Does anyone know if this loco is available in HO with DCC sound?
It is not.
Athearn has a Ready To Roll RS-3 that is DCC-Ready. I don’t know if any D&H versions are currently in stock
Atlas has offered the D&H RS-3s a couple of times, but not DCC Ready.
Kato made the D&H RS-2.
It’s a tough model to sandwich sound into and still have enough weight to pull anything.
Paint and decals are available from different manufacturers for DIY or you can have them custom done. You might be able to find a custom builder adventurous enough to install sound in one.
No…
Atlas produced the Lighting Stripe RS3 in it’s Classic line early in 2006. Good luck finding one, nearly all of them sold immediately. They do not come with DCC, but will take a drop-in decoder board. However, wedging the speaker in takes some doing.
Nick
Thanks for your thoughts. I have a Kato RS-2 that I painted & decaled in the older black and end stripes scheme. Adding sournd to it was a challenge. I also have two of the latest release Atlas black and end stripes configuration that I added sound to. I have a kind of small layout (11’ x 9’) but I haven’t found any difficulty with traction and pulling power. I did have to shave the smaller of the two weights. I wonder if Atlas has a lightning stripe shell they’d sell me?