Nice surprise in OF 4-4-0

[Steve Magee]

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

[max (uk)]

Just had a look inside mine. As I thought, no speaker.

Did you buy it second hand from someone who put a speaker in?

[Steve Magee]

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

[ChrisS]

Is it actually a speaker or just the cast speaker enclosure?

[Steve Magee]

A real speaker, even has two wires soldered to it and tucked out of the way.

[Stevelewis]

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

[railtwister]

There's a disk with Tsunami Decoder equipped Bachmann locos? 
I seem to have missed that...

Bill in FL