Kit: Zimo MX658N18 with PowerCube9 (1.3W version of the SugarCube - NB should really use a standard SugarCube9 as it is 8ohm to match the decoder's abilities) in boiler; SMD firebox glow LED; weathered crew

Either the V2 project or K3 sounds would work well in this loco.

Here's the beautiful model to begin with...

Well done Bachmann - fantastic design - just a single screw holds it all together, and comes apart very easily...

The Next18 DCC socket is clean and tiny, so remove the blanking plate. Note that there are solder pads provided for the speaker, and also for forward and backward lighting. Perhaps one of the few disappointing aspects of the the model is the lack of pads for GROUND (for any SPEIKOMP/SACC16 stay-alive kit) and no pads for the additional funciton outputs. Never mind - we'll use the forward lighting output for our firebox glow light and configure it to flicker and not be directional.

Here is our Zimo MX658N18 sound decoder, with a pic of us loading it up with V2 sounds on the Zimo tester board.

Solder wires onto the board for speaker (pair of purple) and also in preparation for the firebox glow light (blue for +VE, orange for -VE... orange because it is for fireglow - nothing to do with DCC standards!), then plug in the decoder.

Firebox glow LED will need a resistor, so add that on the +VE output (blue wire we added earlier)

One more screw and the bunker assembly slides out backwards - very nice design Bachmann - well done!

Not the greatest cab detail, but you don't see much of it in this loco anyway! We grind a bit of a recess for the firebox glow LED to sit in, but not too much, then glue it in position and glue the wires in the route that we want them to take.

Make a little notch for the wires to follow.

Add some fellas and paint the wires to disguise them

Thread through the wires and slide the bunker assembly back into place

Join up the firebox wires to the blue and orange that we added to the socket board earlier, remembering to send blue +VE via the resistor.

Protect bare connections with heat shrink

Position and connect the speaker - in this case a YouChoos PowerCube9, which is basically the same as a standard SugarCube9, but with a little more grunt (1.3W)

Tidy, put body on, add lump coal in the bunker and we're done!

Please note that these guides are provided as useful resources for you, as-is. YouChoos cannot be held responsible for errors in the information, or for any damage caused to your models or equipment if you choose to follow any of the steps detailed here.