Bugger, did not have a decoder small enough.  Hood is easy enough to get off.  I will get a couple of decoders during the week and advise after that.

Regards,
John

John

Check the following site http://www.dccsound.com/ the sounds for the 48cl are very good, & from what is said & type of sound decoder is used a Loksound micro V4 decoder, that tells me you will need a small decoder if sound is wanted.

If not worried about sound, then motor control decoders should be easy to get for the size needed, depends though on the electronic board & if it has the same still as on other models an 8pin dumb or DC board, if that is the case its an easy swap out for something like a TCS DP2x should do fine.

Bugger, did not have a decoder small enough.  Hood is easy enough to get off.  I will get a couple of decoders during the week and advise after that.

Regards,
John

John,

All my locos get sound decoders...no quiet locos on my layout.

I am hoping I haven't made a goose of myself, because I've already bought 5x Tsunami sound decoders (AT1000), which will mean I have to rip out the existing board and totally replace it.....just hope there is enough room for the AT1000 + the factory speaker.

I'm hopeful that the size of the space is similar to the 47 and 49 class, in which I have used the same style of decoder (with different sound effects of course).

Roachie

Rod,

I was not well prepared.  I had not obtained decoders and should have known that no regular decoder would fit in the hood of such a small locomotive.  See photo below.

The inside width of the hood is 17mm.  The highest possible level of the mechanism and equipment on top is a line from the PCB for LED at the front to the PCB for LED at the back.  You can see the eight pin receptacle on top of the factory PCB in the photo.  There is a plug fits into that for DC operation, but I doubt that a plug on a harness could be plugged in.

The ESU Loksound V4.0 might fit if I remove all the factory fitted electronics.  Hate to have to do that.  One thing for sure the ESU 23mm speaker will not fit.

I will send DCC Sound an e-mail to ask if they have attempted to fit the Loksound V4.0 or just prepared the sounds.  That decoder is 30.3 x 15.5 x 5.5mm.  The other option Tsunami TSU 750 is 25.5 x 13 x 5.5mm.

Roachie, can't see how you would get a TSU 1000 in, but if it fitted in the other hood units maybe it would.

Still thinking what to use.  Bloody expensive whichever one I go for!  MRRC has the TSU 750 for $183 plus postage, DCC Sound is $195 for the Loksound V 4.0 including postage.  Means each loco will go a bit over $400.  Ouch.  Gotta have sound though.

Best regards,
John

PS.  Had another look at the DCC Sound site.  They have a photo on there of the Loksound V4.0 fitted on the mechanism.  Must fit, perhaps with a push to "close the lid".

Rod,

I was not well prepared.  I had not obtained decoders and should have known that no regular decoder would fit in the hood of such a small locomotive.  See photo below.

The inside width of the hood is 17mm.  The highest possible level of the mechanism and equipment on top is a line from the PCB for LED at the front to the PCB for LED at the back.  You can see the eight pin receptacle on top of the factory PCB in the photo.  There is a plug fits into that for DC operation, but I doubt that a plug on a harness could be plugged in.

The ESU Loksound V4.0 might fit if I remove all the factory fitted electronics.  Hate to have to do that.  One thing for sure the ESU 23mm speaker will not fit.

I will send DCC Sound an e-mail to ask if they have attempted to fit the Loksound V4.0 or just prepared the sounds.  That decoder is 30.3 x 15.5 x 5.5mm.  The other option Tsunami TSU 750 is 25.5 x 13 x 5.5mm.

Roachie, can't see how you would get a TSU 1000 in, but if it fitted in the other hood units maybe it would.

Still thinking what to use.  Bloody expensive whichever one I go for!  MRRC has the TSU 750 for $183 plus postage, DCC Sound is $195 for the Loksound V 4.0 including postage.  Means each loco will go a bit over $400.  Ouch.  Gotta have sound though.

Best regards,
John

PS.  Had another look at the DCC Sound site.  They have a photo on there of the Loksound V4.0 fitted on the mechanism.  Must fit, perhaps with a push to "close the lid".

