To all the owners of a new MRC Prodigy Wireless Remote that starts experiencing decoder problems with their locos. It states to recharge the batteries if the charge falls below 4 volts, but that is a little premature as it will behave correctly down to about 3 volts. But it doesn't just quit working, when in low battery state, it starts sending false signals! You may be clicking F12 and it will send a F11 signal, or in some cases will send it to the wrong loco! So before you start reprogramming your decoders, check your battery charge status. It will continue to send signals until the batteries are completely depleted, but not necessarily the right ones. This little ditty is not brought out in the manual!

Are any of the steam model trains prototypical when it comes to the way the pilot or trailing wheels are mounted? In other words, is all they support is their own weight and not part of the weight of the locomotive?

I am having a problem with adding traction tires on a MTH K-4 without giving up continuity. From experience I have learned that the more wheels you have drawing power from the track, the smoother your unit runs, especially in DCC. When I replace the regular drive wheels with the traction wheels, that came with the unit, it starts skipping along and sometimes stopping. This is a real problem in my 6 and 8 feet tunnels. I have some small grades and it won't pull my track cleaner without spinning its wheels. When I put the old wheels back on, it runs fine. Is this why MTH doesn't put them on from the factory? They use the words, " if you want to pull stumps", then use the traction tires. What good is all that traction, if you are out of gas!

I appreciate all the postings and have learned a lot about railroad housing I didn't know. I especially liked RAM's post about the call boy's job in those days. Back during the depression a friend of Dad's owed him $10 and went into service. He gave Dad a claim check for a new Indian motorcycle that was delivered in a crate to the depot. Dad had to pay $1.75 to pick it up, and with the gas rationing situation like it was, Dad traded it for a bicycle and never uncrated it. He gave the bike to the company's call boy to make his job easier.

I was just wondering if the old Southern Railway, in NC, was the only RR that furnished housing for their employees? It wasn't elaborate and I would dare say people wouldn't even live in these conditions now, but it was something SRR did out of pride in their employees, back in the 30s and 40s. My Dad spent most of his entire life on the SRR, but as a "section forman", in charge of about a 30 mile stretch of rail. SRR took old "beyond repair" box cars, placed them on side rails and converted them into housing for employees. I was born in one of those "box car houses'! In the early 40s, they started building 2 room regular houses along the rails at depots. After I was born my Dad had built up enough seniority to move into one of these real houses. He loved SRR and his job, but in 1948 he lost 15 men of a 17 man crew to a terrible wreck on the SRR and was in a comma for 6 months himself. This was all caused by one stupid employee who thought time tables wasn't important! Dad was never able to work on the railroad again, but SRR took care of him until his death in 1979. Lawyers hounded him continueously to sue SRR, but Dad never would. Times and peoples' attitudes sure have changed. How many would be that loyal to an employer this day and time? I am retired now, and since 2002, have built a $16,000 HO scale model layout, and of coarse, it is all SRR! I just wanted a model train set that my Dad could never afford and it kind of got out of hand! But I was just wondering if this housing thing was a common practice at all railroads, in by-gone days, or did the Southern have the market cornered?

Does anyone see any trend of sound decoder prices ever coming down? After all, for a few bucks more, you can just about buy a sound equipped locomotive, and in certain models for less money! It seems like they have been on the market long enough for the price to start dropping. A friend of mine, who is into decoder manufacturing, said the only cost difference on the assembly line, is a couple of bucks more of componants over non sound decoders. The price is simply based on supply and demand.

Stephen, I'll keep searching and hollow at you if I find anything. Thanks for reply.

I am in need of a pair of number boards for a Spectrum DD40AX. The original owner lost them! I am in the middle of a DC/DCC conversion and started the cosmetics and found the number boards missing. Any body out there got a junker they can rob. I'll be glad to pay for them. I also need a complete set of handrails for a DD40 Athearn. No luck finding either, online yet. Sounds like I got the DD40 blues, don't it?

Hey Robert, I got a little 'Diddy" of info for you! Do you remember what I told you the "experts" were saying at the start? Well, "Mr. Decoder"(Frank Verrico of MRC) emailed me and stated it was impossible to convert these type units to DCC, 1 or 2 motors, due to this type motor draw too much current. He is head of the technical department at MRC! See what I mean? By the way, I completed the light board like you said, but used the entire board. Using my hobby knife, I isolated the 3 circuits, soldered in 1K resistors like required and jumped the common legs together for the blue wire hook up. Now all I need to do is connect my blue, yellow and white decoder wires, when my decoder arrives.

Robert, That helped me a whole lot. That is basically what I have got and have the motors wired like yours and awaiting my sound decoder. But I have a couple of questions. Do I leave the in-line capacitors on the front and rear bulb circuits, or cut them out and just go blue/yellow and blue/white? But on the other hand, what if I used my hobby knife and sever one of the circuits between the front and rear lights, at the original DC clips location. Then I could connect the yellow and white to each leg and the blue common to the other clip location. That would not only put the lighting in DCC mode, but will leave the beacon light in tact. Or do I need to seperate that too and maybe run it off another one of the accessory light wires. I think the MRC has a special beacon light wire on it, as it is a 19 function decoder. Thank you for all your help. It's people like you that makes this hobby worth while!

Thanks Robert,will be waiting!

Robert, thanks for your reply and your comment makes sense! I was told the DD40AX was same as the DD40, but when I got my Spectrum DD40AX, it measured 1.25" longer than the Athearn DD40. As a matter of fact, I have been running my Athearn dual motor on a single decoder for a year and have had no problems. But these motors are about twice the size and I thought they needed more power. I am still waiting on my MRC decoder and was wondering how you wired your light board in to the decoder. I've isolated the motors from the frame and removed the 2 spring power pick up clips from the light board. Do I isolate the circuits on the board with my hobby knife, then use my correct wires from the decoder? Do I run the decoder wires through the capacitors or by-pass them? Can I use the firebox wire for the beacon light power? Does the decoder have it's own built in resistors, or do I have to add them? Do you know a link depicting this, or maybe a picture of your wiring? I am taking my time with this one to get a near perfect factory looking upgrade as possible. Your help will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Roger.

I am using a Digitrax DH123 for the straight decoder and a MRC #1632 Sheer Brilliance for the sound decoder. I have the DH123 installed on the rear motor and working and waiting on the MRC. I am using a Prodigy Advance Squared, 2 of them. I have a MRC Power Station 8 booster, but I always keep it set on it's lowest setting. I have nearly 250 feet of track and 18 trains, so far. You say I need to call up bit 2 on CV29 and set both decoders to 0? Thanks for your help.

I am putting dual decoders in a Spectrum DDA40X dual motor unit, at the recommendations of several "experts" and have got 1 question, due to "they" say 2 motors would overload 1 decoder. How do I check the synchronization? It has always been an issue in a consist, but this was easy to check in that situation. This unit will have a straight no-sound decoder and the other is a sound decoder and will probably be a major mis-match!

Need help! I have got a permanant ink printer and some Walthers decal paper. I have tried from draft to high color settings and get terrible copies. What's the trick?