TRW,
I didn't know of your involvement with Lionel, or this product, knowing that, will give your future advice more credibility, Mike R's involvement with Lionel is a known factor, but being human he possibly made a mistake in this case. I apologize for questioning your credentials.
My experience with Signal Sounds locomotives is mainly with the Harriman Consolidations and traditional Pacifics, which I have both SS and RS version of each, and a few others. All of my SS locomotives came delivered as "Upgradeable" which is why I stated "Many" are upgradeable, not knowing if "ALL" were upgradeable.
The 9 volt harness likely was a matter of using an existing harness rather than creating, producing and stocking multiple harnesses, when a more inclusive harness could be used in many applications, even if all the features are not used in every application, that is something that the automotive industry has done for many years.
I also apologize for taking your reply a bit more personally than I should have
Doug
