If you go to HO Seeker and look at the 4-4-0, the only one, you can see the one with the MRC decoder I had. I believe their first Roundhouse sound loco. The DCC ready followed. The 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 are all identical except for drivers. The PC board in the tender was the real issue.
Rumor some years ago they would go with SoundTraxx like Bachmann but never happened as far as I know.
The 4-4-0 is a Plain Jane next to the Bachmann 4-4-0. I have both.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The Athearn tender design with speaker hole was for a rectangular PC board type sound decoder like my first 4-4-0 had with the MRC decoder. Makes sense.
Edit. Finally found the photos in my external hard drive. The original MRC decoder was a rectangular decoder the size of the metal frame. Low profile. A connector on the bottom of the decoder board was to connect the light on the tender. The DCC ready version was right in the center of the PC board that I had to move but no big deal.
I started working on modifying cars in the fifties. You worked with what you had and did not complain.
richg1998I have pre and post Athearn Roundhouse locos.
I have two pre and one post Athearn. The post Athearn is much more cheaply made, but it does have the spearker receptical. Those paarts you sent will do the trick. But I'm not going to tackle it until I get at least the lower trackwork done.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
BRAKIECheck a N Scale decoder..They work like their HO brethern.
I have a couple for that reason. I will if I need the space. I think if that board is gone I'll have plenty of room.
richg1998I did not touch anything in the engine. A one evening job for a loco tender. Just match the wires.
Unfortunately all the wires coming from the engine are black. They color cooridinate from the board to the harness only. I don't know how I'd be able to match them without taking the engine apart.
When Athearn first sold them with sound, they came with an MRC decoder in a new tender frame in the 4-4-0. I bought one and put in a SoundTraxx 750.
You can see this frame and the older tender frames at at HO Seeker page and a better motor with a flywheel.
I had a couple older pre Athearn 2-6-0 with the MDC Wild West Livery and older style tender frame and bought the new tender frames and new trucks from Athearn some years ago. More room and a speaker location. Eyes went bad and gave those to Space Mouse. They had the same motor and flywheel as the Athearn do.
I still have a couple older MDC with the larger open frame and no flywheel like the MDC Boxcab motor.
Also bought the DCC pickups and plastic windows for the 2-6-0 locos.
I have pre and post Athearn Roundhouse locos.
About four years ago I asked an Athearn rep at a train show in West Springfield, MA if those steamers were coming back and they said yes but nothing so far and I seriously doubt they ever will. Just no demand anymore. The detail does not compare to the Bachmann steamers. I have both.
SpaceMouse Okay, I'm thinking about it. I was just being lazy. I didn't want to tear into the engine. If I hard wire anything though, it will be a harness. I know sound is coming eventually and no point doing it twice.
Okay, I'm thinking about it. I was just being lazy. I didn't want to tear into the engine. If I hard wire anything though, it will be a harness. I know sound is coming eventually and no point doing it twice.
Check a N Scale decoder..They work like their HO brethern.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Of course those Roundhouse engines came out originally as kits from MDC decades before DCC came about. I guess once Athearn took the line over they did the best they could to make them "DCC friendly". But IIRC it's a pretty small tender so there's only so much you can do.
SpaceMouse So I have a 2-6-0 from Roundhouse. A new one. I have older ones I've already installed decoders into. The old ones have 8-pin harnesses. Plenty of room for decoders. The new one is set up for sound. It has a one inch receptical for a speaker. and enough space for a pretty large one. Above the circuit board there is about 3/16" clearance. The what were they thinking is that they set it up with a 9-pin harness. As soon as anything is plugged into it, it exceeds the 3/16 inch clearance. Every single sound decoder I've seen for small steam uses an 8-pin harness. I have two decoders that would easily fit if it had an 8-pin harness. It looks like I'm going to have to splice in an 8-pin harness if I want to get this loco to work. I'm beginning to wonder how well this loco will fly.
So I have a 2-6-0 from Roundhouse. A new one. I have older ones I've already installed decoders into. The old ones have 8-pin harnesses. Plenty of room for decoders.
The new one is set up for sound. It has a one inch receptical for a speaker. and enough space for a pretty large one.
Above the circuit board there is about 3/16" clearance.
