Breakin Run For A Walthers Mainline GP9

I ordered a Walthers chop nose GP9 for Chiago & North Western, which is one of the railroads I like to model. The cost benefit of the Mainline locos with sound decoders is very good. The price on line for a DCC ready loco without decoder is in the $100 range. The price of a loco with sound decoder is in the $150 range. If you consider that a non sound DCC decoder will be in the $25 range plus another $10 shipping, plus the trouble of installing, the premium for a Mainline sound loco is trivial.

Below is my loco with a caboose:

I ran the loco and caboose on the Sunkist Turn, which is a shove from Manhattan Transfer to Sunkist. The train is made up on Track 2 in Manhattan Transfer. The loco and caboose backed into position for the shove:

Here it is setting out and picking up in Sunkist:

Here it is returning to Manhattan Transfer with the pickups, crossing the drawbridge over the aisle.

These locos are very smooth running and outstanding at very slow speed switching.