All I know is that this system in the 2-8-0 is not the purple-wrapped tsunami, but is a larger PCB like the one in the Forney, and the purple Soundtraxx cover that fit over the green Bachmann box reads "Tsunami Equipped."  That probably means, "Not a full Tsunami." 

The irony is that I transplanted a similar system from the back end of a Forney into an entirely new tender, without any problems.  Still working on the 2-8-0.  The day job is definitely impinging on my hobby time.

Manager

Good suggestions, both.  I opened the tender, and checked the connections.  There was one lead that had broken off, so a little solder fixed that.  And I also checked the speaker.  It's a QSI hi-bass, at 8 ohms, so that's good.  But you know, I wonder, the PCB has a 2005 date on it, so this is pretty old stuff, and the stock speaker is pretty lightweight.  I might try it, in case this board pre-dates the use of 8 ohm speakers.

My suspect right now is DC power.  I'm still shopping for a DCC system that will allow me to program CVs, and I'm wondering if that won't solve this problem.  I'll take the loco down to the local HO club and see how their NCE system handles it.

Thanks guys!

Manager

Thanks guys, I think the process of installing the new speaker is the problem, and not the speaker itself.  Installing and reinstalling DCC seems to be an art, and not to be attempted by the uninformed.  But the sound was really good until I messed it up.

Manager

I have a Bachmann On30 2-8-0 with the pre-installed Soundtraxx sound system, which is a sort of OEM Tsunami, and which worked fine until I started getting fancy.  I removed the stock speaker, and installed a 1.06" hi-bass speaker, and gradually the loco started acting like something was shorting out.  So I'm hoping someone will know something about these systems, enough to answer these questions:

- Did switching out the stock speaker to the hi-bass cause problems?

- The sound PCB was originally screwed to the 2 raised metal posts on the tender frame.  I had to detach it from the posts to fit the bigger speaker.  Did that mess something up?

I'm going to try reinstalling everything the way it originally was, or as close as I can get it, to see if that helps.  But any suggestions would be appreciated.

Manager

Before you start cutting, there is an excellent article in the On30 Annual, 2008 edition I think, on how to bash a Forney into a 2-4-0.  The author cut down a Mogul tender, I think, and reuses the cab.

And yes, that first cut is the hardest one.

Manager

I'm pretty sure I used the trucks from a Bachmann caboose, since they had the wipers already installed.  My cabooses aren't lit, yet, and it was one that I was lowering with new trucks and wheels, so I had them on hand.

Manager

Here's what's left of my Forney.  The cab is from Mount Blue, the tender from Keith Wiseman.  I had to grind out most of the tender shell's resin to make room for the sound system, but it makes a really good enclosure for the speaker.



I've always thought that Bachmann could use ideas from us bashers, making a line of On30 locos that use lots of parts from their other locos.  My understanding is that the big cost in making trains is the cost of creating and setting up the molds and tooling, and also the design.  By re-using parts, Bachmann would save lots of money, and maybe release locos more often. 

Manager


Manager

There might be a 2-4-0 in Bachmann's UK or German lines, in HO or OO.  But nothing in the US that I know of, especially in On30.

Some of us have removed the back end of the Forney, and added a tender from Wiseman or Backwoods Miniatures to create our own 2-4-0.

Manager

I like the 2-6-2.  Perhaps it could be offered in outside and inside frame versions, like the Forney, although my preference would be for the inside frame.  Or maybe with an optional water tank and coal bunker, so you could detach the tender and turn it into a 2-6-2T.

Unless they decided to do a dead-on SR&RL 2-6-2.  I hate to display my ignorance, but were the SR&RL's 2-6-2's in any way "catalog" locomotives?  Or were they unique?

Yeah, it all sounds so easy...  I'm glad I'm not in the Bachmann engineering department.  We can dream, but they have to make it work.

Manager

The gear problems that have been reported are isolated to "geared" locos, namely, the Shay and Climax, which actually use the gearing system to turn the wheels.  Locos that have "rods" are unaffected.

manager

If memory serves, the B&O and GN trainsets were 2 of the original On30 sets, and those paint schemes were never offered apart from the sets.  So you won't find a B&O baggage, and the B&O coach was never sold separately, so there isn't another car number.  Don't know about the PRR coach, which was sold as part of a set and separately, but I can't find any photos that show a number other than 15. 

But I could be wrong.  All of my passenger cars have been repainted, decalled and weathered, so I don't have any referenced here.

manager

Didn't realize "pike" is a US term, but we use it instead of "layout" at times.  And I think it's a slang term, used only by train guys -- it's not an official definition.  And now that I think about it, it doesn't really make much sense.  A layout has little in common with a turnpike.  Apparently, the term originally referred to the booth where you pay your toll, and then to the road itself.  I guess it's like a model railroad, in that there is some expense involved, and you do "pay as you go."

And we also park our car in the driveway, and drive it on the parkway...  that observation from George Carlin.

Manager

I do appreciate how On30 trains look at home on tight radius curves, anywhere from 6" to 26" radius in my work, while HO streamliners look odd on almost any curve.  Also, I'm pretty sure the average On30 layout has much fewer rolling stock than the typical HO or N pike.  I know that I have fewer than when I was in HO, and my intention in the transition from HO to On30 was to focus on the quality of individual pieces, not on the overall quantity needed to create a modern freight or passenger train.

And this approach is tested every time Bachmann comes out with a new loco.

Manager

I ran across this On30 layout from the Crawley Model Railway Society.  Very nicely done, if you take a look at the links to their photos.

http://www.crawleymrs.org.uk/groenen_creek.htm

Manager

I use a font called Railroad Roman, mostly, which you can find with a Google search.  Then I use Microsoft Publisher to layout the page, which I then have printed onto decal paper by a friend with an old ALPS printer.  These had an option for white ink. although they are getting fairly rare, having been discontinued years ago.

I do prefer the waterslide decals over dry transfers, as the letters themselves are quite thin, and once they have been assaulted with solvent, are quite easy to work into the wood grain.

Manager.