Bryan,
You mentioned that the Mars light and the bell operate together. Did you do that intentionally or is it just what is available on the decoder? In fact, during the Q era, the Mars lights were operated continuously at night, not just at grade crossings as some warning lights are used today. Bells were used in areas where workman were likely to be such as a yard, at some grade crossings and in station when starting or stopping. Whistles or horns were used at almost all grade crossings. There were few if any quiet zones in those days. Practices began to change as the BN era started including elimination of Mars lights due to high maintenance. The change was gradual and some Q locomotives still had Mars lights when they were removed from the roster.
Bill Barber Gravois Mills, MO
Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:16 am (PST) . Posted by: I opted to put ConCor's (Digitrax's) sound decoder in my twin headlight consist. Function-wise it works fine, but the sound is a bit iffy (mostly the horn). I think replacing the speaker may help (I just have too many other locos requiring decoders to go back and tinker with this one for now). One thing to consider is that the twin lights allow for a simulated Mars light (which goes on automatically when you trigger the bell). I'm not sure how / if that would be applied on a single-light unit. As far as using it in an S-scale Zephyr, you'd have to check the amperage requirements. IIRC the Digitrax decoder was their standard base for HO scale. There wasn't an amperage listed in the (very sparse) documentation, but I suspect it's only 1 amp. You may be able to contact Digitrax directly and get the actual number. The other thing you will want to think about is how the decoder will respond in another Zephyr consist. The ConCor version has wiring throughout so the "end" lights function correctly. I'm pretty sure the decoder follows standard wire colors, but there may be lots of wiring (and connectors) involved to get the S scale version to support all the features in the observation car. ---In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, <tubaman21@ ...> wrote :
List,
I know this has been discussed in the past, but I haven't seen anything recently. I have one of the single light Con-Cor Pioneer Zephyrs and was thinking of getting a sound decoder for it. Are there any opinions on which decoder would be better? I know Con-Cor has one that they released with the dual headlight version. Will that one fit and is it any good? I'm still pretty new to DCC, but I figured this is a small enough train to take with me to other people's layouts to run so it is a good place to start.
Thanks!
Bryan J. Howell
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Posted by: William Barber <clipperw@gmail.com>
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