Lots of questions

[Hawkman]

Help!
I have not worked with trains in years (grandson is coming to town) so am trying figure out the best approach to enlarge an old HO set. IF I purchase a Bachmann steam engine (with smoke) and the engine has DCC on board what kind of a problem is it to add DCC with steam sound?  It seems like it might be a simple connection issue with an 8 pin plug-in BUT not sure.  IF it is a simple process, what do I need to buy(Bachmann equipment)  to add the sound?
I understand that I will need to purchase an E-Z Command DCC system to generate the loco sound; is there anything else I need to make the system work?  Also do you recommend the L & R turn-outs with the DCC or without?
Thanks;

Bill

[Doneldon]

Hawk-

Welcome back! It's remarkable how often grandchildren rekindle an interest in model trains.

You are better off purchasing a locomotive with sound already installed. You can piggy-back a sound decoder on a motion decoder but you aren't likely to save any money that way and some installations can be bears. Check out the B'man's sound-value offerings. They have full DCC motion control and a very good selection of sounds at a reasonable price. There is a large engine -- a Berkshire -- and a smaller one, a Mogul. The Berk prefers wider curves than 18" set track so you are probably better off with one of the Alco Moguls. These are nice little locomotives. They don't have smoke but that's not much of a loss. The smoke fluid condenses on the loco and tracks making a mess which will eventually interfere with operation.

You should be aware that sound-equipped locomotives have sound even when operated on a DC layout. Or, at least dual-mode locos do. That includes all Bachmann DCC locos and just about everyone else's, too. Of course, there's no individual locomotive motion control when a DCC loco is operated on DC. I mention this because you may want to see how your grandson (and you!) take to trains before you make major investments.

I urge you to rethink purchasing the EZCommand system unless you plan a very limited model railroad. The EZC has enough power for only two or three locos and it lacks almost all programming ability. You can increase the power but it is very expensive to do so. If you are thinking of something more elaborate than an oval of track on a 4'x8' table and just two engines running at a time, consider a more powerful and versatile system like Dynamis or entry-level systems from other manufacturers.

Welcome back to our hobby, and welcome to your grandson, too. Please keep us up to date on your progress.
                                                                                                                                                                  -- D