DCC/Sound Addition: Atlas PRR SD35

Mistakes were made....

I came across a used Atlas Classic Pennsy SD35, Road Number 6008. It was straight DC, no sound. So I decided to add DCC/Sound to it. It looked like it would be easy. The unit has a spot in the rear weigth for two round 30mm speakers. I figured out a way to use the TCS AS-MB2 Motherboard, as this has JST sockets that were a perfect fit for the original Atlas JST connectors. Plus I got the AS-MB2 with the wire connector kit- and it included several pairs of wires with the JST plugs. Yeah Baby!

So I doodle along, figure out how to install the motherboard and the KA4 Keep Alive, and I was able to reuse the original Atlas LEDs for the front and rear headlights. I bought two TCS 30mm round speakers that fit right into the rear weight speaker location. I weathered the shell, programmed the decoder (ESU 58429), and tested everything on the layout minus the shell. Oh man, I am SOOOO smart!

NOT!! Seems the TCS speakers were too thick, and they did not allow the shell to fit down over the internals. DAMN. So, I had to disassemble the speakers and try to find others that fit. Luckily I discovered that Litchfield Station has one that is designed to fit into the Atlas units. I got a pair, installed them, and the shell- SHE FITS!

Now the unit is totally together and working fine. The sound isn't fantastic, but it is okay. This unit will most likely be a trailer, so one should only hear the Prime Mover.

I learned a bit- ALWAYS measure EVERYTHING inside a unit when doing a DCC converstion- multiple times! The simplest things can bite you in the a@#.