Visitors and Old Friends

[Keith Hayes]

Jeff Osborn stopped in today to deliver some locomotives I asked him to install decoders in. We are both really liking the new Blunami decoders from Soundtraxx. Jeff installed Blunamis in his C&S 74 and 76, and the phone app allows you to operate both at once without consisting,  and you can emulate the multiple whistle signals between locomotives. These two ran very well together!

I think they will easily pull 8 to 10 loaded cars up the hill.

Jeff also put a Blunami in my D&RGW 474. This locomotive popped up from Salida today and your's truly snapped a pic by the C&S Freight Depot. This is a good runner.

I have long been a fan of C-18 316; this pony was assigned to the Ouray passenger and the dynamo got a muffler. That wonky pilot coupler needs some work,  though.

I have to confess, I got my model of D&RGW 268 for my wife. She likes it, but she likes 316 better. 268 has the shrill peanut whistle--not my favorite,  but that is what the real thing sounded like.

Jeff also installed a Blunami in his RGS Motor No. 2: this is a very neat model, and ran very well with the decoder and current keeper. It is a cutie!

I sent Jeff back with some more locomotives for installs. On many, he can get decoder and speaker in the locomotive,  greatly simplifying the install. Soundtraxx makes a standard HO-size decoder, and a smaller one for the N scale market. The smaller one lacks the wide range of sounds, but still gets the job done. After visiting Jeff Schoup's Colorado Midland layout,  I am more enthusiastic to have operators slow down and make the locomotives sound like the real thing.