cacole It's a detail part,
It's a detail part,
Get your eyes checked Cacole, there is a resistor on that thing. it is far from being a "DETAIL" part.
Truck.
ChadLRyan Mike, Yes, it was from him! I really like the way you use those through the helix, great idea & very practical!! LMD, Apoligies for the sidebar conversation in your thread. PS: your new inventory looks nice!
Mike, Yes, it was from him! I really like the way you use those through the helix, great idea & very practical!!
LMD, Apoligies for the sidebar conversation in your thread. PS: your new inventory looks nice!
Thank you sir
Mr. LMD, Owner, founder
The Central Chicago & Illinois Railroad
mlehman Mr. LMD: I do my homework with the help of the Spook website and it said the NW2 are Plug and play and if they aren't i will get them converted at my local hobby shop where they know me a lot. Mr. LMD, I suspect that you're talking about an N scale Kato NW2. I've never had one of those apart and it's likely different than the HO version., with a different light board, maybe the one you're holding in the pic? My guess is that you just replace the light board with the decoder and it plugs right in? The HO one isn't plug and play, that's for sure. You split the chassis halves -- yes, it's like a N scale loco in that way -- and cut the contacts off the motor to isolate it, then use a Dremel to make runs for leads you solder to the motor terminals out to the decoder. Nothing too difficult, except where to put the decoder. The cab is the only place where there's room for that, unless you mill part of the frame under the hood to make space. In my conversions, I make enough space so that a relatively large decoder fits, half under the full width hood and half in the cab. If you angle the decoder right, the image mostly seen through the cab windows looks like it might be loco controls. That way you don't miss the interior too much.
Mr. LMD: I do my homework with the help of the Spook website and it said the NW2 are Plug and play and if they aren't i will get them converted at my local hobby shop where they know me a lot.
I do my homework with the help of the Spook website and it said the NW2 are Plug and play and if they aren't i will get them converted at my local hobby shop where they know me a lot.
Mr. LMD,
I suspect that you're talking about an N scale Kato NW2. I've never had one of those apart and it's likely different than the HO version., with a different light board, maybe the one you're holding in the pic? My guess is that you just replace the light board with the decoder and it plugs right in?
The HO one isn't plug and play, that's for sure. You split the chassis halves -- yes, it's like a N scale loco in that way -- and cut the contacts off the motor to isolate it, then use a Dremel to make runs for leads you solder to the motor terminals out to the decoder. Nothing too difficult, except where to put the decoder. The cab is the only place where there's room for that, unless you mill part of the frame under the hood to make space.
In my conversions, I make enough space so that a relatively large decoder fits, half under the full width hood and half in the cab. If you angle the decoder right, the image mostly seen through the cab windows looks like it might be loco controls. That way you don't miss the interior too much.
The seller I bought it from on Ebay already replaced the light board and I guess shipped the lighting board with the NW2.
Chad,
Sounds like you might have one of jeepcaptain's creations? I have a center-cab unit I got from him that looks like a Whitcomb and bashed from Athearn parts. It's a puller.
I use these diesels for some trains on the layout, but mostly rely on them to pull trains from my narrowgauge staging loop because of their reliability and tractive effort. The loop is under the main yard and is accessed by a two turn helix with a 3% grade. That way, I can keep the expensive Blackstone steam up top, where it's audible, visible and can be enjoyed and isn't subject to the vagaries of hidden track operation.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mr. LMD I do my homework with the help of the Spook website and it said the NW2 are Plug and play and if they aren't i will get them converted at my local hobby shop where they know me a lot.
Mike,
That sounds great, I bet they are great pullers & very interesting projects! I like the Kato & even the Athearn drives for the fact they have the split axle design to assist in re-gauging! I got a HOn3 Beep (Ath based) off the internet a long time ago & thought I could do better, then I saw the article you mentioned & wheels started turning!!! However, I have a few Grant Line critters I'd like to do first. Luckily I got a neat little drive for the Boxcab kit (wheelbase matched) & want to look at a Stanton(?) drive for the other ones.. Again, nice work on yours!!
mlehman Mr. LMD, Be sure and do the homework on the several different methods of squeezing a decoder into the Kato NW2. It's a challenge, even for experienced DCC installers. The Kato drive is excellent and well worth the hassle, but you need to have a plan when you start milling the chassis halves to fit the decoder. Chad, Thanks I've got a number of similar HOn3 conversion. This Kato conversion is the best of them all, due to the heavy weight of the chassis and the smooth Kato drive. I just finished another one, which will be #101. I also have several Bachmann 70-tonners, an Australian K&M Engineers C-C chassis under a Powerline 48 class (Alco DL-531) shell, and a few more.
