I got side tracked about 1-2 years ago when I was working on my Big Hauler. Here's whats up:
  I purchased a loco chassis when, they were on sale, that has the upgrade for the anniversary model...metal side rods etc.. I was installing DCC in the new chassis and sound but never could get them BOTH to work. They would work for about a minute or two and then just the DCC would work. Thats where I stopped and had to abandon my efforts. So, now I think I can get back into it all. I have the DCC module installed and it works great. Now as far as the sound module goes, here is what I want to do. I want to install the sound module in the tender. I am going to use the speaker that is in the tender and the battery compartment to keep the sound going when the tender isnt moving. Since there is only TWO rails and not three like on the "O" scales, I have a magnet and pickup for on a left wheel that I will install. The tender will have sound like most or some of the "O" scale tenders have and will be towed behind the engine. I tried installing everything in the engine and running the wires from the engine to the tender to the speaker, but I may have burned up one module in the past. I am eliminating the connection between engine and tender. Does this sound like I am on the right track?  

I see a lot of the True Blast Plus sound units for diesels. I go on You Tube and see some steam engines that have the one for steamers but I dont see any listed on Bachmann trains for sale. I dont see any for sale anywhere period. I left a message for the service dept here at Bachmann. Anyone know why the steamer ones are soooo hard get?? Any part numbers?

 Hey guys! I have a Silverado set and thought I would upgrade the bottom half of the engine with the Anniversary frame and chassis with the metal side rods. Got it today BUT I notice on the back of the unit there are TWO connectors and a switch. My engine only has ONE connector and a switch. My tender only has one  connector. If I plug the tender into either connector on the new engine and fire them up, all I get is a loud screech from the tender speaker. Do I need to purchase one of the newer tenders that has two connections? I understand the two connectors on the new engine, one is for sound and one it for lights? Which is which?

    Lastly, I am NOT a happy camper with Bachmann. The new Anniversary frame and chassis arrived DAMAGED! No damage to the outer shipping carton, but the cardboard liner holding the engine was DAMAGED. Front wheel axle was busted in half. No damage in transit. It had to be pulled off the shelf broken & packaged that way.. Someone should pay attention to their job.

Sorry I rant on, but I was eagerly awaiting for this part.

   Its been some time that I have been on here. I am looking for information for the J & S passenger cars. Some years ago I was looking for info on how to take the incandescent lights OUT of the passenger cars and replace them with LED lights. I cant find the instructions any more and have been looking online for maybe a KIT. I would have thought someone or someplace would have made a kit by now but I cant find any. I would like to know what all I need to hook up the LEDS to the 9v battery under the car. What volt should the LEDs be? I know a resister needs to be added. I did this once some years ago (2009?) and it worked out good. Anyone got an idea where to get instructions and maybe a parts list?

Thanks!!

Hi to everyone!
   I have been out of the loop for awhile and am getting back into my trains. Here is what I have:

Williams Southern Crescent Semi- Scale Hudson Engine & Tender Set, Cab# 1401. This has the True Blast II Digital Whistle & bell. I want to upgrade it to the Electric Railroad's sound kit with Railsounds. Question is: Will I have any problems with the reverse board that is in the tender. Does the engine get its power from the coupler between the engine & tender? I plan to take out the True Blast II module & speaker & replace it with the Electric Railroads components.
    I see there is some talk about the True Blast II Plus. Enlighten me on that as well. Thanks for any info anyone can share.

   I have a large scale passenger set....Virginia & Truckee. I took the engine and tender to my local hobby shop and had them put DCC and sound in it. Wow!! I am really glad I did! Runs alot better and the sounds of the chuffing and bell and whistle really set it off. Was not that expensive to have it done. The cost of the DCC & sound was around $100.00 and the installation was about $40.00. Took the hobby shop less than a week to do it. I have another large scale engine that I am going to take there and have done. The sound makes all the difference!

      The reversing board that is in the Williams tender with sound. How do they control the engine? I dont see any wiring running from the tender to the engine. Does it operate the engine through the power in the rails? I assume the tender is a pullalong unit Also is it possible to connect a Railsounds unit to the board plugged in like the Williams unit is without burning up the board or the railsounds unit?

   Hi there,

     I have a Southern Steamer that I would like to add the Southern Crescent Limited decals to including the crescent moons. This would be for an O-scale engine. I thought I saw them one time on the Net but I have looked and now I cant seem to find them. If anyone would happen to know a company/site that carries them, would you please point me in that direction.

Thanks!

   Just a couple of questions:

   Has anyone fitted end of car rubber diaphragms to Williams heavyweight passenger cars without any major modifications?

