DCC decoder installation in Bachmann locos

[mcfly5040]

ftp://I have purchased two Bachmann 4-8-2 locos, two three truck shays  and one Climax loco, all Bachmann products. Would they all be DCC ready, and if so which decoders do I buy? All my other locos are DCC equipped, and I am in the process of building my first DCC layout in HO.

[SteamGene]

The box should have on it - "DCC Ready" or "DCC on Board".  For the 4-8-2s you can look in the tender and see if it has a decoder or a plug. 
for installation ease, a Bachmann decoder might be the best way to go if you need to buy decoders.
Mersry Eighth Day of Christmas and Merry New Year.
Gene

[sour rails]

    They may already have DCC installed.  For the 4-8-2 locos, take the tender apart and you can easily tell if they have a decoder in them.  Bachmann locos use the 8-pin DCC connection type; if there is no decoder, any type of 8-pin plugs should work unless you want it to have sound, then you would have to find the sounds for that loco.  As for the Climax and the shays, I know nothing about them.
     OR
     If you have a DCC controler, test each loco one at a time on the track.  All Bachmann DCC equipped locos are preprogrammed to respond to address 3.  Hope this works.
Happy New Year

[kevin2083]

the shay has an 8 pin plug in the water tank.
I'm not sure if you would be able to fit a B-mann decoder in there. I think the Digitrax DZ123 is recommended. Then cut capacitors C1 and C2.

[ta152h0]

I have a 4-8-2 heavy mountain and for personal reasons, I bought a sound decoder for the beast. My goal is to have all my steam loco's make noise and when i am done with the layout, all the loco's running, i will have a concert in my house. My first DCC loco was 2-10-0 Russian decapod and it came with the Bachmann decoder, which has no sound. Bottom line becomes the answer to the question " you want sound ? "  It takes just as much effort to install a DCC decoder without sound as it does to install one with sound. Just a few more dollars and the economy will do better with sound ( price will go down ) By the way, the 4-8-2 has an interesting tender that allows the spoeaker to be installed under the coal cover, after dremelling a hole big enough for the speaker to slide into this area.

[WoundedBear]

I have 4 HO Shays and 1 Climax.....all run a Bachmann 44915 decoder.

There is a whole lot more room in the Shay than the Climax, but they do fit nicely.

Sid

[Frisco]

The Bachmann Decoder fits in the shay and 4-8-2(light) and work well .

[SteamGene]

All of the Bachmann steam I have: 4-8-2, light and heavy, 2-8-0, 2-6-6-2, 2-10-2 light, 2-8-4, plus the "medium" and the 16V Vanderbilt tender all can have a speaker mounted under the coal load. 
Merry Twelveth Day of Christmas.
Gene

[NS1202]

If there from the Spectrum line of protucts they should be at least DCC ready. If not, I don't Know.