I just bought a Athearn-F7 Heavyweight ACL Passenger Train set for my wife.
She Llikes Purple, And that was the easy way to get a hole passenger train for her.
I am using a Digitrax Super Chief Extra.command station.
I need to know what decoder should work in that Locomotive.
Thanks
If you've never installed a decoder into an Athearn locomotive that was not "DCC Ready" and don't have soldering skills, you need to research various sites that have pictorial step-by-step instructions about decoder installation, such as Litchfield Station, Tony's Train Exchange, or Ulrich Hobby Shop.
We need to know if your Athearn locomotive is a Genesis, Blue Box, or Ready-to-Run version. Without knowing this, there's not much advice we can offer. If it's a Blue Box type, the motor must be removed during the installation process so it can be properly insulated from the frame.
Welcome aboard.
How are your photography skills? One thing that really helps is pictures. If you can remove the plastic "shell" of the locomotive and snap a picture with a digital camera, you can upload the picture to a picture hosting site, and then link to it from here. Once you've mastered that trick, we can see exactly what needs to be done with your engine.
If it's a relatively new one, it might be as easy as plugging it in. But, if it's older, then there might be some other minor surgery involved. And, you might even consider adding sound, so that engine can whistle at the pretty lady as it goes around your track.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I ordered it for X-Mass and it has not come in yet.
Athern does not make the train set any more and I could not find any info on there web site about the Loco. All the show is a picture of the hole set with the throttle. As soon as it comes in I will find the stall amps and pull the shell to get a piture of it.