Robert, Thanks a bunch, as I overlooked these. I bought one, as I wanted an undecorated one to start with.

There were not several "Spectrums" on eBay, only one, and it went for $300! It looks like to me Bachmann would put these DDA40X Spectrums back in production, in HO scale. If they would come out with a DCC model, they could clean up!

Bach Man, was the last DD40 Bachmann made, which was in Spectrum, a better quality built DD40 than the older versions, which were just regular Bachmann's? Like better motors, drive train, etc, or was it just the same technology in a different box?

Nigel, can you lead me to the standard tune up proceedures for Athearn BB diesels? I'm at rogerdmoore9850@alltel.net. Use DD40 tune up for subject line. I'll convert the Bachmann and tune up the Aethern too, thanks, Roger.

Nigel, Thanks for your reply and that pretty well might be my problem. I custom painted the shell and paid a guy $100 for the converted Aethern DD40. I had to send it back to him when I got it because one of the motors was loose. But anyway, I can get the Bachmann for a song and thought I would convert it to DCC myself. Since it is equipped with flywheels, wouldn't it be a smoother runner than the Aethern? I know I have to isolate and insulate the motors.

Hey Bachman,
I am trying to find out  how smooth a runner was the referenced DD40AX. I understand this special Centennial unit had dual flywheels, which should make it smoother than a flywheeless dual motor unit. I have an old Aethern DD40 flywheeless dual motor unit I converted to DCC with sound and the gears makes about as much noise as the decoder! Will it be worth my time converting this one, or is gear noise just a fact of life with these DD40s?

Are there any smooth running diesels as large or larger than the old DD40 that Athearn used to make, although it wasn't a smooth runner. I have looked at several DD40s and own one, which I had converted  to DCC with a sound chip in it. But a sound chip is about a waste of money in these relics, as the gear noises drown out the chip sounds!

Here is an article I just read on the net about "Big Joe":

Little known fact that during the early 50's the Russians decided to claim the "Worlds Largest Locomotive" title by building the nuclear powered "Big Joe" a 4-12-12-12-12-0 monster built in super secret isolation at a secret military base located on the frozen Siberian tundra. Once completed, it was rolled out of the train shed onto the tracks only to realize that it was too big to go through tunnels and too long for any curves, and while they were figuring out what to next, the heat from the nuclear reactor melted the permafrost under the engine, where upon it crashed thru the rails, the crews leaping from the two-story control cab, sinking under its own ocean liner weight, thru the permafrost to the center of the Earth, never to be seen again!
All records were destroyed to prevent word of this huge embarrassment from reaching Western ears, the crews and builders were dispatched to the gulag's were they were put to work perfecting the Trabant automobile. The accounts are only now coming to light as the old timers who survived the gulag's recount the story to their great grandchildren on cold Russian winter nights...they tell them, if you put your ear to the ground, you can still hear the whistle bellowing deep under the Earth...
The "Big Joe's" were apparently quite Amazing sight to behold.
Imagine the largest articulated locomotive you've ever seen. A 4-12-12-0 in a cab-forward designation. The forward cab was 2 levels and looked more like a jet plane than a steam loco. Now take a second section 0-12-12-0 articulated with a secondary crew cab at the rear. Now imagine, straddling between these two monsters, pivoted mid-way of one of the articulated portions like a large square steel boiler section of a Bayers-Garret, looking much like a huge transformer, the Reactor Core, whose nuclear heart was the boilers heating source. To feed these steam monsters 3 huge water tenders trailing behind.
Of course no one knows just how heavy this beast was, but the fact that it essentially crashed thru the rails and sank under its own weight testifies that it never would have lasted past its first bridge!

I have been trying to find a drawing of the referenced train that I seen on the net years ago. I saved it on my PC, but it got destroyed in a house fire. There was never any photos were allowed of it, as Russia tried to cover up this big blunder. They even placed all involved building it under close guard to keep it quite. It was a two story nuclear powered locomotive and dwarfed the "Big Boy"! It made it about 100 feet out of its shop, where it was built, and had a nuclear melt down. It melted the permafrost beneath it, sunk between the rails and disappeared. Any help finding this info would be appreciated.

Okay, but can you re-program the address CV so as to change the loco's number, or does it have to already be programmed to your chosen address before you set it on its tracks? My son-in-law thinks he can take this Command set and control a 8 or 10 sound equipped train layout. I think he is expecting too much out of the Command set. He will at least have to have a booster, right? He is impressed by what all my mega buck system will do, but I told him he is going to have to spend some money!

Jim, Am I right in assuming the EZ Command sets come with a No sound decoder in the engine that's with it? I noticed it said it controlled lights and sound. Does that mean it will operate a unit with a sound chip in it? If so, probably only the bell and whistle, right? Thanks a lot for your help, Roger.

1-Is the contoller in this set the same as the one without the train?
2-How many DCC trains will it control?
3-Does it have the IO port?
4-Does it have on track programming capabilities?

I am just curious. I am a model railroader and retired. My dad worked for the railroad his entire life. Maybe I just didn't get to town enough, but we were the first ones to have TV in our backwoods community, but I have never seen any real life trains and box cars with all that advertising on them!. Was there ever a John Deere, Segram 7, Crown Royal, Dale Earnhardt, Harley Davidson, etc. trains, box cars and cabooses? You can get these model trains and cars with everything from shirts to applebutter  advertised on them. Just thought I'd ask. If this has been going on all this time, downtown, could some one let me know?

If the market follows suit with MRC (Model Rectifier Corporation), we will have no choice! When you go with their Prodigy Advance system or Advance Squared, DC will not even operate on it! I am afraid that some day soon we will be saying, "Remember those old DC days?"

How important is it to consist according to consisting rules? I have (2) F7 units that I just assigned the same number to and they do fine. I checked the individual speeds on them and they matched perfect. Do I need to use the MU programming mode, or is my way just as good?