John

I cannot get the photo to show up.

Bare in mind the DCC sound decoder is a MICRO, V4 not the full size V4 decoder.  Something to also look at Bill & to bare in mind that both a 47 & especially 49cl have larger bodies than a 48cl.

At the price difference between a Tsunami & the DCC sound version of just $12.00, there really is no arguement as the DCC sound version is genuine as far as a 48cl is concerned rather than a generic U.S sound for them.

John,

I originally bought 2 of the Powerline 48s (the "current" crop with the little green men) and managed to quite easily fit AT1000 decoders and speaker in them (after I removed the radiator fan etc).

Here is the one I used...on the bottom of the list. Click on it and you will get a pop-up box so you can listen to the sounds. I wish the yanks wouldn't ring the bell and blow the horn so much in these demos!!!:

http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/1000at.php

As for the cost...I buy my decoders from USA off ebay:

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=tsunami+at1000&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xtsunami+at1000+828049&_nkw=tsunami+at1000+828049&_sacat=0

These ones are all around $120-/$130 including postage.....cheaper if you bulk buy as postage is spread over more decoders.

Note that the AT1000 style is not the same as the TSU1000. Like I said, I will be ripping out all of the original board to be able to fit the AT1000 decoder.

Cheers

Roachie

Bill,

I thought about buying from the States.  With present exchange rate and cost of getting the gear here I use a factor of 1.5 x USD to find AUD.  If the decoders are US$130 then by my rough calc they are AUD195.  When I take into account that the guy in DCC Sound has done the work of customizing the 48 sound it becomes more attractive to buy from him.

Have a look at the DCC Sound web site diesel installations http://www.dccsound.com/diesel-installations then go right down the bottom.  You will find photos of both TrainO and PL 48s with the hood off.  Quite different it appears.

Anyhow I ordered two of his gold plated decoders so I will let you know how the installation goes.

You might be able to use the TSU 1000 since I am just a dummy, but if you can squeeze those in I will give two quid to the hospital.  BTW I have TSU 1000s in most of my fleet so nothing against them.

Best regards,
John

PS.  Dunno what's wrong with the photo.  If you want to see it try here https://www.flickr.com/photos/129427993@N02/sets

Rod,

I was not well prepared.  I had not obtained decoders and should have known that no regular decoder would fit in the hood of such a small locomotive.  See photo below.

Hello John (Edit ah I noticed you already posted you had found it. Well Done
DCC sounds got one of Traino's demo 48's s

Cheers
Rod

The DCC Sounds 48 Class project is very good. Best of all, Mike's customer service and support is great. Out of all my diesel sound locomotives the 48 is the best sounding, IMHO. Interesting to see DCC Sound now includes a sugar cube speaker with the decoder. Although adding sound does get expensive, when you take into account the time and effort to actually produce the sound file, the SC speaker and the V4 decoder, I think the price is pretty reasonable.

In saying that, adding sound to eight 48 class models would get pricey, hey Liverpool Range ha ha!

Linton

In saying that, adding sound to eight 48 class models would get pricey, hey Liverpool Range ha ha!

Linton

So true Linton.

Let alone the other 4 x 48's I plan to get from Auscision as well as my fleet of 44's, 45's and 442's I will need sound for.

Ian

The DCC Sounds 48 Class project is very good. Best of all, Mike's customer service and support is great. Out of all my diesel sound locomotives the 48 is the best sounding, IMHO. Interesting to see DCC Sound now includes a sugar cube speaker with the decoder. Although adding sound does get expensive, when you take into account the time and effort to actually produce the sound file, the SC speaker and the V4 decoder, I think the price is pretty reasonable.

In saying that, adding sound to eight 48 class models would get pricey, hey Liverpool Range ha ha!

Linton

The only thing I found with the sound files of the DCC sounds files is the air horns, while Mike told me they recorded them from the correct loco's I am wondering if since they have gone into private ownership if there has been some readjustment of the tones. Certainly the sounds of the RVB on the Mk4's are different these days than when first introduced & during my time on the job.

