DCC Sound
I was just looking at the Noch Synchro Sound System http://www.noch.de/de/produktkatalog/artikel_detail.php?shop_artikelid=948942&navi_Kategorie1=NOCH&navi_Kategorie2=Basteln%20und%20Gestalten&navi_Kategorie3=Sound-Produkte&navi_Kategorie4= This is a nice system designed for DC only and provides steam locomotive sounds coordinated with speed (e.g. the chuffing speeds up and slows down with the locomotive) based on the transformer setting. It's nice in that it doesn't require building sound decoders into locomotives. Noch makes a similar system for diesel locomotives. Is there anything similar for DCC, i.e. a system where you can program sounds on a locomotive by locomotive basis to synchronize with an external sound unit like this? Or has anybody cobbled together such a system themselves? Ideally, such a system would be able to handle multiple locomotives simultaneously. Thanks in advance. Richard.

Well there is the old hornby hi-tech system. It has two bits of sandpaper that rubbed together :lol: I've only ever seen the DCC locos with chips. I have a class 103, not bad. SJ

Hi Sarah- I'm not sure the Hornby system is sold in the US... The beauty of the Noch system is that you don't need to install a speaker in the locomotive. I was hoping there would be some DCC equivalent.

You could always wire the system to the motor outputs of a statically mounted decoder and then consist the static decoder with the loco you wanted to make the sounds. Obviously you could do this for as many locos as you need running at the same time, so long as your DCC system could handle that number of consists.

Richards, this was 70's loco sounds. We had the princess victoria and in the tender on the wheels were two bits of sandpaper. Very hi-tech for the time. :lol: SJ

Richard, I think it comes down to how you want the sound to appear. If you just what “train sounds” in your room then this system is fine, but if you want the sound to appear as if it is coming from your locomotive, then you cannot beat having a speaker in the locomotive. Personally, I think that there are still a number of misconceptions about model railway sound. We have the locomotive sound to loud Unless you put a reader on a locomotive axel it is pretty hard to synchronize the sound There is generally no associated scenic ambient noise (country side sounds, town sounds etc) in layouts yet No adjustment is made for turning the sound off when a train is in a tunnel (Lissy might solve this) Ultimately it is personal choice as to what method you choose to use. Cheers John

Good points, John. Internal speakers are the best but not always feasible. This seemed like a good compromise. What is Lissy? Richard.

Hi Richard, Lissy is Uhlenbrock’s train detection system. Yet another chip to add to your locomotives. Details are here http://www.uhlenbrock.de/3/index.htm One of the guys I know in Wellington has been playing with it, and has had some good success with it. But that has been with Gauge 1. How well it works with HO is yet to be seen in this part of the world. John