Well do I spend over 100 bucks to buy a sound decoder, speaker, baffle etc and then spend hours trying to fit it all into a Bachmann GP30, or go for one already done? Easy answer. A brand new Bachmann S4, Milwaukee Road, complete with sound. Is it Broadway Limited, or Atlas or P2K? No but thats okay. For my small industrial switching layout, an S4 is the perfect thing to work in and out of those tight spaces. Looking forward to hearing it, seeing it and running it.

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, since I'm kind of new here, but I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not it would be possible to upgrade a standard EMD 645 to tier 4 standards. I am planning a freelanced modern shortline running rebuilt EMD power. One of my options is swapping all prime movers for new Cummins units that meet tier 4 regulations as part of my storyline. This presents a problem however when it comes to selecting a decoder for sound.

Several months ago, I got a great deal on an Athearn Genesis UP GP38-2 in the original UP scheme.  This post documents the steps I took to update this model to represent a battle-worn 2005-era UP unit that operated on the IAIS.

I am working on a design for a small scene for demonstrating scenery and track work for out model railroad. It will be small (roughly 1ft. x 1ft. with the front curving) I am looking for design ideas and what an interesting scene would be. Any ideas from those on here?

Thanks for all of your suggestions everyone. Thurmand seemed like a good location and the below area is what we will model. It will include a cantilever signal seen on the right and the three buildings as low relief background structures.