While construction of the actual wood benchwork and backdrop awaits the room being available, I have been weathering each locomotive and installing DCC decoders and/or DCC-Sound decoders as needed.
So far I have a Kato SD80MAC (EMD) in Norfolk Southern colors (#7204) which I installed ESU LokSound v3.5 DCC and Sound decoder. Installation was straight forward and the system sounds great. The decoder was purchased from Ulrich's hobby shop in California and they pre-programmed it with the correct SD80MAC sounds (air horn, etc). Weathering consisted of a some rust/grim on the trucks and a light grim dusting on the exhaust fans. This unit remains "pretty" for the most part as its my favorite loco. I installed the correct Multi-Unit (MU) hoses on front and back (these were purchase from Detials West online), painted them red and also painted all the step edges and hand rails yellow and then both gas tank covers and gauges red just like the prototype. I sealed the loco with a matte acrylic sealer. I also installed Kadee #58 couplers.
Next is a Kato SD70MAC (EMD) in Conrail colors (#4133) which I installed a MRC DCC-only decoder. Installation was also straight forward with no issues - simply remember to shield the decoder from all metal parts with black vinyl electrical tape. This unit will be permanently consisted with the NS #7204. MU consist #004. I weathered it heavier to show age and use with several dusts - grimy black, grey, and brown. I installed the correct Multi-Unit (MU) hoses on front and back (these were purchase from Details West online), painted them red and painted all step edges and hand rails white and again painted the gas tanks following the prototype. I sealed the loco with a matte acrylic sealer.
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