But a bigger, and more important, difference is the number-board lighting they added. It's nice that they added number -board lighting, but how they did it is not so nice. To start with, they used a 3-volt, 35 mA bulb. This is nice. But they wired it to pins 4 and 5 on the DCC socket. This creates a resistive short between the power pickup and motor drive circuits. Remember what the #1 rule of decoder installation is? ISOLATE THE MOTOR. This means that if you don't disconnect this bulb from pins 4 and 5, you will fry your decoder.

So, where do you put it? That all depends on the decoder you use and what function you want to control it with. If using a direct, integral-plug-type decoder, such as the Digitrax DH163L0 or DH163IP, or NCE's D14SRP, the common wire can be connected to pin 7 of the loco's NMRA socket, but you have to solder the control wire to a function pad on the decoder board - thwarting the whole idea of plug-n-play. Train Control Systems' TH150DP direct-plug decoder has Function 1 connected to pin 3 of the NMRA plug. With this, you can connect the number board's control wire to pin 3 for control with Function 1.

If using Digitrax's DH163L0, you don't have to replace the bulbs, and you don't have to add resistors for the front and rear light. But, because these bulbs are lower current than typical past Life-Like bulbs, they will be a little dim - not too dim, just a little dimmer than one would consider normal.

Decoders with an NMRA plug harness can be used too. For example, those with Function 1 and Function 2 will have an active green and violet wire, respectively. Just connect your choice of green or violet to pin 3, connect the number board light wires to pins 3 and 7 as previously discussed, and you're in business.

Lastly, you can use a low-cost two-function decoder if you don't mind wiring in a couple of diodes. Connect one of the number board lights to pin 7 for normal common power. Connect the other wire to a pair of diodes, both facing toward the number board light. Wire one of the diodes to the front light, the other to the rear light. When you have Function 0 turned on, the front light will power the number board light when going forward. The rear light will power it when going in reverse. For this, you must have a decoder with a robust light driver, as the two bulbs together add up to 75 mA. Considering that incandescent bulbs surge when first turned on, I recommend that you don't use any decoder with function amperage less than 200mA (and that's pushing it). Lower amperage is OK for a single bulb, but if using this technique where one function will be powering two bulbs, it's better to play it safe with higher-amperage function outputs.

Shipping & Handling is $3.50 for the first decoder, 50¢ for each additional decoder up to a $7.50 maximum. When ordered with other items, S&H is 10% with a $3.50 minimum and $7.50 maximum.

Shipping & Handling is $5.00 for a sound decoder and speaker alone. If ordered with other items S&H is $7.50 for everything.