dcc consolidation

[bob kaplan]

If someone want to put a sound decoder into a Bachmann consolidation, would it be a simple matter of replacing the decoder and putting a speaker in the tender?   Have you done it?.....is it difficult?   Would it be worth it? Thanks. 

[jonathan]

Bob,

It depends 

Later versions of the Consolidation came with a speaker mount in the bottom of the tender.  If this is the case, it's very simple. 

First, make sure your new sound decoder has an 8-pin plug to marry up with the 8-pin DCC socket. 

You'll also need a 28mm (1") speaker that matches the decoder.  The Soundtraxx version uses 8 ohm speakers. Ohms matter.

In a nutshell, you remove the old decoder;

remove two screws that hold the PCB;

Install the speaker, pointing down, in the speaker mount (I use some sort of caulk/silicone).

Screw the PCB back in place;

Plug in the decoder;

Sort the wires so the shell fits back in place; and

Replace the tender shell. Voila.

That's the short version.

With an older Consolidation, some folks install the speaker pointing up through the coal load... lots of room up there.  You have to drill 80-90 small holes in the coal load to let the sound out.

Totally worth it, man.  My sound-Connies are my go-to locomotives if/when I'm having issues with running smoothly.  They have never let me down.

Just sayin'

Regards,

Jonathan

[ACY]

With an older Consolidation, some folks install the speaker pointing up through the coal load... lots of room up there.  You have to drill 80-90 small holes in the coal load to let the sound out. Totally worth it, man.

If someone want to put a sound decoder into a Bachmann consolidation, would it be a simple matter of replacing the decoder and putting a speaker in the tender?   Have you done it?.....is it difficult?   Would it be worth it? Thanks. 

If your 2-8-0 Consolidation has an 8 pin socket then it should be no problem. Some older versions do not have an 8 pin socket, and some original run versions I think were split frame even but this predates the Spectrum line if I recall correctly. If yours was made anytime in the past 15 years or so it should be fairly straightforward. If you have an older version though I would say not worth the time and effort at that point unless you are an expert with DCC and sound installs.

[Trainman203]

The trouble with holes in the coal is that my light steam Tsunamis have some kind of blue light that shines through the holes.

[bob kaplan]

Thanks all for the responses.   Sounds (pun intended) like I might be able to give it a try.  Johnathan....sounds like you have done this before.  Do you have a recommendation for the sound decoder?   I really don't know where to begin.   Thanks.  bob

[jonathan]

Bob,

I have stuck with the Tsunami decoders for sound.  I haven't tried an Soundtraxx/Econami (economical) sound decoder, yet. Though, I want to give that a try someday. Once the 8-pin plug and speaker are soldered to the decoder, everything else is essentially plug-n-play.

A few at my club really like the TCS Wow sound decoders, but I can't give a recommendation, as I haven't installed one.

We use a Digitrax operating system for our club layout and traveling modular layout. The Sountraxx Tsunamis run quite well married up with the Digitrax operating system.

Once upon a time, I posted a "how to" on this forum.  I had instructions and pictures for installing sound.  Photobucket broke the link to the photos unfortunately. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[emde5]

The  Tsunami 2 is a very good decoder.  I have several in Bachmann steam.  If there arent holes in the bottom of the tender, have drilled small holes in the coal load.  I use the deep bass speaker and it sounds great.  The Economy decoders work great as well.   

[bob kaplan]

I receive my Bachmann HO Connie and have been running it for about a day.   My power unit is NCE power cab.  This is my first non-sound DCC Bachmann engine so I have a question or two to ask.  My other sound units (4-6-0, 2-6-0) begin to creep along quite steadily when the power unit reads 1 or 2 and will smoothly increase in speed as the increase button is pressed.
   This unit does not show any signs of life until the power cab reads 10 or more.  It sputters along until the hand unit reads nearly 30 and more or less runs smoothly at a rapid speed.  This type of operation is not great for switching.  Is it a function of the non sound decoder or does the engine need more run in time....or is there a defect?   Thanks for you thoughts.

[jonathan]

Well...

I can only speak from my experience. I have 6 Connies.  When new, they were all a bit stiff at first.  After about 20 minutes of normal running (no cars behind), they all smoothed out.  

Two of my Connies have the Tsunami sound installed.  They will creep along real slow.  The other 4 Connies run DC on my home layout.  They will run well at slow speeds, though, not as slowly as the DCC/sound Connies.

A good way to test the locomotive, if you have the means, is to remove the decoder, put in the dummy plug (usually provided with a new Connie), and run on DC.  This is just to test the mechanics.  Again, a little run-in time is needed in my experience.  Check the screw that connects the eccentric crank to the third driver.  Those can be loose (very rare).

I have never run a Connie with the stock decoder. I have a few diesels with the stock EZ command decoder. They DO require a bit more throttle than my sound locomotives.  I never gave it much thought.

One more thing to watch out for...

It's very common for the wire harness connector to be a bit stiff... so much so that the front tender trucks do not like to ride flat on the rails.  This will also loosen over time.  Some folks fiddle with the wires a bit to loosen them, or add a little extra weight to the front of the tender.  I usually just let it go until the wires settle down.  They do loosen over time.

If I had your loco in my hands, I could go over some things to diagnose any issues.

I suspect your loco just needs a good sound decoder and some time to run-in.  That's a guess from a distance.

Regards,

Jonathan

Addendum:  ALL of my Bachmann locos, without exception, required a good wheel cleaning prior to running.  Just sayin'. jv

[bob kaplan]

Thanks very much Jonathan.   I will let her run a bit this weekend and see if things improve from there.  Thanks for you time when answering my questions.   it is appreciated.
bob

[jonathan]

Glad to be able to help sir. You are quite welcome.

Regards,

Jonathan