Like most of us, I am just learning about the "sound experience" in HO diesels. There have now been two posts from whom I consider creditable people who completely disagree on the sound. As Keith pointed out, Soundtraxx is electronically digitizing actual sounds. They had to go out and find a non-turbocharged EMD645 before they could release it (that shouldn't have been too hard to do)! We are going to be trying to replicate a very deep throated bass sound in a very small speaker so we may have to live in the not so perfect world. I have known modelers who have connected a decoder to a sub woofer under the layout to help things out. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend P.S. Keep posting opinions!
While on this subject, did anyone notice the slide that was recently on Ebay showing one of the Frisco H10-44's that later ended up on the Peabody Coal Company. They painted the top part of the loco lemon yellow and quite frankly it didn't look all that bad. It says the shot was taken in Freeburg, IL in 1974. I bid on it but didn't win. If someone on the forum happened to buy it and would be willing to sell me a copy, I would be grateful. This goes to show what a little innovation can do to put a Frisco locomotive from a provious era on our layout serving a cement plant, quarry, or other private industry. In case you missed it and am curious to see what it looks like, here is the Ebay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...K:MEDWX:IT&item=400044381131#ebayphotohosting Bob Hoover FriscoFriend P.S. I sure hope they had a good mechanic to keep the darn thing running.
As Bob noted, the real issue with reproduction of sound is the speaker. I worked for two years in the home/auto audio business and my college career started in electrical engineering. The weakest link in any audio system is the speaker, and it is impossible for any one driver to reproduce the full spectrum of audio. To accurately reproduce high frequencies, one must have small, low-mass drivers. At the other end of the spectrum, one must have a large, high-excursion driver, but ideally the mass should still be low. If you connect a Tsunami decoder to very good audio system (60+ watts and multi-driver speakers with a sub), you would not believe your ears. I have driven my 100+ watt system with a sound-sampled decoder and a neighbor had to come over to see what I was working on, because he recognized the type of locomotive that was being reproduced, and could not square what his ears were telling him with being in the middle of our neighborhood. My preferred method of using a sound decoder would be to have the decoder stationary and have an electronically controlled speaker switcher to move the sound output to strategically placed quality speakers around the layout following the engine and this is the system: http://www.soundtraxx.com/surround/
I was at the club yesterday and saw a Walthers flyer and it showed a future release in black and yellow with and without sound
Mark Davidson brought his Father's Day gift over last night and it just happened to be two sound equipped H10-44s. Wow the detail is amazing and the sound is some of the best I have heard. I am not too keen on the snow plows though. Mark decided to remove them. I don't think they are prototypical. At all. Hey check out the Blair Line Frisco billboard in the background on the second photo. . . Ship IT on the Frisco! Rick
Yep, those snow plows were only needed in the worst of blizzards up there in Walthers country. They kind of make it difficult to couple anything up to the locomotive. I think I'll take mine off too! Ken
Oh, good heavens. A nice looking model once it's unridiculoused. The billboard's a nice touch, Rick-what is its location on the line? Best Regards,
In today's mail I received the July, 2009 Walthers"Flyer" monthly catalog. In it, on page 12, is an ad for their "third series" release of the new Proto 2000 F-M H10-44, including a small pic of the new Frisco b/y version. They will offer four numbers - SLSF 276 & 281 with sound & DCC, plus SLSF 272 and 275 in standard DC. They show an October delivery. Also included in this release is an ATSF unit, plus two different CNW's and two different MILW's. I think either SLSF 272 or 275 is in my future. Ken
Posted on the Walthers site is a photograph of the next run of H-10-44s. The next Frisco units will be in the black and yellow simplified stripe scheme. Please see http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-47820 (SLSF 272) and http://www.walthers.com/exec/page/fm_h1044_3 (all railroads). Hopefully these will sell well and we will see them also produce the full stripe schemes in the first roman lettering and second modern extended block schemes. Does anyone have scale plans, dimensions or photographs to post of the brake sleds used in Tulsa? Hope this helps! Thanks! Mark
I hope you find some, Mark-I know there's a pic of Brake Sled X82 in Frisco in Color but that's the only one that comes to mind. I would love seeing someone model this beauty in any scale! Best Regards,
mark, ask and ye shall receive. Here's a link to pix of a brake sled on this site: http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/brake-sleds.7437/#post-58207 The sled in Frisco in Color is on page 31.