After I listened to the final work by Mike on the computer, I went to the Soundtrax site, to listen to the sounds they have for a 251, including the available horns.  The Prime mover is wrong & ok for a 44cl, but not the smaller donk fitted to the 48, also the horns are up the spout as well.

Bill,

I thought about buying from the States.  With present exchange rate and cost of getting the gear here I use a factor of 1.5 x USD to find AUD.  If the decoders are US$130 then by my rough calc they are AUD195.  When I take into account that the guy in DCC Sound has done the work of customizing the 48 sound it becomes more attractive to buy from him.

Have a look at the DCC Sound web site diesel installations http://www.dccsound.com/diesel-installations then go right down the bottom.  You will find photos of both TrainO and PL 48s with the hood off.  Quite different it appears.

Anyhow I ordered two of his gold plated decoders so I will let you know how the installation goes.

You might be able to use the TSU 1000 since I am just a dummy, but if you can squeeze those in I will give two quid to the hospital.  BTW I have TSU 1000s in most of my fleet so nothing against them.

Best regards,
John

PS.  Dunno what's wrong with the photo.  If you want to see it try here https://www.flickr.com/photos/129427993@N02/sets

John,

I'm not using the TSU1000 (which is the ones wrapped in the purple heat shrink). The AT1000 are a flat, narrow, long board designed to drop straight in to Atlas locos (apparently). I have used them extensively throughout my fleet.

I'm too bloody old to recall the "actual" sounds that various locos really made (including the horns), so I just please myself.

Tsunami 251 decoders have been used in my 44s and 442, so I didn't want the 48s to sound the same as their big brothers.....I have also pre-purchased 251s for the 45 class when they get here. I have also used 244 decoders in my 43 and have bought 2 more for the Auscision 43s when they arrive. As for the 421 class, I am going to use a slightly different engine sound to that which I have fitted to my 2x 42 class...thinking I'll use EMD567D decoders in those 2 locos. Yes, I know they're wrong, but to my ear they sound okay.

As for the pricing aspect....the ebay advert page I attached earlier showed the Aussie dollar prices....about AUD93- for the decoder and AUD30- or so for the postage.....so that is a fair bit less than the Aussie purchase options. Many of the US sellers will charge a lesser amount of postage for additional items; so you could reduce the postage to maybe $50 for four decoders (as an example)...making the total outlay much more attractive.

I have used the DCCSounds decoders for my 5x 422 class and I also agree that Mike does an excellent job and has great after-sales service. However, I simply cannot justify almost $200- for a decoder/speaker and I'm quite prepared to put-up with the not-quite-right sounds of the Tsunamis.

Cheers mate

Roachie

Bill,

Off topic, for the Auscision 45 class, like all their HO locos, it will come with a 21 pin plug, so you'd need an adapter board to go to a 8 pin decoder, or in the case of the Atlas style Tsunami board, a hardwire. The 45 class comes with a specific sound enclosure so the ESU 21 pin decoder and speaker pops straight in.

Mike

Good luck fitting those AT1000s Bill.  When I look at the Soundtraxx site I recognise them as the decoder I have used in a US E7A.  Inside the hood is 17mm wide so see how that looks for the AT1000.

Lucky I don't buy as many as you do.  Two is enough for me.

Best regards,
John

Good luck fitting those AT1000s Bill.  When I look at the Soundtraxx site I recognise them as the decoder I have used in a US E7A.  Inside the hood is 17mm wide so see how that looks for the AT1000.

Lucky I don't buy as many as you do.  Two is enough for me.

Best regards,
John

Yeh, they fitted in the Powerline 48s so these TOR units should be similar dimensions inside....

I will need a total of 10 decoders for the 3 TOR + the 7 Auscision units. To date I've only bought 5.

Bill

Guys,
I purchased the Loksound programmer 3 years ago, to do my own sound files. Once you get your head around the way the files are setup, it's a easy as to up load the sound project.
I also save the projects either to reuse for another loco down the track or to re-flash the file in a decoder if I need to.

