4-8-2 Light Mountain DCC sound installation

[shawneehawk]

Hi all,

I just acquired a 4-8-2 Light Mountain, lettered for the L&N, new in the box from a online hobby shop.  I need to get DCC and sound installed in this.  What works best for this particular loco?  A google search and search of this forum turned up little.

Thanks, Gary

[Bucksco]

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,27718.0.html

[Trainman203]

L&N used brass three chimes almost exclusively.

Any of these would be correct.

http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=sw1

http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=sw2


http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=cr3

http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=sw14


http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=lh3


http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/playsound.php?s=sr3c

The southern steam decoder has three of those whistles, would probably be your best choice.

[shawneehawk]

Thanks so much for the links.  After studying the application note shown from Soundtraxx, my tender PCB for the Mountain looks very different from their note, and different even from another 2-8-0 I have.  The Mountain PC board is mostly tan, without much on it compared to the 2-8-0.  It does have the DCC plug however.  This must be an older Light Mountain.  Will the bottom firing speaker still work, or would it be easier to put it under the coal load? 

[shawneehawk]

http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/shawneehawk1/media/IMG_0585_zpsyvgabulu.jpg.html

Hope this worked.  The Light Mountain tender is at the bottom of the photo.

[Hunt]

http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/shawneehawk1/media/IMG_0585_zpsyvgabulu.jpg.html

Hope this worked.  The Light Mountain tender is at the bottom of the photo.

Using

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[img]http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w427/shawneehawk1/IMG_0585_zpsyvgabulu.jpg[/img]



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[shawneehawk]

Thanks, Hunt.  It's been a long time since I've posted on the forums, let alone tried to add a pic or link.  I discovered my photobucket account had been deleted due to inactivity!

It looks like I would have to totally remove the weights to do the downward firing speaker, thus reducing pulling power.  Has anyone installed sound in this particular tender configuration?  I'm nervous as I totally butchered my first 2-8-0 install several years ago, to the point Bachmann felt sorry for me and sent out a new one with DCC sound.  I have since installed a QSI Revolution in a Atlas RS3, so maybe I'm not totally inept.

The Southern steam decoder sounds like the way to go for the Light Mountain.  I have a Light steam version for the 2-8-0 pictured, just need to do it. 

[rogertra]

Thanks, Hunt.  It's been a long time since I've posted on the forums, let alone tried to add a pic or link.  I discovered my photobucket account had been deleted due to inactivity!

It looks like I would have to totally remove the weights to do the downward firing speaker, thus reducing pulling power.  Has anyone installed sound in this particular tender configuration?  I'm nervous as I totally butchered my first 2-8-0 install several years ago, to the point Bachmann felt sorry for me and sent out a new one with DCC sound.  I have since installed a QSI Revolution in a Atlas RS3, so maybe I'm not totally inept.

The Southern steam decoder sounds like the way to go for the Light Mountain.  I have a Light steam version for the 2-8-0 pictured, just need to do it.  

It's a coal fired tender.  Just drill a bunch of small holes in the coal load and have the sound firing up through the coal load.

Problem solved.

BTW, the weights in the tender have nothing to do with the pulling capacity of the loco, they are just there to make the tender track better.

Cheers

Roger T.

[shawneehawk]

Thanks, Roger.  Appreciated your help in 2008 and appreciate it now.  Sometimes I overthink things.  I'll get the Southern Steam version decoder and do the speaker firing up through the coal load.

[shawneehawk]

I got delayed on this project due to major family illness.  I got the Tsunami Light Steam version (purchased earlier) installed in the 2-8-0 #1359 shown in the pic quickly with no problem.  By the time I got around to the 4-8-2 Light Mountain, the Tsunami 2 was on the market and I got the 2200 version from Tony's.  I worked on it Saturday and again this evening, and cannot get the tender shell to close all the way.  I did clip the 2 capacitors shown in the lower right corner.  Can I remove these all the way??  I think they are in the way of where the decoder needs to sit.  As I mentioned in the pic, the 2 circuit boards look totally different.

Thanks
Gary

[shawneehawk]

I should have said that I clipped one end of each capacitor on the Mountain's circuit board. What I need to know is if I can clip the other ends to totally remove the capacitors.

Thanks

[Trainman203]

Photos of the L&N light mountains show 5 chimes on many.  The reading 6 chime sounds like a 5 chi me as well.

[shawneehawk]

Thanks Trainman.  The Tsunami2 2200 steam version I purchased has over 60 whistles, including L&N passenger and L&N freight.

The issue I'm having has to do with those 2 capacitors on the tender PCB that prevents the tender shell from closing all the way on the rear with the decoder plugged in.  I clipped one lead on each capacitor.  What I need to know is, can I totally remove the capacitors so the shell can close.  I did not want to start a new thread on this.  Help, please.

I have the Tsunami2, and TCS 1361 harness into the 8 pin plug-in.  The speaker firing up through the coal load is not a problem.

Thanks,
Gary

[Steve Magee]

Hi Gary

Yeah, chop 'em off. With one lead cut they are doing nothing, so no great loss. You might have a look on the board for RF chokes and if there are any, cut them out and replace them with off cuts of resistor leads or any other small gauge wire. You may play havoc with any warranty, but given how old the model is I don't think that's going to be a worry.

Cheers

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

[Trainman203]

The L&N passenger and freight whistles are 3 chimes.  The mountains apparently mostly had 5 chimes, unusual for the L&N.