I own the “Pecos Valley Chief” Key Imports ATSF M-160 Doodlebug and the Coach Yard matching observation car and am looking to put DCC and sound into the “bug”. I emailed Soundtraxx as to what chip to use for diesel sound as the prototype is equipped, but they were virtually no help. Has anyone out there done this, or does anyone have suggestions?
Mark
Check with SoundTraxx http://www.soundtraxx.com to see if they have a sound that will be close enough for you to use in your Doodlebug
from another website:
soundtraxx makes a 1st generation EMD for diesels. This is what I choose.
Model # is: 821200 DSD-090LC. Take some measurement and try to put in as large a speaker as you can. Mine is 3/4" dia. and I think it is a little small, hence not a loud as I had wished.
Soundtraxx also makes a version for the “Galloping Goose”. This would be a option if you are looking for a gasoline engine version.
Good luck,
Hello Mark.
Most factory Doodlebugs were gas. However, If the prototype version of your Doodelbug came equipped with a Winton, or EMD diesel…the closest version seems to be a Soundtraxx “1st Generation” diesel sound decoder, which would be an EMD 567. I no longer remember but I think some Doodlebugs had 8 cylinder engines. The compromise is that the Soundtraxx version is either a 12 cylinder or 16 cylinder 567. In HO scale, though, the difference in the prime mover’s sound may not be very noticeable to most modelers, unless they spent time around the prototypes.
For the horn sound, single and double chimers were common in the early years.
Check out Jon Grant’s “Tsunami steam video Clip” on this forum. On his link there are also a few diesels and a doodlebug that he equipped with sound.
Hope this helps.[:)]
if you can find a sound of a doodlebug somewhere you may want to wait and get a decoder in which you can load sounds (ie the ESU or Digitrax decoders) and create your own sound scheme for the doodlebug.
I have never done a doogle bug. The only company I know that produces a correct sound for a doodlebug or RDC is Pheonix. Fortunately an HO scale doodlebug is large enough to hold one of their processors (they normally market to the larger scales).
The link didn’t work. Remember, the sound must be diesel.
Mark
OK should work now. I can’t get used to this new form adding the HTTP//: automatically so it had that in there twice.
Huh? Doodlebugs were generally gas powered.
Most early doodlebugs were gasoline powered - Until the explosion/fire incidents happened. After that many older ones were repowered with a distalate(sp?) fueled engine or later diesel. That ATSF doodlebug has an EMD diesel IIRC.
Jim
“Huh? Doodlebugs were generally gas powered.”
The “Pecos Valley Chief” was/is diesel-powered.
Mark
PS: I find the Phoenix website difficult to navigate and couldn’t figure out just what to use.
ATSF M-160 was built by Brill in 1931(as a gas-electric). It was rebuilt in 1948/1952 and converted to diesel using EMD parts, and got the famous ‘War Bonnet’ paint scheme that it wears today at the ‘Age of Steam’ museum in Dallas.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, many railroads that kept operating ‘Doodlebugs’ converted them to diesel prime movers through the years.
Jim
“As I mentioned in an earlier post, many railroads that kept operating ‘Doodlebugs’ converted them to diesel prime movers through the years.”
I am aware of this and that’s why I specifically asked for diesel.
Mark
Interesting, and doesn’t that make each one unique (for sound purposes) depending on the prime mover used for the conversion?
“Interesting, and doesn’t that make each one unique (for sound purposes) depending on the prime mover used for the conversion?”
The prototype is at the Fairgrounds in Dallas and is operational, that is why I asked for info on this particular “bug.”
Mark
According to the literature Key included with the model, the M-160 is equipped with the EMD 6-567. I hope this information helps.
Mark
I re-discovered this thread while doing a search for doodlebugs. Can anyone update the sound info?
Apparently you are not familiar with Litchfield Station. Tell what you believe your particular one had for a prime mover and ask Litchfield what would they suggest.
They have suggested decoders and speakers for me.
[url]http://www.litchfieldstation.com/DCC-University/index.htm[url]
Rich