SoundBytes XLIV

The Holiday Season is here. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In this post, we’ll share our Holiday Schedule; discuss recent announcements for future products in Blackstone Models, including new Tank Cars and C-19s, and for our Tech Tip, well look closely at the new lighting decoders for Blackstone Models Coach and Caboose.
Also, for those of you wanting a wish list to give your loved ones, we have our “Honey Please” lists for both SoundTraxx and Blackstone Models found on the home page of each.

Holiday Schedule:
For the Christmas and New Year Holidays, we will close so our staff can spend time with their families for the week of December 26th through the 30th. We will re-open January 2nd, 2012.

Narrow Frame Tank Car 3rd Release
Back by popular demand, Blackstone Models will be doing a 3rd run of the UTLX Narrow Frame Tank Car. These are available in both weathered (W) versions and non-weathered versions. The new part numbers are:
B340607(W) - UTLX No. 12812, Yellow Lettering
B340608(W) - UTLX No. 12822, Yellow Lettering
B340609(W) - UTLX No. 13119, Yellow Lettering

We are also proud to announce CYCX Narrow Frame Tank Cars!

HOn3 modelers will immediately take note of the unique livery of the Penn-Conley Owned CYCX cars leased to the Texaco company. In stark contrast to the yellow lettering of the typical UTLX car, these second-hand UTLX narrow frame tank cars are adorned with white "Gothic" style reporting marks and utilize a more spartan approach to the data painted on the tank ends. None of the CYCX cars are equipped with tank side ladders that were applied to certain remaining UTLX cars during the war years. Because they were few in number, the CYCX cars are a special addition to any modeler's HOn3 collection and will find a special place in the consists of those diminutive tank and manifest trains! The new part number are:
B340610(W) - CYCX No. 63, White Lettering
B340611(W) - CYCX No. 64, White Lettering

Non-weathered cars will retail for $67.95. Weathered versions will retail for $75.95. The guaranteed pre-order deadline is January 13, 2012. We expect these to be in stock and shipping to dealers in the Summer of 2012.

New C-19s!
Blackstone Models is proud to announce the release of 7 new versions of the popular C-19 along with a re-run of a popular road number. Newly-tooled tender styles allows us to model new versions, including the popular RGS #41. 

Otto Perry photo from James L. Ehernberger Collection

These will all be available with sound and optionally weathered. Versions are:
B310201-S: #345 Flying Grande Herald, Switcher Pilot
B310209-S: #342 Royal Gorge Route Herald with Straight Sided Tender
B310210-S: #346 Post Wreck, Flying Grande Herald, Flared Top Tender
B310211-S: #401, Class 70, Late 1910s 401 on Straight Sided Tender
B310212-S: #40 RGS “Rising Sun” Herald
B310213-S: #41 RGS, 30s 40 on Straight Sided Tender
B310214-S: Painted/Unlettered, Diamond Stack, Flared Top Tender, Russia Iron Boiler
B310215-S: Ptd/Unl, Later Style, Straight Sided Tender

MSRP will be $499.95 for non-weathered versions; weathered versions will list for $554.95.

Tech Tip:
We have recently begun shipping the lighting decoders for the Blackstone Models coach and caboose. These are designed for these models, but can be adapted for use in other models as well! Designed for use in both DCC and analog DC, this produces flicker-free operation for up to 2 minutes after track power has been removed.

Each decoder is equipped with 3 surface mount LEDs to illuminate the interior of your car. There are also 3 additional lighting outputs for other lighting options, such as marker lamps, rear flashing lamp, Stove flicker, and more. All of the SoundTraxx Hyperlight effects are built in. This means that you could use a MARS light effect for the interior lamps if you want to.
The decoder is just like any other decoder; it will use a short address (1-127) or a long address (0001-9999) and can be consisted with decoders installed in other cars on the same train! One popular feature of this decoder is the ability to adjust the brilliance of the outputs with a CV. This allows the marker lamps or interior lights to be adjusted to your desired brilliance. To dim the interior lamps, for example, CV 55 adjusts brightness for FX5 (Interior lamps) and FX6. This CV can be adjusted from 0-100 (Numbers above 100 will default to 100). To set the interior lights to 50% bright, set CV 55 to 50. It is just that easy!

This decoder can be used in many ways. Feel free to explore the potential uses. The User’s Guide for the lighting decoders can be found here: http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/light_userguide.pdf.