I was hoping for that. I had bought a Norfolk Southern one a couple of years ago that had a gorgeous shell, but the chassis was one of the old split frames. I don't want to have to deal with that again.

On a related note: Why did Bachmann jump their model numbers around with regards to the engines being DC, DCC Ready, or DCC? I've seen 85000 series that are DCC, while some 86000 series are still DC. It's pretty annoying to have to guess what type of engine one is when there isn't a logical progression.

I know they are old, but I love the look of the various Spectrums. I was looking at getting either one of these two engines: 86019 or 86030. I was wonder which one is DCC Ready, or has DCC On-Board.

Something weird is that even though the Thomas is listed as longer than the Atlas roundhouse, it actually has a smaller footprint. When I had an Atlas turntable and roundhouse, I could only fit 6 stalls onto my 8x4, and that was pushing it. My Thomas roundhouse and turntable have enough free space that I could add more than the 6 stalls I have on there now. If the power track wasn't in such a weird spot, I could probably put 4 more stalls onto my table.

I seem to remember that it is 20 degrees, or something odd like that. It's not really compatible with anybody's roundhouse without some modifications. Best deal is to find one of the Thomas roundhouses and repaint it. That's what I ended up doing, it was cheaper and easier that way.

I've had both, and they sound roughly the same. I think the Bachmann is slightly quieter because the plastic is thicker.

I have two of these crossover sections on my layout, and I am able to control them fine. The problem I am having is that if I leave them closed, an engine coming on the second track will short out crossing over the connecting rail. When I remember to open the switch, I don't have this problem. Is there something wrong with my crossovers, or am I doing something wrong other than leaving the switch closed?

On a related note, I also have one of the WYE switches where if I leave the rail open or closed, one side of the switch never has power. I thought it might be because the black wire underneath was disconnected, so I plugged it in, but that doesn't make a difference.