Atlas User Manual: Diesels
with QSI Sound
16/52
13 January 2015
Decoders (Quantum, Quantum Titan, or
Quantum Titan with ET)
.
3.3 Special Horn Ending Sound (Optional feature, not present in all locomotives)
Prototype engineers would often “play” their
Horns
by controlling the flow of compressed air. In particular, engineers
often had a signature sound associated with how they ended their
Horn
sequences. Some Quantum sound sets have
special
Horn
endings that can be activated using the direction switch to produce a unique sound effect similar to
playing the
Horn
.
•
Flip the direction switch to blow the
Horn
for at least one second.
•
The normal way to end the
Horn
is to flip the direction switch back. To do the special
Horn
ending, add an
immediate
Quick
flip-and- back operation
.
Note
:
If you wait too long to do the
Quick
Flip-and-Back operation
, the Bell might turn on instead.
Note
: Your Atlas sound-equipped locomotive may or may not have the special
Horn
ending sounds included in its
feature set
3.4 Operation in Neutral
In
Neutral
, the locomotive will continue to make prototypical sounds appropriate to its resting state.
In DC operation,
you enter Neutral by turning the throttle down below V-Start, but not off, and wait for locomotive to
stop
11
.
The
Front Headlight
or (if so equipped) the
Mars Light
will switch to a steady
Dim
. Alternatively, the
Rear Headlight
will be
Dim
if entering
Neutral from Reverse (NFR
). The locomotive will continue to make prototypical sounds in
Neutral that are appropriate to its resting state.
You will hear a
Short Air Release
when the locomotive stops moving and enters
Neutral
and a
Long Air Release
about three seconds later. These sounds will be followed by
Air Pumps
and other background sounds. In addition to
the
Air Pumps
in
Neutral
,
Cooling Fans
and
Vents
will switch on and off at random time intervals. After ten seconds,
the
Cooling Fans
shut off if they were on when you entered
Neutral
.
Cab Lights
(if so equipped) come on 10 seconds
after entering Neutral. If the diesel locomotive is left in
Neutral from Reverse
, a special
Low Idle State
(which is
marked by subdued throbbing engine sounds) will automatically come on after 30 seconds. (See description of
Low
Idle
in Section 5,
Quantum System Sounds
.) The diesel locomotive will return to generating normal diesel sounds
when the throttle is turned up.
After the
Air Pumps
start, you can use the direction switch to blow the
Horn
or turn on or off the
Bell
12
.
If you cannot enter
Neutral
, or have difficulties with any of these operations, you may need to program your
locomotive for optimal use with your particular power pack. (See
Analog Programming
, Section 3.13.)
3.5 Changing the Direction of the Locomotive without Turning off the Sound
You can use the direction switch on the power pack to change the locomotive’s direction while the loco is in
Neutral
.
•
Put the locomotive in
Neutral
by bringing the throttle down below
V-start
and wait for the locomotive to
stop
13
.
•
Flip the direction switch after you hear the
Short Air Release
but before you hear the
Long Air Release
sound and the
Air Pump
sounds turn on. During this short time (3 seconds) the
Horn
will not blow when
you flip the direction switch.
•
Turn up the throttle anytime thereafter to operate the locomotive in the opposite direction.
If you have waited until the
Air Pumps
start in
Neutral
and now wish to change direction, you can either:
•
Turn the power all the way off, change the direction switch and turn the power back on;
•
Flip the direction switch (the
Horn
will come on) and then turn up the throttle.
11
If
Regulated Throttle Control
is enabled (see below), it is important to wait until the locomotive stops on its own. The engine’s electronic inertia
will keep it moving even though you have reduced the throttle far enough below
V-Start
to stop the locomotive. In your attempt to stop the
locomotive, do not try to reduce the throttle so far that all sounds go off.
12
In
Neutral
, the
Bell
has a distinctive turn-on effect as the pneumatic clapper gains full motion to strike the bell.
13
On some power packs that have high internal resistance, the track voltage may rise slightly as the locomotive slows down and requires less
power to operate. With these power packs as the engine slows, you may need to reduce the throttle a little more to remain below
V-Start
.
