I've just begun getting back into train modeling, I've bought a DCC train set and presently doing my rail lay out. I've still got my original train engines and cars, but they are some twenty years old or older. My quest is; how hard would it be to change them over to the new DCC. I got four of the older engines.
Thanks
Cadit
Hi, Cadit. I am going to move your question to a more appropriate forum, the one for Electronics and DCC.
-Crandell
Thank you, I'll get the hang of it one day. But thanks for the help.
Happy to be of service. You'll get some solid help from the guys here.
Meanwhile, an engine that runs well on DC is likely to be a good runner in DCC....from a purely mechanical standpoint. However, the decoders get fed directly from the rails and must not also be in contact with the frame via the motor, to which it also sends leads. In other words, the motor must in no way be able to receive power from the frame..it must be isolated from the frame. If you can do that, often with nylon screws and some electrical tape between it and the closest frame components for good measure, and if only the leads from the decoder supply it with any power, the rest is just figuring out the lighting.
Even more, though, the motor and decoder must be matched for power needs. If the motor runs well, but heavy on the juice, say up to 1.5 amps, you are getting near the maximum rating for some decoders. If it is a real stinker, but runs well when it gets 2 amps to it, you may be hooped and need to remotor, or re-gear, or both.
So, in a nutshell, it can be easy, but it can also be a pain where the sun don't shine. It all depends on what you find when you open them up.
That's as far as I feel comfortable going. I'll slip away and let the knowledgeable guys tell you what's what.
Crandell is correct, there is a lot of knowledge to be shared here. You mentioned the four older units, but did not specify manufacturer or type of units. We will need to know what they are to give you a good answer. Manufacturer and classification of the units would be of great help in answering.
Bob
You might want to consider lighting. For example, many older locos came equipped with a single 12V bulb. This is fine in DC, but in DCC it can get hot after being used for a long time. This can damage the shell on some units. You have some options here. You can use 1.5 volt bulbs with the correct resistor or use LEDs with the proper resistor. I prefer LEDs because they operate at a cool termperature and are brighter than bulbs. The choice is up to you.
I also reccomend purchasin a book on DCC. Amazon.com has some and there are many websites that can help.
Good luck on converting your locos.
Will
As for the lighting thing, I agree and think the LED would be the best. The locos that I have are diesel, one Union Pacific, one Rock Island, one Rocky Mountain and one Santa Fe. Hope that helps, I worst than a newbie.
Thanks Again
Thanks David; I think I might do that, Sounds like the smart thing to do. Any thoughts on any books that covers rebuilding or upgrading locomotives. I've gotten away from my RV modeling but did love rebuilding or building a few helicopters and airplanes.
Now I'm all excited about building my train layout. From what I've read, there's a lot more you can do now.
There is a book titled "Tuning and Upgrading Athearn Locomotives." It only deals with Athearn locomotives. It is a little dated but still has some useful bits of information. It does not cover any topics regarding DCC.
There is a book called "Detailing Locomotives." It only covers adding detail parts to various HO scale locomotives.
Welcome back. I returned 4 years ago. It has been a great time.
I have put sound decoders and new motors in 4 old engines. Three were brass engines and worth the effort. The other was an old "English Yard Bird" from 1946. I got the new motor in and sound in the tender, but it was a bear. I really wanted it for sentamental reasons and was able to make it work, but I will probably not do any more. The new ones run so much better.
On some DCC, like Digitax, you can run old DC engines on address 00 as long as you park them on a dead track when not in use. I have several spurs that I can turn off and I park them there. That way I can run them occassionally but as time goes by, I use the new ones most of the time.
Let's continue to talk. There are some many new wonders to discover.
CaditYour right, I don't know for sure but I think 2 are Bachmann and two are Tyco. Not very costly. But would like to add them to my rail yard when I finish. Don't remember to much about them, was wanting to add them to the new DCC unit I bought. As for the lighting thing, I agree and think the LED would be the best. The locos that I have are diesel, one Union Pacific, one Rock Island, one Rocky Mountain and one Santa Fe. Hope that helps, I worst than a newbie. Thanks AgainCadit
For some, tuning and tweaking older locomotives and getting them to run really well is almost a hobby inside the hobby. It is certainly doable. But the costs of the improved parts may likely exceed the value of the base locomotive. And if you add extra details as well as regear/remotor and a decoder to the base loco value, you will be pretty close to the cost of a new locomotive with DCC already installed.
OTOH, if you buy new replacements you miss out on all the joys of learning how to and gaining the skills to give an older locomotive a "make-over". It all depends on your inclinations and finances (redoing old spreads costs over time). I'm a rebuild guy myself, but there's nothing wrong with what David suggested, either.
If you choose to rebuild, the Yahoo Repower and Regear group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/repowerandregear/), Mark's web site (http://www.markschutzer.com/), and LocoDoc (http://www.locodoc.com/) are all sites I use for learning and information. The Yahoo HOn3 group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HOn3/ has some excellent tutorials by an Aussie fellow (Laurie) who does an awesome job of making tiny HOn3 locos run like jewels, and then outfits them with sound and marker lights as well as headlights using surface mount LEDs and micro-Tsunami decoders.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
I was in the same situation several years ago when I retired from the Army, joined a local HO scale club, and dug my old trains out of storage.
Initially the club layout was running only DC using MRC power packs. When we finally switched to DCC control, I discovered that my old Tyco, Mantua, and other steam engines were better off sitting in a railroad museum setting in favor of purchasing new, DCC ready or DCC equipped locomotives, because the difficulty of remotoring, regearing, or just being able to isolate the motor and fit a decoder into them, was more trouble than it was worth.
Newer models such as the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation run so much better than any of the older engines, I think you should purchase one or find a local hobby shop that will let you test run a DCC and sound equipped version and decide for yourself.
One of the best sources for Bachmann Spectrum engines with DCC and sound is Micro-Mark at http://www.micromark.com
Thanks Fred and all who have offered help. I think I will go with buying new locos and rebuild my older ones. I'm am laying tracks.
I too am returning to model railroading and was wondering if it's worth adding decoders to my existing fleet of locomotives. I bought a few several years ago planning to return with a very small DC layout but now that we've moved I'm building a larger layout in a dedicated room. My benchwork is done and I'll be ready to lay track in the next month or so.
My current roster is:
0-8-0 SWITCHER by IHC 4-6-4 HUDSON by IHC 2-8-2 HEAVY MIKADO by AHM EMD GP-7 by ? ALCO RSD-5 by KATO EMD BL2 by PROTO 2000 EMD BL2 by AHM ALCO S2 by AHM
I don't have the money to replace these and just wanted to know if anyone had experience with these models or could steer me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Doug
wholeman There is a book titled "Tuning and Upgrading Athearn Locomotives." It only deals with Athearn locomotives. It is a little dated but still has some useful bits of information. It does not cover any topics regarding DCC. There is a book called "Detailing Locomotives." It only covers adding detail parts to various HO scale locomotives.
Here's a site on it. Very useful.
http://www.mcor-nmra.org/Publications/Articles/Athearn_TuneUp.html