Wow why so expensive. I guess the may be but just a few weeks ago my LHS had about 30 of them four $7 a piece. They are very nice cars so I got 7 of them which is amazing for that price but 600 sum dollars is not worth it.

Yeah it should have a tender. The loco should only have a pin on the end.

Yeah I meant that the people like me who more enjoy a good sounding horn and bell rather than the prototypical ones. I had my first sound loco which was a kato sd38-2 with a digitrax decoder when I had my first DCC system which was the ez command and it did suit all my needs and work the sound decoder great. I only switched to my digitrax system because of my modelling group needs like 4 digit addresses and seperate throttles. But the ez command is a great system and you should have no problem running a sound equipped loco on it.
Tyler

You shouldent need to change cv's if you get the right decoder for that loco. Changing the cv's is just for the more picky ones that know how the loco should sound. All I know ismost kato locos have speaker enclosures built in and have speciallized digitrax decoders built for them. There are other companies mainly locos that have sound equipped versions have built in speaker enclosures which make installation much easier. You'll have to compare non sound and sound equipped locos and which costs more with the sound decoder.  But I know sound equipped locos generally cost around $100 more. Sound decoders range from about $80-$140 so factory equipped can be cheaper. So the overall answer to you're question is if the sound decoder is somewhat designed for that loco so it has somewhat proper sounds than you shouldn't need to change anything. And even if it isn't if you're not at all picky and just want sounds than changing cv's is not necessary. Plus you can usually bring it to a lhs and get them to program it.

The current should be higher on the dynamis which let's you run more locos. Voltage is how fast it will run, a lower voltage makes for better slow speed running.

Wow that is a truely inspirational roundhouse. I have never seen anyone build one so huge I've only seen prototype photos of them. Very nice

If you are using normal flex or sectional track then I would suggest the "butt" joints. Basically run two flat top screws rail width apart then lay the track and soldier the rails to the screw tops to keep the rails in position perminantly and prevent bending and shifting. If done acuratly this method is a huge time saver.

Ok it appears pretty typical of an install. First make sure everything is insulated so especially the bachmann locos tend to use the through frame style to get power to the motor and lights. If it is like this than you should probably figure out a way to stop that contact at the trucks and hard wire them. After isolating the decoder instructions show the color codes for what goes where. Connect the same side power wires together and to the decoder. Next take the motor wires and hook them up to there colors and finally hook up the light wires accordingly. It's really not that hard just isolate everything to be super safe from decoder recking shorts. A decoder can easily be blown with a simple wrong connection. So be CAREFULL I say this from personal expirience. The isolating is the only real hard part.

Is there a full 4 axel drive or is it just a small motor over one set of wheels? And can you tell us where the wires go.

Thanks, it's also the same decoder. I do have a programming track as removing my many locomotives was out of the picture but I'll try reprogramming it and see what happens. I almost thought as it is added to many consists that it is just not totally forgotten those consists and sometimes you just suddenly hear this locomaking motor noise that corresponds with the throttle commands.

A digitrax zepher command station and a super cheif booster in the yard where this happens most. Also it's a digitrax decoder.

Just recently one of my ac4400s Has started to respond to many adresses. It started by responding to a close by address but has now almost started to respond to all my locos addresses. It doesn't always do this butithas happens a few times and I've really never heard of this happening?

I don't believe bachmann sells electronic parts like that but somewhere like the source will. It's really simple just insert plastic joiners at each end of the siding on the SAME rail, then run a wire from that siding track to one side of the switch, and then run a wire on the otherside of the switch to either the right wire on the main track power wires or attch it directly to the track.

yeah that could be an option, getting a nice loud speaker and play diesel sounds or nature sounds, something like that:)

Huh, maybe two strips side by side under the track. Because of the molded roadbed normal foam or cork road bed will not be wide enoughto go under the track. Even if the track sets on it there would be a drop off on each side of the track which would look wrong. I actually very much enjoy the track laying process and have some ez track but only use it for display so I would suggest using sectional or flex track and woodland scenics foam roadbed for maximum noise reduction. If not is the track nailed or glued down because if not it may be noisier because of the vibrations agaist the plywood.