One advantage is if you have a fleet of 44's 48's or 45's etc, is they can all be speed matched quite easily for multiple unit operation or bank engine work.

Just food for thought.

Regards

Just received my 4812 and 4838 in the mail today.

All I can say is: WOW!!! Great models!!!

Now I have to find time over the weekend to install the Tsunami AT1000 decoders (if I can make them fit). If it doesn't look like they'll fit, I might have to invest in some of the ones from Melbourne.

Now I just have to wait for the 830 class to turn up.....and I'm quite sure it will be as good as the two 48s.

Well done Trainorama....thank you.

Roachie

Okay, update on installation of Tsunami AT1000 decoders into my two 48 class locos.

First issue came when separating the body from the mechanism. Relatively easy to do, but a decision had to be made about the hand brake chain.

On the first loco I did, I actually popped the bogie side frame casting off the bogie (very easy to do....it was actually accidental on my part), so no problem on that one. However, when I came to do the second loco, the chain came away from the bogie and was left hanging on the body section. Later, when I finished the decoder install, I tried for 5 minutes or so to get the "D" shackle back on to the bogie side frame/air brake arm, before I finally gave up and snipped the chain off altogether!!! I'm too bloody old to be farting around with fine little details like that...beautiful though they may be!!

So, onto the decoder installs.

On the first loco, despite my loathing of seeing these types of locos (ie: hood types such as 45, 47, 48 and 49 classes) being driven long hood leading, I decided I would wire-up the lights at both ends.

The job started by removing all the plug-ins from the factory board and then removing the board itself (2 screws just fore of the speaker). There are 2 pairs of wires the come from the 2 slide switches located between the fuel tank and the two bogies. These wires/plugs aren't needed (they are for lighting purposes when a loco is being used as DC only). They were snipped off as close to the "floor" as possible and discarded.

I then cut a piece of thin styrene sheet approximately the same width and length as the decoder. I used Xuron rail snips to cut-off the 2 protruding lugs that the screws that held the original board went in to. The styrene sheet was then attached above the motor with Kapton tape at both ends and then the decoder was placed on top and secured with tape too.

The various wires were connected to the board, making sure I used a 1K ohm resistor on the white (common) wire from lighting boards.

The motor has a red wire and a black wire, with no indication as to which side of the motor is + or - .... It turns out that balck is positive and red is negative as far as the Tsunami decoder is concerned.

On this first loco, I placed the capacitor at the very back, under the light board, securing it horizontally with Kapton tape to the sides of the chassis under the speaker.

I tried to short-cut the lighting wiring by using the same "common" for both front and back lighting boards....utilising the front "common". I think that is the reason the rear lights don't work!!....But I can't be bothered fixing it as I don't intend to use those lights anyway, although it would probably be nice to have the red marker lights working I suppose.

On the second loco I totally removed the 4 tabs at the rear of the decoder, so that it would not protrude quite as far forward, even though on the first one it cannot be seen through the cab windows. I totally removed the rear lighting board from this second loco and this made the mounting of the capacitor slightly easier....it stands vertically where the light board used to be (I totally removed the plastic "bracket" that was there to hold the light board.

When my 830 class arrives I will be able to do the conversion quickly (I hope).

By the way, the choice of the Also 539T was probably not a good choice in hindsight, but it is certainly different to the 251 that the 44s and 45s have in them, so at least I can tell the difference.

Roachie

Well done Roachie.  Why did I ever doubt you could squeeze that thing in?  Since you don't mention changing it I assume you are using the factory fitted speaker.  I am pretty much tone deaf, but wondering how the sound of that speaker goes.

When I was looking at Tsunamis they did not seem to offer the sound of the engine for the 48.  Had them for that engine with double the number of cylinders, which I thought might make quite a difference.  I had pretty much decided to go with the 244 since that was a predecessor of the the 48 engine.  Dunno which would be "right".  All engines sound much the same to me - jet engines I can just distinguish from diesels.

Regards,
John

Well done Roachie.  Why did I ever doubt you could squeeze that thing in?  Since you don't mention changing it I assume you are using the factory fitted speaker.  I am pretty much tone deaf, but wondering how the sound of that speaker goes.

