Lots and lots on engine info, where?

[bsoplinger]

If anyone has ever looked at the various sound decoder offerings out there, many of which won't fit in an N-scale engine I know, you'll see you need all sorts of info to pick exactly which decoder to buy.

For example:

72800   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with WABCO A-2
72801   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with WABCO E-2
72802   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Leslie A-200
72803   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Leslie S3
72804   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Leslie S5
72805   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Nathan K3
72806   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Nathan M3
72807   ALCO motor 244 12cylinder turbocharged with Nathan M5
72808   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with WABCO A-2
72809   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with WABCO E-2
72810   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Leslie A-200
72811   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Leslie S3
72812   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Leslie S5
72813   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Nathan K3
72814   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Nathan M3
72815   ALCO motor 244 16cylinder turbocharged with Nathan M5

Now, assuming I knew the loco I was interested in had an 244 engine in it, how would I find out if it had a 12 or 16 cylinder version, if it was turbocharged, if it has dynamic brakes, and what kind of horn?

And to start this, how would I figure out what type of engine was in the loco?

IE, say I wanted to add sound to a Lehigh Valley PA loco. I know enough that I can say it is an Alco built engine. Then I'm stuck. How/where do I go to find out the rest of the info? Or do I just look at the list and say that there are 21 of these and just pick a random one of those 21 for my loco?

In a way I like the MRC Brilliance N-scale decoders. It is a 'diesel' decoder, period, I don't have to think at all. Then again, if I were to stick 1 of these in 5 different types of locos, odds are in the real world they'd all sound different but in my N-scale one they'd be all the same.

And to somewhat answer my question, I did a search on "Alco 244" and was able to determine the 12 cylinder engine went into the FA and the 16 cylinder in a PA. Does this mean I have to go through the list of dozens of types of engines and do a search on engine type and hope I find a page done by someone for some railroad where they were specific enough to mention the type of engine in that railroad's loco and just assume the loco I want to put sound in has the same thing?

[FrankCampagna]

I think all the 244's were turbocharged. 539's on the S-2 and 4, plus the RS-1 were turbo, S-1 and 3 no. I believe all 251's were turbo. Working from memory, sorry if I'm wrong. Frank

[cv_acr]

In a way I like the MRC Brilliance N-scale decoders. It is a 'diesel' decoder, period, I don't have to think at all. Then again, if I were to stick 1 of these in 5 different types of locos, odds are in the real world they'd all sound different but in my N-scale one they'd be all the same.

Exactly. Having a decoder that has a single option for "diesel" isn't helpful. That's the same as just picking a random one out of the list and using it for all your diesels of all makes. Only difference is MRC chose which one for you. Note in your list you have precisely two types of engines. And 8 different horns.

And to somewhat answer my question, I did a search on "Alco 244" and was able to determine the 12 cylinder engine went into the FA and the 16 cylinder in a PA. Does this mean I have to go through the list of dozens of types of engines and do a search on engine type and hope I find a page done by someone for some railroad where they were specific enough to mention the type of engine in that railroad's loco and just assume the loco I want to put sound in has the same thing?

The engine will always be the same for a model of locomotive. That does not change between railroads. An RS1 on railroad "a" will always have the same prime mover as railroad "b". (Sure, you get certain funny cases where locomotives are re-engined, but then just look up the engine for the donor locomotive model.)
If you're modelling a CR SD40 for example, just find out what the model number of the engine is for any SD40/SD40-2/GP40. Actually, in that particular case, GP38/SD38(-2)s also have the same engine, the difference is the 40 series is turbocharged, the 38s are not. The sound difference between turboed and non-turboed GM/EMD engines is quite significant, and Alco engines are _very_ distinctive.

Choosing the right horn is a little more difficult, but you can eliminate a few from the list. Look at the horns in a photo of the engine; if it has 3 chimes (trumpets) you can immediately strike off the A-2, E-2, S5, M5 off the list. (The number in those represents the number of chimes.) I'm not a horn expert (though there are people out there who are really serious about horns) so I have no idea what the A-200 horn is or how many chimes it has.