Sound Decoder

Since it has been awhile, let's review.  I have Bachmann GP-7 locomotive, I am quite fond of it, but it needed work.  I have already added some MU details, sprayed it til it looked dirty and tried to add a sound decoder.  That last one did not end well.  After melting the poor decoder (again, literally melting it) I sent it in to Digitrax.  The lovely people there simply replaced it free of charge as it was under warranty without asking any questions.  Quite fortunate really considering I did not have the money to pay for a new one, and I'm pretty sure it was my fault it died.  But I digress...

I promptly installed the new decoder and have run it several times down at the club.  Not a problem has arisen and boy am I happy with it.  It sounds nice and was a good cheap decoder, on $45.  Much better than the $100 of some others.  Now that it works, I can review it for all of you lovely people to know about.  This is the SFX0416 SoundFX Decoder.  It has a 4 function output but does not control direction, speed, etc.  It can do lights but that isn't my forte.  It comes preloaded with sounds for a steam locomotive or a SD 38-2.  It comes with a capacitor for uninterrupted sound on dirty track and simple 28 mm speaker. 

Good stuff time!  I have been running this thing crazy to see how it is.  F. U. N.  I am now spoiled on decoders because of this thing, and I want sound in everything.  Running a train around a large multi-level and -mushroom layout is fun, but when you can hear it coming, going, blowing its horn, or anything like that just beats all other things I can do to that locomotive.  But enough gushing.  I installed the decoder by splicing the power wires from the decoder to the main power leads.  This put it on the same circuit as the factory decoder.  The speaker was a bit of a pain to put in.  I had to unsolder it from the decoder inorder to slip the wires through the appropriate gaps in the frame.  I took this time to also lengthen the connecting wires to ease the "fun" of installation.  The worst part though came when I had to put the speaker in the baffle in the fuel tank of the loco.  The enclosure is 1 inch in diameter and the speaker is 28 mm.  1 inch = 25.4 mm approximately so you see the problem here.  So, I got out my Dremel, put in a grinding wheel, and got to work.  Working slowly so as not to overheat the speakers electronics I made the speaker a little smaller by removing the metal around it until it fit.  That took 3 hours.  Yeah.  That was why it was a pain.  However, everything fit and ran beautifully so it was worth it.  The sound decoder found room under the long hood behind where the factory decoder plugs into the pc board.  The capacitor fit at the very end of the short hood infront of where the factory decoder sits.  Below shows a picture of how the decoder fits in with the rest of the locomotive.  The two wires going down the sides of the frames are the speaker wires.

Here is the speaker:

I was going to do a video to display the sounds of the locomotive and decoder, but my phone is odd on recording the sound and my camera battery is dead and I lost the charger...  If I can get one I will post it.  So in conclusion, the decoder is worth it since it was cheap and realiable and gives the proper ambience needed for railroading.  Sound decoders are definetely worth the time and money and I highly suggest them.  Until next time!

New (to me) Weathering Concept

Okay, so the idea of weathering with an airbrush has been around for awhile.  Basically, you used compressed air from a can or a compressor motor to pull a vacuum across a jar of paint that is mixed to your liking then applied as lightly or darkly and narrow or wide as desired.  However, compressors are expensive.  I got a cheap Badger Airbrush starter about a year ago for $25 but never bought the $250 compressor.  I used the canned air but at 15 dollars a can, it adds up quickly since they are basically one day use only.

On the latest project that I finished (that is coming soon I promise!) I got a random bit of inspiration.  I saw my general purpose can of black flat spray paint, and to my surprise, its use was a success!  Once I ran some tests, I set to using this to a new advantage on the quick and cheap weathering front.  Here is my Cheesie Geep before, with the protective tape over the windows (lights and numberboards will be covered later, I just didn't get a picture).  It is regular painters tape, cut with an Exacto blade to fit the windows.

Next I took the shell outside and set it on some newspaper I was using as an overspray protector.  Then, I made several quick passes with the spray paint shown below, starting before the shell and ending the pass after the shell, giving a good smooth coating on all sides, ends, and hood tops.  *NOTE: always test each can, each time, as performance can always vary.  This is very very very very important*

Next is the picture of the results.  You can also see the tape on the numberboards.

Here is the final result!

The only things done since have been painting the fuel tank and around the exhaust stacks.  That was done by masking off the loco outside of the top area around the stacks and then cutting a hole in a sheet of paper to spray more accurately with.

End result: a loco with a basic weathering job that doesn't go overboard, looks acceptable, and still gets good reviews from club members.  The total price: <$5.00  The total time to complete (including taping the windows): <45 minutes

Personally, I am glad it worked.  Next time will be the big project I was working on for two weeks.  Happy Railroading!

Update 3/27/2011

Well, the sound decoder post will have to wait.  I ordered and recieved a Digitrax SFX0416 sound only decoder, installed it, only to have it burn out the next time I put it on the rails.  It worked for the first attempt, but then on a different system it melted.  Literally.  The pic shows the damage to my engine's shell...

Now, this is no knocking of Digitrax or their products.  They are actually quite nice, both the service and product.  This was my first sound decoder, and I made a mistake somewhere along the way, not them, and they just simply took it back in for repair.  I have to admit that it was beautiful  hearing the sounds of a train coming from my locomotive.  Nothing like it in the modeling world.

However, let's get started with other things.  The locomotive above is a Bachmann GP7 painted in Chessie System scheme, number 5606 (B&O).  It was about $55 through Micro Mark.  This is probably the part where someone says "Bachmann is crap/not worth the money/something negative."  However, having ran this locomotive over half a mile (in 1:1 scale), I have to disagree.  The locomotive comes equipped with an NMRA compiant DCC decoder.  There is room in the fuel tank for a 28mm speaker.  The motor is exceptionally quiet and causes very little vibration when moving.  It has a reasonable drawbar pull and can do almost anything that other "better" locomotives can.  There are a few downsides though.  It needs a little speed to get through turnouts despite both the wheels and turnouts being in gauge.  If it is moving too slowly it hits the points and frogs and noticably slows or stops.  Grades are not as bad as turnout problems.  There are no nose or back end grab irons, and no guide bumps for them.  However, there is rumor a company does make the template for it.  I'm not sure who but that is what Google is for.  Overall, with a good weathing job and a few extra details this will be a good looking and respectable locomotive.  I threw on some MU hoses from Details West, and did a quick job on the truck sideframes.  I sprayed them with Model Master Dark Tan then dry brushed them with grimy black.  Once it is done I will be more than pleased with the locomotive.

There is going to be some further weathering.  I am not sure how I will do it or how heavily.  I am also looking into a way to put figures into the cab as that would be a neat detail at train shows and when the club has visitors.  I hope to eventually have another one to pair up with this one to be able to perform more prototypical operations.

As always, I am open for comments, questions, and suggestions.  Until next time.