LGB ALCO

electricity_bill

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Hello
I have a Rio Grande LGB ALCO which is fitted with an MRC decoder which runs fine but the sound is very poor. I saw an LGB sound unit for this loco on Ebay and wondered how difficult it would be to combine both?
 

dunnyrail

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Hello
I have a Rio Grande LGB ALCO which is fitted with an MRC decoder which runs fine but the sound is very poor. I saw an LGB sound unit for this loco on Ebay and wondered how difficult it would be to combine both?
Are you talking LGB Sound Box ref 65003 or a Circuit Board from a similar LGB Alco? Never heard what the 65003 sounds like, but I would be surprised if it is very Alco sounding. I have a couple of Massoth Alco Deciders and they sound good.
 

electricity_bill

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Are you talking LGB Sound Box ref 65003 or a Circuit Board from a similar LGB Alco? Never heard what the 65003 sounds like, but I would be surprised if it is very Alco sounding. I have a couple of Massoth Alco Deciders and they sound good.
I think it is just a sound board.
 

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dunnyrail

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I think it is just a sound board.
Ah then there may be issues of fitting if your one does not have the same plugs and wire runs. You need to look in your loco to see what type it is as they may not be the same as the board came out of. Someone may be able to advise better if you quote the LGB Ref No. of your loco. Should be in the base of the loco.
 

Neil Robinson

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Ah then there may be issues of fitting if your one does not have the same plugs and wire runs. You need to look in your loco to see what type it is as they may not be the same as the board came out of. Someone may be able to advise better if you quote the LGB Ref No. of your loco. Should be in the base of the loco.
I suspect you'll need to find a way of disabling the sounds on the original decoder otherwise you may get simultaneous sounds from both when a function button is operated.
I suggest fitting a replacement modern sound decoder.
 

stockers

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The old soundboxes are getting long in the tooth now. They were generic sounds and nu modern standards - not particularly good. I would look at something like the Massoth S with digital recordings of a real Alco. Probably cheaper too.
 

dunnyrail

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The old soundboxes are getting long in the tooth now. They were generic sounds and nu modern standards - not particularly good. I would look at something like the Massoth S with digital recordings of a real Alco. Probably cheaper too.
I was suggested that earlier but then thought that budget may have been an issue, certainly the original sound cards from LGB though great in their day are old hat these days. Plus there is always the possibility with an Ebay purchase of it not working.
 

LGB333

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Hello
I have a Rio Grande LGB ALCO which is fitted with an MRC decoder which runs fine but the sound is very poor. I saw an LGB sound unit for this loco on Ebay and wondered how difficult it would be to combine both?
Hi Electricity Bill - What solution did you select for a new sound system? The three options I recommend for analog that only require two power input wires to be connected someplace in your locomotive to the analog track power input are: LGB 65003 American Diesel Sound Module; Massoth S Sound Decoder with the Alco Sound File Loaded; or the Phoenix PB17 with Alco Diesel Sound File Loaded. For best option, you'll also want to buy the rechargeable power caps for the LGB and Massoth sound decoders; the Phoenix PB17 uses instead rechargeable batteries. All of the above sound units will also operate in DCC which provides more sound features on these boards than operating on DC analog power. If you have any questions, let me know..........I also install and sell all three of these sound systems on my website.
 

stevedenver

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the 65003 american sound will sound like the LGB F7, bigger, several notchs, a bit more latency in throttle, more interesting imho, but not an alco.

the original LGB alco board, was in fact, an actual digital recording of an WPY alco. imho, while accurate, its mundane, as the notch up and down are pretty minimal. Horn is accurate, as is idle and shut down. horn does not have forward and reverse signaling, just a single shortish blow upon first engine movement.