I recently bought a HO scale Bachmann K-4 Pacific locomotive that is DCC-ready. Does that mean that I have to buy anything to run it on a DCC layout? Also, it has sound and I was wondering if the sound will work on a standard DC layout.
Is it DCC Ready or DCC Equipped?
DCC Ready means you need to buy a decoder and plug it in. The provisions are already there to easilly accept a decoder. It will only run in DC until you get a decoder.
DCC Equipped means the decoder is already plugged in and your set. This will run on DCC and in most cases will also run on DC.
You mentioned that it already has sound, which leads me to believe it is DCC Equipped. Altho I don't see that the K4 is available with sound.
Edit: I've found that there is a DCC & Sound Equipped version out. Just not on the Bachmann website...... go figure!
I'm pretty sure it has sound because the tender has a decoder in it and it has the holes on the bottom where I would imagine the sound would come out.
DCC Ready means that the engine is ready to be converted to DCC. If the box says it is sound equipped it will have sound. Pay careful attention to the wording and take it literally. If it don't say it HAS it, it don't.
If it is sold to you with the description "and sound", or "DCC with sound", or something very close to those, you ought to have an engine with a sound decoder, and it is almost certainly a stripped down Sountraxx Tsunami decoder. It will operate on a DC layout, but it will take some voltage before you get sounds, and then you'll have to add more voltage to get the engine to actually move.
-Crandell