I bought a Kato sd40-2 with Tsunami sound. The price for both was less than the cost of the loco so the decoder was basically free. I think the previous owner let it go so cheap as it had some problems. When placed on the track, the prime mover would start up but no other sounds and it would not move. Further investigation revealed the truck wires were loose in the spring clips and the band from the bottom motor lead was very loose. I did a reset but still problems. After playing with it, it would start up and then shut down and do nothing. oops! I broke something?

I have a Soundtraxx DSX decoder for a Pennsylvania K-4 that I am installing in the tender. This is a sound decoder only. I was under the impression that the auto-exhaust could be set with out using a cam. Can this be done or do I need to install a cam.

It's been four months since my last update and in that time I've made decent progress on the Area H Spur. Most important was constructing the spur lead/staging track. As you'll notice in the photos, my aim was to use lightweight materials for the layout base. Simple steel brackets screwed into the walls and a coroplast (1/4" corrugated plastic sheet) serving as the base material.