When I was looking at Tsunamis they did not seem to offer the sound of the engine for the 48.  Had them for that engine with double the number of cylinders, which I thought might make quite a difference.  I had pretty much decided to go with the 244 since that was a predecessor of the the 48 engine.  Dunno which would be "right".  All engines sound much the same to me - jet engines I can just distinguish from diesels.

Regards,
John

A 244 is required for a 40cl, if one ever arrives while we're alive, & also the 43 which should arrive this year.

Be assured that the sound of a 6 cylinder 251 alco used on the 48cl is very different to the 244, also to the 12 cylinder variant. Also from experience the sound in the 45cl was different as well as there was more turbo noise during motor rev ups.

Mk1 44cl with a different governor set up was more responsive than the Woodward governor fitted to the Mk2 44's, also the MK 1's did not drop in revs any where near as much as the Mk2's which would almost drop all revs & amps when making primary series to series parrallel transition.  Ride in a passeger train with a Mk 2 up front you will feel the drop back of power, & especially so if 2 were up front.

Well done Roachie.  Why did I ever doubt you could squeeze that thing in?  Since you don't mention changing it I assume you are using the factory fitted speaker.  I am pretty much tone deaf, but wondering how the sound of that speaker goes.

When I was looking at Tsunamis they did not seem to offer the sound of the engine for the 48.  Had them for that engine with double the number of cylinders, which I thought might make quite a difference.  I had pretty much decided to go with the 244 since that was a predecessor of the the 48 engine.  Dunno which would be "right".  All engines sound much the same to me - jet engines I can just distinguish from diesels.

Regards,
John

G'day John,

I didn't choose the 244 because that's what I'm using in the 43 class (and also applicable to the 40 class.....of which I'm not interested; fortunately for me!!!).

Like you, I also wanted to steer clear of the 251 as that is what I'm using in 44, 45 and 442 locos.

On the sound sample on Tsunami's website, I thought the 539T sounded somewhat like the 48 class, but in practice it is not as close as I thought.

Factory speakers?? Yes, I am using them in my 2 locos. They aren't brilliant, but like you, my ears have seen better days, so as long as there is reasonable volume available (which there is as far as I'm concerned), then I'm all for keeping them.

I have today completed the speed matching process and currently have the 2 new locos as part of a triple header with a 47 class in the lead. My layout has been dormant for several weeks whilst I attended to some construction work in the back yard at the behest of SWMBO, which required frequent trips in/out of the shed to prepare timber decking boards (for a screen on the side of the carport).....thus a raising of the 6 meter long section of the layout (using an electric hoist) was required = no trains for over 3 weeks!!! In that time the dust fairies have paid several visits, so now before I can give these new locos a serious "flogging", I will have to vacuum the whole bloody thing and run the CRC2-26 over all the rails (there goes a whole day I reckon).

One job I used the triple header for, was to haul my 4 new SRM NPRY cement hoppers down to a convenient track near my work bench so I could snip off the glad hands from the Kadees. After doing each wagon I replaced them on the track on a slight downhill slope and they each ran freely fro about 2 meters to the "bottom" of the valley. Each one in turn "banged" into its mate as each was added back onto the track. When completed, I reversed the triple header back onto the 4 wagons, not realising that one of them must have dropped a wheel in the ballast as a result of the poor skills of the hump-type shunter. Upon coupling the locos and starting to propel them, one of the NPRYs took a dive a set of points....falling around 1.5 meters to the carpeted concrete floor below.

Much cursing and swearing at myself ensued as I bent down to retrieve this beautiful model, expecting the worst. To my utter amazement I cannot see ANY adverse affects from that monumental dive....very impressed with the build quality; thanks SRM.

