Model Railroading > Coach Yard SP Rotary DCC install

Recently installed Soundtraxx steam and diesel decoders with dual mini cube speakers into the model. Edited various sounds to remove the chuff and accentuate rod clank for the rotary sounds. A thank you to Tom Nelson who assisted in selecting the decoder sounds. Unfortunately never caught the SP rotaries on Donner, but admired them sitting in Roseville. 

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That is really cool, I have a couploe questions. 

- are the decoders using the same address or are they MU'd?
- any chance you can share a screen shot of the steam decoder settings from decoder pro? 
- which soundtrax steam decoder did you use? 
- looks like an LED in the rotary did it come with that? 

thanks much 

Red_over_Yellow Wrote:
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> That is really cool, I have a couploe
> questions. 
>
> - are the decoders using the same address or are
> they MU'd?
> - any chance you can share a screen shot of the
> steam decoder settings from decoder pro? 
> - which soundtrax steam decoder did you use? 
> - looks like an LED in the rotary did it come with
> that? 
>
Hello Diverging Approach ,
Not MU'd, both decoders have the same address: 205, the number of the rotary.
Don't use decoder pro; however, here are some CV settings for the Rotary.
Rotary whistle- CV120=6 C&O Flat Top Single Chime.
Rotary horn- CV121=60 Wabco EZ (Alternate Whistle).
Exhaust Chuff- CV=9 for geared engines, minus the chuff CV131=0.
Side Rod Clank CV135=200 (gives you the rotary blade clank).
 I then went through CV's 129 to 160 to remove all the sounds I didn't want.
Parts List:
Tsunami 2, TSU-2200, PN.885005 EMD Diesel 
Tsunami 2, TSU-1100, PN.884006 Steam-2
Soundtraxx CurrentKeeper 810140
Soundtraxx Mini Cube Speaker 810154
Athearn ATHG 67143 HO LED STD length 
TCS 1/4w 1K ohm resistor
The LED that came with the model had a a bluish tint that didn't look right.

 I use a NCE system that has a recall function to jump from the rotary address to the locomotive address and back.

> thanks much 

Here's a better video for sound and blade coordination. I think they pair pretty well.
 

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Thats some serious gap between the B unit and its trucks. But all your goodies look nice.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

The rod clank noises are nice, but the rotaries that ran with the B Units were powered by electric traction motors that were geared to the shaft the rotary blade is mounted on.

As a thought if you want to set up the sounds to be accurate, contact the Portola museum and find out when they plan to fire up their rotary. The have a SP Rotary and slug and they play with it every once in a while.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

PHall Wrote:
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> The rod clank noises are nice, but the rotaries
> that ran with the B Units were powered by electric
> traction motors that were geared to the shaft the
> rotary blade is mounted on.
You are correct. But there is still "blade clank" at lower speeds of the rotary blade. Check out this YouTube video at the time settings on the video to hear the "blade clank".
 

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TomG Wrote:
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> Thats some serious gap between the B unit and its
> trucks. But all your goodies look nice.
Yes, I also noticed that gap. Unfortunately the mating of the rotary and the slug(B unit) has very little room for adjustment due the drawbar connection and end diaphragms. It would require lowering the rotary and the slug. Not up to that project at this time.

I still dont understand how a brass importer charging this much for a model, can drop the ball so hard on paint and detail lettering. Especially on a road number that did not exist to begin with with these details! 

Nice job Oz. Nice video also. Thanks for sharing your install. 

Ozolian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TomG Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thats some serious gap between the B unit and
> its
> > trucks. But all your goodies look nice.
> Yes, I also noticed that gap. Unfortunately the
> mating of the rotary and the slug(B unit) has very
> little room for adjustment due the drawbar
> connection and end diaphragms. It would require
> lowering the rotary and the slug. Not up to that
> project at this time.

Well then I'd live with it as well. Great videos.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

TomG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ozolian Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > TomG Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>

> > -----
> > > Thats some serious gap between the B unit and
> > its
> > > trucks. But all your goodies look nice.
> > Yes, I also noticed that gap. Unfortunately the
> > mating of the rotary and the slug(B unit) has
> very
> > little room for adjustment due the drawbar
> > connection and end diaphragms. It would require
> > lowering the rotary and the slug. Not up to
> that
> > project at this time.
>
> Well then I'd live with it as well. Great videos.
Thanks Tom. Might apply something to the bottom of the B unit frame to block the light from coming through between the body frame and the trucks. Hopefully it won't be so noticeable. I use to work for the Espee and always was interested in those rotaries. My Dad worked for the WP out of Keddie as a Roadmaster during the winter of 52. Here is a picture of the WP rotary they used at the time.
 

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My grandfather worked out of Portola and my father out of Portola. Great photo of a WPs rotary, not many photos of either rotary out working surface very often.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

TomG Wrote:
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> My grandfather worked out of Portola and my father
> out of Portola. Great photo of a WPs rotary, not
> many photos of either rotary out working surface
> very often.
One big railroad family!!!! What did your Dad and Grandfather do for the railroad?

Grandfather was foreman of the ice deck in Portola, not sure what post he held after other than he watered the Zephyrs after the ice deck. My father bounced around in Portola trying to hold seniority, living in an outfit car in Doyle and then ran the car washer in Portola washing the Zephyr. He then got bumped and ended up in Oakland working the car ferry Las Plumas. We ended up in Oroville as the Crew caller\Demurrage clerk. Other family members were train crew out of Portola. Yep, one big happy family on the WP.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

Did he know any with the last name Wall?

Posted from Android

I would say probably. Those guys knew EVERYONE. A funny story, a few years ago I was in portola by myself and though before I head down the canyon I'll stop at the frosty for a quick burger befor I head out. ( Grandmother worked there in the 70s) While sitting there munchin an older fellow got a soft serve ice cream and then stopped and eyeballed for a moment and said, " Are you Eddie Geralds boy?" I didn't know the man but when I said I was, he said he knew Dad, Grandpa and Grandma for years. Thats Portola for you.

Tom
Weaverville, CA

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> Did he know any with the last name Wall?
>
> Posted from Android
My Dad may have but he passed on. What did he do and when?

TomG Wrote:
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> As a thought if you want to set up the sounds to
> be accurate, contact the Portola museum and find
> out when they plan to fire up their rotary. The
> have a SP Rotary and slug and they play with it
> every once in a while.
Good idea. I was wondering if the slug (B unit) is equipped with an air compressor or is the air is supplied by the locomotive consist.