Though I will be upgrading to something more advanced, I am using the EZ Commander for now, and having a BLAST with it (yes, it's limited, and yes, it is kinda like that first car) but I too would LOVE to find the walk around companion... and I'm still a bit disappointed that Bachmann canceled the wi-fi interface for the EZ Commander... that could have been SWEET! (and who knows... had that actually been made, I might not feel bothered to upgrade... I am only planning a small layout, after all)

Oh... wait... no... I'm thinking of the California Southern RR. The CSRR.

Awesome! Oh, and the Southern California RR not only ran close to where I grew up, but, even after moving to the San Diego area, I still have SCRR tracks close by (some of which are still in use today, even if the SCRR is a distant memory)

It seems, no matter what we think of, as modelers... real life may have one upped us!

Quote from: Terry Toenges on May 15, 2017, 11:32:15 PM
I think I might just call the creek Shat Crick and the railroad Shat Crick RR. "We don't need no stinking paddles. We're going up Shat Crick by train." There's an advertising slogan forming here...

I LOVE it! Having a father from West Virginia, I do know the difference between a "Holler" and a "Run".

My Wild West town, I have decided will be named for what the locals believed was the local Indian tribe. The "Hekawi". Only, the local tribe was never local, and when asked who they were, they responded "We're the Hekawi?" (pronounced "Where the heck are we?")

Not clever, or original (F-Troop beat me to that joke, but it's still a favorite!)

I like "Crick Falls" or "Crick Holler", and you can even have some backstory, where the tourists think the name has to do with crickets or something... (maybe a bait shop called "Crick Falls Crickets? Best Cricks in the Crick"?)

It all has a very "Lil Abner" feel to it.

That all sounds awesome! I'd love to see it all when it's done!

Quote from: Joe323 on May 12, 2017, 01:47:46 PM
Try ebay I refuse to believe someone won't have the walk around companion.

You would think... the Walk Around Companion Panel Connectors are a dime a dozen on eBay, but the Walk Around Companion... not so much. When I ordered the Echo Valley Express, I wanted to learn all I could about the set, and the controller, so I watched a lot of Bachmann's Youtube videos, and that's where I first heard about the Walk Around Companion, and believe me, I checked eBay right away!

It's possible that not a lot of people bought them, and that's why they were discontinued. It's possible there are a bunch of them in a huge yet lonely warehouse, somewhere in the desert, being studied by "Top men".

I think what surprised me the most, is I was expecting something similar to the Bachmann locos of the 80s. I have two 4-4-0s (The Jupiter, and the #119) from the 80s... basic engines... nothing fancy... I think the price tags on the boxes was like $20 or something... and they do NOT move at the same speed. This is a sort of testament (in my opinion) on how much Bachmann has improved quality. I know there was a time... the first time I got into trains, where the shop selling the Bachmann trains would tell me "no... those aren't for serious collectors..." but now? Even their basic line... their "trains on a budget" are such high quality, that these really ARE the trains for the serious collector. (It also speaks volumes to Bachmann's integrity, that even back then... when the shops I would go to would turn their noses up at Bachmann, that Bachmann still stood behind their product)

Yeah, sure, all of my engines so far are Bachmann... I've almost bought others, but then saw something I liked, and it happened to be a Bachmann... I don't buy by brand, but by what I like, and right now, Bachmann is making what I like... but it's nice to know that there is quality behind it either way. I know that if I open that box, it's going to run, and if it doesn't, Bachmann will see to it that it does. That deserves at least a little bit of loyalty from me.

Dang... I was afraid you would say that. Oh well.

On the up side, I have an extra controller, for just in case!

(Hmmm... maybe this is a sign... TWO layouts!!!! Quick... I must buy more trains now!)

I see them on eBay quite a bit... the Spectrum ones...

LOVING it. I can't even think about a full layout yet, as I'm moving in a little under a year, however, I have been thinking seriously about TOMA, and making a module just for something fun to build, where I can run some trains, and take it with me for the move, and incorporate it into the layout when I do build it.

That said, images of other people's layouts (especially folks who's work I admire) are rather inspiring. I get some good ideas from this stuff.

Or, the yardmaster, or anyone familiar with Bachmann  E-Z Command® Control Center.

Okay, so, my birthday was just last week (May the Fourth be with you! HA!) and i bought myself a little treat... I bought the Echo Valley Express train sets (I do love sets) so I could kinda dive (well, wade, actually) into DCC. I got it, and I loved it, and then, a friend (who didn't know I already got the Echo Valley) bought me a E-Z Command® Control Center controller, and an Alco 2-6-0 engine Sound Value (which, I wrote about in another thread... I'm LOVING it all so far) so my question is this.

Now, i know I can plug in a DC controller into the E-Z Command® Control Center... it's in the instructions, and in the video... but, and this is probably a "fat chance, get a job HIPPIE!" kinda situation, but, is it possible to plug in the other E-Z Command® Control Center? Like, running TWO E-Z Command® Control Centers at once on the same track?

Or does the second E-Z Command® Control Center just stay wrapped up as a spare, for one of those "just in case" situations? I remember once upon a time, there was a "Walk Around Companion" that didn't really let you walk around... which was still neat... I'm just wondering if there is a way, with two E-Z Command® Control Centers, that two people can run DCC engines at once using two E-Z Command® Control Centers is all.

(and because it's fun, and I said it a lot... "E-Z Command® Control Center")

I was just impressed today, and I wanted to share it here, because, honestly, ONLY model railroaders will get this (heaven knows the flat mate doesn't)

So, I have three Bachmann Alco 2-6-0s with Sound Value. Two are from the "Echo Valley Express" set (one I got with the set, the second was a birthday gift... both basic, and plastic) and the third is the one that you buy by itself (is it metal? It looks identical, but feels different, texture wise) All three Sound Value, and all three look IDENTICAL! (similar weights even)

But here's why I'm impressed... I set all three of them to the same address, just to hear all three horns, and bells at once... and then I decided to see how different their speeds are (because every model is a bit different, right?) so I moved them.

Here's the impressive part...

All three moved at the EXACT SAME SPEED! No differences... no having to adjust or anything.

To think... these two cheap Bachmann engines, and the one higher end engine (I'm assuming my price) and if I wanted to run all three in a consist, using the Bachmann EZ Commander, I could. (I won't, but, I could!)

I know, I know... such a silly thing and all, and probably old hat to most of you, but, I was just so impressed seeing three engines, all moving as one, not hooked to each other, just, a few inches apart, moving as one unit.

Anyway... I figured only fellow modelers would get it, and why that got me a bit excited. (and the folks over at Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine suggested I post about it over here...  though, I figured most folks here probably already know this stuff)

W00t!

And yeah... I can relate! You should see me look for my glasses! (One would think that, by now, my own face would be the FIRST place I look)