Model Railroading > Does Atlas Do Sound Installs?

I have an Atlas Silver Series GP40-2 which I would like to have sound. My question is, am I able to ship my locomotive to Atlas for them install sound in it? Thanks in advance for any help.

Nolan Majcher
Broadview Heights, OH
Nolan Majcher Photography

My guess is no they wouldn't. Do you have a friend or a LHS that can do the work for you?


  Steve

NO

I've resigned myself to buy it with DCC and Sound installed w/ Warranty, from manufacturer's or Hobby stores

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

That is probably the least expensive route. Your low mileage Silver unit should have a fair resale price to cover a major portion of the sound unit.


calsubd Wrote:
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> I've resigned myself to buy it with DCC and Sound
> installed w/ Warranty, from manufacturer's or
> Hobby stores

Posted from iPhone

Especially when they are on sale 1

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Tony's Train Exchange does great work.
cf7

> Your low mileage Silver unit should have a fair resale price to cover a major portion of the sound unit.

I did something similar on a non-sound P2K SW1200 where I wanted sound, but didn't want to go to the work of engineering a way to squeeze it in that shell.  Found a cheap P2K SW9 with sound ($110 for a less common road name), swapped shells, and then sold the non-sound unit, now fitted with the shell that came with the sound-equipped SW9.  In the end, that sound conversion only ended up costing me about $65-70...until I upgraded that SW1200 to a Tsunami anyway. :-)

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

Try doing it yourself. No time like the present to learn a new skill. None of us who do our own installations were born with a soldering iron in our mouth. We all had to learn the hard way through trial and error. Besides, it is much less expensive to do it yourself.

calsubd Wrote:
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> I've resigned myself to buy it with DCC and Sound
> installed w/ Warranty, from manufacturer's or
> Hobby stores

I've got 2 of the Atlas GP40-2's with sound - they came with QSI which many feel is inferior to some better choices; the consensus is that Lok Sound it the best and Tsunami probably coming in 2nd.  I don't recall if Atlas has switched sound chips in the most recent runs; if so, that gives the option of buying a sound unit and swapping the shell.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> calsubd Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I've resigned myself to buy it with DCC and
> Sound
> > installed w/ Warranty, from manufacturer's or
> > Hobby stores
>
> I've got 2 of the Atlas GP40-2's with sound - they
> came with QSI which many feel is inferior to some
> better choices; the consensus is that Lok Sound it
> the best and Tsunami probably coming in 2nd.  I
> don't recall if Atlas has switched sound chips in
> the most recent runs; if so, that gives the option
> of buying a sound unit and swapping the shell.
>
> Cheers, Jim Fitch

Good Morning Jim,  Kinda funny because my last 2 purchases were Atlas GP 40-2W's (CN's) with Loksound,  and 1 before that was a Atlas 8-40C with QSI Quantum Titan sound, unfortunately the QSI is silent either  by failure or I muted it and the magnet trick is not working for me, Atlas has told me to send it back but I may just  wait til I get  a round  "tu it", (I'm leaning toward me muting it),  I'm really happy with the Loksound  units though,  , depending on the game today I may put the tsunami and loksound side by side and do a sound video if you'd like !,   Ed

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

First off I am not a demonstrator but now know what it feels like to make a blooper ! OR 2,

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

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calsubd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good Morning Jim,  Kinda funny because my last 2
> purchases were Atlas GP 40-2W's (CN's) with
> Loksound,  and 1 before that was a Atlas 8-40C
> with QSI Quantum Titan sound, unfortunately the
> QSI is silent either  by failure or I muted it
> and the magnet trick is not working for me, Atlas
> has told me to send it back but I may just  wait
> til I get  a round  "tu it", (I'm leaning toward
> me muting it),  I'm really happy with the
> Loksound  units though,  , depending on the game
> today I may put the tsunami and loksound side by
> side and do a sound video if you'd like !,   Ed

Ok, so you confirmed they have changed sound chips then. Thats good.  The Lok Sound I've heard really sound much better than the QSI.  I haven't kept up with Atlas loco's because they haven't offered anything I needed since I got the 6 D&RGW GP40-2's back in 2009 and at that time they were all QSI for sound.  So glad to hear of the change.  I really would like to see Athearn switch to LokSound too as they are who I buy most of my diesls from.  The most recent was the SD40R, and no news yet on offering sound with the tunnel motors unfortunately.

Cheers, Jim