I want to remove the shell from my Bachmann GP40 DCC Sound Value locomotive (model #66304).  An older post (http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,24271.0.html) says to:

"Pry the fuel tank off and you will find 4 screws underneath, remove them and pull the shell straight up."

But on the Sound Value GP40's the speaker is housed in the fuel tank.  So it seems like there must be a different procedure.  I don't want to damage the speaker.

Bach Man, can you tell me how to remove the shell from my locomotive?

Thanks,
Dennis

I got a Pere Marquette 1225 sound value locomotive for Christmas.  It's great.  Now I am looking for the details on its CV's.  I looked at the Bachmann page on the Soundtraxx web site:

    http://www.soundtraxx.com/factory/OEM_pages/bachmann/bachmann.php

but the 2-8-4 Berkshire is not listed.  Bach Man, can you point me to information on the CV's for my locomotive?

Thanks,
Dennis

I purchased a Sound Value RS-3 last year, and just got a Sound Value GP-7.  The price has not changed, but the GP-7 has a couple noticeable improvements over the RS-3:

1. The lights in the GP-7 are much brighter than the ones in the RS-3 (incandescent vs LED?)

2. The engine sounds are much clearer on the GP-7.

Mr. Bach Man, is the improvement in the sound due to (a) a better speaker, (b) an improved decoder, or (c) better sound files?  Is there something I can do to my RS-3 to make it sound as good as the GP-7?

Thanks,
Dennis

The Soundtraxx documentation for the Bachmann Sound Value RS-3 says that CV 116 is the "exhaust control" and has default value 39.  (http://www.soundtraxx.com/factory/OEM_pages/bachmann/ho_alco_rs3_sv.pdf)

I found a more detailed description of the Sound Value CV's for diesel locomotives here:

    http://jmri.sourceforge.net/xml/XSLT/pages/SoundTraxx_Bachmann_SndVal_Dsl.xml.html

It says that changing CV 116 to 32  will enable "Manual notching, engine RPM controlled by F9/F10".  This is consistent with what the Sountraxx Tsunami User Guide says about CV 116 and manual notching.

So I set CV 116 to 32 using my NCE PowerCab.  Sure enough, the engine sound no longer changed as I advanced the throttle.  But F9 and F10 have no effect on the engine sound!

Does the Sound Value RS-3 not support manual notching, or do I have a defective decoder?

What I really want to do is have the locomotive sound different when it accelerating than when it is moving at a constant speed.  I have the momentum (CV 3) set relatively high, so when the throttle changes from 0 to 12 (out of 28), it takes a while for the locomotive to get up to speed.  I would like the engine to sound like it is working harder while accelerating, and though I could achieve that using manual notching.

Thanks,
Dennis

I recently purchased a Bachmann "My First Railroad" EZ track pack.  Everything is working, but there is an issue when operating the turnouts remotely with the slide/press electrical switches. 

When I press the switch, the black slider on the turnout (which can used to operate the switch manually) moves to the other end.  But frequently it bounces back partway.  When this happens, there is a dead spot in the turnout.  It's not just my engine; I checked with a multimeter.  It shows no voltage in the short section of fixed track between the plastic frog and the moveable section of track (points).  If I then move the slider to the end by hand, there is voltage there.

Are these turnouts defective?  Is there any way to get them to work reliably?