decoder that plugs into an existing board inside the locomotive via the NEM652 connector, provided the board inside has one of course. (hence my question of providing a picture). Technically these decoders differ in that the V4 can be loaded up by custom sound projects and these projects themselves can be edited to suit a specific locomotive. The Select Direct can also be loaded up with sound projects, but are less flexible in making changes to these projects. In either case however, if you specify at time of purchase what sounds you need inside, then the dealer will usually be able to load them inside before shipping it out to you. If you want to do it yourself, you'd require a Windows based PC and the ESU LOKPROGRAMMER. Although i have one myself the learning curve is a bit steep , particularly if you're not that experienced in DCC yet, so best tell your dealer what you require and have him do the tricky bits :-) (or if you have access to someone else that can do it for you , then that would work too of course ) Both decoders have the same excellent motor controller and have sufficient connections for various light functions etc. They will both work absolutely fine with your Powercab system. Bear in mind that the brand of your DCC system is of little relevance, as long as both decoder and dcc system comply with the DCC specifications, they are compatible. (there are a few exceptions, but if you steer clear of MRC branded articles, and MTH products, you will have no compatibility issues) Of course ask someone (or here on the forum) if in doubt, I do, and I have learned a lot since. If you want to learn about DCC in general, I suggest the following site: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/intro2dcc.htm or http://www.tonystrains.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm , and lastly : http://www.x2011west.org/handouts/DCC-Basics.pdf Koos

Indeed, Mike's book is a very interesting read. Apologies Mike for misspelling your name above if you happen to read this. I've also downloaded almost all 'missing conversation' e-books, and indeed they help you ask yourself the right questions. The main one I've asked myself since is why I didn't come across them before :-)

I've recently discovered this one (via Lance Mindheim). It's Mike Cohill's Detailing Track, which is a soft cover book. Very much recommended. (as are his other digital 'books', albeit those are a bit on the pricey side for 50 to 60 pages on PDF, but good in depth subjects, and nice modeling shown). see here: http://www.ostpubs.com/Store/product_info.php?products_id=34&osCsid=vb4cm8p6j1dob4n78fgibu07j4 Koos

thanks for the replies guys, I will have to get me a few of these 'really useful boxes' soon :-) Koos

Hey Chris, looking good. And also a nice way of storing your equipment in those boxes, I've been looking for something similar to use in my loft , it would tidy things up quite a bit. where did you get these and what are their dimensions?

Hi Prof, an excellent tutorial. I'm no stranger to sound engineering myself, but I think your approach above is quite a good way of determining what your speaker installation is capable of. Not all DCC decoders have elaborat EQ controls, but amongst others Tsunami's do, and you can fairly crudely match the sound response as you demonstrate with the 31 band EQ in Audacity. As you say, trust your ears , play around with the EQ bands, and set it as it sounds good to you. I've found a boost of the frequencies around 125Hz (which I believe is one of the low frequency steps available in a Tsunami) will work. You might as well leave the even lower frequencies untouched, or minimise them (roll off in technical terms), as they will take up precious energy of your on board sound amplifier, yet you can't hear them from such a small speaker, and could only introduce some distortion. Similarly I minimise the high EQ frequencies too, to prevent the sounds to appear to scratchy or shrill, again I judge by ear, if things start to become too muffled, I increase these a little. You cannot expect such small speakers to move huge volumes of air needed to produce convincing low bass tones. In the words of Scottie :' You can nee change the laws of physics'. Koos

Hello Gary, yes I have. All CFNR GP15-1 were ex CNW engines. All retained their nose gong bell. (ESU is working on releasing a soundfile with this gong bell included, and I'll be uploading those to my decoders once available). They (CFNR) operated them in California until the Gensets were purchased. They then disappeared (apart from one or two stationed near Davis CA) of their home rails and can be found as far away as Texas. Now that parent company Rail America has been purchased by the Genesee&Wyoming some GP15-1 have made it back on those rails, be it in orange GWRR livery and I also am not convinced they're ex CFNR units. I still like the CFNR colours the most on them.

