Hello everyone. Its been over a year since my last post.

Playstation kind of distracted my now 9 year old son from full time model trains, but the TRAINZ PC simulator has renewed his interest. So he asked Santa for a steam engine to pull his Roundhouse Harrimann CN passenger cars.

Santa will be delivering a new Spectrum Baldwin 4-6-0 with 63" drivers dcc ready (cat 82307) but I want to install a dcc decoder. My sons layout is steel ez track with the EZ command system and a standalone sound (MRC 312 soundstation). Everything works great!

I see from this forum many options and technical discussions. This will be my first decoder installation. I am comfortable doing soldering etc. but I don't want to mess up this beautiful loco.

So best value options are?
- basic non sound decoder (Bachmann?) - which one?
- basic sound decoder (to use with the EZ command system) and would it require modifying the tender to hear the sound?
- anyone have step by step instructions
- or should I choose to have a hobby shop do the install. What should I expect to pay?

Thanks all in advance for your suggestions.

DerekO 

P.S. is anyone still trying to "FREE the 2" straights"?!

Mr. Bach-man: I'm building a shipyard as part of my ez track layout and am looking for smaller size freighters and tugs. What size were the ships you used in your layout and could you tell me where I can source them from?

Also, a related question - how did you fasten the ez track to the foam - with caulk, glue or screwed in?

Thanks

Derek

Hi everyone - just starting my scenery and landscaping and am scratching my head on this. I've read that elevating your building sites and roads 3/8" is necessary to bring them into proper scale.

I can see the doors on the boxcars will lineup with the platform edge and it will be easier for my son to drive his vehicles over the railway crossings.  But, I didn't think railroad rails are always level with the ground.

Should I be elevating just the building or walkways around the buildings? Should all the roadway be elevated or just near the crossing? Is 3/8" correct?

Details.....yikes. 

I am planning to completely landscape the layout and am not worried about 100% prototypical. Just don't want to make stupid mistakes that have me backtracking ten steps.....

Thanks for your comments.

Derek