Is it possible to convert a DC loco To AC.

[Anonymous]

I have a LIttle 2-4-0 lionel loco from a K-Mart set. It is Dc and everything else i have is AC. I have a lot of fun running it, its the first loco i ever had. But it works with nothing else i have. I would realy like to be able to run this with the rest of my stuff and add a whistle tender to it. Is there any way of fitting an ac motor and E unit into its little plastic shell.

[dwiemer]

Kevin, you could make it run on the same tracks as your AC trains, you would have to either have a bridge rectifier, or a separate transformer and a switch to use AC or DC. They have a good write up in the Tips and Tricks book by Peter Riddle. As to the whistle, they are triggered by a shot of DC to an AC system, that being said, if you run a DC system the whistle would keep going. Don't know any way around this.
Dennis

[brianel027]

"YES, but why would you want to???"

Of course, this comment is coming from someone has has ripped all the solid state circuit board reverse units out of his loco and runs his whole layout on DC current.

There are some drawbacks to this, but one of the big payoffs is much smoother and steadier running operation of locos with truck mounted DC can motors.

But Kevin, getting back to your problem. There are a couple of ways you could do this, but the best would be to get the smallest sized solid state circuit board reverse unit (which has the necessary bridge rectifier built into it) and put that into your loco. It might be "easier" but not necessarily better, to put the reverse unit board inside the tender shell with some tether wires running between the loco and the tender.

I have a load of these cheaper 2-4-0 steamers. Not only are they easy candidates for adding extra details, but by leaving the circuit board reverse unit out of the loco, you have more room to add additional lead weights to the loco motor frame chassis assembly. My little locos as was didn't pull much. Now they easily pull 20 and more cars. My 8300 (which I put a DC motor into instead of the AC one) actually outpulls my postwar Lionel steamer.

If you want a solid state circuit board reverse unit, I have loads that I will probably never use again as I am sold on DC operation. You can contact me though the site here and I can sell you one.