Well, it's 2021 and Atlas has not managed to come out with a sound-equipped RS1 model in N Scale. So, this project pretty much guarantees we will probably see one coming out in the next 12-18 months!

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Starting with an Atlas Classic unit, I removed the shell and motor (see prior instructions on the other AA RS1 page) and then custom milled the frame. I set up a small grinding disk in my Dremel, and then locked the RS1 chassis into a vise, and trimmed off front, rear, and center portions of the frame to accommodate a Digitrax SDXN136PS decoder and speaker.

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Once everything was test fitted properly and the motor was electrically isolated from the frame, I soldered the orange and gray decoder wires to the motor and the black and red wires to the frame/track pick-up tabs. I then added a new LED front headlight wired to the decoder.

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I also had to mill off the interior side and top hood walls of the body shell, as the decoder is a fraction of a millimeter too wide to fit. After this was completed, the engine went back together nicely. It's a tight squeeze, but it can be done!

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After a couple of test runs, I shot a very basic video to show how the Ann Arbor RS1 runs and sounds. Enjoy!