Fitting a large speaker into a Bachmann HO 80 ton Shay

[donatode]

I am always intrigued by Marty's "how to" videos and this one is no exception.  I just love how he meticulously goes step by step and not only shows us, but explains along the way.  I also love that slamming door at the end.....always did!!

[Mkrailway]

Oh my gosh. Thank you very much for the lovely vote of confidence, it is so humbling. I can't let it get to my head. I really am a funny guy, but it has been so cold in the basement that I shake too much.

The next video may be a bit less interesting as I recover from some mysterious failure.

https://youtu.be/lWfsjQUaego

[ACL1504]

Marty,

As I said, great job on the install.

Tom

[tct855]

Marty,
           Cool little video series on adding sound & lights.  See that's wasn't all that hard right?  According to the videos that install only took about 35 minutes.  Not bad!  Anyone can do this.  Can't wait to see the final video.  That should be something. Thanx Thom...  P.S. Don't forget the slamming door at the end. 

[Mkrailway]

Thom,

With all the planning and changes the working time was more than 4 hours over four days. You are right, it would take about 1 hour to complete if you ignore the glue drying times. The key is to know what exactly how to do and just get down to doing it. I think the next video (pt 7) will show the real way to do the installation and when I get the Shay back from the sound file landing I will conclude the series (Pt with a few test runs.

Tom,

Thanks, I dreaded starting the installation and was worried that I would end up trashing the whole Shay. I just might start working on the next one, maybe...

[Mkrailway]

Well, I think things have changed a bit as you will see from this video.

https://youtu.be/ijveOBIyqyA

The next video will be delayed until I get the Shay back from the dealer. They would not load the Shay sounds when I bought the LokSound Select Micro Universal card. They told me to bring it back when it was installed in the Shay. When I did, they gave me a Repair ticket and said they woukd call when it was done. Its been over a week and with the Long weekend and funeral it will be another week before I get the Shay back. To make matters worst I will have to pay ~$20, plus gas for four 15 miles trips. So my $140 CDN LokSound Select Micro decoder turns into a $180 CDN cost.

I would buy the ESU programmer ($274 CDN) if I had a large roster of decoders that I wanted to customize the sounds for. ESU does have separate part numbers for the decoders I would like to use, but everybody is out of stock. My next project to add a decoder needs another LokSound decoder (part #73844), and they are no supplies of them anymore.

Enough about market strategies and the issues of supply and demand.

Until the next video, enjoy this one.

PS: see if you can find the next issues I need to do to get the Shay working perfectly.

PPS: here is a link to a playlist of all the parts of the conversion.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIqsUteiiiMk4ssCVLvfmSXrUsiTUmua

[tct855]

Marty,
           Just saw video #7.  Excellent informative tutorial sir!  I believe you achieved your goal well.  I think others who view this series will learn a the do's & don'ts of tackling this job.  Thank you for sharing.  I for one an glad to see another true do it yourself modeler out there. You are what this hobby used to be about.  One Question:  Did you inspect all your bevel gears for any cracks.  Bachmann's are known for breaking right out of the box.  N.W.S.L. makes a complete cast & brass set.  FYI.  Have a good day all!  I'm back to packing.  Thanx Thom...

[BandOGuy]

Holy smoke!
Watched the entire video series as an inspiration. What a fantastic job/project.
One of my takeaways harks back to a purported quote from President Lincoln regarding General Grant. Grant was known to like his stronger beverages. After one of his major victories, Lincoln was asked for his reaction. It is rumored that Lincoln replied "Find out what he's (Grant) drinking. I want to buy a case".
My question to you is what did you consume to remain so calm and focused? I saw several things that would have sent me around the bend very quickly.
Again, my congratulations and compliments on a very well executed project.

[Mkrailway]

Thanks for dropping by Thom.

Yes, I did look at the gears and all "appear" to be good, except one that slides on the shaft. I had already ordered the gear set and awaiting deliver. When they arrive I will be filming their installation in part.

