Dave, unfortunately, the answer to your question as which coupler is: It Depends. Different cars, even from the same manufacturer, can take different couplers, so it depends on which cars you have and who made them. Fortunately, Micro-Trains has a coupler conversion guide on their website that attempts to list which coupler model fits what. Note that I said "attempts" because there is always an exception to the rule. I would look at this guide first, before you buy anything, to give you an idea of what is available. Couplers are usually available in short, medium or long shanks, with overset, underset or centerset heads, as well as some more unusual styles for specialty situations. Looking at the guide should at least give you an idea as to what is applicable for your situation. Hope this helps.

I used to model in N scale and used Micro Trains and Bachmann couplers interchangeably. Never had a compatibility problem. As with any product, sometimes you get a balky coupler in either brand and you have to change it out. The Micro Trains coupler height gauge worked on both brands. Hope this helps.

I don't know if this holds true for the Prodigy Express system or not, but in order to program my Bachmann locomotives on my Digitrax Zephyr system, per Digitrax support, I have to add a 1K-ohm resistor across the rails on the programming track in order for the Digitrax system to recognize the Bachmann decoders. According to Digitrax support, some of the Bachmann decoders do not generate enough of a "load" for the Digitrax system to recognize them. Once I added the resistor, all of my programming problems disappeared. Digitrax also recommends removing the resistor when programming other (non-Bachmann) decoders. Again, the above may not hold true for your system. Hope this helps.

Scottmac, I don't know if this will help you or not. I also don't know how to get at the wipers on the back of the wheels either. However, I own several Porters, both 0-4-0 and 0-4-2, which are notoriously finicky when it comes to power pickup. What I do is lay the locomotive upside-down in a foam cradle and apply power to the wheels using a 9-volt battery, This is enough to turn the wheels slowly. Then I take a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol and hold it onto the back of each wheel as it is turning. I do this several times to each wheel. You would be amazed at the amount of gunk that comes off each wheel. The above procedure usually solves my electrical pickup problems. Just so you know, I generally only have to do this approximately once or twice a year. FYI, I also own a Whitcomb diesel but have not had any problems with it so far. Hope this helps.

I've used the new parts interface at least a half-dozen times, have placed two orders and have not had any problems. I didn't know about the "hovering" feature until it was mentioned by Bachmann Industries above, but have since used it, and find it to be a real timesaver. Good job, Bachmann.

That looks great, Terry! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I agree with Terry. Unfortunately, older engines, like what you have, are not as easy to convert to DCC as it may seem. First, you would have to know whether or not the motor is electrically insulated from the frame in order for the DCC decoder to function. Next, you would have to find space for the decoder and the speaker. In many of the older DC locomotives, the frame (read weight) occupied most, if not all, of the space in the locomotive and many refits required milling of said frame to make enough room. It is possible to install the decoder and speaker in the tender but then you would have to install a wiring harness between the locomotive (for the power pickup, motor and lights) and the tender. BTW, since you mention that the loco is Dept. 56, I've been going with the assumption that it is HO scale. If its N scale, the work will be a lot more difficult due to size issues.

Purchasing a locomotive, such as Terry suggested, and swapping the bodies on the loco and tender might be a much better, and probably cheaper, way to go. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info, Terry.

That looks sharp, Terry! Are you using a 9V battery or something smaller?
Great looking car. You're giving me ideas and that's dangerous  .

Well, it seems that in order to view the pictures, one must have Facebook account and, since I don't have one, I can't view them. Thanks for trying.

No, I don't think so. As inflation keeps on going and prices rise, more income must go to meet day-to-day living expenses, thus leaving less and less disposable income for "luxury" items, such as hobbies. That's when businesses close due to lack of sales. In my 75 years, I've seen this happen several times and usually what happens is that once the economy settles back down, prices stabilize and, eventually, wages catch up also. That's when there will be more disposable income available again for the "luxury" items. How long this cycle will take is anybody's guess. Hopefully, it won't be more than a year or two.

Just keep in mind its not only model railroading that's affected, its most other hobbies also.
Hope this helps.

I still have a quite a few (perhaps 20 or so) Testors model paints and they still work very well. However, as with most, if not all model paints, they have a certain luster to them, even the flat paints, that will not match the original model. The solution to that is, after you're done painting, to give the model a coat of a clear flat finish. Testors Dullcote worked well for this but it has been discontinued however, I have also used a flat finish from Tamiya. Hope this helps.

Muggzy, Since I do not model in HO, I'm not familiar with your particular locomotive, but since I model in On30 and my DCC system is from Digitrax, I'm very familiar with Bachman/Digitrax combinations. First of all, just so you know, since DCC is a standard created by the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), as long as a manufacturer's decoder adheres to those standards, it will work with your setup. Therefore, you are not limited to using only Digitrax decoders.

From your questions, I think what you are asking is whether or not Bachmann makes a specific decoder for your locomotive. Since I'm not familiar with your engine, I don't have the answer to that but perhaps someone else can chime in on this with more information. However, one thing I do know is that Digitrax has an excellent decoder selection tool on their website. You plug some information such as manufacturer, model, etc. in and it will list some suggestions of what would work in your locomotive. I'm assuming that other DCC manufacturers have similar tools but I would try Digitrax's first. If nothing else, it will provide you with a starting point. Hope this helps.

You're welcome, John. One thing I forgot to mention is to also clean the wheels on the locomotive with alcohol or mineral spirits. I just use a cotton swab to go around the each wheel. Don't worry if there are some portions of the wheel where the cotton swab won't reach. As long as you get most of the crud (if any is present) off, you should at least be able to tell if the locomotive runs OK. Hope this helps.

One thing you could try would be to clean the rails. You said you purchased extra track which, if its been sitting on the shelf in the store for a while could be corroded. The corrosion may not be visible to the naked eye. I usually clean my track with either isopropyl alcohol or mineral spirits on a soft cloth or folded paper towel. Try not to use anything abrasive as this will leave micro-scratches on the rail surface which will collect dirt faster and require more frequent cleaning. Hope this helps.