January 18, 2007

SP Cab Forward Tsunami Coming from Soundtraxx

Buy Tsunami Here

Soundtraxx is planning to release a Tsunami version of the SP Cab Forwards soon. Ogden an avid SP fan has been bugging them for years. Looks like it has finally paid off!

The Southern Pacific Cab Forward 4-8-8-2 locomotive was distinctive in both appearance and sound.  There have been and are models that duplicate the appearance, but until now, there has been no sound decoders that reproduced the distinctive sound.  That has now been taken care of by the Cab Forward Tsunami just developed by SoundTraxx.  SoundTraxx sent me a preproduction sample to test, and following is my report of my test.

The sound of the air compressor exhaust was unique to the Cab Forwards, and was their signature sound.  It was a peculiar wheezing sound, and was due to the exhaust being a short pipe open to the air, and not going to the smokebox as was normal on most other steam locomotives.  SoundTraxx has duplicated this sound exactly from a recording made in the 1950's. CV112 needs to be programmed for dual compressors and the desired chuff sound.  I used a value of 97.  Also, Airpump Volume, CV 132, needs to be increased.  I used a value of 200.

In the late 1930s, SP's Sacramento Shop developed a 6 chime whistle as a standard for use on all SP steam locos except switchers and the 4-10-2s. The Cab Forwards used this whistle, and it is on the Cab Forward Tsunami.  Cab Forward classes AC8 through AC12 also had an airhorn installed The airhorn is also on this decoder. To use the airhorn as the alternate whistle, program CV 115 to a value of 144.

This decoder is scheduled to go into production in February 2007, and is a must have item for all SP modelers with Cab Forwards on their layouts.

Ogden L.