Roachie

Bill,
just to say in DCC we use a Common Positive. So the blue wire is common to all lighting functions.
The white wire is a negative and goes to the front headlight Yellow to the other, green and purple (also negatives) for extra light functions
I have been putting one resistor on the Blue (common positive) because most of my installs only had front and rear headlights, when one went on the other went off. However if I used the two extra wires to run ditch lights or marker lights, I could have several lights switched on and sharing the one resistor. In this case I connect the blue directly to all led's and put a resistor on each light -ve.
Cheers
Rod

EDIT
Interestingly a US clinic advocating using a shared resistor, received mail advocating it was not a great policy, because if you have several led's hanging off a suitable resistor, they need to be a perfect match, otherwise one will take all the power and the other will remain off.
Although I should not have a problem with front and rear headlights where only one is lit at a time. The ditch lights would need to be another function though.

First issue came when separating the body from the mechanism. Relatively easy to do, but a decision had to be made about the hand brake chain.

On the first loco I did, I actually popped the bogie side frame casting off the bogie (very easy to do....it was actually accidental on my part), so no problem on that one. However, when I came to do the second loco, the chain came away from the bogie and was left hanging on the body section. Later, when I finished the decoder install, I tried for 5 minutes or so to get the "D" shackle back on to the bogie side frame/air brake arm, before I finally gave up and snipped the chain off altogether!!! I'm too bloody old to be farting around with fine little details like that...beautiful though they may be!!

I am led to understand that a) child labour and b) children with exceptional sight using electron microscopes outside nuclear facilities, had been banned worldwide, even in China.

Having now had "fun" (new and novel use of the word) attempting to reattach the chains on two Trainorama 48s
.
.
.
.
How they hell do they do it?

I am led to understand that a) child labour and b) children with exceptional sight using electron microscopes outside nuclear facilities, had been banned worldwide, even in China.

Having now had "fun" (new and novel use of the word) attempting to reattach the chains on two Trainorama 48s
.
.
.
.
How they hell do they do it?

As mentioned on AMR group, the issue of the chain is likely to be a problem & yep you are correct in how they get the fine detail on, I can only suggest as Bill has said take the side frame off & hope the chain stays in place.  Other thing is perhaps try to make up a staple as a connection, clasp at the chain end & secure, the other end where it attaches to the body, or even on the bogie end, have the other end of the stapl left as a hook, & drop it through the D link at that end.

As an aside, I think that its also going to be the same problem unless the other guys had a solution with the 45cl as a similar arrangement existed on them as with the 48's.

Meant to add, that the same problem exists on some bogie rolling stock that has chains attached to the bogie & wagon underframe, I probably have around half that have the chain missing owing to them comming apart & blowed if I could get them back in place, so if I see one hanging off it comes in total.

Actually, Powerline's 48 was on the right track, as it is a one piece plastic cast chain. The trouble with that one is that it was straight, indicating that the hand brake was permanently ON. Had they made the casting with a slight curve in it, it would have been quite suitable.

The staple idea has merit....IF you could manage to get a tight enough loop bent where it joins on to the end of the chain.....the tolerances are VERY fine indeed and I think even the smallest staple available or even a piece of 0.4mm brass/copper wire would be too large!!! Maybe a strand of fine copper wire stripped from a "household appliance" cable would be fine enough, but still difficult to work with.

Roachie

Actually, Powerline's 48 was on the right track, as it is a one piece plastic cast chain. The trouble with that one is that it was straight, indicating that the hand brake was permanently ON. Had they made the casting with a slight curve in it, it would have been quite suitable.

The staple idea has merit....IF you could manage to get a tight enough loop bent where it joins on to the end of the chain.....the tolerances are VERY fine indeed and I think even the smallest staple available or even a piece of 0.4mm brass/copper wire would be too large!!! Maybe a strand of fine copper wire stripped from a "household appliance" cable would be fine enough, but still difficult to work with.

Roachie

If brass wire that fine would be too fine, then the chain itself must be the finest that we have seen from any manufacturer, I think the finest chain that is usually available is around 40 links.

Just reread your post saying the chain came off on the brake cylinder end, could you remove the D shackle from the piston rod, & make fit wire through there & into the chain, is the chain metal or plastic, if metal maybe solder hard wire to the chain & drop the wire through brake arm, if plastic do the same but use super glue.