Adding Sound

[creahard]

I recently acquired a Bachmann HO Alco RS 3 locomotive, Item # 64203.  This loco comes DCC equipped, but without sound.  It appears that there is a speaker "grill" molded into the bottom of the chassis and I would like to know if there is a recommended third party decoder available to add sound to this loco?
Thanks for any help with this.

[richg]

Check the Soundtraxx site. They show a decoder for the Alcoa RS-3.

rich

[Rod in PA]

I recently installed a SoundTraxx decoder in an HO Bachmann RS3 #64205.  It wasn't all that difficult, just took some patience.  The Soundtraxx decoder I used was a TSU AT-1000 (Alco 244) #828043 with an oval speaker #810112.  I also replaced the original yellow LEDs with 3mm bright whites.

I removed the Bachmann decoder and light board, disassembled the frame to where I could remove the motor, removed the two capacitors and replaced the motor wires following the NMRA color code scheme.  I covered the motor and leads with a piece of electrical tape to hold things in place and to prevent any shorts.  I then reassembled the frame, positioned the sound decoder over the motor between the two weights and attached it with double sided tape.  I then hard wired the decoder by first connecting the pickup and motor leads, and  then took it for a test run.  I taped the capacitor to the rear weight between the decoder and the rear LED.

Next, I installed the white LEDs using the factory mounts and a 680 ohm, 1/4 watt resistor in series with each LED.  I used black electrical tape to shield the front LED from reflecting back into the cab.  Once the LEDs were in place I took it for another test run.

Next, where to install the speaker?  First, I was going to use the molded area in the fuel tank which is big enough for a 1/2" speaker.  Then, I remembered seeing a speaker installation for an Atlas RS3 on the SoundTraxx website.  It involved removing the cab and cutting away part of the shell, but would allow the use of a larger speaker.  The roof of the cab actually becomes the baffle for the speaker and works great.

I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this project and the quality of SoundTraxx's products.  If you have any further questions, don't heistate to ask.

Good luck,
Rod in PA