HO Key Southern Pacific SP AC 12 Cab Forward with Loksound @ CMRS.

New project almost finished! First test run of HO Key Model AC12 which initially received custom lighting: Headlight/backlight, cab, number board, markers in the cab and tender end. With combination of 1.5v bulbs and various sizes of SMD LEDs, I tried to create a good and subtle lighting. That how it run for almost a decade in DC analog with CLU. Fast forward. In my opinion, Intermountain AC12 headlight and number boards are too glaring. This Key model has a huge coreless canon motor with 12 poles. This ensures enormous starting torque. Also, this locomotive has coasting drives in both gearboxes. Which means ultra smooth and quiet starts. Other advantage of this model versus Intermountain model is that there is no hunting movement seeing on all three releases of later. The hunting is likely due to less refine driveline and lighter overall weight.
Choosing the decoder was not much of a brainer. A lot people rave about Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders. And indeed, they have a dedicate decoder specifically to SP AC 6 to 12 with the peculiar sound of their air pumps. TCS Wow doesn't have this particular pump sound nor the "tug boat" horn found in most class of medium and large SP steam. Instead, TCS loads the decoder with a modern diesel horn. Total non-sense!
Therefore, the obvious choice for me is a Loksound Select with SP Cab Forward sound file. I also think that its chuff sound is more realistic to the what I hear from vintage film footage of the AC 12. It has more lower chuff tone than Tsunami and TCS. Tsunami and TCS do not make distinict chuff sounds for specific locomotives. They only make for light, medium, heavy/articulated and logging or other. Then, specially for heavy/articulated locomotives, the Tsunami equipped articulates sound "skinny legged". For most of modeler that just want to have a chuff sound in their locomotives is a non issue. However for me is a make or break deal. Note that even the latest MRC brilliance decoder offers many more choices of chuff in its universal steam decoder.
The Loksound driving portion of decoder is just the best thing if you have to mate to a coreless motor. The Tsunami decoder it is useless for this kind of motor. I was never able to adjust its 4 CVs to work with this kind of motor. You simply cannot adjust CVs for a smooth start and smooth BEMF operation. Plus, I had enough bad experiences with Tsunamis in large articulated steam locomotives. On 2-2.5% grades with a heavy train they overheat and the Tsunami decoders shut down in the middle of layout.
I am about to test for the first time the TCS Wow under these conditions, but I suspect that it may happen the same too. Both Tsunami and TCS Wow decoder work very hot. So, it means that when going uphill and loaded, the thermal fuse it may be trigged.
Last, I also made provision for a synchro smoke unit install that I will show it in future video.
By the way, the AC12 is pulling a consist loosely based in "The Owl", which was the slower version which stopped in most all stations between LA and San Francisco.
Enjoy the video!

[@vikititor]

greath train - inturesting with cab forward - nice layout.

[@truebras]

+novelyo: Yes, it does like tsunamis and also has wires that can be rigged to read sound cans in each engine, but, I didn't wanted to add more wiring troubles.

[@novelyo]

Enjoyed your very thorough, detailed, professional explanation both on the model and DCC. Very nice video, and very good work on the AC-12 lights. Beautiful train and loco. I may have missed it - could not clearly hear the two engines variable phasing - going out/in of sync, so I wonder if Loksound has 2 separate chuff/engine sound threads, one for each engine of the articulated loco.

[@truebras]

+novelyo. Hi, this is a Loksound select with file sound specially for AC7 to AC12, including AC9, with double compound air pumps on the smoke box. It is the signature sound of those later Acs. The chuffs and peculiar sound of air pumps are very prototypical from what I heard from vintage film. Other decoders don't sound as correct as Loksound, including the crow favorite Tsunami. And Yes, they go out phase in the whole speed range, but on high speed they are less noticeable.

[@ericjimenez8777]

@@truebras SOUTHERN PACIFIC CAB FORWARD 4294

[@adfgfds]

Loksound released a new sound file for this locomotive under the OEM section of the website. It sounds even better than this one and has a lot more realistic air compressor sounds: www.esu.eu/en/downloads/sounds/loksound-select/loksound-select-oem/ Also, if you would like to have the chuff synchronized with the wheel revolutions, set CV-57 to 147 and CV-58 to 53. You will also have to set CV-249 to 0. You'll love the results :-)

[@truebras]

+adfgfds : Actually, you didn't hear the unique sound of AC7s, 8s, 10s,11s and 12s air pumps because there any in this video ;) ! That sound channel was off for this video ;) . I actually had an Intermountain AC 12 with Loksound Select next to my Key model and It is basically the same sound files with sound files missing in some sound slots in the Intermountain. Understandable for being a mass produced model. I am very familiar with CVs 57 & 58, however, this wouldn't make any effect in my model, because the sound cans are not enable to be sync to my Loksound decoder. Note that values of CV57 has to be smaller than CV58, too :) . Sorry, it was a wrong suggestion. What you actually didn't point out, is that the CVs that should be modified are 59 & 60 suitable to most models, because most won't have synched cans to decoder. Another point, the suggest CVs values could be used as starting point, but the chuff rate varies on each layout. As most DCC systems have voltage outputs that are in the 14-16.5v, the chuff rates will vary accordly. So, it is for light outputs if you are using incandescent bulbs. These are always been the case for Loksound decoders which I have been installing since 2001, LS v2.0. Last, if you read my video description, you would note that this was the first time/first run with this Loksound Select decoder. Other than freshly installed decoder, I just redid some of function remapping. Since then, chuff are now in sync for Vstart and other speeds.

[@adfgfds]

+truebras Was just making a suggestion, as it worked for me. But from the information you gave, it looks like your set-up is completely different. Im glad it works for you though. Have a nice day :)

[@truebras]

I've been adjusting chuff rates with CVs 59 & 60 as suggested by ESU LS Select manual for a while. It always worked. Next time I will make sure that I adjust the chuff rate before I record a video! :D But it really varies upon the layout that you are running. MRCs and Tsunamis are also sensitive to DCC track voltage, Actually even more than LS.

[@adfgfds]

truebras Yes, Ive noticed. Ive noticed that Tsunami decoders can sometimes have an over-heating issue.

[@truebras]

I only had terrible experiences installing TSUs on articulated steam locomotives. I run these locomotives in parameters that most of modelers will not run. Which most of cases is run as single units pulling at least 40 cars going up on 2.5% max. I optimize my models to mechanically allow enough traction for these parameters. The majority of modelers will not run their locomotive the same way that I do. So, they won't have problems w/ Tsunamis. But for me the TSUs has consistently failed. With my Eirie Triplex with 3 can motors after failing and trying to adjust BEMF for almost a year in that model, trying to avoiding over heart and shutdowns on the layout, I finally gave up and installed the Loksound Select on it. It basically ran flawless out of the box. I never considered installing another Tsunami in an articulated locomotive. Other past experiences with some TSU problems were the Class A N&W and Trix Big Boy. Other criticism about TSU is that I don't like its chuff sounds for heavy/articulated engines. It just sounds "tiny". It should sounds deeper.

[@jacksalvin364]

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