   Also, I see alot of Williams heavyweight Southern Crescent passenger cars out there for sale. Some ads show them with green matching roofs and some show them with black roofs. Both are listed under #43461. How can BOTH colors be listed under one part#?

    Does Williams or some other manufacturer make passenger car diaphragms to fit Williams heavyweight passenger cars? I know MTH sells them but dont know if they will fit Williams cars. K-line used to sell them also. Anyone found any for their cars?
Thanks,
New Choochoo

   Hi there all,
    I have a Bachmann Big Hauler Steamer 4-6-0 that I would like to add a decoder and sound to. I was thinking along the lines of the Digitraxx DG583S so it can handle the amps if it should go over 1.0 amp. Would there be a way to add a chuff,whistle and bell to the engine activated by the buttons on the controller. I currently have the Bachmann Dynamis system with the 5amp booster to power the train. I also have a Soundtraxx 1000 Tsunami but it is only rated at 1amp and I don't know if the engine would draw more than that and burn up the decoder. The engine is fairly new,1-2 yrs old,hardly been used. A Virginia & Truckee. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
   I talked to a hobby shop locally and they are not sure if the large scale could handle the 1amp decoder.

   I just purchased two new Bachmann manual switches #'s 94351 & 94352. When I installed them with new Bachmann track, they seem to be a bit different. The shape of the rail on the switches seems to be a bit different than the track that is connecting to them. When the engine and cars pass over them there is a BUMP at the connection and the train is kind of rocky as it passes over. The switches work ok but I would expect a better connection for the price. Think they are defective as in made wrong?

  OK! So I have the train set and now I was going to install the optional track lighting on the passenger cars. I must be doing something wrong and don't know it. Everytime I hook up the wires and turn on the power, the power supply says I have a SHORT. Am I only supposed to use ONE of the trucks for the power or both? Looking at the wheel sets, are they insulated on one side. They don't look it to me.  I am connecting neg to neg to the neg terminal on the battery box and pos to pos on the positive terminal. Tried different connections and it still does it. Take the car off the track and everything is OK. I must be missing something??

PS....the cars are the Jackson & Sharp battery operated G scale.

   I just bought a NEW Big Hauler Set...The Silverado #90050. What generation engine can I expect to get in it? Will it be a generation 4 or 5. I know it wont be an Annie. I can HOPE though...LOL

 I am starting to get into G scale and am finding that track is a huge expense. For now I am going to go with Bachmann silver tin type track. I purchased some USED track and want to clean it up a bit. Tried Brasso and chrome cleaner and even WD40 but its just like using water. The track doent cleanup worth a darn! Any ideas other than going to brass track? I am using the train indoors in a heated room raised up on a table.

 Has anyone upgraded a G scale 4-6-0 big hauler to DCC and sound? Sure would like some ideas.
Thanks

  I am looking for a wiring harness for between the loco and tender. I need a six pin connector with wires attached. I located the sound decoder in the tender and need to connect 2 wires for the track power, 2 wires for the headlight and 2 wires for the motor. All power sources are in the engine. Tried Miniatronics but didn't see anything there only up to 4 connections. Soundtraxx has a 12 pin connector kit which is a little too much. Any help would be appreciated.

  Thanks!

   I bought this sound decoder just to get my feet wet so to speak and see if I like the way it works while not breaking the bank money wise. Its OK for me but it came with a 1" diameter speaker and I think it would sound a whole lot better with a larger oval speaker. Question is where do I get a 32 ohm speaker for this Digitrax decoder? I see alot of 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers out there. Will they work? Don't want to destroy the decoder. Any ideas? Thanks guys!

  First off let me say that I am somewhat new to DCC. Most of my trains have been DC. I am trying to keep up with the times and am learning as I go. So here is what I want to do. I have the Daylight GS4 and it is equipped with DCC. I want to upgrade to sound. I see that the decoder in the tender has an eight pin plug that plugs into a board. I assume that one of the sound decoders made by Digitrax, MRC or Soundtraxx, will plug into the socket in its place. I want the motor functions and sound but don't want to have to solder connections etc...There is a place for a speaker also. Any recommendations on which decoder I should get? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

   Here's one of those things that happens clear out of the blue for no reason at all.
I was working on my layout and picked the engine and tender up and all of a sudden I was missing the drawbar that connects the tender and the engine together. It WAS screwed to the tender but somehow the screw came loose and I didn't notice it and the bar and screw fell off. I have searched the room numerous times but no luck in finding it. Anyone know where I can get a drawbar for this engine?? Anyplace that carries parts like this for steam engines? Help!