Adding Sound Decoder to DCC Equipped Loco

[TrinityJayOne]

Apologies for the newb questions, I know this likely gets asked all the time but I'm really struggling to find answers. I'm returning to the hobby after nearly 20yrs away from it, picked up my first N-gauge loco the other day and want to get some sound happening. It is this one. I looked at this replacement decoder, as it apparently fits an 8-40C and I can't imagine the addition of a wide cab making that any harder. My concern is that- A. the engine runs reeeeeeeeeeeeeally well with the factory-installed Atlas decoder and I don't want to mess this up, B. I don't want to lose the ditch light functionality I currently have. This LokSound decoder looks even better, but it seems like it'd require more farting about to get it installed. Am I correct in saying either unit is going to require re-soldering of all the lights to the new board? (I haven't soldered anything in ages, but I was alright at it as a kid so I'm sure I could manage it now)

The second option is to showhorn a sound-only decoder into the cab, but the speaker would need to be small and I don't know how complex this would be and/or if it would make activating things like horns a pain (I assume you'd need to switch to the 2nd address for that?). I'm also aware of putting the sound into a trailing car, but I think the sound not coming from the train itself would get to me because I am slightly OCD about these things.

Thanks in advance for help, or links to a thread where this has already all been answered.

 

[Espeefan]

You will have to resolder any wired connections to the new board. Lights and motor. The biggest challenge will be the speaker. Without pics of your loco's frame it's hard to say what will be necessary. Sometimes a small speaker will fit in the cab, sometimes you have to mill out space in the frame. Speakers should have some sort of baffle/enclosure to maximize volume. Lok Sound's usually do. I'm an HO scale guy. Not sure if I'd do sound in N . I salute you for trying though! Good Luck

 

[TrinityJayOne]

Haha, thanks! Here's a pic of the shell and the chassis infront of the shell, not sure how useful they are. The black part on the inside of the cab is to block the light from the headlamp bleeding out the cab windows. If I were to get rid of that + the shield mounted on the chassis and move the LED right up to the headlamps a whole lotta space would be freed up, at the risk of not having the number boards at the top light up anymore. Hmmmmmmm.

 

[Espeefan]

Well you have a cab interior, so a speaker in the cab would mean sacrificing that. You might be able to fit the soundbug speaker on the rear of the chassis firing downward, if there is enough open space between the frame halves. I'm thinking some removal of frame material will be necessary, just not sure how much! Maybe some other N scalers will chime in. it's early!

 

[ICG/SOU]

The Loksound will require it's own programmer to get the sounds you want in that locomotive. Loksound will have better sound than the Digitrax, but you must understand and be realistic about sound inside N scale. The issue is not necessarily fitting the decoder, but fitting the speaker, especially one large enough to put out enough sound.

On the diesels I've done, only the horn and bell and some minor revving of the prime mover is just about all you'll hear. You won't hear the air compressor, fans, and may or may not hear the brake squeal, coupler crash, or anything else that is inherent in a locomotive. To put a decoder into a N scale loco, if you go the professional route, the sound will cost you more than what you paid for the locomotive, and sound quality just isn't assured.

I do some installing (in the shop I work in) of N scale, but I'm just not satisfied with the results. I just don't think the speaker technology is there yet.

 

[TrinityJayOne]

The Loksound will require it's own programmer to get the sounds you want in that locomotive.

Could you elaborate on this? I know that many different sound packages can be installed to the decoders, but I assumed that by buying one for a specific primemover it is essentially ready to go, otherwise why bother having the different variants at all?

On the diesels I've done, only the horn and bell and some minor revving of the prime mover is just about all you'll hear. You won't hear the air compressor, fans, and may or may not hear the brake squeal, coupler crash, or anything else that is inherent in a locomotive. To put a decoder into a N scale loco, if you go the professional route, the sound will cost you more than what you paid for the locomotive, and sound quality just isn't assured.

I do some installing (in the shop I work in) of N scale, but I'm just not satisfied with the results. I just don't think the speaker technology is there yet.

If what you say is true then it's pretty disappointing and I wonder why they even make them for N.

If it really isn't possible to do well due to space issues then I had an idea for a different take on the trailing sound boxcar idea, in that I put the sound into an empty Dash-8 shell instead. If you wanted to go all out you could get an empty cabbed slug and swap the shells over so that the slug is the motorized loco, then have the lights and speakers housed in the original (now empty) Dash-8 shell and connected to the slug through some wires at the coupler. It would sound better (primemover sounds not coming from the slug) but it's also a pretty extreme solution, not to mention it'd make the MU permanent. But I'm sure crazier things have been done in the hobby.