The California Zephyr has sound!

Today I finished another small project that I had put off for a long time.  I converted the baggage car on my California Zephyr. Since the car (Kato) had the current pickups already on the trucks, I only had to solder a couple of wires to them and add a very small SoundTraxx plug receptacle.  Then wired up a small Soundtraxx sound decoder, one of their Current Keepers, a tiny speaker, and a pronged two wire plug to insert in the one that leads to the metal wheels.  Also drilled a hole in the floor of the car so the sound can get out. Actually the entire car serves as a baffle and helps the sound.

A little CV programming for the decoder to select the correct Alco PA prime mover (loco engine) sounds, as well as the correct whistle (or horn I guess) and the right bell.  Then to the consist of the three Alco PAs (A-B-A) I added on the sound car.  This allowed all the sounds to be controlled along with the loco speed etc. at one address  And it worked!  Did not see that tell-tale whiff of smoke that usually means I goofed.  An expensive mistake to make.

This is the third baggage car I have readied for sound. One on the Amtrak train I have, one of the Great Northern Empire Builder, and this one.  I have two different decoders to move between the sound cars so that the right EMD 567 motor sounds are with the Great Northern, and the Also PA sounds are with the CZ.

The blip is of the CZ on its test run.  Love this train. I realize that many purists do not like the original paint scheme on the PAs (silver with a gold nose) but I like it better than the one that followed shortly. The silver scheme only lasted about a year.

This is the last of these electrical projects.  I was going to do a boxcar for freight trains as well but enough. Other projects are calling.  Like the Daisy BB gun factory for Rifle.