Bachmann Decapod Release 2019 Announcement

Does anyone know if Bachmann is going to release a N scale version? Enquiring minds want to know.

Joe

 

I don’t think they did one before, did they?

A connected LHS guy told me several years ago that Bachmann was going to re engineer their steamers. They’ve since brought out three engines with molded on detail, ruined the 52” driver 4-6-0 boiler molds by carving molded on plumbing into them, and actually upgraded the 2-8-0 with better tender connections and a nice bright headlight. I’d like to see them make a couple of different boiler/cabs for the 2-8-0, especially an SP one , and apply the oil Vanderbilt tender they used to sell. They could make a different and better boiler/cab for the 2-6-0 and put the more typical Richmond 4-4-0 tender behind it.

 

Thanks. Great info

 

FEM= Frisco Employee Magazine
The Mudline=Pensacola Sub
FSS&RI= Fort Smith, Subiaco & Rock Island

The oil burning Bolsheviks generally worked the Western and Southwestern Division. The coal burning Bolsheviks did work the Pensacola Sub, and over the Frisco's other numerous secondary lines. They also found use as power on branch line passenger trains, e.g, the Clinton Sub.

Nearly every Frisco steam locomotive, whether oil or coal, had a smoke density lamp.

 

What is TCS?

 

I have a few diesels with TCS WOW sound. I've had good experience with them so far, they run fine, just like their tried and true silent decoders. Not sure when they were produced though, the previous owner did the install.

 

Pretty hard to beat Soundtrax. They perform better, others are good, Soundtrax is the best.

 

Okay, so I bought one of these babies (cost about $275) and it works just fine, but I had to program it on the main. This seems to be a consistent "must" for Bachmann locomotives, at least with an NCE system, My only quester is whether there is a volume control with the WOW Sound? I don't really care for sound decoder-equipped locomotives anyway, but with a steam engine, sound is the whole reason for having it in the first place, so is there a way to just dial it down a bit?

GS

 

I’m about to order the 1624.

When I got back into model railroading in 2007 after 41 years out, Bachmann on board Soundtraxx sound had not been out very long. I got a couple of steam engines and WOW . I myself can’t run a silent engine anymore, it’s like pushing a corpse around.

I have a friend well placed in the model railroad industry and he does not think highly of TCS sound decoders. But I’m willing to give this one a try. I’m sure there’s a way to turn the sound off besides disconnecting the speaker. When I find it I’ll report.

I myself own about 15 first generation diesel locomotives but they are to run on other people’s layout. No diesel will ever polish my home rail. There will never be a “transition” on my railroad .

 

Near as I can tell, you can turn the sound OFF, just not DOWN. And BTW, I have about 30 locomotives on my layout, all of which see active duty at some point during a 4:1 24-hour op sessions. Perhaps my hearing is overly acute, but the noise all that would make if they all had sound decoders would be enough to make me give up the hobby.

GS

 

It's a Frisco locomotive, with at least one example that is still alive in the present day. I'm willing to cut that much slack, but no more.

GS

 

There should be CV settings to control the overall sound, as well as individual sounds. I do not have a decoder that doesn't have such features. The challenge is finding the documentation for the particular decoder, for CV's are not the same from mfg'er to mfg'er.

Andre

 

Soundtraxx decoders have cv 113 which makes engines remain silent until you activate the engine, and go silent after a time interval that you set. My little layout can only handle 5 engines at a time, and before I discovered cv113 I’d have to turn the sound off individually on each one before I went nuts.

 

Near as I can tell, TCS uses something called "Audio Assist": https://tcsdcc.com/audio_assist
You press function 8 several times on a controller, and it's like setting an answering machine: https://tcsdcc.com/sites/default/files/2018-05/WOWSteam Sound Manual v4.pdf (see page 5). I haven't used one or seen one, so I have no idea how aggravating it is.

I agree, though, just about every sound decoder comes factory set too loud. If I'm more than 5 feet away I don't want to hear them, with the exception of the bell and horn/whistle.

 

Oh I want em loud, just one at a time though. Only one engine moves at a time so it’s ok.

My layout runs between two rooms. Sometimes I sound a whistle in the other room to check status. Gotta be loud enough for that.

The factory sound-equipped Bachmann Richmond and Baldwin 4-4-0, and the low boiler ten wheeler, were all small tender engines. You could barely hear those little engines and couldn’t turn em up. I hardly run them because of that. Then, again, one of my ears is only half functional so I can’t hear anyway.

What I don’t like about the TCS is the separate remote or whatever it is that you need to set cv’s. Very toy like and loseable . And what if you have two TCS engines next to each other? Are they both affected? That by itself is enough to make me not get it.

 

I'll try it.

GS

 

Okay, I tried it. Press F8 four times and a charming female voice (much nicer than the GPS voice in my Audi) rises out of the depths of the tender tank and says, "Use button one to adjust speaker volume." After I got that fixed, she said "Use button zero to exit Audio Assist." When I pressed zero, she said, "Good-by-eye." Problem solved. Amazing.

GS