Sounding up the Steamer

[KB02]

Well, I figured it was time to put some sound to my Hudson. I've done just about everything else with it, so sound was the most reasonable next step. As I was very happy with the performance of the TCS KAT24 decoder I was running in the engine, I didn't want to swap it out. Plus, the keep alive feature really helped this engine be a super strong runner. SO, a sound only decoder seemed the best bet. I opted for the MRC Steam Sounder. Now, I know what everyone has to say about the MRC decoders. But I figured it was worth a shot. As it is only running sound, and I am running an MRC system anyway, AND for the price, it seemed like good choice. Hopefully I don't come back saying how poor a choice it was.

Anyway, I started by looking at my tender. As space is always limited in MR, and steamers especially, the tender seemed the best place to put it. And as I happened to have two tenders for this engine, I'd have a spare if I screwed it up.

I figured I would put a reverse light in the tender as well, while I was at it.

I had a bunch of two wire mini connectors. I just needed to drill two holes in the front. the light needed two lines and the decoder only needed two as well. Seemed simple enough to keep the two separate.

Just needed to square up the holes to accommodate the plugs:

I opted the glue the female ends into the tender with super glue.

Then secured the back sides with hot glue.

Soldering in the light was simple enough.

The the decoder:

The circuit board and speak was easily enough installed with 3M tape.

I didn't document wiring into the loco, as it was a simple job, just needed to send the plugs out the back.
Then with everything buttoned up, it was onto the track!

 

[KB02]

Here is round 1:
[video=youtube;nh_RRcoQ5TA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh_RRcoQ5TA[/video]

The sound really isn't too bad, but with the research I had done, I knew it could be better.
I popped the tender open again and took out the speaker. The MRC speaker is capped with an enclosure. Simple, but mostly effective, but after watching this video, I had a better idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4kgLeDltxg

So I drilled some holes up into the roof of the tender, into the coal load.

When it was all done, it looked like this:

But we're not through yet. The holes were just too visible on top, so I taped it up and sprayed down a bit of 3M Spray adhesive:

Then I doused it with some Woodland Scenics mine run coal.

When you compare it to the other tender shell, it just looks so much better. And you can't see the holes at all.

Unless you put a light behind it.

I then cut the top of the cap off of the speaker enclosure, making it a bit of a short tube, and glued it onto the top of the tender. Then the speaker was sealed back onto the "tube." The sounds exits through the holes I drilled and the entire tender itself acts as resonator increasing volume and bass.
(sorry, forgot to take a pic, but you get the idea).

Back together and, with no changes to the settings on the decoder, round 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IwCmXpq8GY

The difference may sound subtle online, but in person, it is huge!

 

[Selector]

Very nice modeling. Challenging, yet with care, patience, skills, and some vision, you can pull it off. I hope it was as rewarding as it seems.

 

[KB02]

The video really doesn't do it justice, either. The sound quality with that speaker layout is fantastic!

It does give me one problem, though.
The first loco I put sound in was with one of the Digitrax SDH166d set ups. I just dropped the speaker with it's enclosure into the loco shell.
The next sound install I did was with the Soundtraxx Econami ECO-PNP. I paid a bit more attention to the speaker installation. the Econami blew the Digitrax away!
I set all three locos next to each other last night and ran the sounds side by side. The new MRC sound blew away the Econami hands down. I know that all about speaker installation and the loco with the Digitrax has been scheduled for surgery to see if I get some more sound out of it. I also need to lower the master volume of the MRC - the little bugger is LOUD!