We read so much today about DCC and most modellers have heard of it but are not sure what is right for them. As layout exhibitors we get asked questions like what is the best decoder, what system are you using to operate the layout, and lately, is the layout being operated by phone, iPod or just simply a handset?

I am conscious that many readers of the Gazette will be very familiar with installing decoders let alone sound. However I believe we can share our experiences whatever the scale and learn from one another hence this item.

One aspect that interests me greatly is sound and as a perfectionist I greatly believe it must match the locomotive, and here I am talking about steam. I have recently completed a GWR Collett 22xx O gauge kit, with many hours spent over a two year period undertaking much research to get the detail correct. There is only one of this class preserved and it currently being operated on the South Devon Railway. This model was always going to be operated under DCC but which decoder would suit my criteria? The loco in sound terms has two inside cylinders and the beat must reflect this motion. Immediately you mention sound then ESU LokSound from South West Digital will come to mind plus others such as Howes of Oxford and Coastal DCC. If you then look more closely in their steam sound list you will start to get nearer to your particular loco sound with explanations such as ‘GWR Pannier can also be used for Collett Goods’ (in my case) or ’GWR Small loco’, but are they really the TRUE sound for your particular locomotive?

</WRAP> After a lot of thought and consideration as to the speaker and decoder location I decided on a ZIMO MX 645R, the size being just right to fit into the firebox between driving wheels, with the speaker going into the tender. Wrong, as I shall explain later. During the installation using minute cables going between tender & footplate I shorted out the decoder and bang……. it didn’t work any longer. Thankfully my supplier replaced the decoder free of charge but whilst waiting it gave me time for further research on what I really wanted and where was the best place considering the restrictions within the loco and tender. I decided the decoder would be fitted in the tender with a four wire connection between loco and tender- two wires to the Canon SugarCube speaker in ash pan motor which drives the rear axle, and two from the pick-ups. The gear box and motor within the chassis just under the footplate would, with care, just allow the wiring connection to be made using a small 4 pin plug. The speaker was also fitted in the tender but on testing I just couldn’t accept sound from the tender rather than the loco. That’s just not real.

Whilst still looking for that correct sound I examined the German Company’s Zimo web site which gave details of their sugar cube speakers. Their sizing was of great help but perhaps more importantly there was a complete “sound” list in table form of every British Steam Loco sound, broken down into types and classes. The bonus for me was that each sound was accredited to a supplier and I came across YOUCHOOS who are DCC suppliers based in Wiltshire. Close examination of their website reveals the Collett’s decoder sound files are from the actual locomotive operating on the South Devon Railway. The recording had been taken when this loco had spent a season on the West Somerset Railway. Without further action I approached John at Youchoos and enquired if he would be happy to re-programme my Zimo decoder with the Collet sound files. This he happily undertook supplied me with an appropriate sugar cube speaker and extra wires to extend the existing decoder cables.

So with my sugar cube speaker now firmly installed within the ashpan below the firebox and decoder safely in the tender I proceeded to test the 22xx Collett. Once I had pressed that F1 key and the sound was heard as she gently simmered on the track, I knew I had the right sound and perfection was achieved. One last test remained to see if there was any restriction to large radius curves or the possibility of an electrical short, but all went well.

To conclude, I would suggest that there are lots of steam sounds available for decoders and there are many people who can supply steam sounds from their libraries but you just have to seek them out and then you too will get perfect true locomotive sound.