I just completed modifications to my Bachmann On30 shay last night which include installtion of a Soundtrax decoder and fabrication and installation of electrical contact wipers similar to Geren Mortenson's wipers.  Thanks again to "Smokin' Porter" for your help and encouragement!  I have gone from being an armchair model railroader to a "real" modeler almost over night.

Anybody had any experience with the MRC 1639 Sound decoder?  It is a plug in sound decoder, but it has one pin marked "1" on the top of the plug and another marked "1" on the bottom.  Can anybody tell me how to positively identify either pin 1 or pin 8 on this decoder?  I would like to try it on my 2-8-0 but I am afraid I'll fry something if I can't figure out whcih pin is the "real'' pin 1.

I recently purchased a Bachmann On30 Forney with the factory installed Tsunami sound decoder.  Although my EZ Command controller will operate all functions properly on decoder address 0003, I cannot assign another address to this locomotive.

I also recently purchased a MRC Prodigy Advance 2 and have the same problems with it.  It won't program the Forney on the main or the program track!

Another group told me I had to purchase a "programming boooster".  I thought this DCC was supposed to be fun.  I have a lot of money wrapped up in this stuff and it doesn't work any better than a cheap kid's toy.

What do you say Bachmann?