Be sure and do the homework on the several different methods of squeezing a decoder into the Kato NW2. It's a challenge, even for experienced DCC installers. The Kato drive is excellent and well worth the hassle, but you need to have a plan when you start milling the chassis halves to fit the decoder.
Thanks I've got a number of similar HOn3 conversion. This Kato conversion is the best of them all, due to the heavy weight of the chassis and the smooth Kato drive. I just finished another one, which will be #101. I also have several Bachmann 70-tonners, an Australian K&M Engineers C-C chassis under a Powerline 48 class (Alco DL-531) shell, and a few more.
Nice work, & that was an interesting conversion, good job!
mlehman It might be a light board, but I'm pretty sure it's not for the NW2, presuming you're talking about the HO scale NW2 (can't help if it's for the N scale version, which may well be different). I convert this model to HOn3 for my purposes, per an article in the August 2010 RMC by Raymond Hoppes. He converted one into a stand-in model for the Army's 4700N. I've been working on one over the last few days and what you have is not part of the parts included with the loco. There are two small light boards in the NW2, one that pushes into a clip on the top end of the castings for the chassis and one that fits into the top of the cab for the rear light. Both are smaller and less complex than whatever you have there. In my case, based on Hoppes' article, I convert them into what I call a NW2M. Here are links to a couple of pics of one of my converted locos: I add dynamic brakes and a steam generator to the added space under the shell created by taking the tapered part of the body out and, chopping and moving the cab. This also creates enough extra space under the shell so I can install a NCE D13SR decoder without having to mill. All the metal work that's needed are some shallow slots to run wires to the front headlight and the motor leads, which can be cut with a Dremel and a cutting disk.
It might be a light board, but I'm pretty sure it's not for the NW2, presuming you're talking about the HO scale NW2 (can't help if it's for the N scale version, which may well be different). I convert this model to HOn3 for my purposes, per an article in the August 2010 RMC by Raymond Hoppes. He converted one into a stand-in model for the Army's 4700N.
I've been working on one over the last few days and what you have is not part of the parts included with the loco. There are two small light boards in the NW2, one that pushes into a clip on the top end of the castings for the chassis and one that fits into the top of the cab for the rear light. Both are smaller and less complex than whatever you have there.
In my case, based on Hoppes' article, I convert them into what I call a NW2M. Here are links to a couple of pics of one of my converted locos:
I add dynamic brakes and a steam generator to the added space under the shell created by taking the tapered part of the body out and, chopping and moving the cab. This also creates enough extra space under the shell so I can install a NCE D13SR decoder without having to mill. All the metal work that's needed are some shallow slots to run wires to the front headlight and the motor leads, which can be cut with a Dremel and a cutting disk.
I have no idea either. Only thing the seller said that it was a lighting board and that is it. I will be converting all three of my nw2s soon
The guy confirm it was a light board.
I still think it is a lighting board, similar to the clip in ones in Kato's Passenger cars.I can see a resistor, a diode & I believe the rectangle in the middle is actually the "KATO Crown" Logo, as they were also etched in my other Kato circuit boards.
Lets hope for a clearer picture.
pike-62 Looking at the left side of that part in the picture looks like an 8 pin plug. As it is a bit blurry I can not tell for sure. Are there 8 pins on it?
Looking at the left side of that part in the picture looks like an 8 pin plug. As it is a bit blurry I can not tell for sure. Are there 8 pins on it?
I've installed over 200 decoders and that is definitely NOT a decoder -- not even close to being the right shape. It's a plastic detail part off a different model than the Kato NW2. Looks to me like it might be a transmission casting off of a model car.
Looking at the left side of that part in the picture looks like an 8 pin plug. As it is a bit blurry I can not tell for sure. Are there 8 pins on it? 2 rows of 4? It might be an extra light board, I can see what looks like it might be a resistor in the middle. Possibly a decoder. Need to see a clearer picture though.
It's a detail part, but I don't think it should be with that locomotive. I have four Kato NW2 SP models, two of which are even the same road numbers as yours, and there are no white detail parts on them -- they are all black.
Since this came off e-Bay, it probably doesn't belong in that box.
The Kato models were not DCC ready, so it cannot be a decoder. I've installed decoders into mine, but had to mill out the top of the weight and use a dime-sized hard-wired decoder.
galaxy Well thats a VERY BLURRY picture, but it doesn't look like any decoder I've seen. Could you post a clearer picture so we may be of better help???
Well thats a VERY BLURRY picture, but it doesn't look like any decoder I've seen.
Could you post a clearer picture so we may be of better help???
I can talk another picture.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
I recently won and open my KATO NW2 SP 1315 and coupling it with my SP NW2 1313. However, a few mins ago I looked into the box where I had my 1315 and saw this little thing. I was wondering if it was a decorder or not: