dcc wiring for life-like gp7

[The Ferroequinologist]

How do I wire a digitrax decoder on a proto 2000 GP7? This loco has Athearn components with the verticial posts on each truck and one wire coming from the motor . It has a short brass bar on the motor (not the long bar of older Athearn mechanisms) . I have a nine wire Digitrax decoder

 

[rrinker]

 Sound slike it will be mostly like the original FA-2s, minus the rubber band drive for the spinning fan.

http://www.tcsdcc.com/public_html/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Life_Like/Proto_2000_FA-2/Proto_2000_FA-2.html

                --Randy

 

[mobilman44]

Folks,

  Pardon my ignorance here...........  Is it true that the P2K GP7 are made of Athearn components? 

I'm not saying that is bad or good, just a big surprise to me.  If that's true, what other P2ks are Athearn?

[rrinker]

 The only locos I'm aware of that used actual Atharn components are some of the early Stewart models - RS-3 and AS16. ANd some MDC kits - the MDC RS-3 came in two versions, the earlier ones used an Athearn switcher driver, the later ones have an early P2K FA drive, which is an exactl clone of Athearn except the motor is silver and not gold. Clip across the top and all, just like an Athearn.

What Life-Liek did was clone the AThearn drive, aws have others. At first the were nearl twins, witht he big bar clipped across the top of the motor and under the truck tabs, then they moved to wires and eventually circuit boards. Still it is a clone of AThearn, motor int eh middle, flywheels with universal connectors, short splined drive shaft to the work on top of the truck, truck clips to the frame with 2 tabs, sintered bronze bushings with metal truck side plates riding on them for power pickup, etc. Aldo why the Athearn SD40-2 gears work to repalce the cracked P2K gears, they are nearly identical. After the earliest P2K diesels, you could probably say they are the equivalent of an Athearn loco with a better motor.

                    --Randy

 

[WSOR 3801]

For short hood forward, the orange wire goes to the bottom of the motor, gray to the top (solder right to the brass on the top of the motor, but make it quick before you melt the motor). 

Red wire grounds to the frame (or solder right to the trucks on that side for better pickup), black to the tabs on the trucks. 

Lights are your choice (I like LEDs), extra lights use purple and green.