Greetings Train master, what would be the price of installing a sound decoder, in an Amtrak Acela ho engine? Could the Bachmann Bros. Techs do this? Would like to hear some feedback. Thank you.
Dear Win,
We do not do installs.
Check with local hobby shops or clubs in your area.
Have fun!
the Bach-man
The following is merely an opinion:
It doesn't make much sense to install sound in the Acela because it actually did not make much noise, the noise is primarily from the wheels on the track as opposed to from it's "source of power." Aside from the bell and horn there would not be any other sounds that are audible. You can have it professionally installed by several shops that specialize in DCC installs in the $200 range most likely to answer your question and again in my opinion it is not the best way to spend your money.
I can second what ACY said. I was standing on the platform, with my back to the tracks, taking pictures of a station in New England when the Acela went by. First I knew it was there, was when the wind blast from it's passage hit me in the back. Talk about your instant adrenalin jump.
Save your money and just install a standard motor/lights decoder yourself. Links to instructions on doing it are already in the forums, just search for 'Acela' and 'decoder'.
Len
I've looked inside the DCC-ready Acela, and there's a very little bit of space for a decoder. There's absolutely no space at all for a speaker, so you'd have to mill out space for the speaker, or, put the speaker in the dummy unit. Of course, that way, your sounds will be coming from the back of the train unless you run it backwards.