Need more info on IHC Pres. Choice Conversions to DCC & Sound

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I too have the IHC President’s choice locomotives from the past two years…purchased brand new this year. I am glad to hear they can be converted because I haven’t seen anything on the packaging to indicate this…and I am a very beginner.

I would really appreciate your input, therefore. Are there are tsunami decoders with and without sound, and the decoders themselves to not come with speakers? Do you know of a good all in one brand of decoder-sound-speaker package?

Also, am I correct in understanding your reply that one does not need to do any of the motor isolation, and lamp replacement that another fellow told me about in converting other locomotives.

If I find this is true then I may go with DCC on my new HO layout because now most of my new locomotives are convertable Proto 2000s or the latest IHC’s from the supermarket.

Thanks a lot for any advice.

2

Tsunami decoders are for sound. If you don’t want sound, any other decoder such as Digitrax, Lenz, TCS, etc. would work.

Speakers are not provided with a Tsunami because there are many different speaker options available, and it is up to the purchaser to decide which one is appropriate, or you tell the dealer what type locomotive it’s going to be used in and let them make the choice for you.

The 2-10-2 locomotive by IHC provided with this year’s President’s Choice train set is probably the only one that is DCC ready. I have no experience with President’s Choice sets and don’t know what their previous offerings were.