can you add sound to a loco that has DCC in it

[flamingchaos]

can you add sound to a loco that has DCC in it already and can you add dcc and sound to older straight dc locos . sorry if it sounds like a dumb question but i want to go to dcc and sound but i dont want to replace every one of my old dc locos in my collection

[ABC]

DC locos with an 8/9-pin socket considered DCC-ready only require a sound decoder and speaker with a 8/9-pin plug on the harness. DC locos that are not DCC ready require isolation and you must then hardwire the decoders into the loco and make room for the speaker and baffle. If it has DCC already you can choose to buy a DCC-sound decoder and speaker with or without an 8/9-pin plug depending on if it has a 8/9 pin socket or not. As long as you can isolate the motor from the frame you should be able to make a loco DCC.

[flamingchaos]

thanks for more info cause what i was looking at getting was a Spectrum PRR K-4 with dcc but it doesn't say anything about sound (Bachman #84403) and i just bought a Spectrum  PRR 2-10-4 that i think has a motor problem but i wanted to add DCC or Just sound to it and make it work I'm trying to go DCC but i don't know all the stuff i have to buy yet either i was looking to get a MTH commander pack to run my DCC stuff . What i have now is all older Power packs Tyco, Bachman, MRC, and a "Black Box" Hogger and i heard the hoggers are the worst thing to run smaller trains with cause my collection is N, HO, O and G scale and i use the hogger for just about everything but the O scale . 

[ABC]

If the K-4 has DCC then it must have sound, because the only version with DCC also has sound. The other version is just "DCC-ready", which is often times confused with "DCC-On Board" or "DCC-Equipped." DCC-ready just means it is easier to install a decoder in the locomotive, but no decoder is included.
The PRR 2-10-4 was either the Bachmann Plus or Standard Line, it was not Spectrum line as far as I know. Does your 2-10-4s tender have power pick-up? Or is it connected to the rest of the loco with wires? I think it would most likely just connect using a plastic stud on the tender and the tender would not have pick-up.

[flamingchaos]

i don't have the 2-10-4 yet but as soon as i get it i will let you know. and i gave the wrong # it is 84014 not 84403.

[Jim Banner]

... i was looking to get a MTH commander pack to run my DCC stuff...

The MTH Commander System is a DCS (Digital Control System).  It is unable to operate the regular DCC that is installed in almost every DCC locomotive.

Jim

[ABC]

That particular item number is only DCC-ready and does not come with a factory installed decoder. Was it purchased new or used? I ask this because if it was advertised as with DCC, then either the seller was confused/misled you or he put in his own decoder then sold it to you.

[flamingchaos]

no i haven't bought it yet but i was asking all these question before i buy the K-4 to find out if it was worth the price cause i have only been looking to get one for 10-15 years and the reason it took so long is the DCC / Sound dilemma and when i worked for the model train shop in my area the guys all steered me from buying a Spectrum K-4 cause they had problems.  the other reason i asked if it can be added to older locos is because of all the stuff i got when i worked at the model train shop i think DCC and sound was just starting to come into the shop .

[rich1998]

if the tender has the nmra connector, you might need the matching connector on the decoder. speaker/baffle/placement of speaker will probably be an issue if the tender frame is not ready for a speaker.
with a steamer, the tender shell can be a decent baffle.
with diesel, it can be an issue, read challenge.
proper speaker baffle can be an art form depending on what you want for sound.
lex

[flamingchaos]

the 2-10-4 just came todayand behold it has sound i don't honestly know what the issue was with it not moving but i did it when i tested it opened the bottom and moved the gears just little bit and it freed up and i running now but it is a little sluggish but I'm use a power pack from my daughters "Emily" set from Thomas the Tank Engine but it seams to be getting fast the longer i let it run on her track. so hopefully it was a good investment .

[ABC]

The 2-10-4, probably doesn't have DCC, it has just DC sound.

[rich1998]

The 2-10-4, probably doesn't have DCC, it has just DC sound.

i have yet to hear that a spectrum has dc with sound only. the spectrum with onboard dcc and sound from the factory can run on dc and dcc power.
lex

[ABC]

i have yet to hear that a spectrum has dc with sound only. the spectrum with onboard dcc and sound from the factory can run on dc and dcc power.
lex

It is not normal sound as in a tsunami, I am pretty sure it just makes the "chuffing" noise if you know what I mean. There has never been a Bachmann 2-10-4 with factory DCC and sound. The sound included is most likely limited to the chuffing noise and no more. Might I ask if the loco has smoke, if it does then everything will add up very nicely and I will know exactly what you bought. Might I add its been a long while since Bachmann made a PRR 2-10-4.

[flamingchaos]

it look like it there is a coil and tube inside the funnel "stack" but i can find my smoke fluid and when i went to get some i realised the my wife never gave my back my credit card .     dang it .