What are the chances of Bachmann ever releasing an HO scale engine with dynamic smoke?  For those that don't know the difference between a smoke generator and dynamic smoke here are two videos: http://www.reynaulds.com/km1.aspx.  I know of one German company that is supposed to come out with an HO scale engine with dynamic smoke either late this year or early next year.

Thanks, Guilford, for posting that video link showing the Kadee Digital Uncouplers.  I'm so happy to see a great company like Kadee working on digital uncouplers because they are known for their quality.  Hopefully other companies will support them in this endeavor and we'll have one standard for digital uncoupling.  Can't wait to see the HO version, hopefully it won't be too long.

So far, the discussion has been very enlightening and not unexpected.  It wasn't that long ago that computers were the size of office buildings and people couldn't imagine a desktop computer.  Just a few years ago, people couldn't imagine a computer or a hi-fidelity sound system in their HO scale engines, let alone in N scale.  I think we, as modelers, have to think outside the box.  Just around the corner there are shape-shifting metals that are being developed which would allow a coupler to be cast in one piece and the coupler would open and close on demand. Nano technology promises a future with motors the size of a grain of rice that can be manufactured for pennies.  Why do we have to punch in addresses when we could possibly use a laser pointer built right into our wireless cabs to indicate which couplers we want opened or which engine we want to control? Computer chips will be 1/10 the present size. All these technologies are not pie-in-the-sky.  They either currently exist, or are being worked on.  In my opening post, I talked about setting a new standard, not rehashing old technology.  I think it is important to express the "wants" to encourage manufacturers to explore new technologies and encourage development.  Otherwise we'd all be blowing wooden whistles and using MacDonald's coffee stirrers to uncouple our cars.  Yes, these work, but there are options out there because for some, these weren't enough.  Let's plan for the future.

I agree with every one of these statements.  Tony's Trains, unfortunately, was simply too small a company.  You need engineering. That's why you need a company like Bachmann who has the both the engineering and manufacturing expertise.  Most of the attempts, so far, have been small companies. I'm hoping for something integrated into the frame of the car, not something added on.  I'm talking about a whole new standard.  It may take cooperation from several large companies to pull it off.  I think digital uncoupling will be like sound...once you have a sound locomotive, you don't want to go back.  As to price, yes, it will probably be pricey in the beginning.  But the price should drop faster for this than, say, sound decoders, because people have more rolling stock than locomotives, so volume should contribute to this.  Further, it is a simpler decoder, with a specific function - to couple and uncouple.  You don't need 250 different CV's on this decoder.

Wouldn't it be nice if Bachmann could develop digital couplers for its rolling stock.  It would be nice to have something where you wouldn't need a magnet or solenoid in the track.  If Bachmann was the first to develop it, at a fairly decent price,  they could set a new standard for couplers.  You wouldn't need it on the engines if it was built in to the rolling stock.   Kadees are great couplers, but we're in the digital age.  Any discussion out there?

Thanks richg for the good information.  I joined the Yahoo Soundtraxx forum.  BTW, are you the famed RichG that is on the Digital Scalextric slot car forum?

I just recently purchased the 45 ton switcher (haven't received it yet), but also want to put sound in it along with some additional lighting effects.  I've been searching the internet.  So far, I've found that Soundtraxx has a part no. 827014 - New Micro-sunami for a G. E. Cummins Diesel Engine that might work.  However, it is a 0.75amp digital sound decoder, and since most HO sound decoders are rated at 1amp, I don't know if it would be suitable for this HO engine.  Maybe someone with more knowledge of DCC sound decoders could shed some light on this.  Does anyone know if Soundtraxx makes a speaker that will just drop into the switcher.  It appears that the counter-weight will come out, and maybe the speaker would just drop in.
Any help would be much appreciated.