Sound for a steam powered rotory snow plow

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I’m wondering if a shay sound decoder wound be a reasonable sound effect in a steam powered rotory snow plow? If not, what would come close?

2

Going out on a limb, I’d say a Shay, since many steam roataries used a similar type of 2 or 3 cylinder steam engine to turn the plow.

–Randy

3

I would use a light steam sound. I have seen the insides of a couple steam type snow blowers and they used two cylinder setup. Have seen some diagrams of prototypes also and they were two cylinder versions. Never have seen any with three cylinders so far.

I am sure a Google search for this will show up a lot of links.

Rich

4

I think the main thing would be that the engine is going to be running fast for the plow, so you shouldn’t hear the individual ‘chugs’ as in a normal steam loco running slow.

5

Very simple to do a You Tube search for rotary snow blower. You will find videos of the ones run by steam engine. Will probably sound like a Climax loco running unloaded which will be a two cylinder sound at fairly high rpm and all the mechanisms on the prototypes have a lot of other mechanical noise. Usually lot of whistle noises as that is how the operator would communicate with the loco engineer that is pushing the rotary.

Rich

6

THANKS for the input, After a few hours of checking web sites, I decided a two cylinder sound decoder will be installed. But like all things railroad, advancements in power and function improve. Lima built four “super Power” rotaries. These used a double bank of three cylinders taken directly from there shay. The Athearn rotary looks to be an exact model of the Lima super power. I have rotaries from Athearn and Walthers. The Walthers is what I will use as it “fits” my railroad better, rustic!

7

Videos I’ve seen of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad’s steam-powered rotary snowplow OY in action tend to indicate that there are so many other noises involved you can’t even hear the plow’s steam engine.