Bachmann Spectrum Tenders

[Pacific Northern]

Are the Spectrum tenders being sold separately are the ready for sound units or would one have to drill out the speaker holes and re-position the PC boards?

[ABC]

All the ones I've seen do not have holes drilled out and the PC boards would have to be repositioned. But the Santa Fe 2-10-4 I know comes with holes drilled and well suited for aftermarket sound installation.

[Chris350]

I picked up a Hicken tender that is sound ready, and fits a tsunami with a small (or was it medium) oval speaker perfectly.  So yes they are in some cases.  Look at eh ones in the red box with the clear plastic insert.  The older Black box tender s are less likely to be sound ready

[rich1998]

just got the medium tender, black box. not ready for sound. has a pc board. came with two connectors with short wires?
lex

[ABC]

So it seems if it is in a Black Box with shinny gold lettering then it is not. But if it is in the new red box then they are most likely sound ready, because all the ones I have came from the old black boxes. I had a hicken, a long vandy, a short vandy and 1 USRA tender...none of them ready for sound.

[wjstix]

You can pop the coal load out and install a 1" speaker there - you do need to drill a hole for the two wires from the speaker to the decoder. I did that with my 2-6-6-2 and it works very well.

[pdlethbridge]

The 2-8-0 and 2-10-0 do not have speaker holes but the 4-4-0 does.

[Pacific Northern]

You can pop the coal load out and install a 1" speaker there - you do need to drill a hole for the two wires from the speaker to the decoder. I did that with my 2-6-6-2 and it works very well.

wjstix

Thanks, on another condern, could you tell me if your 2-6-6-2 with your DCC decoder added surges when it is under load on when it runs on an incline, going up or down. 

I want to add DCC to my 2-6-6-2 but there is a posting indicating there may be a design flaw with this engine when you add DCC and run on inclines.  That would be a shame as my 2-6-6-2 is one of my finest running engines.

[Yankeeflyer]

Stix Hi
You probably saw me complaining, I was waiting for a reply from my last post for a final summary, but after all of my work since I bought my 2-6-6-2 in June i have come to the conclusion that the loco will run fine on DC because there is a steady power to it. Now put it on DCC with a decoder that's trying to keep a constant speed, that's a whole nuther thing as they say.
I talked to Tom today at Bachmann and I will probably send mine back and after he sees it I may exchange the 2-6-6-2 for another one or for a different kind. In June I had him pull a new 2-6-6-2 from the box and check the slop in the drive train, which sounded like the same as mine. Almost a quarter turn of the drivers when you pick it up and roll the wheels.
Those are my thought others may disagree.
good luck
Lee

After thought: If I understood Tom right today, Bachmann has not received any new stock on the 2-6-6-2 and that which is out there is old stock.

[SteamGene]

I ran one of my USRA light Mallet 2-6-6-2's yesterday to check clearances.  I ran it upgrade twice and downgrade twice, both forward and reverse.  No slop of any sort except for the dirty track.  I'm with Sheldon - they are smooth runners.  I run DCC, too.
Gene