You can’t have a model railroad without sound. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t be as exciting. You’re building a scale-model community and industry, so you want to hear the chugs of a steam engine or the whistle of a diesel locomotive.
Model Railroaders Wanted More
When the Digital Command Control (DCC) center was introduced in the 1990s, it came with a number of sounds. While model railroaders were happy with this, they wanted to drill down for the sounds of locomotives by decade or manufacturer. Thus, they needed to find a way to upload new sounds into the DCC.
21st-century technology can do this. You just need to know what to look for to expand the audio magnificence of your railroad. Here are three things needed.
An Updated DCC
A DCC that’s even a few years old may not be compatible with sound decoders and programmers. For instance, the ESU LokSound programmer and decoder hook to a computer serial port in order to download and decode sounds.
A Computer
You can certainly record sounds you collect from watching trains pass by. However, you won’t be able to get them to a programmer and decoder unless you have access to a computer. Especially one with an available 9-Pin serial port and CD player.
Conversely, you may only be able to download sounds from the manufacturer’s library. Should this be the case, a computer is even more important.
The Manual & Patience
These go hand-in-hand. New technology can be hard on even the most adept person. Don’t go into using a sound programmer and decoder right out of the box. Take a moment to read any manual that may come with the card or can be downloaded. Ask questions to the manufacturer if you are unsure.
Moreover, don’t rush. Hooking things up the wrong way can cause an issue with the sounds as well as the computer. What you need to level up your model railroad will come soon enough.