Cleaning up the train room today and I am amazed with the stuff I have found I have forgot about. (found 1 wheel off a Proto 33 wheel set, I sure don't remember cutting it off?) Anyway I had forgotten how many old Blue Box engines I had. Now that I run DCC, they are not worth re motoring so I don't cook a decoder.
Now, if I have the room for a larger scale decoder that will handle higher amps, would that work? There is a lot of room in the old Blue Box engines.
Anyway, back to sweeping under the bench. Found two unopened jars of ballast and two bags of trees. Boy I got to much stuff.
The Cam 2 (car guy code name for beer) made me ask this.
Burp, Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Hey Ken, Both Digitrax and NCE have higher amp decoders made for BB engines.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
modelmaker51Hey Ken, Both Digitrax and NCE have higher amp decoders made for BB engines.
Jay, what kind of Amps will they handle? Two of the FP45's have the old rocket motors (should be called Rock Motors) and I think they will pull 3 amps or more.
Dust Pan Ken, posting silly questions again!
How many amps can your DCC system handle? How about your circuit breakers, if you've broken the layout up, or your auto-reverse modules?
3 amps is serious current in HO. Many DCC systems don't handle that much. My Lenz system is a hefty 5 amps, but using 60% of that for one engine is out of line. Besides, I think my breakers are all set at around 3 amps, and my auto-reverser has a 2 1/2 amp limit.
If you've got an engine that's running 3 amps, you either need a new motor or a new engine.
I have a few really old BB engines, from the Eisenhower administration. I put a meter on them and even at startup they only drew about an amp. The best thing I could do with them was pull out the motors and gear boxes and run them as dummies. One F7 even has a sound-only decoder and headlights so it can run back-to-back in a consist with another engine.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
The old motors stall at about 2 amps, and still use nearly half an amp when everything is properly tuned and running perfectly. You'll want to have a pretty heavy duty decoder if you plan on running them with DCC. It would work to use a decoder for larger scales (Bowser even recommends an O scale decoder for their kits!), as long as it's still small enough to fit inside whatever you use it for.
I've found the stall current on those old motors still isn't as bad as some others. I'm about to replace a lower-end Mabuchi motor that came in an Athearn F7 (yes, Athearn used a Mabuchi can motor in some of their train set diesels). Free running current wasn't bad, but the stall current is over 3 amps! The motor I'll be using is the same one used by BLI, Rivarossi, and some others, and it was only $8 in an auction. I wouldn't give up on remotoring old Athearns like yours, because there are still some pretty good deals out there.
_________________________________________________________________
MisterBeasleyIf you've got an engine that's running 3 amps, you either need a new motor or a new engine.
Mister Beasley, why do you think I forgot I had them? I do think there stall speed is 3 amps. When I was DC using the MRC 9500 I think three of them pulled 2.5 to 3 amps with a 40 car train in tow. Far as power, I am running a Digitrax SEB with 5 amps so I could run them if I find a suitable decoder. I will add they are not a priority, more of a passing thought with me uncovering them today.
All so found 6 Life Like Santa Fe Warbonnets as well. Might make some Dummies out of them, or see if I can fit the shell's to my PK 1000 F's. Now, what to do with the 30 Life Like and cheap Bachmann box cars I stumbled across?
Next, the Work Bench!
Cleaning and drinking again, Cuda Ken
you could remotor them if they're that important.
Springfield PA
Hi Ken- Any D&RG rr??
OOps T-storm just starting. cul
Flip
fec153Any D&RG rr??
Found a Box Car Kit by Walther's, but the trucks are gone.
Blue, you might want to re read the post. They are far from being important to me.
David B, I fixed the missing B.
Time to eat BBQ now, later and the train room looks pretty good again, Ken
cudakenTime to eat BBQ now, later and the train room looks pretty good again, Ken
Yes, BBQ has a B at the beginning, as you already know! Been grillin' a lot of steak tips, myself, and drinking my share of that beverage that also starts with B.
I've got most of the old boxcars from the same era as my BB engines running on my layout. I had to replace wheels on some, whole trucks on others, and of course all the horn-hooks, but it's good to see these old friends making the rounds again after half a century.
Found about 40 more cars, these are the old Bachmann and Life Like cars I never converted. Picked a couple I want to keep. Today is open house at K-10 Model Trains, will take some and give them away to the kids that are there.
Ken
I need a small fleet of SD40-2 for my KCS. I have several of the old Athearn BB locomotives. I have placed Digitrax DH123 decoders in them and they work just fine. They do have problems with the old drive train binding and they sound like a meat grinder. The new Athearn HEX drives run a lot better. I am pulling the guts (motor/drive train) out of the old Atheran BB SD40-2 and placing sound only decoders so I can add sound to a consist. I run 3-4 unit lashups with one sound only locomotive in the middle of the consist. I don't need the power.
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
cudakenFound about 40 more cars
Wow, finding a bunch of stuff. You should call Geraldo Rivera. He might do a special, especially if there is a possibility that you might find Jimmy Hoffa
For sure, must be some cavern underneath the layout to hide that much stuff over time. Great idea though passing it on to kids.
Hamltnbluemust be some cavern underneath the layout to hide that much stuff over time
You don't know the half of it! There are 3 complete Big Block 383 and 440's under the bench!
A broom? whats that I have to use a leaf blower and a snow shovel. OH Crap! I said the "S" word now we're in for it. On all the blue box diesels I converted then sold of course I used TCS decoders and a couple of Digitrax and had no issues what so ever. If your pulling a lot of amps perhaps your gearing needs some work or some more the ample lubrication.
Ken, did you get my email?
Jay, I have not opened my E Mail for 3 months now. Best way to get hold of me is by PM.