Code is a # in thousands of a inch in height I believe. Bill

I think, from memory, that the PRR units( I think there were only four) had notch noses, But would also be interested if done right. Bill

Called Soundtraxx today, and they said there was no problem leaving the radio TV interference board in place. This is for European use. he said they have not noticed any difference in operation after installation in other Bachmann engines they have done for demonstration purposes. So it should be almost as easy as falling off a log. Bill

Fellows; been wondering, with so much room in the tender, do you think a larger speaker mounted on a angle to the floor would be advantages. A new baffle enclosure could be built from styrene sheet to seal out the sound from inside the tender. Bill

Caboose Industries makes hand thrown switch stands that have built in contacts if you don't want switch machines. Bill

I don't know why more DC people don't try the solution to the DCC problem with the Blackbox, or better yet the MRC Tech 6 . The Blackbox (also by MRC) just wires in between the power pack and the track. The Tech 6 has it's own power supply. I started with the Blackbox as a starter years ago, and have no real need to spend money for a DCC unit. The Tech 6 lets me choose between DC and DCC depending which engine type I'm using(over 100 DC types). the Blackbox needs a DPDT center off switch added for convenience, Both do all the programing and the Tech 6 will fit the bill if you only run a few trains at a time. There are two Tech 6's, and you will have to decide which meets your needs. The low amp one lets you run two trains while the 6 amp only runs with one controller. You can consist as many units that the power supply can handle on the same address. The Blackbox is dependent on the pack being used. Don't know how high you can go, but works well on my MRC DC 3.5 amp pack. QSI decoders draw a lot of juice. Bill

Thanks for all the info guys. Been too busy working on a fleet of passenger cars, and playing with the Walthers PRR E8's, to start on the project. Have collected all the material's needed, and seems to be a straight forward installation, as soon as I can find the surface of my work bench. Found out that the board in the engine is for interference suppression, and Bachman states that if decoder is NMRA compliant, should not have a problem. Local hobby shop suggests to strip every thing and install as if a new installation. Doe's any one know if this is a problem with sound quality if left in, or just stripe it. Will this cause radio and TV interference, or does the Tsunami have this already built into its circuts. Bill

Thanks for the info Tom. The big problem is the extra board in the engine; don;t know what it is, maybe the lighting resesters? Been in HO for over 50 years and not afraid to tackle this. Just worried to x something up I'm not aware of. It would be straight forward installation if completely striped out first. Also does any one know if after setting the CV's to your likeing, can you lock them in for a default?  I was told the default is very close to the origional board, so thats a start. Bill

Hunt: I wanted some options which are important to me, and also if I decide to use sountrax  in other installations, they will all be the same operationally. My biggest concern is what may be a bridge in the locomotive that's pictured in another message on this form. Seems every thing should be in the Tsunami decoder. Talked with some people that should know and they said just wire it in with no changes needed, but question what this item is in the loco which appears to be mounted on a heat sink. Bill

Gentleman: I am replacing the internal sound and DCC decoder in the tender with a Tsunami TSU 1000 Heavy Steam. This is my first venture with this sort of operation. Do any of the componants in the engine need removing, or do I just wire it in to the old wire harness in the tender? Any thing to be aware of?  Is the speaker the best on the market? Since there is plenty of room in the tender, would adding a baffle to the speaker help with the base tones? Bill

Rod: I'm wired for DC, but use the MRC Tech 6, which gives me the option to secelect which type of current I want to use. This way i don't have to put decoders in 100+ engines. The down size is it will only address 6 engines at a time, but who needs to run that many different locos at once. If you run a consist of say, 3 diesel units ,I just keep them on the same address which only uses 1 of the 6. Love it! Accesses all the sounds and changes CV's with the hand control.  Bill

Sorry to here about the disappointing sound boards. I have one ordered from my local hobby shop and won't stick them for it. WE can't cry over spilled milk, as the EM-1 is an increadable piece of equipment I enjoy very much. I'm a PRR rivet counter, and with a few additions, this is my first Bachmann loco and will be  one of my favorite engines. Had a Akani in the 60's and always regretted trading it for a Westside Big 6, even though they ran and looked great then. Now, is it possable to have soundtrax make the desired changes we all need, to make this one of the finest engines ever produced in this price range, and exchange our current boards with a little cash to correct a problem that is clearly not Bachmann's. We need to address this issue from this vantage point rather than keep hounding on what we all clearly feel is a major disappointment. I haven't heard the board in real life yet. and as always. the best sounds bad to me when played on Utube. The whistle at this point is the most disappointing for me, as I like to collect engines for there different sounding whistles. What do you think, is it possable to correct the current board or trade for a new version with some enumeration. Bill

Thanks Hunt ,will give it a try when my sound module arrives. Realy need it on a single diget F number if possable. Bill

Thanks Hunt: If it's a big problem how about adding a resester in the line? Bill

Just heard back from Bachmann on this problem. The dimming feature is on the sound board, and when we get them every thing will work. A big thank you Bachmann. What a great product. Bill