The second issue I need to resolve is the drive shaft alignment(s). If you look at the shay from the left side, the three cylinders shafts are higher than the shafts on the trucks. In the prototype the shafts are all at the same height. The differences are a result of have a PCB as pickups for the track power swipers. So I need to eliminate the PCB or better still file down the truck pivot. Both are risky and "may" cause the trucks to hit the undercarriage.

The third thing on my mine is the colour of the headlight. I'm modelling May 1973 and was thinking that the front light bulb would have been replaced with better brighter ones. Again, not critical.

The fourth item is lettering and embellishments followed by a light weathering. This is a tourist train so it would have been kept cleanish.

The one thing I regret not doing was while it was disassembled I should have removed all the acrylic paint, sharpened the edges of details and airbrushed a solvent paint on it, or just Blackened it The factory paint is too thick and hides the lovely details in the metal castings.

[Mkrailway]

Holy smoke!
Watched the entire video series as an inspiration. What a fantastic job/project.
One of my takeaways harks back to a purported quote from President Lincoln regarding General Grant. Grant was known to like his stronger beverages. After one of his major victories, Lincoln was asked for his reaction. It is rumored that Lincoln replied "Find out what he's (Grant) drinking. I want to buy a case".
My question to you is what did you consume to remain so calm and focused? I saw several things that would have sent me around the bend very quickly.
Again, my congratulations and compliments on a very well executed project.

In my younger days I would have slayed the Shay of all life within minutes of starting the conversion. Since retiring I have committed to staying calm, focused and completing my bucket list. Having OCD, ADD, Anxiety disorder, dyslexia and small blatter has forced me to spend time think about what exactly to do, then do small amounts of work fast before my blatter bursts. Yah, I wonder hiw I do it to. (The real reason is because I spent 15 years in the electronics industry and 25 years as a Consulting Project Manager and 5 years as a strategic Advisor. So I know small thing go wrong and know how to deal with it.) (Ok, the real real reason is that I'm on medication.) So which of the above is true? Hehe)

[BandOGuy]

Holy smoke!
Watched the entire video series as an inspiration. What a fantastic job/project.
One of my takeaways harks back to a purported quote from President Lincoln regarding General Grant. Grant was known to like his stronger beverages. After one of his major victories, Lincoln was asked for his reaction. It is rumored that Lincoln replied "Find out what he's (Grant) drinking. I want to buy a case".
My question to you is what did you consume to remain so calm and focused? I saw several things that would have sent me around the bend very quickly.
Again, my congratulations and compliments on a very well executed project.

In my younger days I would have slayed the Shay of all life within minutes of starting the conversion. Since retiring I have committed to staying calm, focused and completing my bucket list. Having OCD, ADD, Anxiety disorder, dyslexia and small blatter has forced me to spend time think about what exactly to do, then do small amounts of work fast before my blatter bursts. Yah, I wonder hiw I do it to. (The real reason is because I spent 15 years in the electronics industry and 25 years as a Consulting Project Manager and 5 years as a strategic Advisor. So I know small thing go wrong and know how to deal with it.) (Ok, the real real reason is that I'm on medication.) So which of the above is true? Hehe)

So I guess the modern response is, "Find out which meds he's on. I want a prescription for same". 

[ACL1504]

Marty,

Well done, congratulations on a fine job. The shay runs very smooth.

Tom

[JusticeCity]

Here is what the Shay sounds like...

https://youtu.be/7nC_XsFjvZY

[JusticeCity]

If you listen carefully you will hear static noise at the end of a sound,nit the steam hissing, like the horn. This a good and bad thing; it good that the speaker can reproduce those sounds, but it is bad because their sound files are not clean and/or there is a DC voltage offset in the signal, (i.e. Not normaluzed), causing the static, or the signal/nouse radio is very poor on there output amplifiers.

ESU need to do better editing on their sound files or imorove the s/n ratio for mid to high master volumes.

Anyways, I did not get those deep throttling bass sounds because they do not exist on a Shay. I'm so sad about that. Hiwever, I did a really good dynamic range from the speaker enclosure.

Would I do it this way again? Yes, but quicker.

Marty

[donatode]

That is one NOISY little sucker....nicely done Marty.