Adding a DCC Sound Decoder

[lpbossart]

I have an older Bachmann diesel engine that is DCC Equipped; it came with the E-Z Command Control Center.  I want to add sound to it.  I know that it is doable, but which decoder would I need, and can a speaker be added to the engine?  And where can I find step by step instructions for such an upgrade?

[the Bach-man]

What locomotive do you have?
Soundtraxx might be a good place to start...

[trainman203]

I was just about to say the same thing

[trainman203]

Call Soundtraxx .  And I recommend professional installation.  There's more to this than just buying a decoder.

[Yard Master]

Please also see our FAQ topic here:

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,38271.msg280296.html#new

[trainman203]

There's three things I can't stand doing that I pay other people to do.

1. Housecleaning.
2. Yardwork.
3. Decoder installation.


Under the Model Railroading category there's actually a few more:

4. Benchwork construction.
5. Wiring of any kind.
6. Soldering of any kind

[lpbossart]

What locomotive do you have?
Soundtraxx might be a good place to start...

It is a Chessie GP 40, Item No. 44905.

[jward]

Next question.

Does it have holes for a speaker in the fuel tank area? If so, when you pry the cover off, does it also have a space for a speaker? If so, your conversion is going to be alot easier than if it doesn't. The biggest issue with any sound conversion is finding a place to put the speaker, and many Bachmann locomotives do not have this space.

I do not do sound conversions, though I have equipped many locomotives with DCC. Therefore, I cannot offer specific suggestions other than what I have observed when taking the Bachmann locomotives I have apart. The GP40 in particular has come in many versions in the past, in some of the chassis weight takes up almost all available room in the locomotive.

[trainman203]

Yes.  "Value" means "not much there."  Although the Soundtraxx Econami steam decoder isn't that bad.  It only has 15 whistles, and I only like a couple of them.  I have Economis in a few engines, but I'm slowly replacing them with full featured tsunami2-2 decoders.


The 90 whistle tsunami 2-2 I like much better. If you know how a steam engine actually runs and ever been up in a hot one running, you will want all the functions that actually are needed to sound like a real steam like cylinder cocks, different chuffs, blowdown, wheel slip, all the options that portray what fuel you use, plus reverb and echo that really pop the sound out.  If all you do is run around a Christmas tree, you won't care about any of this. But if you are replicating realistic operations, in my mind complete sound package is required.

[Ralph S]

This is great information but here's a word of wisdom.  Since you have one locomotive with only DCC, it's only a matter of time before you will want to add another locomotive.  Therefore, think about adding another locomotive that already has DCC and sound.  It could be the same locomotive or you might want to shake things up a bit by obtaining a different locomotive.  Just note that that question of wanting two locomotives will eventually emerge whether or not your train layout is large or small.    This will save you in the long run. 

This was observed and quoted in a prior forum message and I took it to heart. 

Quote: ...You model a steam shortline so you don't have to deal with a room full of diesels idling, including those on the other end of the railroad that is supposed to be a hundred miles away.  The cumulative effect can be maddening, and certainly doesn't sound like a real railroad anymore.  A little sound goes a long way. 

This was good advice to me, so I responded that I kinda like the idea of having only a few engines with sound, since all of my layout will be in the same room.  Like it was stated "...having to deal with a room full of steam locomotives (diesels in my case) idling, including those on the other end of the railroad, i.e., across the 16 x 20 ft room (layout) that is supposed to be a hundred miles away" makes sense to me.  Let alone the added cost of the high price sound decoders. 

In short, unless you really want to delve into sound installation with your one locomotive, really give it a thought to just buying another locomotive already equipped with DCC and sound.

Hope that helps.

[trainman203]

The criticism of multiple locomotives with sound all idling at once on the layout is flawed. 

I can only speak for tsunami and tsunami 2–2 decoders, which I prefer.  They feature a control value known as CV 113.  The Econami also features this CV. When the layout is powered up and CV 113 is activated, the engine remains silent until it is either moved or a function is activated. So they stay silent until you do something. Them, you are able to set a timer to silence the engine after an interval you can set.  I set mine to go silent after 5 to 8 seconds.

Sound value decoders do not carry CV 113, in my opinion a major shortcoming. There are multiple other decoders, many of which from my experience on other layouts are sorely lacking many features, including a version of CV 113.

If you get the right sound decoders you can control when you want sound and when you don't want it. If you just don't like sound in engines, that's fine. After I got sound equipped locomotives, I bought a diesel with DCC but no sound.  It was like driving a corpse around after running sound equipped engines.  I ditched it pretty fast.

[Ralph S]

This is great news. 
The last train club I visited (back in 2022) had locomotives idling on opposite ends of the layout (it was a very large layout, maybe 25 ft from one idling locomotive to the other idling one).  Didn't know that you could stop the idling sound after a certain period of time.  Thought all locomotives went into idle mode when placed on the track.  Probably reason why I only have one DCC with sound locomotive currently.  My Bachmann controller doesn't have a function to have it stop after a period of time.  It's basically on or off. 

[trainman203]

They do all go into idling sounds mode as default unless you set CV 113 to a time value, expressed in seconds until the engine goes silent.  I myself like five or seven seconds, but some people may want it longer to not go silent between switching moves, that doesn't bother me.

When you sent CV 113 to a time value, all of the engines on the layout remain silent when the layout is powered up.  The sound of the engine you choose will come on when you engage a function like a Whistle or the bell, or move the engine. It will stay on until you stop the engine, or turn all active functions off. A couple of the functions you need to press twice to turn off, but that's getting into unnecessary detail at the moment. When I first built my layout, I might've had three engines on there at one time continually and annoyingly making sounds until I made the wonderful discovery of CV 113.  Nowadays I might have six or seven on there at one time, but none of them make a peep until you tell them to.

Three of my greatest moments and Model Railroad were:  1. When I first put a sound equipped DCC steam engine on the track and blew the whistle and rang the bell, 2: when I got an Advanced DCC system and started learning how to change CVs like changing the whistle and such, and 3: when I learned how to get the engine to crawl like an ant by manipulating motor control CV's.

Independent train control via DCC and sound. The model railroading revolution. The next big thing will be what's called dead rail, basically radio control trains trains carrying a battery on board as the power source.  The only layout wiring at that point will be for signaling. I don't think I'll live long enough to see that, but you young people will.

[trainman203]

For steam locomotives with tsunami 2–2 decoder's:

Set CV 113 to a numerical value corresponding to how many seconds you want the sound to stay active before silencing.

That's it. Simplicity itself. I love simplicity.

Complexity is for work. I'm retired. I don't have to work anymore and correspondingly don't need to have complexity anywhere I don't want it anymore.

Since I will never run diesels, I don't need to worry about "consisting" and multiple units.

I think it's time for a nap.  😂😂