I have just been give a Bachmann 4-6-0 DCC ready, and would like to put a sound decoder in it along with a speaker. Can someone make recommendations since I know nothing of DCC? Will it be difficult to install the sound decoder and speaker? Thanks.
Bob,
Since no one else has responded so far, I'll give it a shot.
I don't have a 4-6-0. However, I have installed sound in Bachmann steamers.
If your loco is dcc ready, it probably has the 8-pin receptacle in the tender. Also, there is a good chance it already has the speaker mount as well. Can't guarantee that.
Anyway, I would recommend the Soundtraxx brand. In my experience, these seem to be the most trouble free installations. I won't speak to problems my clubmates have had with other brands. The Econami ECO-100 seems to be a good choice (model 881001). It's small enough to fit in the 4-6-0 tender.
Additional purchases will be the 8-pin plug which would get soldered to the econami wires. Also, you will need a speaker. Check the area at the bottom of the tender. There may be a circular mounting area. Usually Bachmann tenders are compatible with a 28mm (1") speaker. Sountraxx sets there amplifiers for 8 ohm speakers which they sell of course. Because this is a smallish tender, the 20mm speaker may be the right fit, but I've never needed the smaller speaker.
I have NEVER had to purchase the additional speaker enclosure, as the tender itself is the enclosure.
Just my thoughts. Perhaps someone with a 4-6-0 will chime in.
Regards,
Jonathan
Johnathan,
Thank you for a nicely detailed answer. It gives me info that I can look and find. Thanks again.
bob
OR...... you can be "chicken" like me and pay a tech guy to do it, there are many. The way I see it, I am going to do something wrong and ruin the decoder, so I am buying cheap insurance basically by outsourcing the job.
I have 3 econamis and, myself, I way prefer the fuller featured full Tsunami 2, largely because you get a choice of 63 whistles over 16 on the econami. If whistles aren't important to you, that may not matter.
Hi Jonathan,
Are you sure the model number that you give for the ECO-100 is correct? I have been doing a search and I come up with similar numbers, but not the exact same one. Thank you.
bob
I could be off on a digit. I pulled the numbers from the Soundtraxx website. Check there just to be sure.
I looked up the 4-6-0 on the soundtraxx site, and these were the items they recommended.
I did the same thing when I installed sound in my locos.
Regards,
Jonathan
ok.....thank you .... big time.
b
Like Jonathan said, Soundtraxx is the way to go for DCC Sound. I myself prefer it to a point where I have Tsunami2 decoders in a couple of my British engines (Tornado and Flying Scotsman) since it has the whistle sound for an LNER A4, but I am getting off topic. If the 4-6-0 is the newer Standard line 52" driver version (or Low Boiler version if you prefer to word it that way), the tender does have a mounting point for a speaker ready to go, however if it is an older Spectrum line version, it won't have a mounting point for the tender and mounting the speaker under the coal bunker is the best choice.