I have an IHC mother hubbard0-6-0 and would like to put a decoder in it. To start off with I have not been able to find how to take it apart. Does anyone have any info on how to do this. Secondly has anyone done this before? Should it go in the boiler or in the tender? Should I put it in the boiler then put a sound unit in the tender when I get to that point? Any direction would be great. I could not find IHC on hoseeker, does it go by another name?
Mike
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
First off, here is the IHC web site
http://www.ihc-hobby.com/cgi-bin/bsc.cgi?sn=013
I don't have one of these particular IHC models but have installed decoders in several other types. I would expect that you will have room in the boiler for a small form factor decoder like a TCS MC2. Every one I have done so far, the motor was isolated and it was a relatively easy hard wire install.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I installed a decoder in an IHC 2-6-0, similar to your 0-6-0. To take it apart, first look at the exploded drawing that comes with it. Failing that, go to their web site to see if you can find the drawing. Failing that, here are the steps:
1. Gently pull up/out the two boiler support struts. It's easiest to pull them out from the smokebox than from the pilot. Use tweezers.
1.a. There may be a screw under the pilot where my two wheel lead truck was located. If present, remove it.
2. Remove the screw at the back of the boiler that connects the loco drawbar to the tender.
2.a. Keep the screws you remove separte and LABELLED. On mine, they were different lenght and different thread pitch.
3. Gently pull up from the cab-end. Don't unscrew the screw in the middle of the driver support plate, unless this is a used loco. You may find that it is excessively greased; then removing the driver support plate may be necessary to clean the gears and the brass contacts.
As the previous poster said, you can tape a micro decoder (Digitrax DZ 143, TCS M-1, Lenz, etc.) to the top of the motor.
Bear in mind the NMRA decoder wiring standard: red is right side power pickup, black is left side, orange is motor brush +, grey is motor brush -, blue is lighting common (+), white is headlight forward, and yellow is headlight reverse.
To find out which motor brush is +, get a 9-volt battery and connect it's + terminal to one brush of the mtor, the - negative battery terminal to the other motor brush. If this causes the loco to go forward, the + battery terminal is connected to the + motor brush. If it goes in reverse, etc.
There should be two wires coming forward from the tender. Find out which is the right side pickup and connect it to the loco right side pickup, and then to the decoder red wire. Same for the left side tender and loco black wires and the decoder black wire.
It really doesn't make a lot of difference if you switch motor brushes; you can change the normal direction in CV 29. If you use the CV 29 trick, then you have to find out what CV reverses the normal operation of the ligths too. I like to get it right the first time.
I forgot about the sound part of your question. The only sound decoder I know of that will fit in the loco is the LokSound micro. I am pretty sure the Soundtraxx micro will not fit. Using the Digitrax bug requires two decoders. Not enough room for both in the loco.
It would be better to put the sound decoder and the speaker in the tender. If you do, you will have 6 wires running between the tender and the loco. Plan how you will run those wires.
As to the speaker, I like to mount it to the bottom of the coal load. Drill a passle of #75 holes (yes, I know they are smaller than the recommended #70 holes) in the coal load to let the sound escape. I find #70 holes too visible. Paint your coal load with a clear gloss and the holes pretty much disappear visually. The gloss represents the sheen of coal and the gloss takes viewers attention away from the holes.
One final thought on this: I was very unhappy with the running qualities of this loco under DCC. The stock motor is a 3-pole can motor. It does NOT like DCC pulses. After all the work of installing the decoders, superdetailing and weathering, I replaced the motor with a can motor to solve the problem.
MRRSparky One final thought on this: I was very unhappy with the running qualities of this loco under DCC. The stock motor is a 3-pole can motor. It does NOT like DCC pulses. After all the work of installing the decoders, superdetailing and weathering, I replaced the motor with a can motor to solve the problem.
Come to think of it there may be instructions in the box. I looked briefely but do not recall. I was so impressed with the smoothness I just tossed the box on the shelf. I will have to go and check.
Thanks for the info, I am going to look for the right decoder for sound.
On DCC, mine ran unacceptably, at least in comparison to a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 (probably a bad example). When I finally accepted that I could not tolerate it's running qualities, I converted it back to DC and it ran beautifully. Sold it on eBay.