I am having the same issues with installing sound in a Milwaukee Road gas electric, and in making a choice, i am influenced by my own distinct trackside memories of the many gas electrics, Milwaukee, CBQ, M&St.L, and CNW that criss-crossed Iowa when I was growing up. And although -like others- I cannot in any way accurately recall actual sound, I can recall accurately the common-to-gas-electrics the poorly-muffled internal combustion characteristics of 1) Slow turning big-bore engines, both gasoline and diesel, sufficiently so that one could almost "count revolutions"; 2) LOUD, barely-muffled exhausts. You could hear them coming for miles -and miles.; 3) The gasoline engines had a distinct sharp-edged exhaust "blat" as compared to similar sized replacement diesels. That so many of these machines had individual exhausts for each cylinder also surely had to greatly influenced sound characteristics as remembered.
So many of the sound files of the small diesels that one would think might have been worthy replacements, i.e. for the 44 tonners, etc., have relatively high RPMs and cannot, and do not sound anything like the originals.
What have I done? After considerable repetitive listening to available QSI, Soundtraxx, and ESU (rail buses and DMUs) sound files, I finally selected the Soundtraxx Tsunami for a Baldwin VO in-line 8-cylinder as the best stand-in. It does not have the bark of a gasoline engine, but it is both noisy, poorly muffled, and very slow turning. I can easily imagine that it could be heard "for miles".
Denny
Denny S. Anspach MD Sacramento
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