Bachmann:
Does Bachmann sell the sound board for the 3-truck Shay? I purchased two of them just before Christmas 2006. I have been told by dealers that I cannot get the sound cards. They want to sell me an aftermarket system for about $250. I hope this is not the only option.
Chuck Prough, aka, Shay 55
No, you have options! You can purchase aftermarket sound systems ranging from slightly over $100 all the way up to almost $300! Or, you can ditch the whole analog thing and decide to go DCC! I understand that prices are quite reasonable and are dropping all the time....
Chuck,
Even if you could obtain the sound card with "Tsunami technolgy" and fitted to some 3 truck Shays, do not expect it to have any degree of controllability when it comes to whistle or bell sounds.
You cannot trigger the whsitle and bell with track magnets and reed switches.
I believe also, unlike some sound systems, this particular sound system cannot control those functions by varying the voltage.
They can only be accessed if you also buy and fit to your RR at extra expense, a suitable DCC system.
Also, in regular DC mode, you will be limited to controlling the loco with a non PWM controller. In DC mode DCC decoders do not like PWM. Erratic operation may occur.
Chuck, you do not mention whether these two Shays are your only locomotives and whether you want to operate them together (double headed) or alternately (only one running at any one time) or both at the same time but independently controlled. If it is the latter, then DCC or radio control make sense. If one at a time or double headed, then staying with dc is more cost effective, even if you have to buy more expensive sound cards.
Just to give you some ideas, a friend has two of the original Shays that he runs at home on dc but wanted to run with a group on DCC. He also wanted sound. The most effective solution was to fit one of the locomotives with a Digitrax decoder and a Sierra sound card. This allows him to run that one Shay on DCC with all the bells and whistles. At home, he can run that one Shay on dc with all the bells and whistles or he can double head both Shays, still with all the bells and whistles. Two sound cards would have been over kill in this case. The intent is to eventually switch the decoder and sound system to the second Shay if/when the first one shows signs of aging.
What will work best for you will depend on just what you want to do with these locomotives.
Thanks for the replies gentelmen. The more I hear about the "Quasinami" and other comments on the Bachmann sound systems, the less I like about them. Another option seems preferable.
I did get sound on my 2-truk Shay by canibalizng the sound card form a circus loco and triggering the chuff with a switch on one of the u-joints. I put 6 drops of thick CA glue on the outside of the U-joint. The idea is to get 6 chuffs per revolution of the crankshaft. I think this would be correct for a 3-cylinder Shay .
This works fairly well for chuff sounds but, no bells and whistles or brake screech.
I was really hoping the Bach Man would replly to the original question. Nothing yet.
Chuck
Dear Chuck,
Sorry...
We do not sell sound boards. You'll have to get one from Soundtraxx, Phoenix, or another source. By the way, the sound is fine- it just has fewer sounds than a full Tsunami. Eight sounds is enough for me, but you're welcome to purchase a board with more.
Have fun!
the Bach-man