May last year I bought the outside frame 4-4-0 at a train show, ran it with its fitted Bachmann decoder a few times then put it aside until I could get a replacement QSI decoder and fit sound to it. As anyone here who is waiting to get a QSI decoder will know, production was suspended pending introduction of the new Titan series. I am still waiting .....
Anyhow I bought a new (non-sound) budget priced decoder to try, and the 4-4-0 was nearby. On opening the tender up I was stunned to find a speaker already mounted in the base of the tender and acting in place of the normal weights installed in others. I may not now have to chop the base up to fit a HiBase, time and trial will tell.
But thanks B'mann, a nice touch and could save us modellers who use sound extra work and expense.
Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust
Just had a look inside mine. As I thought, no speaker.
Did you buy it second hand from someone who put a speaker in?
No, mine came from a normal retail outlet who was at the (Brisbane, Qld) show, all new, still sealed up in box. Very odd. I'm fairly certain that Bachmann would not have done a special run for Oz that included a speaker. Maybe this is something the Bach-man might like to answer - just out of curiosity.
Steve
Is it actually a speaker or just the cast speaker enclosure?
A real speaker, even has two wires soldered to it and tucked out of the way.
It is not unusual to find NON Sound locos, already fitted with speakers,these days
I have 2 4-4-0s which were, Also this occurs with other scales and manufactrers locos
The manufacturers cost price for speakers is fairly low, and fitting speakers to all locos in the manufacturing stage probably in the long run is less expensive than assembling 2 seperate batches.
Incidentally I just transferred a Tsunami Sound decoder from A 4-6-0 to a brand new 2-6-6-2 Mallet, the mallet had a speaker fitted already.
In case any one is wondering changing the sound effects from 4-6-0 to Mallet is very easy using the CV info supplied on disc with the Tsunami decoders
There's a disk with Tsunami Decoder equipped Bachmann locos? ???
I seem to have missed that...
Bill in FL