Here are some pics of the decoder install on my Athearn mogul. It ain't finished yet, and the cab light has been replaced with an orange one by Evan Designs, hopefully I can figure out how to set it as a flickering firebox reflection! Also one pic of my Spectrum ten-wheeler with the Loksound stuff going in, I may have damaged it by NOT reading the directions, DUMDUM me! Used the LED light it came with, and it does NOT have a resistor like the Athearn did. So it flashed six times and won't do anything after a short fit of trying to go in reverse.... Anyway, enjoy the pics!!
My grandson, Isaak, had to see my first dcc finished engine function. So here's a vid of it with actual functioning headlite and firebox flicker and on a slow crawl. Figured that setting this one to work right and programming in the settings would help me get familiar with the dcc stuff. After the familiarity is there, then it is time to finish the Spectrum ten-wheeler with all it's lights and loksound! That ought to be exciting for me and the grandson. He is a trainnut, too!! The engine itself needs finished with an extended coal pile, toolboxes, engineer, pipes, paint and lettering. A number will have to be in there too, but am still Imagineering a roster/number system for this RR.[video=youtube_share;CFC_6zmkv2Y]http://youtu.be/CFC_6zmkv2Y[/video]
Wonderful! Nice slow crawl too. THese small steamers are some of my favorite, so I'm excited to try this with you! My headlight LED will be replaced with something a bit more yellow....
DCC and loksound update Have had a busy couple of months, with a little train time. The big news is a successful install of Loksound in a Spectrum ten-wheeler! Will post pics here, tho there is much detailing to do and some program fine tuning, but WooHoo! It works! And have also been figuring out how to run multiple engines without collisions, mostly! Oh, and there is a second ten-wheeler with its original tender for comparison beside number 11.(That's the engine's official number.)
Rad! I assume the speaker is under the decoder, in the tender floor? Looks like one of those "sugar cube" speakers could be fitted with a slightly longer tender (but there goes the good looks)....
[video=youtube_share;5Jt0WzxmM6Q]http://youtu.be/5Jt0WzxmM6Q[/video] [video=youtube_share;RbRi1wT5oBI]http://youtu.be/RbRi1wT5oBI[/video] The speaker is under the coal load, actually. It is the 4ohm speaker provided by Loksound and seems to be fine, just hope it gives no issues longterm. It barely fits under the coal load!
That seems to be one of the points to TrainBoard, to encourage and inspire one another in our mutual form of iNsaNity! Fun, ain't it? And for the record, I have received way more from all of the posters on here than I figured to! Now, back to fine tuning the model, finishing the mogul, pondering the next sound engine............. Aaah, happy days!
Lookin good brother!! Your a few steps ahead of me. Someday my loco will return from Loksound, and I will get my Baltic done up with sound. Cant wait to see you actually growing your layout. Maybe then you can run your two trains without fear of a catastrophe!!
An update on the NP&BH #11 Loksound equipt engine, did a bit of Northern Pacific-ization. Replaced the stock headlight with a NP one by GHQ, moved the original to the tender deck. Added some styrene to the tender to raise the coal box sides and give it that NP sweep at the back. Then reworked the cab roof to get a bit more of an arch to it and a bit longer at the back. More final details and lettering to do yet, but it needs to sit for a bit with the fresh paint! And the engineer is also drying and waitng for a bit of detailing yet. Did I say that this is FUN!
Now THAT'S a sharp little loco! Givin' me ideas, dude..... I just happen to have some styrene and putty, and a couple steamers that could use such a treatment....
Definitely looks unique. Far from an out-of-the-box appearance. Are you doing the same with all of your steam roster?
EMDF7A - the NP was famous for the oversize coal box in proportion to the tender. They burned that cheap company owned cold burning lignite coal that they owned so much of! Boxcab _ Yup. It's a big part of the fun for me! See, the only reason for a railroad to exist is to give steam locomotives a purpose! And a place to play!! Added some lettering and numbers to #11 today, as well as an engineer. Also installed a screen door and a/c unit in the trainshed t'boot. Pics will be forthcoming, after we get back from a much needed vacation. Going to visit gcav17 and the rest of the family via a big hobby shop in St. Paul. Who knows what trouble I may find there!? Back in a while!
The CB&M thieves!!! The mgmnt. of the NP&BH RR was in a tizzy last month for a couple of weeks as the location of their favorite ten-wheeler, #11, was unknown! The unit was finally spotted by the PI hired by the railroad to find it. It seems that the always power starved and very opportunistic Carnage, Balderdash & Maudlin line (gcav17's) had the unit in use! How they acquired it is unknown at this time, but most likely was in a nefarious fashion as per their standard operating fashion, legal proceedings are being investigated after the unit was reacquired by the NPBH! The procedure required to retrieve it will remain obscure, but was slightly less nefarious and probably stands on better legal footing. A bill for damages and 'lease' fees will be forthcoming to the CB&M, tho we expect payment to be long in coming! OK, so the pics will have to wait, as the site is not recognizing the jpegs as valid files.....reboot and try again.:sweat:
And so the CB&M mgmnt must be hacked in here as I still cain't get these jpg files to upload. Hmmmm.....more legal action may be required!
Hmmm.... Well seeing how the BHNP has this strange habit of breaking down on a small section of shared track, costing the CMBRR time and money to move those poorly maintained locos. We decided that we would just sit on it til they comegot it. Strange that it took so long.... Perhaps the they need to not let engineers walk off and away??? Hmm.. Maybe better pay would work!!
And finally we can upload them pics the PI took of the NPBH11 being pirated around on the CB&M! Contrary to the accusations of the CB&M mgmnt, after further investigations and interviewing the last NPBH engineer, we now know the rest of the story! It seems that the engineer in question was encouraged to abandon his engine at the interchange track with the CB&M , being encouraged at the point of a peppergun, 12 gauge to be specific, was a winning argument. He has since quit the RR work, figuring that such a hazardous environment wasn't for him! Legal counsel is being consulted..... In other happenings, the NPBH has recently acquired a good used USRA Mikado from a CNW affiliated road and the shop has installed sound/dcc in a Spectrum tender. Being the lazier type shop we simply located a spot on the engine frame, drilled and tapped a hole, and connected it with a plastic screw. the tender is closer to the cab now, and it only required to trim the rear truck for clearance, as the pics show.
Oh don't go believing some railroads paid PI. They will always be on the side of some crazy employer! Our engineers explained that that ten wheeler had become derailed, again, and the engineer quit for that reason We at CM&B had to re rail that defective pilot in order for the Olympia to get through! Just barely made it! And since it was an abandoned engine we wereobliged to bring it back and make the repairs someones 'lazy shop's is incapable of repairing! We were not gonna Bill them until this little rant I started, but oh well. We may have to go over our contract again.
