For Digitrax Sound decoders, you would need a Digitrax PR3 device. The PR3 has several useful features, the main two being a sound loader for Digitrax sound chips and a computer interface to your DCC system (allowing other software such as JMRI, RocRail or TrainController to operate your layout, or tools such as LocoNet Checker monitor the loconet traffic). The latter use can justify a PR3 on its own, so it may be worth buying even if you later decide that changing sounds isn't that simple.

For advice/help, I recommend the DigitraxSound group on Yahoo!. There you will find a number of helpful people, and references to a number of user-developed toolkits which are a considerable advance on the information, tools and documentation from Digitrax.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitraxsound

However, as a end-user loadable sound decoder, Digitrax decoders are low-cost and low-performance. So, my personal view is that they are not worth the effort to load your own sounds. The most capable sound decoders which are end-user adjustable are probably from ESU and Zimo. Each maker requires their own special hardware for loading sounds. Developing your own sounds for any make of decoder is not a trivial process, so you might want to investigate how this is done, how much work it might be, etc.. before spending money on expensive sound loading hardware.

- Nigel

 

Well I started to type just about the same, when I notice Nigel typing and thought you really don't want two post's saying much the same thing

I agree that the decoders are not the best, I still have 3 loco's with the digitrax decoders in with sounds I downloaded from the group, but I also have around 15 loco's with Loksound and Zimo, and have to say they are 100% better in sound and drive quality.

One thing I have found though, I have two digitrax decoders under the layout boards and have downloaded sounds to them that I got off the net. One Has quarry sounds ie conveyor sounds and machinery.

The other I plan to load sounds of a workshop so it will be under my TMD part of the layout. Just give them an address, and I can switch them on and off when I want.

 

Thanks guys, I'll research some more before making the investment.
This is for my grandson's "Thomas" layout and we just wanted a Thomas type whistle so like you say likely not worthy of a gigantic investment.

 

To be honest, if its just to do the one loco I don't think it would be worth the £50-60 for the PR3.

I was going to say if you were near me Id load a sound onto it for your grandson, then noticed you couldn't get much further away in Canada

 

Thanks for the thought Ian.