Inherited what I would call a "standard" Bachmann DC locomotive, by that I mean not DCC, not a Spectrum and nowhere on the box does it say DCC ready. It's just a plain Bachmann blue box, purchased in about 2013. It's a GP40, Item #: 63516. It runs really well in DC mode, very smooth and not dirty at all, so worth upgrading. There is a board inside with an 8-pin socket on top. Can I use this socket to plug in a decoder with an 8-pin adapter, or is this board strictly a light board and I would need to replace the entire thing? And would I need to put in resistors for the lights?
I just Google search for bachmann GP40 63516. It is ready for a decoder. No resistor needed.
The below would work fine.
http://www.digitrax.com/products/mobile-decoders/dn136ps/
A few years ago I used the 125 in a couple older Bachmann locos.
TCS has some nice small ones also.
If you have any more Bachmann locos, there is a Bachmann active forum. Google bachmann forums. It will pop right up with all kinds of useful info for Bachmann users. I have followed it for years.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Geez, I was looking on YouTube for upgrading this locomotive. Guess I should have just Googled it. Now I feel silly! Thanks Rich!
There's a video on Utube also. I have a couple Bachmann GP-38s to install sound and DCC in. It's doable, but I'm going to have to do some serious cutting on the weights to make room for the speaker.
There are some yellow teardrop shape caps to cut out. They can cause slow running issues. The two inductors are not an issue.
The TCS site shows how to install sound using the TCS sound decoder and a stay alive module.
To my knowledge, no frame modification is needed.