I see Walthers is now announcing a black & yellow version of the H10-44 in road numbers 272 and 275 in standard dc and 276 and 281 in dcc with sound. Supposedly coming in October. Gordon
I ordered one of the new b/y Walthers P2K H10-44's yesterday - slsf 275. October is not that far away! That gives me three Frisco FM's - two H10-44's and a H12-44. Plus, I have two PRR P1K A-unit C-liners. That's probably enough FM's for me! I love the concept and the design of that FM OP engine. It was a maintenance problem on the railroads only because it was relatively rare and totally different from the other diesel engine designs. The US Navy had great success with the FM OP engine in submarines and light patrol vessels. Prior to the FM engine design, the German navy in WW2 had success with a very similar OP Diesel engine design in their three revolutionary Panzerschiffe (aka pocket battleships) - Deutschland/Lutzow, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee. Each of these ships was powered by two sets of four nine cylinder OP diesels, each set powering one of two shafts & screws. I wonder if they sounded like sewing machines also! Ken
I was at the Walthers page and watched the NMRA preview video and they have a picture of the b/y model about 3 mins into the video
FYI ..... My on-line "pusher" just advised me that my Walthers third release H10-44, this time in Frisco black/yellow, is packed and ready to ship. I ordered the one done as SLSF 275, no sound. I should have it in a few days. The price is getting better - this one is $120 delivered & insured, about $20 less than the o/w one I got from the same pusher earlier this year (from Walthers' second H10-44 release). Following is my review of the o/w unit - SLSF 270. When b/y SLSF 275 arrives, I'll add any additional comments I might have on it. The sewing machine clatter these things emitted almost makes me want to consider sound. Ken
My Walthers HO Frisco F-M H10-44 switcher in the black/yellow scheme arrived late today - this as SLSF 275. I have family in this weekend, so the F-M has not yet been out of the box. I must say, sitting in there it looks pretty good. I'll do a review of it in a few days when I have time to give it a good look and a test run. I know one thing - I'll not be ranting about an incorrect shade of Frisco red/orange on this one! Ken
I've had a chance now to take a close look at my just received Walthers P2K Frisco b/y H10-44, this as SLSF 275. This is one of the ones without sound. The painting, lettering, numbering and highlight detail is outstanding. This may be the best Frisco factory painted HO model locomotive right out of the box I've seen. For once, the fonts look perfect. My only gripe - a very minor one - is that the hood handrails, which are a yellow colored plastic casting, are too bright, brighter than the rest of the yellow handrails and stripes. That is easily fixed. As per my comments on the red/orange & white P2K H10-44 reviewed in my posting above, this one as SLSF 270, also without sound, the following Frisco specific details are needed: - replace the hood side mounted horn with a hood top horn per Frisco practice - need to add marker lamps on the nose per Frisco practice on these units - the supplied exhaust stacks are a bit shorter to my eye than what the Frisco units carried. Then, later, the SLSF added a spark arrestor covering both exhaust stacks that will have to be scratch built - need to add a firecracker antenna (later) or a "nail" antenna (earlier) to the cab roof, plus a thin, high mounted rotary beacon to the roof. I do have one problem - the unit gives out a healthy growl when running forward, runs silent as a lamb when running backwards. On pulse power, the growl is much louder, and even can be heard when in reverse. I've already contacted Walthers (alas the tech guy I knew there is gone, but they introduced me to a new one), and he thinks we have a case of gear noise that will go away after break-in. He may be right - I've run it around a bit and it is getting better. He says try it for a few days and if it is still growling, to send it back to WKW. We'll see. A super addition to the Frisco HO fleet! If you have any possibility of needing a b/y FM H10-44 on your layout, this one's for you. Ken
