Since I posted a thread for my second N scale sound install, I thought I should go ahead and post my first install... A Tsunami 2 steam 2 sound decoder into a Bachmann Spectrum series USRA short tender, which I coupled to a bashed Bachmann 4-6-0. The goal was to approximate the look of UP/OSL #1585, a cute little ten-wheeler that plied the tracks of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. For reference, here's the inside of the factory 4-6-0 tender, with its non-sound decoder: Here's an exploded view of the USRA short tender: Fitting the decoder is going to require every bit of room, and the height of the water tank is one of the most critical dimensions. So the factory circuit board needs to be stripped out, and some of the metal and plastic posts needed to be carved, ground out. #1585 was an oil burner, at least towards then end of her career... so I have popped out the coal load. Here's a view of the tender chassis after most of the cutting and grinding. The decoder is going to go in "component side" down, so I needed to grind a recess to accept some of the taller components: I constructed an oil bunker from styrene, turning the hatch from styrene tubing and sheet. I couldn't find a good view of the oil bunker, so it is pretty much free-lance. Without any pictures on which to base placement of grab irons, ladders, rails, or other details, I have left them out for the time being. Here's the painted shell with the oil bunker (I painted the bunker and installed it into a factory painted and lettered shell from Bachmann): Some day I might add rivet decals from Archer... I experimented with a number of different speakers and speaker placements, and finally settled in an 8 x 12 mm sugarcube with enclosure hot glued to the underside of the oil bunker, firing down. The leads for the speaker and backup light have microconnectors, allowing me to remove the shell w/o unsoldering anything. Note the slab of tungsten putty alongside the speaker. There are also several lengths of lead ribbon along the sides of the shell. I used the factory backup light (from the new tender), embedding a small SMD LED in Microscale Krystal Klear in the lamp shell. Now, on to the loco for a minute. Starting with a Bachmann 4-6-0, I wanted to make something that resembled UP/OSL #1585. It won't be perfect... I didn't think I could grind the details of the metal boiler casting at make it presentable. But I did change a couple of the most obvious things that goive #1585 some "character." First, at some point in her lifespan, UP #1585 got a steel cab... I used the cab from a Bachmann 2-8-0. The 2-8-0 has a larger diameter boiler, necessitating filling in the extra space. #1585 also had additional windows on the sides of the cab, and different roof details. Originally, I framed and divided the windows (this pic) and glazed them with Microscale Krystal Klear, but I didn't like the way that turned out. I later cut those out, and built the new window frames and dividers on acetate sheet cut from an MTL coupler package (in the final pics). I pre-painted the frames and dividers, before assembling and gluing them in, to avoid getting paint on the window glazing. #1585 also sported a dual air pump (from the factory, the 4-6-0 comes with twin single pumps). So, I ground off the pump detail, added a dual pump from a Bachmann 2-8-0 (bought from Bachmann parts), and rebuilt the running board around the pump. Here's the tender chassis with the decoder installed just before it's "buttoned up"... note the keep alive cap in front of the decoder, and the resistors for the head and backup lights, tucked along the left side of the decoder. The plug for the speaker leads is on top of the decoder (purple leads), and that for the backup light is tucked along the decoder just aft of the resistors). If I had left the decoder leads a little longer, or left off the shrink tubing and just used liquid electrical tape, I MIGHT have been able to fit a 11 x 15mm speaker. Here are some picks of the final product. I moved a few other boiler details around, added class lights and number boards from an Athearn challenger, and turned a new headlight from styrene rod (it's a little to "shallow" for the SMD LED, which is embedded in Krystal Klear). Here's a movie clip... with my #1585 pulling 8 MTL heavyweights... not it's usual train, I just wanted to see what it could do. Aside from releasing and applying the brakes, the throttle was constant (calibrated to ~25 smph no load on the level). Variations in speed and exhaust all result from the grades (up or down) and load.
Thanks! It was a fun little project... and I learned a lot. Thought it would be an "easy" first install, before I attempted putting DCC sound into a Vandy tender (my other thread). But, in some ways, it proved more challenging than the Vandy install...
