Bachmann plus EMD F7 A & B Powered

[dankoesterman]

Hello

I have a chance to buy a new Bachmann plus F7 A & B powered unit, My ? is, are this engines worth spending the money to put DCC with sound, the engines are selling for $25.00 for the pair.

Thanks

[Doneldon]

dan-

You are the only person who can answer your question. However, I can observe that you are talking about spending $100 or more to improve a model which you can buy for $25. And depending on just what models you want to buy (you haven't said enough for me to know conclusively which version you have), you could be looking at a very difficult install and the possibility of ruining your decoder if you are new to DCC and make a misstake. It's your decision, as I said, but I wouldn't do it.

Why not see what you can find that already has the decoder installed? As with classic cars, it's generally cheaper to buy the machine that someone else has already paid to improve than to improve the one that needs improvement.

                                                                                                                                        -- D

[jward]

to add to what doneldon said, you can get the f7 with dcc and sound for probably less than it will cost you to install dcc and sound yourself. and not risk ruining your locomotive in the process.

[dankoesterman]

Thanks for the information, are the two units worth the $25.00 investment? i am not sure if they are a quality unit.

[Doneldon]

dan-

It's hard to imagine that $25 wouldn't be a good price assuming the locos work and are in good mechanical and cosmetic condition. But if they're all that great, why is someone willing to part with them for $25? I certainly wouldn't see them as an "investment."

I don't understand why would you purchase locomotives without DCC and sound if you plan to go DCC and sound? You either won't be able to run them, or you'll be able to run only them, or you'll be faced with today's question: Do you want to put four to five times as much money into improving locomotives as you will spend to buy them? As I said before, only you know what value these locos have to you, but I wouldn't do it.
                                                                                                                         -- D

[Jerrys HO]

dank

Adding a decoder should be no problem. I have the plus A & B units and plan on adding decoders to them in the future but with no sound.
Look on the second page of this post and you will see a pic of the new standard A unit and the Plus A unit. The black frame is the Plus unit. As you can see a lot of mods will be needed to add sound.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,22657.15.html

Note the standard one has the decoder board and no flywheels.
Hope this helps you.
Jerry

[nfmisso]

The Bachmann Plus F7 models are excellent - and it has been 15 years or more since they were sold new.  They are heavy, have big motors and a solid metal chassis that practically fills the shell.  Decoder installation is not for the faint of heart, nor inexperienced.  For sound, I would add a dummy B unit in the middle of the consist; you might be able to wire in a couple tiny speakers into the powered units, with a couple of big speakers in the dummy.  Without milling the chassis of the Plus models, that is about all you can do.

On DC, the Plus F7 models are great - better than today's light weights.

[jbrock27]

I agree with nfmisso's points about the attributes of the Bachmann Plus F7s.