Slate Creek Industrial.
#7
I like a good Alco burble also, even though I'm a steam fan. My one loco run experience (so far) was an ex-DOT RSD-4 at Perris, CA. I know exactly what you mean about the coasting.

Anyway, I think an 8 foot ISL is the perfect place for sound. My timesaver switching layout was going to have an MRC sound system beneath the layout (not the sound-effects box, but the stationary decoder that came with a little handheld controller and a speaker minus enclosure...just 'consist' it with the loco and it synchronizes the sound functions for either the handheld or your throttle function buttons). At only 5' long, I figured I could get by with a single point source for the sound with a larger speaker since the loco wouldn't be traveling very far away from the speaker. The engine I was going to use could probably take a little speaker and sound decoder, but the MRC system was far cheaper and I think it sounds decent. By no means is it a tsunami or equivalent, but it adds a huge dimension to operating and can be turned off, of course. I'd think the situation would be even more ideal for N scale, to have a sound source beneath the layout, that is. A speaker placed at either end of the layout and your brain would put the sound at the moving locomotive.

Recently I operated on a layout with a very noisy sound equipped diesel. It wasn't so bad when it was out on the main, but most of the time it just sat in a yard and idled, noisily. The volume was really loud and I was actually relieved at the end of the op session when the layout power was shut down and I could hear myself think. So I know what you mean about silent running. Sometimes the quiet is nice.

Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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