Did I mention the Loksounds have a useful auto tune function, which get's performance fairly close to where you want it. (these two locos have just that applied, I haven't yet fine tuned them any further). Very easy, use Program on the main. (make sure you have a few yards of empty track available for the loco to be tuned), set CV54 to 0. Then press F1. The loco will rapidly move away, slowing down to a stop, all the while the decoder reads the feedback of the motor and sets the trim values close to perfect. make sure you do it somewhere where it can't run off the layout meeting your carpet etc.. (or use a rolling road). That's it, loco tuned and slowspeed behaviour will be fairly good straight away. Koos

I've now got two of these lovely engines. And both have now been equipped with a Loksound decoder. Here are the sisters in action. Koos

Judging by the prototype pictures, you've captured the look and feel of that tower pretty well, nice work :-)

Thanks Mal, the warning beep at start up of the engine is a little loud though, sounds like that carry a long way (similar as a bell sound, which I normally set up with a fairly low volume as they can quickly become very irritating otherwise). I think the sound recording might have been made under the hood (inside the engine compartment). That this sound carries a long way was demonstrated as my wife thought it was a smoke alarm going of at the neighbours, until she realised it originated in our loft :-) The other engine sound on board is of an 8cylinder engine (good for smaller switchers like the SW1500 etc) (which you can select by changing a CV) , which does not have the beep, but has a hydraulic starter 'buzzing' for a while before the engine kicks in. Personally, I like that effect much better but the engine does 'chug' a bit more as every revolution there's 4 cylinders less in comparison to the 12 that a GP15-1 would have had. Koos

This thread is becoming a very useful resource, thanks guys :-)

And here's one taken on the layout.

HI all, here a short video of the loco in action, however the background chatter might drown the engine noise a bit.

Thanks Adrian, you're comments are useful. I will be trying where possible, to make the cars look a bit more common, by removing sporty stripes etc. It also illustrates the reason for this thread. Most model cars generally are the 'top of the range' of a certain car, never the more standard versions, and that's what we need more of, good reasonably priced models, of modern tooling standards. There are a few 'common' cars around, but some of them seem to be made with tooling that was less than accurate, and are more toy like than a model railroad scenery item. Koos

After today's arrival, I've gained: - Pontiac Grand Prix Buick Grand National BMW 633csi (a classic from the 80's) Camaro super sport Mercedes 190E Mercedes W123 (the old square boxy one) Chevrolet Caprice 'State Police Kenworth truck + trailer (with german promotional writing, an airbrush etc will take care that this one is turning into something more boring quickly) I must admit that the above list does contain some high power cars, not your everyday, but they're older shapes and with a bit of weathering could look like they're driven by their 3rd or 4th owner etc. The most mundane is probably the Mercedes 190E, which would probably have been sold and seen in the US too. all and all my stock of US automobiles has grown a little today. Koos

If you can speak or read dutch, I've found another online shop that does primarily Herpa models, and scanning through their online stock, a few US models could be found (and promptly ordered). Payment might be a bit tricky though as you need to pay in advance via bank transfer. My first order just arrived today. www.vanzuthem.nl Koos

That would still require very detailed underbodies though :-)

Thanks all, yes it's true, over the years there have been some american automobiles modelled (and currently you can also get a Chrysler 300C etc), but the models I like have either been produced and currently no longer are, or were never made. The Buick Grand National as above is a good example of stuff I am looking for. You also need a good % of japanese cars and vans to populate the streets. Again it depends a bit on era and area, but the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and other similar cars were very popular in the 80's 90's. The cars I'm after are not destined for Tree Point per-se btw, I also need some for my home layout. That one is set in California and I have a few VW cars (Jetta, and Passat) that I have seen in the USA on my travels, that are not out of place, but indeed, I need the vast majority to be US brands to make it look ordinary, and therefore real. Koos PS: Also Monogram made a couple: They did the same Buick, a Ford Mustang, and a few other exotic cars. I happen to have a few of those already (the more mundane of their releases), and just found a Grand National for 2,- GBP, so had to snap it up :-) That's one more in the collection of 'mundane' cars :-)

indeed, the NEO models are amongst the most detailed and accurate models, (and indeed they are 'normal' cars that would look good in any scene), and also among the most expensive. I really want to buy some but indeed the price per car is a huge barrier. It would be great of any of the big 'german' makers (Herpa/Wiking/Brekina to name a few) could produce these, even if it means doing a little work to them to make them look as good as a NEO models version, as long as the 'look' , dimensions, and details are up to modern standards. The classic metal works Impala is also a good option indeed. Koos

Thanks for that one, I didn't have nearly as good as a result earlier in the week when i tried, it's got several models I would like, but nearly 26 pounds for a Chevy Caprice Classic? It is the model I would need a couple of to make the streets appear more 'average', but that's costing as much as a decent freight car almost? I'd be willing to pay about 10 for such a car, but this is a bit much....

Doesn't that go for their Locomotives too :-) They got bigger and bigger, more cylinders, more horsepower etc etc :-)