Having experienced first hand the enhanced features of DCC sound-equipped locomotives, I decided to refit my DCC-equipped locomotives with sound decoders and speakers.
Unfortunately, some designs don’t lend themselves well to modification very easily (Bachmann Spectrum 70 ton 3 truck Climax, for example). After conversations with Bachmann and Soundtraxx, it seems clear the least troublesome option is to just purchase a loco with DCC and sound factory installed.
I’d like to sell or trade-in my existing Climax (with only a couple operating hours use on it).
Is there a program or company out there that deals in trade-ins??
You could check with the local hobby shop and see if they give you credit or will sell on consignment. The LHS up here does consignments and then give the seller credit for purchase of something from the shop.
Having been a person who has been installing on-board sound since 1983, I can say that is a very true statement.
I have had more than a few conversions that were part way done when some vendor introduced a unit with sound installed from the factory. In almost every case when I considered the cost it was only a few dollars more to sell the DC unit, not buy the sound decoder or if I had already purchased it switch it to a different project, and buy the new one with factory sound. Considering the milling, frame cutting, or weight alterations. body porting, etc. that would have still have been required to finish the savings in time is a bonus too.
Of course that was before the latest round of price increases. Yikes!
My local hobby store does have a consignment program, but I’ve found the sales fees are pretty high. I just advertise around in the various operating groups that I belong to, or go to the local swap meets to “trade-in” the units.
Except his Climax came DCC and the option of with or w/o sound. The loco is already set up for sound so no milling, cutting filing is required, only soldering skills to install Tsnunami decoder and speaker.
$130.00 to add sound to the present loco, less labor if hired out.