DCC for Athearn Locomotives

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,

I have asked Athearn and they haven't given me a good answer to this. Which makes me think if they cannot, who the heck can?! LOL!

Anyhow, does anyone know if you can upgrade Athearn locomotives to DCC? I am speaking primarily of using the Atlas DCC system, but if I can get a decoder to work with the Atlas DCC controller and the Athearn engines that would be great too. I am speaking of non-Genesis locomotives. Thanks in advance.

-Wolv33

[CHESSIEMIKE]

I have not made the jump to DCC so I am not the best to talk to this. That being said, I think the biggest problem will be insulating the motor from the frame. As you know, Athearn uses the frame for part of the electrical path to the motor. I know it can be done, but a short can be catastrophic to the DCC decoder.
CHESSIEMIKE

[Anonymous]

Hi Mike,

I will keep searching on this. I am sure if I can figure out how to wire up computers and make them work, I should be able to do this. Just have to get the right methods. I wonder if Atlas will be of any help here.

I just do NOT want to have to scrap my Athearn engines. I have too many to just get rid of. With decoders going for as much as locomotives, I do not want to mess with "trial and error" LOL!

Thanks.

-Wolv33

[Anonymous]

It is possible to convert the newer Athearn locos to DCC. (By new anything made in thast few years.) If you have a twenty year old loco it is probably more difficult. I have converted a new Athearn loco to DCC. However, it does not run nearly as well as my other DCC locos. While I am sure that others will disagree, based on my personal experience I feel that if you are going the DCC route, make sure that your loco purchases are from the more premium brands. The incremental cost is well worth it.

[Anonymous]

Wolv, I'm not a pro at this, but I recall reading in on of these forums that to insulate the motor from the frame on an Athern was as simple as putting a piece of electrical tape between the motor and frame. I'm sure someone will tell use if I read wrong.....Jamie

[Anonymous]

I'm not a DCC user, but from following the many forum postings, standard Athearns can be converted to DCC. I have no idea of the performance considerations. The big thing is isolating the motor from the frame. Go to http://www.horailroading.net/athearn-tune.htm#table4 for general Athearn tuneup info..including rewiring to isolate motor. You said Atlas DCC, but basic DCC principles are the same..go to DIGITRAX web site (www.digitrax.com). A lot fo info there. They have kits for Athearn, and have their instruction docs posted for their decoder kits which show Athearn..sample I saw was the DH121...

[Anonymous]

Guys,

Thanks sooo much! The last thing I wanted to do was scrap my Athearn engines (30-some of them) because they were not compatible with DCC. I knew coming here would give me the answer I sought. I went to a hobbystore and got the old, "scrap the Athearn and go for Atlas and MRC"... You can just about guess what I told them. LOL! Others have told me it wasn't possible and left it at that.

Thanks so much!

-Wolv33

[Anonymous]

I posed this question a month or so ago. I have decided not to go DCC for my layout and use the new Tech4 from MRC with a walkaround. However, I did find some good info at the following websites that others gave me in response. I felt like I could pull it off...just didn't want to lay down the extra money per engine at this time.
http://www.ttx-dcc.com/
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/ath_pa1.htm
Hope this helps.
Matt

[greendiamond]

Wolv33

Digitrax make a solderless install available for their DH121 and DH142 decoders.

Some people prefer to wire directly.

The advise I give to my customers is to buy at least one of the Digitrax AT (Athearn) harness decoders so you get an idea how to wire one up. Then after that you can make a decision whether you want to continue to pay the extra bucks for the Athearn harness or just wire in directly. Wiring directly will mean that you probably have to drill and tap a whole in the frame for a 2-56 screw, so that you have some way of picking up current from both sides of the track, as the AT harness uses the light bracket (which is attached to the frame).

Mike Tyl
DCC Dealer
Green Diamond Hobbies

[Anonymous]

You don't need to drill anything.Take the trucks apart and solder wires to each side.Then insulate
where the truck touches the frame. You can use thin mylar.After asembly attach the four wires from the trucks to the corresponding places on the atlas decoder.The best thing to do would also be to scrap the athearn motor and replace it with a can motor, which pulls less current.

[Anonymous]

Just an update...

Atlas told me that their decoders are really only designed for their locomotives. They recommend the Lenz brand of decoders for Athearn. Surprisingly, Athearn could not tell me anything about DCC with their motive power. Go figure!

-Wolv33

[Anonymous]

You are absolutely right on with respect to conventional Athearn and DCC. I have converted a couple of newer Athearn locos to DCC and they require a lot more power to run and are not nearly as responsive. The Athearn Genesis models on the other hand are terrific on DCC. My best experiences w/ DCC are Atlas, Kato and Genesis in that order. Have not converted Proto 2000 or Spectrum locos so I don't know how well they run under DCC.

[Anonymous]

I have converted quite a few old and new Athearn locomotives to DCC. The process is simple if you follow the wiring guidelines, especially isolating the motor.

I would suggest Lenz or TCS decoders if you're starting out because they have a "goof-proof" warranty.

The premium loco are great, but if you already have a fleet, you're not likely to want to scrap them all and buy new ones.

Good luck.

Davie

[BR60103]

I saw a DCC kit in a hobby shop that was specifically designed for Athearn. It was for the ones with the long metal strips that replace wires and clip over the motor.
Can't comment on compatibility with Atlas DCC and I can't remember who made them. Installation looked as if the hardest bit would be getting the body off. :-)
David

[Anonymous]

Yes it made by Digitrax it is DH121AT.
Yes it will work with all the brands of DCC control.

[Anonymous]

Hey Gerald.

Thanks for the information. Nice to see a fellow Illinoisan here.

-Wolv33

[Anonymous]

OK here is something else to think about. Going through all of this great information. I have yet to hear whatyou all have to say with using a Athearn shell AND repowering it with a A-line cam motor.

What would be the BEST choice of decoder (and to fit) this set up in a Athearn SW-1500?