I was only about 10 or 11 at the time, and for me it was a reltively expensive loco, that I saved up for. I even built my layout with much broader curves than anything I owned at the time needed, because I was planning on buying that Northern. When I finally bought it and put it on my layout I was hugely disappointed. If I still had it around somewhere, I'd give it to you for spare parts.
Unless the ones newer than the 1975 version have improved, it needs more than a better quality motor, the gear train in mine was incredibly sloppy and I think that's where most of the binding happened. Certainly wasn't the rods and drivers out of quarter - the plastic rods only attached to like one driver.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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I look at engines like this and see an opportunity to add a flywheel and a Canon motor.
I had the 1975 revision of that when I was in N scale. One of the reasons I got OUT of N scale. Horrible runner. My version had the plastic side rodes, maybe slightly newer ones run better, but if I still has N scale and still had that loco I wouldn't waste my time putting DCC in it.
--Randy
That's not the same one he's talking about. The website shows a J class 4-8-4, which is different from a Northern.
This is what the OP is talking about:
http://www.spookshow.net/bach484.html
He would have to isolate the motor and run wires to it from the tender for the motor, pickup, and headlight.
Why do you say it is not DCC ready? I guess real early run units might not be, but if it is like the one shown on the TCS site, it is DCC ready.
It's not DCC ready, so you have to take apart the locomotive and isolate the motor.
No but I found this on TCS website:
http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/N_Scale/Bachmann/Spectrum_4-8-4_Class_J/bachman_Spectrum_4-8-4_Class_J.html
has any one done a decoder install in a northen4-8-4 by bachmann n scale