DCC Sound variants

[CandygramforMongo]

I've had the DCC sound Thomas and Percy in my possession for over a month now, and I've had enough time to digest them and come up with a verdict.

I was pleased to discover that that they kept the added weights in Thomas much like his analog sound counterpart, and he's the smoothest running engine out of the two. Percy isn't nearly as heavy, but he still has some additional weight to him. I can't tell if it's from the speaker or not though. He's also a little bit more finicky than Thomas with his function responses, which I think can be chalked up to his short wheelbase.

Obviously, these both utilize the exact same soundfile used on the G scale variants. Bachmann confirmed this would be the case early last year. That's not much of an issue except that they didn't adjust the chuffs to match HO, which makes them severely out of sync with the wheels unlike the G scale ones. I plan on eventually going in and adjusting the CVs to fix this.

Overall though, these are fairly solid releases. And I do hope to see other engines in the line get the DCC treatment too.

[Chaz]

I recently picked up the DCC Sound Thomas and had the opportunity to test it with Kelson (redtender5) while on a call with DCC Sodor. I can confidently say that Bachmann and SoundTraxx truly delivered on the sound quality of this model. I was impressed enough that I have already purchased Percy online, who is currently on the way.

The CV includes the same sound suites and character options found in the Large Scale DCC Thomas and Percy models, featuring engines 1–7, Emily, and Spencer. While many of these characters were never released in Large Scale, Bachmann addressed this by offering a standalone DCC sound module, allowing fans to add DCC and sound to other models such as James, Toby, and Emily: engines that never received factory-installed DCC and sound.

Unfortunately, this same option does not exist in HO scale. At present, only Thomas and Percy are available with DCC and sound installed. Given that Bachmann already has these character sound suites—both from the Large Scale module and within the HO Thomas and Percy models—it feels limiting that HO fans have no way to access these sounds for other characters. This raises an important question: why can't HO modelers have the same flexibility when all of the characters represented in the sound suites are already available in HO scale? Wouldn't it be ideal to have that same level of choice?


This is why I believe a logical next step, either this year or next, would be to introduce the same DCC sound module used in HO Thomas and Percy as a standalone item. This would allow fans to add DCC and sound to the rest of the HO Thomas range without requiring the purchase of entirely new locomotives. Even owners of non-DCC Thomas and Percy models would benefit from having this option available.

Such an addition would not only expand customization options but also help bring more fans into the DCC side of the hobby. HO Thomas models have been on the market for many years with no signs of slowing down, and the standalone Large Scale sound module continues to sell well. In fact, it outlasted the now-discontinued Large Scale DCC Thomas and Percy engines (with the exception of Thomas in a set). This suggests sustained interest in modular DCC sound solutions, a trend that could easily carry over into HO scale.


A standalone HO DCC sound module would be a strong asset to the hobby. Bachmann is already encouraging DCC adoption through products such as the HO DCC turntable being a required purchase for the reintroduction of Tidmouth Sheds, and Bachmann Europe offers Thomas models that are DCC ready. These developments further support the case for investing in an HO DCC sound module.



Speaking of Bachmann Europe, this also raises another opportunity worth considering. In addition to a module featuring the same sound suites as HO Thomas and Percy, there is room for a second DCC sound module dedicated to other popular characters that currently have no sound options. Engines 1–7, Emily, and Spencer have been proven sellers for nearly two decades, with many expanding across multiple scales. Beyond them, Diesel and Paxton now have a presence in every scale, including Large Scale, making them strong candidates. Duck and Daisy are already available in the UK DCC-ready range and would also be well-justified inclusions. Oliver, who has remained a consistently popular seller for many years, feels like a natural choice as well. Introducing a second module with sound suites for these engines—and potentially other strong sellers—would be an exciting and forward-thinking move.

Ultimately, the fact that HO DCC sound Thomas and Percy have only been available for about a month and fans are already asking for more options speaks volumes. It strongly justifies Bachmann exploring standalone DCC sound modules for the HO Thomas range in the near future. I know I would purchase several for my own collection, and I'm confident many others would as well. I hope Bachmann will consider this, as it would positively impact not only HO Thomas fans, but the model train hobby as a whole.

Thank you to the Bachmann team for taking the time to consider this suggestion, and to fellow forum members for the continued discussion and shared enthusiasm for expanding DCC options within the HO Thomas range. I look forward to hearing future thoughts or updates on this topic.

[thomasj219]

This is a wonderful suggestion. I always wanted to grab one of these for G. In HO I'd be even more tempted because of the large number of engines. Even though I'm old school and just love the sounds of the engines running along the track.