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If you like running sound-equipped locomotives and advanced lighting features, you might want to
think about upgrading to DCC. DC model railroad control dates from the 1930s. We like stuff from
the 1930s. Early Hitchcock films – awesome. Rotary telephones – awesome. Beautifully-restored
Packard Ninth Series – awesome. But ancient model train controller? Not so awesome. You wouldn’t
expect your rotary phone to be able to surf the internet. Similarly, you can’t expect your DC system
to be able to take advantage of the last 20 years of model train technological developments.
If you insist on sticking with DC and you want a taste of what you are missing, please read on…
OPERATION – DCC WITH SOUND
We go to extreme lengths for accuracy, in sounds as well as in looks. Our sound decoders are
LokSound Select decoders by ESU, programmed with sounds we recorded from an ALCO 244
prime mover we found in excellent working condition … in Australia! The sounds are 100% correct
for the FA-2, because as much as we know our Alco 251 recordings used in the FPA-4 are the best
of the best, they would be totally inaccurate in your FA-2 or FB-2.
As we do for all of our sound decoders, we recorded the prime mover under load, in this case
hauling another engine up a hill. Locomotives sound a lot different when they are actually working,
rather than doing a stationary load test. If you have decoders from other manufacturers in your
locomotives you might want to check out the available line of Rapido decoders on our web site. All
of our decoder sounds were recorded under load and we simply can’t stand decoders that don’t
have this feature. You can order our decoders from your hobby shop or directly from us.
More detailed decoder instructions, including all sorts of weird CV settings we still don’t understand
after all these years, can be found in the ESU Loksound Select decoder manual. This is available for
download on the FA-2/FB-2 page in the Support section of our web site.
LOCOMOTIVE ADDRESS
Your Rapido FA-2 and FB-2 comes from the factory with a decoder address of 3. We suggest if you
are using DCC control that you first test that the locomotive responds on address 3. Once you have
verified that the locomotive is responding you should assign it a unique address (we suggest the road
number of the locomotive) before going any further. This can be done either on your programming
track (recommended) or on the main if your system supports programming on the main. Be aware
however that if you do program the locomotive on the main and you have any other locomotives on
your layout assigned to address 3 (the normal default address for new locomotives) that ALL of
them will likely also be changed to your new address! Also be aware that if you give your locomotive
a four-digit address it will not work at all if you try to run it on a friend’s DC layout.
Also please keep in mind that some DCC systems do not have sufficient power to program sound-
equipped locomotives on the mainline. If your sounds do not operate correctly on a Digitrax DCC
system, this likely means that you need to clear the memory on your system, achieved by “clearing
slot #36.” A basic summary of how to do this can be found on the FA-2/FB-2 page in the Support
section of our web site. More detailed information can be found on the Digitrax web site.
If you have a really old DCC system, you may find that this locomotive won’t work at all – nor will
many other new models. Go update your DCC system to a newer version. Your computer is updated
regularly – or at least we hope it is. Your DCC system should be updated as well.
TURN ON THE SOUND
Press F8 and you will hear the FA-2/FB-2 startup sequence followed by the sound of it idling. You can
adjust CVs to prevent the locomotive from moving until the startup sequence has played out. Jason
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