Choosing a sound decoder for a P2K E unit set & re-powering a P2K B unit.

J

jacksonbarno

Alco Spoken Here
Hello all,
I have a set of Walthers P2K E units that I am re-outfitting to PRR standards, and I was wondering what a good sound decoder for 1st Gen. diesels with the EMD 567 Prime mover. My budget is tight (allowance) and I can't really pull any strings with my dad, so perhaps something under $50. Also, I am looking for a way to power my P2K B unit that I have.
Thanks,
J
 
Well for good decoders I recomend soundtrax tsunami which is the best decoder out there! They are amzaing! but cost 70-100 bucks.
 
I'm a fan of DiGiTrax sound decoders. They're programable, so aside from the $60ish you spend on the decoder, you would need to buy the computer programmer to load the sounds onto it. THe cool thing is you can customize the sounds using their software. I believe they had a decent sounding E unit on their download page, but it's been a little while since I checked it. The worst thing I find about doing sound in P2k locos is finding a location for a speaker. I'm an audio engineer as my day job, so the bigger the better for the best sound. Many times that means milling down part of the weight unless they left room in the fuel tank. I think they started doing that in the last few years or so. Most of the ones I work with are much older (many predate DCC). Sorry, just got back from a bad gig and am rambling.

As for re-powering, it's not something I've looked into. Both use the same frame (I believe), so you might be able to get another "junker" P2k E and use its mechanism. I can't remember if the trucks on the B-units are set up for pick-up or not, but you'd need the motor, drive shafts, and worm gears (potentially the gears in the trucks as well). Like I said, best bet is to canibalize another E-unit. That being said, the P2k's are powerful enough to pull the wallpaper off the wall, so unless you're running thirty Bachmenn Spectrum heavyweights, you should be fine with just the A-unit powered.
 
I ran my 15 car Broadway limited with an AB combination unpowered b unit, and the E unit started spinning its wheels, so I got another A unit. I might wire the wheels for pickup and try to find out if I could put sound in the b unit because there is plenty of space.
 
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