Heritage 0-6-0 - nice model

Fluesheet

Member
Just picked up a Proto 2000 0-6-0 last week for a good price. Pre-owned, but little used. Detail is very nice (chains on tender trucks, grate shakers, etc.). This one is DC only, so I wired up a test track using an ancient DC transformer and was very impressed with how smooth and quiet this model is. It also pulls better than I expected - 11 cars on the straight and level without wheelspin (if I accelerate slowly.). Not bad for a 6.8 ounce locomotive.

I'm currently converting it to DCC, which is not exacly plug and play, but not too difficult (requires replacing light bulbs). I need to source an NMRA 8 pin plug to complete as the decoders I have laying around don't have plugs.

I'm considering sound for this - does anyone have any familiarity with how / where the speakers are mounted for the sound version of this engine?

Matt
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Matt -

If you use the Soundtraxx DSD-LL080 decoder (made for the Proto2000 0-8-0), you should not have any problems. That's what I used, and they include a resistor so you do not need to change the bulbs.

Depending on the configuration of the coal bunker, you will have more (or less ;)) room. On my CN version (really looks like a GT), the baffle kit for the speaker did not require any modification - it fit right under the coal and fires upwards. This means you have to drill a couple hundred tiny holes in the coal so the sound can get out...! I opted to add a short harness to make placing the decoder easier (I put it in backwards from what they suggest).

I think the sound is great, although I do admit that it gets a little tiresome on a switcher sometimes. The other thing I have found is that the performance is just a hair less responsive than on straight DCC - and once you go to Soundtraxx, you cannot run the engine on DC any more.

Hope that helps.

Andrew
 

Fluesheet

Member
I ended up getting the Tsunami for this locomotive. Attached is the work in progress. I will be using a oval speaker about 1.4" x .8" that will be mounted facing up in the coal bunker - I'm not crazy about the idea of having a bunch of holes in the coal load, but facing it down wouldn't be very practical due to the way that Proto sets up the tender's electrical pickups. I'll be using the tender shell as the speaker enclosure.

The speaker is attached to the decoder with a 2 pin micro connector (not in this picture) from Miniatronics. The speaker will be mounted to the shell, the decoder to the chassis, so this will enable removal of the shell just by pulling the connector apart.

My initial impressions of the sound is favorable, though I only had my hand to use as an enclosure. I may have to get a new throttle to make activating all the sounds practical - I currently use a Digitrax DT100. The running characteristics with default settings are not as goood as straight DC - the locomotive was VERY smooth on DC. I'm not yet concerned about that. This is my first experience with a soundtraxx motor decoder, so I'll have to play with it a bit before forming any final opinions.

Also attached are some detail photos of the locomotive itself. I'm impressed by the backhead detail and other fine detail like the grate shakers below the firebox. The combination drawbar / electrical plug is also a pretty nifty solution and is a win in my book.

This loco will get a little extra weight when all is said and done, and eventually some weathering.

Fluesheet.
 

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  • 20061007 0-6-0 Backhead resize.jpg
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MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Thanks for the update.

I re-read my post, and I think I should have written "DC" instead of "DCC".... I do agree that this loco was smooth as silk on DC, and a little less so on DCC.

Andrew
 

Fluesheet

Member
We'll see what a little tuning will do. This has been an interesting excercise in space management - I had everything packaged very nicely but found I have a clearance issue between the top of the decoder and the speaker magnet. The Tsunami is significanly larger than a motor / lights only decoder (shown is a Zimo MX61-2000 Decoder).

Fluesheet
 

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MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
I can't say for sure, as I have not looked at my 0-6-0 for some time now (packed for moving) but I think that I ended up removing the stock weight, and packing new weights in the space that was left after installation...

Andrew
 

Fluesheet

Member
MasonJar said:
I can't say for sure, as I have not looked at my 0-6-0 for some time now (packed for moving) but I think that I ended up removing the stock weight, and packing new weights in the space that was left after installation...Andrew

Hmm. I'd thought about modifying the weight when trying to decide where to place the speakers, but had not thought of it for a clearance solution. I've got a little bit of relocation wiggle room with both the decoder and speaker. If that doesn't clear, I'll see what can be done with the weight. Thanks for the idea!

Matt
 
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