Bachmann 36-557

[WIMorrison]

I wonder if anyone knows whether the 21 pin Bachmann 36-557 is actually a rebadged Zimo MX638D?

 

I know a lot of Bachmann decoders are simply re-badged (you can see the tiny Zimo badge on the Bachmann box ) and as I cant get hold of a MX638D at the moment I was looking to see if this will work for me

 

TIA

[ThePipersSon]

Hi,

I have seen 2 different decoders sold as 36-557 -

firstly a Soundtraxx mc2

I believe this was superceded by an ESU LokPilot standard.

Tom

[Nigelcliffe]

I believe its a rebadged Soundtraxx MC1/MC2

[NIK]

Hi,

 

I think it was a Soundtraxx MC1 and is now an ESU Lokpilot Standard.

 

If you do online purchases Digitrains have 38 Zimo MX638Ds in stock. Coastal DCC have some as well.

 

Regards

 

Nick

 

 

[WIMorrison]

Thanks - I will call them in the morning, hopefully they will do 1st class postage as I need it for Saturday

[trevora]

Youchoos has them at £20.00 if you emailed him now

there is a chance he would get it to you

been helpful to me

trevora

[RFS]

Bought an MX638D just recently from Coastal DCC for the standard £20. They certainly do 1st class postage, and moreover they only charged postage at cost (in my case £1.26) whereas other retailers often have a fixed charge of around £4. 

[Butler Henderson]

36-557s with a green pcb and which should come in  a white box are Soundtraxx 4 function decoders

http://www.2ktechnologies.com/shop/model-railways/Bachmann-model-railway-shop/Bachmann-36-557-e-z-command-1-x-21-pin-4-function-dcc-loco-decoder-new-t48/

those with a blue pcb in a bubble on a blue card backing are ESU 4 function + 2 logic level output decoders

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/19370/Bachmann-36-557-oo-gauge-e-z-command-1-amp-4-function-21-pin-dcc-decoder-back-emf

 

Quite why Bachmann did not change the catalogue number is a mystery 

[Nigelcliffe]

54 minutes ago, Butler Henderson said:

36-557s with a green pcb and which should come in  a white box are Soundtraxx 4 function decoders

http://www.2ktechnologies.com/shop/model-railways/Bachmann-model-railway-shop/Bachmann-36-557-e-z-command-1-x-21-pin-4-function-dcc-loco-decoder-new-t48/

those with a blue pcb in a bubble on a blue card backing are ESU 4 function + 2 logic level output decoders

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/19370/Bachmann-36-557-oo-gauge-e-z-command-1-amp-4-function-21-pin-dcc-decoder-back-emf

 

Quite why Bachmann did not change the catalogue number is a mystery 

 

Because they wanted work for their support line when a customer rings up to say that the decoder is doing something weird when they've followed Bachmann's instructions precisely, but its for the other version of the same product code.

 

And one wonders why people say "don't trust trainset makers on DCC technology". 

 

- Nigel

 

[WIMorrison]

Dare I suggest that the lack of another stock number is as simple as purchasing thinking that one 21 pin is the same as the next 21 pin and because they could get one a few cents cheaper they changed the supply line and simply kept the number as they are 'functionally' the same and it made stock keeping simpler (and cheaper)?.

 

It does result in a modicum of disdain for the customer but Bachmann are not the first to change a supplier without telling the end customer - and they wont be the last

 

 

[Ron Ron Ron]

2 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Quite why Bachmann did not change the catalogue number is a mystery 

 

It might seem trivial, but I think this is one of the most stupid decisions I've ever come across from a model railway vendor.

 

 

54 minutes ago, WIMorrison said:

Dare I suggest that the lack of another stock number is as simple as purchasing thinking that one 21 pin is the same as the next 21 pin and because they could get one a few cents cheaper they changed the supply line and simply kept the number as they are 'functionally' the same and it made stock keeping simpler (and cheaper)?.

 

It does result in a modicum of disdain for the customer but Bachmann are not the first to change a supplier without telling the end customer - and they wont be the last

 

 

However, they changed the catalogue number when changing from the previous 21-pin decoder.

 

Note: this topic has been discussed several times here. No offence Iain, but did you do a search?

 

 

[WIMorrison]

Ron

 

i don’t think that the original premise of the post has been asked before, but even if it had that would have made no difference because the search function doesn’t work from a mobile phone

[WIMorrison]

Ordered from DigiTrains - they seem to have the UK stock of them!

 

Here tomorrow (I hope :))