Hello. I just bought a new loco, the Walthers DL109 and I love it. But I'm unsure of what decoder to get. Now this isn't a brand vs. brand type of thing, it's a what will fit. I have just started a layout And I'm not quite familiar with all of the nooks and cranines of model railroading. Now the instruction manual says any 8 pin decoder, but that is a broad range in my mind. So, is it really a any 8 pin decoder thing or is there a specific one? I have already looked online to see which one and I couldn't find any. Hopefully one of you knows answer. Thanks!
Cheers, the Bear
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
If it's an 8-pin decoder, a very good bet in any scale with a recent motor is the Digitrax DZ126PS. http://www.digitrax.com/products/mobile-decoders/dz126ps/ It's nominally Z scale, but it has a 1-amp rating, so the issue is size, and this will fit just about anywhere. You may have an issue with the LED in the stock model, you may need to add a resistor.
Hi T-Bird.
Not sure if you wish to add sound or not but a good non-sound, direct board replacement decoder for this loco is the TCS LL8 or LL8-LED (if the loco is LED equiped). Remove the existing board in the loco, replace with the above mentioned and plug in the 8-pin harness. I did a similar replacement on a Walthers GP-18, works great.
All the best.
Reinhard
Joe F
Most decoder manufacturers have a chart on their web site that has recommended decoders for various engines.
South Penn