Hello Haawk77!
I have done 3 MTH DCS upgrades to Williams engines. The DCS PS2 upgrade kits are expensive and rather hard to find right now but MTH annonunced more kits are on the way at York last week. Look around online they are out there.
Williams can motors are excellent quality and the flywheels accomodate the required tach tape strip quite nicely. I especially enjoy the CP Trainmaster I updated with Mars lights, marker lights and interior cab lighting. Once you download the correct sound file from MTH and install it in the engine you have a "real" Trainmaster storming around your layout! Of course you need the DCS system to operate all the features and the cost of the Williams engine and the upgrade kit was about the same as buying a stock MTH PS2 engine but I really enjoyed the upgrade process and bringing the loco to life. Whether you install PS2, TMCC or an ERR kit I find the Williams engines rugged and easy to modify. Have fun with it!!
   Vern

What a coincidence,svinson,I'm doing that right now! Using Bachmann E-Z track on the outer loop (code 100 rail) and MTH RealTrax on the inner loop (code 83 rail). Had to shim the MTH track to the crossover and it works well but will probably replace the inner loop with more Bachmann E-Z trax for uniformity. Running DCC with Dynamis controller no special wiring needed. Two trains running against each other on a double oval does look cool give it a try!
   Vern

Here is another F3 shot of the B&M McGinnis paint-not really crazy about it but this will make a unique addition to my loco roster!
         Vern



http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1086065

Hi BlueFox,
Just did one of these, you're right it is a bit of a challenge. I purchased a mini oval speaker and enclosure from Traintek. I clipped out the front row of seats in the motorcar and mounted the speaker assembly to the forward bulkhead with double-sided sticky foam tape. The speaker is visible if you look closely but the sound quality is quite good-had to turn down the volume CV's!! Speaker and enclosure cost $17 plus shipping but I am pleased with the results. Speaker dimensions are 24 X 14 mm,
enclosure is 26.7 x 15.8 x 6.35 mm. As Doneldon suggested you can design you own installation to hide the speaker better I just was willing to make the trade-off for good volume performance! The sound makes this eye-catching little contraption even more fun to operate!
              Vern

Hi JandD!
As wildpaws said I wanted the N&W "J" and those beautiful lit passenger cars so that was my choice. I installed a sound decoder in the tender as it was a very easy install but I am used to modifying my O-Scale stuff so I am set up for sound card and speaker installations already. If you want sound out of the box then Jerry makes a good recommendation in the Sound Commander sets and you seem to have found some good deals on them. You are wise to want sound now, my grandchildren love my layouts (they are 3 and 1 1/2 years old) but it is the sound that really rivets their attention and they love to blow the whistle and ring the bell. Whatever your choice I envision years of enjoyment with your little one(s) you won't regret this purchase!
  Vern

Hi JandD!
For $300 I bought the Dynamis starter set ($120) and the Spectrum Cavalier DCC starter set ($180) from modeltrainstuff.com. The Dynamis wireless control has some line-of-sight issues but generally works very well and the Cavalier set is really beautiful (N&W 4-8-4) and the coaches are lit.
Have since added several DCC and sound locos and the Dynamis has handled them all. I am primarily an "O" scale person but the combo I listed above has been a wonderful intro to the world of HO wireless control!
   Have fun,
      Vern

Hi GRZ!
Good to hear from you again. See you got the Dynamis  set. As I mentioned in my first reply to you I had some problems with flourescent lights knocking out the signal and maintaining line-of-sight with the base station just like you have experienced. I mounted a cheap plastic display shelf on the wall just above the layout and put the base station on it, things are better now, hope you can find a solution for your setup. Stopped by Charles Ro again last week and got a K4 Pacific and a NYC RS3 both with DCC-the K4 was $109 and the RS3 was under $60. No sound in either but they both run and pull very well and they look great. I don't know about the expansion box that is an expensive add-on could buy a few good locos for that money!! Oh well between the O scale and the HO tables I now have thats a lot of fun and your right about this hobby it's infinitely enjoyable!! Good luck with the Dynamis and have fun!
                 Vern