The what were they thinking is that they set it up with a 9-pin harness. As soon as anything is plugged into it, it exceeds the 3/16 inch clearance.
Every single sound decoder I've seen for small steam uses an 8-pin harness. I have two decoders that would easily fit if it had an 8-pin harness.
It looks like I'm going to have to splice in an 8-pin harness if I want to get this loco to work.
I'm beginning to wonder how well this loco will fly.
Not a big deal. Some years ago I bought the 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0, DCC ready with 9 pin and DC adapter. I unsoldered the 9 pin socket wires and the socket for the tender light. Moved that socket and soldered in the SoundTraxx 750. Put in the speaker. Problem solved. I think I modified the PC board mounting a little for clearance. The locos run fine. No overheat issues with the decoders. Sometimes you just have to make it work.
I did not touch anything in the engine. A one evening job for a loco tender. Just match the wires.
Been some years. I posted pictures here but PB is gone. Sorry.
Not going to bother with another photo hosting site.
SpaceMouseOkay, I'm thinking about it. I was just being lazy. I didn't want to tear into the engine
Welcome to the club. That said, I have found most of my DCC installs ended up being hard wired. "DCC Ready" means different things to different people.
SpaceMouse BroadwayLion Locomotives usually do not fly. I'm thinking a water ballon launcher like in college. Four strands of surgical tubing with a funnel pocket in the center. Two guys stand straight as posts holding the tubing while the third guy pulls the funnel to stretching limit. Effective range 1 city block.
BroadwayLion Locomotives usually do not fly.
I'm thinking a water ballon launcher like in college. Four strands of surgical tubing with a funnel pocket in the center. Two guys stand straight as posts holding the tubing while the third guy pulls the funnel to stretching limit.
Effective range 1 city block.
A funnel, eh? Seems a little risky for the, uh, launch-master. We used to use a plastic bowl.
Ed
woodoneDon’t forget resistors for the lights!
Probably wood have. I don't know what kind of lights are in there. (yet)
rrinkerOr use a strip of copper PCB - saw cuts to make a series of parallel bu unconnected pads, solder all right side wires to one pad, left wires to another, etc
That's what I was looking for. I have a ton of these. I knew the wiring, but the idea of each of the power leads having 3 wires attached... I'll show them, I'll make my own mini-board.
Like Randy said- rip out the board- ring out the wires on the plug that go to the tender. Don’t forget resistors for the lights!
2 right rail pickups tie together, go to the red decoder wire.
2 left rail pickups tie together, go to the black decoder wire.
blue wire from the headlight plus blue wire to the backup light tie together and go to the blue wire on the decoder.
white to the loco for headlight, yellow to the other wire of the backup light.
Either tie the pickup wires together then tap off, or just make a 3 way splice with the approriate decoder wire.
Or use a strip of copper PCB - saw cuts to make a series of parallel bu unconnected pads, solder all right side wires to one pad, left wires to another, etc. That way you cna shorten the truck pickup wires in the tender (just glue the little PCB on the tender, and the only wires that need to be slightly longish would be the ones to the decoder itself, to give you enough slack to lift it up and pull the 9 pin to remove it.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SpaceMouseve any more/better/howto ideas for me.
BroadwayLionLocomotives usually do not fly.
rrinker Most of the 8 pin ones from TCS and Digitrax terminate in a 9 pin on the decoder. The real answer is to rip out the factory boards which are often more trouble than they're worth, and hard ware the decoder. It leaves more room for the speaker or a not as tiny decoder. --Randy
Most of the 8 pin ones from TCS and Digitrax terminate in a 9 pin on the decoder.
The real answer is to rip out the factory boards which are often more trouble than they're worth, and hard ware the decoder. It leaves more room for the speaker or a not as tiny decoder.
I've trimmed the heat shrink on Soundtraxx decoders to get to the 9-pin plug. Worth a try, or tear it all out...
Gary
I thought I'd post a couple pictures and see if you have any more/better/howto ideas for me.
SpaceMouseI'm beginning to wonder how well this loco will fly.
This is a good questions. Locomotives usually do not fly.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
That was the idea behind the new harness, which I was already thinking about. The board is helpful in that 8 black wires come from the engine into a plug and then they are color--coded to the 9- pin. The rear lights and tender pick-ups also attach to the board.