Hi mcgrath,

Unfortunately, due to low preorders in the months after the new On30 2-8-0 (DCC Tsunami2 equipped) was announced at the NMRA convention, followed by a high cost quotation, management made the difficult decision to cancel the model in December as it was no longer a feasible project.

We regret having to make the rare decision to cancel a publicly announced project, but Bachmann remains committed to the On30 range, including developing and releasing new models.

Hi ChucklesMc,

See our FAQ post about decoder selection here:

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,38271.msg280018.html#new

Hi KJ,

If you want to run two trains at the same time using only DC power, you will need to either wire your layout with block sections, or build two completely separate loops, and use multiple speed controllers. To have complete control over individual locomotives on the same track, you may want to upgrade to using DCC locomotives and a DCC system, such as Bachmann's E-Z Command Plus.

There's no need to have your power and speed control at separate ends of the layout. Depending on the size of your layout and how many trains and accessories you have, you may need to consider wiring a power bus and feeder wires for a more consistent electrical connection.

Yes, it should be a standard 9 pin plug. Just make sure if you are using an "HO" labeled decoder that it will fit inside the tender.

Quote from: RailwayRoundhouse on June 13, 2023, 09:29:27 AMUnrelated, but does anyone know if we're getting announcements for the summer? If so, does anyone know roughly when that may happen and what would y'all want to see announced?

Hi RailwayRoundhouse,

We will be making our new product announcements in late August for the NMRA National Convention. No specifics yet, but this will include new Thomas & Friends products.

Hi Tenwheeler01,

The DCC Ready 2-8-0 has a 9 pin plug.

Hi Flagman46, see our FAQ post here: https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,38271.msg280018.html

Hi Eugene,

See here in the FAQ: https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,38271.msg280018.html#new

Hi Rich,

As noted above the 66307 CSX GP40 uses a simplified Soundtraxx Sound Value decoder. If you are comfortable doing so, you could swap out the factory installed decoder board for a full feature decoder with more sounds and CV options.

Bachmann is indeed transitioning to using the Econami decoder package in our HO Sound Value brand locomotives, starting with models shipping in 2023. Item #66307 was first shipped in 2022 before this change was made; there will be a transition period as we sell out of the "legacy" Sound Value decoders and we upgrade each model to Econami decoders, in partnership with Soundtraxx.

Hi all,

The HO DCC Ready Baldwin 4-6-0 is plug-and-play with an 8-pin plug.

The Sound Value version uses a Soundtraxx Sound Value decoder, which is a simplified version of their Tsunami/Econami technology. These decoders are not available for separate sale, but if you want to use Soundtraxx for your installation, their Tsunami2 installation recommendation for DCC Ready is as follows:

Decoder: TSU-1100| 884006
Speaker/Baffle: 810153 / 810110

However, you can also install any NMRA compliant decoder from other companies- DCC Ready offers the flexibility to install the decoder of your choice!

Hi Grigoriy,

Here is the link to our current "universal" HO coupler cover.

This screw should fit in the above coupler cover.

Feel free to contact our parts department to confirm this.

Quote from: trainman203 on May 23, 2023, 07:29:44 AMI'm not completely sure how licensing fallen flag railroad names on models works. I know that the Bach Man has already produced 1940s era freight cars with fallen flags names like Santa Fe and Pennsylvania and such.  I'm probably mistaken, but I thought that once you paid those guys off, you could use those names on models from then on out.

Is the case more like, you tell the XYZ Railroad, that you want to manufacture a certain number of cars decorated in their name, in a certain run and then they charge you on a per car basis? 

Yes, using "fallen flag" and current railroads is not a problem. The licensing comment is more in regards to non-railroad brands like Disney and Dreamworks.

Hi all,

The Bachmann team is aware of the issues with uploading image attachments. We are very close to our storage capacity for the forum, and except for select images with small enough file sizes, you may not be able to upload any further attachments. If you are looking to post an image that is directly online, you will have to provide a direct link to the image's URL. If your image is on your personal device, you will have to upload at an external service such as Google Drive and provide a link. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to have a more permanent solution in the future.

We are always happy to receive suggestions for new products including train sets. Please note that while we will monitor this thread and the rest of the forum for suggestions, we can't guarantee that we can make any of them a real product. In particular, it is difficult to make products requiring third party licensing, unless it is a license Bachmann already has the rights to. (Currently, Thomas & Friends, Ringling Bros., Boy Scouts of America, and Norman Rockwell.)

Please feel free to keep posting your train set suggestions in this thread, as well as Thomas & Friends suggestions in the T&F forum!

Hi Grapevine Flyer,

We don't have any immediate plans for a specific Blunami vesion of Thomas, or any other factory-equipped Blunami models.

However, we do current have DCC Sound Value versions of Thomas and Percy in development, that may be able to be adapted to Blunami when they are available... stay tuned!

The short answer to this question is that any NMRA-compliant DCC decoder will be compatible with a Bachmann DCC Ready locomotive. Dependent on which item you wish to install DCC in, the decoder solution and installation process may differ.

• For some locomotives, a decoder/module designed specifically for that model may be offered directly by Bachmann, designed and manufactured by one of our decoder suppliers. (Example: 44960 Plug & Play ACS-64 DCC & Sound Module is a TCS WOWSound® module designed specifically for the DCC Ready ACS-64 locomotive, included in the 00772 Amtrak® City Sprinter set.)
• Most DCC Ready locomotives include an 8-pin plug for drop-in decoder installation. More recent and future DCC Ready locomotives will replace the 8-pin plug with a 21-pin (HO scale) or NEXT-18 (N scale) plug.
• Some older DCC Ready Locomotives may not have an 8-pin plug and require soldering the decoder. In this case, and in general, the simplest definition of "DCC Ready" is that the motor is electrically isolated from the chassis of the locomotive.
• If you wish to install a sound decoder, you will need a speaker in addition to a decoder. Some DCC Ready/"Silent" DCC locomotives come with a speaker pre-installed, while older models or models with limited/no space for a speaker may not.
  

DCC technicians and decoder manufacturers can offer advice and help select a specific decoder for your model. Some manufacturers such as TCS and Soundtraxx have decoder selection and installation guides on their websites.