After too many years I once again have the space to set up an HO layout. My locomotives are up to 50 years old and were by Athearn and Tyco. Would it be worth or possible to install DCC into these these? I have a couple E units, a GP7 and a Berkshire.
If the Athearns are good runners, it's probably possible to put decoders in them. Just be sure to get decoders with high motor current ratings because those old Athearns can draw a lot of amps. Also, look up specific Athearn info on isolating the motors (brushes, actually) and follow it closely or you'll destroy decoders.
The Tycos, probably not because of the way they're built/powered.
Whether or not it's worthwhile is up to you.
I've also added sound in some of my old Athearn BlueBox locos. There are even conversion kits available for DCC so that the motor is not grounded to the frame as one change(you must isolate the motor electrically and I suggest also for vibration.
I agree with above, don't worry about doing the Tyco especially if they have the plastic wheels.
You should visit a good hobby store and they may have one there to show you how it's done.
Richard
I doubt that any Athearn locomotives that old are worth trying to convert to DCC due to the poor performance of the motors that were used in those days.
In my opinion you'd be much better off purchasing new locomotives instead of trying to convert something that old; and especially nothing from Tyco.
cacole I doubt that any Athearn locomotives that old are worth trying to convert to DCC due to the poor performance of the motors that were used in those days. In my opinion you'd be much better off purchasing new locomotives instead of trying to convert something that old; and especially nothing from Tyco.
I know one Modeler that did just what you ask!
He put DCC decoders into anything he had as he went to a lot of Yard Sales!
AHM - TYCO - OLD Bachmann - Old Lifelike all with the pancake motors and one truck drive - one wheel set pickup and NO Flywheels!
He seemed a bit disappointed and stated to me that the engines did not run any better than on DC!?
As for the Really old Athearn (Rubber Band Drive) put them on the shelf - make gread conversation pieces!
The slightly newer Atheran - were rice/cofee grinders - and with a LOT OF WORK can be made to run
BUT by that time - You could have NEW engines for the price that run way better and quieter!
But that really will be your choice!
Unfortunately you probably will be unhappy with the poor results!
If you have not seen some of the new stuff - it might be wise, on your part, to see some of this stuff run - and then compaire it to what you now have.
Our shop gets into this all of the time with Customers - and not one has been happy with the outcome of converting their old equipment!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
I was in that situation about 8 years ago. I put decoders into a couple of old engines, which is a very easy job because there is so much space inside the shells. But, the engines did not run well. Of course, they didn't run well on DC, either. I looked at replacing the motors and the old wheels. Then, I found a couple of brand new engines that ended up being cheaper than the upgrade.
If you happen to have good engines that run smoothly, you will need to remove the motor and isolate it from the frame with Kapton tape (recommended) or plastic electrical tape (what I used.) Then you'll need to get a wire from each side for power, which is probably from the trucks on one side and the frame on the other, and a wire from each side of the motor. Connect the power to the red and black leads of the decoder, and the motor to the gray and orange leads. If you want headlights, those go to the blue (common) and yellow and white for directional headlights front and rear. I'd recommend replacing the incandescent headlights with LEDs, which means you'll need a 1K resistor on the blue lead.
I turned a few of my golden oldies into dummy engines. I put sound-only decoders in them so that they can still be of service on my railroad. It was the least I could do for my old friends.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
So many beat up the old Athearn locos, but the BlueBoxes weren't that bad at all and could be made to run very well without a lot of $$$$. Also, the metal handrails are very good for those who may have difficulty handling the newer much more easily broken handrails. Along those same lines, fewer small delicate details equals fewer things that can be broken. I have some very nice "shelf queens" that are in a display cabinet in the den and some down and dirty locos for younger guests--not to mention a lot inbetween.
SEriously, for not a lot of money you can get a blue box loco, decoder and with some work have a decent loco for about $50. If you enjoy working/model building then that's even better.
If you do a bit of searching, you can find can motors quite easily, and should be able to get a can motor and flywheel for less than $25. I put those into old Athearn engines and they run as nicely as anything new.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Bro3:
Welcome back to the hobby, and welcome to the MR forum!
I would suggest that upgrading one or two of the old locomotives might be interesting as a learning exercise, but unless you are really willing put a lot of work (and some money) into rebuilding, detailing and repainting them then you might want to put them back in a box. Don't throw them out though. Keep them around in case the rebuild bug bites you in the future.
Many experienced modellers have suggested that if you really want to enjoy the hobby then you should plan to get some track laid and some trains running as soon as is practical. That may take a few weeks or months but the point is that you can spend all your time now trying to rebuild your old stuff but you still won't have a place to run them no matter how good a job you do on the rebuilds. I have to admit that personally I have not followed this path for family reasons. I have had a lot of fun installing decoders and scratchbuilding all sorts of stuff from buildings to small locomotives, but starting the layout is still in the future. That is a bit frustrating.
As far as track goes, I recently scored 125 pcs of new Atlas code 100 NS track on eBay for about half of current retail. Granted it was code 100 which is becoming less popular but I already owned about 30 Peco code 100 turnouts so the track fit my needs.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!