adding sound to dcc equip. train

[rj70]

I am looking at getting a Chessie emd w/dcc onboard. Am I able to add sound to it?

[jward]

it depends on which chessie you are getting. what is the locomotive model?

[rj70]

chessie EMD GP40 model #60309 or EMD GP7 model #62403

[jward]

the gp7 should be fairly easy. the fuel tank is milled out for a speaker, and the decoder uses a standard 8 pin plug so swapping it for another is simple.

the gp40 is another matter altogether. you'd have to probably cut away part of the frame to mount a speaker, and the decoder is hard wired, there is no plug. to equip the gp40 with sound would require a complete disassembly of the locomotive and frame modifications. not a project for the faint of heart.

[rj70]

ok, thanks, I see MRC has a universal sound board and they said that it will work if it has a 8 or 9 pin plug, sounds like it will work

[jward]

i would advise staying away from the mrc. their sound decoders are not well liked.

it would be nice if bachmann released the sound value decoders seperately. the sound file for the f7 would be the same as for the gp7.

look into some of the other manufacturers, digitrax or soundtraxx. for the gp7, the correct sound file is EMD 567, 16 cylinder, non turbo.  for the gp40: EMD 645, 16 cylinder turbo (also appropriate for the sd40-2)