Hi GRZ good to hear from you. Charles Ro has a very large internet store at www.charlesro.com but they specialize in O scale. They only list MTH products in HO but when I visited them last week they have a super selection of HO and N stuff and the prices equalled or bettered any internet store I have checked. I know they take phone orders but you might need to know the product number if you want something. Sounds like fun at Steamtown I remember it seems so long ago.
The Bachmann 2-6-0 is a simple little engine with just enough detail to make it attractive and decent sound package as well. I want to buy some plain DCC engines and put sound decoders in them I can find many of the Bachmann diesels with DCC for $40-$60 online and at Charles Ro. Let me know how you make out with the sound installation when you get there. I have put MRC sound cards in 8 Williams by Bachmann O scale engines but that is a whole diffferent ballgame loads of room in those things! Hope the Bachmann Ho engines are as durable as my O scale Williams they are really rugged. Talk to you later enjoy the DCC system when it arrives.
    Vern

Hi GRZ!
Good news for you it is a really fun way to run DCC-however don't put your DC engines on the track with DCC power applied!!
Remember, with DC you control voltage to the track directly with your transformer/controller. With DCC the is voltage always present on the track and a small digital control current-this digital signal may damage your plain DC engines motors over time. I just keep my old MRC DC controller handy and swap the leads over for old-time DC operation. Most DCC equipped engines sold today have dual decoders which allow Straight DC operation so you can run them with your older stuff until you swap it over to DCC. Best of both worlds!
Charles Ro in Malden, Mass. is only about 1 and a half hours from me so it is well worth the ride given their prices. I love the Bachman 2-6-0
Mogul I bought and really want one of the sound equipped S4 switchers also $100 at online. If you are starting out with the Dynamis maybe you could get a fairly cheap DCC equipped diesel for under $60 and practice programming it and setting CV's? If you mess things up just follow the directions for resetting the engine and you are back where you started no harm done. Enjoy yourself and take it slow once you program an engine it really is a satisfying feeling...
    Vern

Your welcome GRZ I too am a novice to these newfangled HO trains after a 30 year break for raising the family. Not only did I get the Dynamis DCC set for $120 but I bought the 2-6-0 Mogul for $110 from Modeltrainstuff.com Yesterday I was at Charles Ro in Malden,Mass. and they were selling these beautiful little engines for just under $100 and these have DCC and sound!! Have to let the wallet cool down for awhile but I heartily recommend the Dynamis DCC wireless set if you can get it for under $150 you can really learn DCC programming from it at your own pace. I watched the excellent little 5 part video series on you tube on the Bachmann Dynamis system before I bought it and learned alot from the demostrations just search "dynamis" on you tube and you will find it.
  Have fun whatever you do!
     Vern

GRZ I just bought the Dynamis Control system from MTS online for $119.95 plus S&H everything was there and I am happily programming my new B&M 2-6-0 Mogul with sound right now!! Only issue is if I switch on my energy saver flourescent bulbs the command base loses control of everything! Other than that I have set the engine address, renamed the engine and changed the symbol and programmed several CV's for volume etc. Overall having a blast I can even run my MTH F3 on the same track with the DCC wireless controller.
    Good luck!
        Vern

Hey Seaboard,
Awesome paint job on that E7-where did you get the decals from? I have installed 6 MRC sound cards in my WBB engines so far. Volume level not Lionel or MTH quality but tweaking the baffle design produces satisfactory results. Recently removed the PS2 "guts" from an old MTH F40PH engine and relocated them in my WBB B&M model BL-2 it was surprisingly easy. Downloaded and installed a sound file from another MTH PS2 Boston & Maine BL-2 from some years back and now have slow speed and full sound capability in the WBB loco for my DCS loop. These WBB engines give you lots of options and roadnames to play with or in your case the freedom to pursue your own personal favorite. Keep up the good work you really nailed that Seaboard livery!
                Vern

Just picked up the WBB E-7 in the NYC livery-what a monster! Installed an MRC sound card in the dummy where I also relocated the speaker. Programmed the card and now I have a beautiful A-A unit with sound I can operate on my conventional loop with my MTH DCS remote. The sound is very good must be the roomy dummy cab with all those photo-etched screens to emit the sound through. Really feel these A-A units are a great bargain, think I'll go for a F-7 set next(Great Northern,perhaps!).
Thanks, Williams, nine WBB engines and counting... 
   Vern

Hi all this is my first post here. Just picked up my new Penn GG1 loco Item#41797 and an O-27 four car passenger set. Super price and the quality of the GG1 is awesome. Wired the motors in serial and put 2 LED bulbs in the engine and it looks and runs super!! This is my second WBB engine (got a B&M BL2 last week) and I predict there will be many more. Am running a conventional outer loop and MTH DCS on the inner loop talk about having your cake and eating it too. Thanks Bachmann,
nice to have another option without sacrificing quality...
      vern1959