Ditto! Especially since it could be prototypically correct, even while dragging intermodal well cars/containers around my layout!
Excursion / Public Relations is my excuse for wanting to have one running amongst the ALC-42's, P42's, Gevo's, ES44's and SD70ACe's
There's someone just run one at our current three day running session , looks , sounds and runs terrific. Guy came straight from the trade stand , and asked could he put on the point of a train i'd just assembled and borrow my throttle!! Normally i'd raise up my 300lb frame and growl at him, but he was so excited. When I saw what he'd got , so was I!
Well, we are a week into March. I wonder if the end of March is still going to happen or not? I haven't seen a whole lot posted about factory DCC w/sound version posted but other than grumbling about the plastic valve gear, what very little I have seen seems to be positive.
Very likely yes it is doable. I reached out to where I pre-ordered mine (DCC+Sound) and heard back within about 20 minutes that mine is ready to ship pending processing of payments. Mine is supposed to ship out today.
I received mine with DCC+sound and it's fantastic. It runs great like Kato usually do and the sound is really well done in my opinion. I know I would have regretted not getting the sound version. All the retailers I was tracking either still show the DCC no sound version as preorder or don't list it at all yet.
Kato themselves also list the DCC only version as "spring 2024" so who knows when they will actually ship. I was expecting the DCC only version to come out before the DCC+Sound version since it is likely simpler to handle since it has less components to squeeze into the loco
Totally agree. After watching videos of how the DCC+sound installation goes, you'd think just DCC would be easier.
Simpler and easier might have nothing to do with it - different decoders are used between sound & non-sound. If the non-sound deciders had some QA problem, or sone fit-up problem the sound decoders didn’t have, they would move on with finishing the sound units while getting things resolved on the non-sound.
Kato Big Boy with 36 cars , Micro Trains and Atlas. That's all I had on the layout. 19 inch radius curves. Don
Does the DCC sound version of the Kato Big Boy have an operating reverse light? I know the regular DC ones don't. Thanks in advance.
I don't recall any of my Kato steam having operating tender lights. Mikado - GS4 - FEF. You could install your own I guess but seems like more work than it's worth.
There's a few surprises, like no socket for DCC or really any provision to add DCC to the DC version without a lot of effort. Also, they are still using truck mounted couplers on the rear of the tender as well as no provision for a working pilot coupler at all. It is a very nice locomotive and runs very well, but things other manufacturers have done YEARS ago have been ignored by Kato. Con-cor had plug in decoder capability in their S2 4-8-4 over 20 years ago, and Athearn had a working pilot coupler and a reverse light in the tender 16 years ago. Given the price of the Kato, I expected more from them. Just my $.02 worth. Tom
Included with the loco is a front coupler kit to swap it out for a double header usage. Though I don't think that was done very often in the prototype. Overall I'm fairly happy with the DCC+Sound version that I picked up, I got it well below MSRP as well. From my testing it is a fairly decent runner as well. Here is a very short video clip https://photos.app.goo.gl/2VyT6JTnXutNrDxU6. I was testing it as part of validating a couple bug fixes on the MRC Nexxt Gateway that were reported last night, controlled via a UWT-50 in LCC mode and a Prodigy Advanced2 system powering the track. I need to adjust the function mappings sent to the throttle (it defaults to a diesel function set rather than steam) but otherwise it worked pretty well on the very short track (only ~3ft long total with the siding setup as the PROG track). I'll be building a six foot long shelf to display it on with the rest of the excursion consist (two water tenders, seven passenger cars, UP 4015). But that will wait until I install the decoder into the UP 4015 and build a bit more of the On30 layout that is replacing my N scale stuff (some of which that has been sold paid for the Big Boy)
Well, it's not looking like there will be a BigBoy with factory installed DCC in my Easter basket this weekend.....
