Getting started

Welcome back to the hobby.  Everyone has their opinions and here are mine in the hope you find them helpful.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to check out ESU Loksound decoders.  The motor control is outstanding and if you buy the Lokprogrammer you can upgrade sounds in existing, installed Loksound decoders by reprogramming in about 20 minutes without even having to take the shell off.  It's this ability to upgrade that's a real differentiator for them in my mind.  And, IIRC, the RS3 in that video uses a Loksound decoder with the 244 soundset.

There's been a move, too, to photo backdrops.  There are some commercial ones available, though I can't say much more since I'm just exploring that area myself.

i'd also suggest subscribing to Trainmasters TV.  There are a lot of good instructional videos plus layout tours, etc.

Finally, keep tuning into this site.  One other that's helpful is Lance Mindheim's blog at lancemindheim.com.

Hope this helps!

Eric

Welcome back Stevie, the one

Welcome back Stevie, the one thing I can add to the post above is the back issues which by the way are free and can be accessed via a link on the right hand top of the page. For DCC questions you can not do better than the articles by Bruce Petrarca see below.

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You can find these in lots of issues and Bruce will tell you about everything you wanted to know and then some. I have found that many times it was more than I needed at the time but it turned out I later found out I did need to know this information later. The comments section regarding his article is also a wealth of information provided by the readers and really adds to the discussion of the topic. I always think of it in terms of a college class room where the instructor is delivering information and a group of eager students is also adding to the discussion, a great way to learn about a complicated subject.

I would often only look at this if it was something I wanted to do at the time but have since been drawn in and look at it every month when I can really focus on the subject at hand. There is enough meat in these articles that they are not something for just a casual read like a layout visit but could be treated like an instruction manual. ( I'm not implying that they are boring)

Thanks for the links. I did

Thanks for the links. I did do a search of video's with sound for my RS-1's 2's and 3's. I like the loksound for the 244. Not sure which is better for the rs-1 which has the turbine. On some sound decoders, the turbine sound is downright annoying. Still looking at that. Maybe my backshop will remove the turbines and replace the RS-1 engines with 244's.

I am new to photo backdrops and asked my photography friend to help me figure it out. I really think the backdrop is just as important as the sound. I am trying to pretend I am moving goods and supplies to and from and it really helps my imagination to have sound and scenery/backdrops that draw me in.

old alcos to convert

Welcome back to the hobby,Stevie. Check out the new Wow Sound w/Keep Alive kits that TCS has introduced recently to fit the Atlas Classic and Yellow box RS1, RS3, RS11, and GP7. Everything comes in one kit to retrofit DCC/sound into the older Alcos and EMDs. Also, no need to hack up or machine anything. The kit simply replaces one weight with a speaker enclosure that bolts right in. Check out Train Control Systems website.

Pete

See how different we can be?

See how different we can be? I really like hearing the turbo's whining! Sometimes I think about having my "backshop" retrofit turbocharged primemovers into my RS-3's!

Great hobby for everyone!

How different?

I am still on the fence but I may have listened to too many lessor quality decoders and speaker combinations. I will eventually buy the loksound decoder for the RS-1's and see if I like it. I picked up an SD40 with Tsunami for the price of the loco, and I don't mind the wine at all in that loco. But I do want the loksound full throttle features so the rest of the fleet will get loksound when I finally get around to that point.