2-rail conversions

[Anonymous]

Hi Ed,
Now Atlas O is going to market 2 rail AC also, they are doing it to be able to market the Lionel TMCC control system in a 2 rail model, I understand that you will be able to convert the 2 rail DC engines to TMCC, which is known in the O gauge circles as Train Master Command Control, which is Lionel's invention, things are really beginning to cook in O scale............:o)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info.

I learned enough electronics in collage to be able to convert a Lionel loco to two-rail DC but I believe everyone would be money ahead to install a quality DC can motor instead. I am an HO Scale modeler so I am not familiar with the nitty-gritty details of AC powered locos. I could describe bridge rectifiers and RC filter circuits to someone but if you have to ask then you probably are in over your head.

Actually, my lack of knowledge concerning AC model locos almost kept me from responding at all. Best of luck to everybody. - Ed

[Anonymous]

Hi Ed, for your information and future reference, most true O scale trains run on 2 rail DC, this is true of scale O gauge as well as proto48, most of the 3 rail on the market today does still operate on 3 rail and is operated on AC, however, the motors are all DC can motors now, the power is converted in the electronics inside the engine, and the motors are then fed filtered DC, why they go to all this trouble is beyond me, when it is so much easier to just run DC 2 rail to begin with, also, most of the 3 rail trains on the market, with the exception of what has been produced in the last 10 years isn't what anyone would call scale, there were some scale proportioned items alright, but most were out of scale, there seems to be a lot of confusion nowadays, being an O scaler myself, and having been involved in O scale for about 20 years now, it can get interesting trying to explain this at times.............:o)

[Anonymous]

In an MTH diesel, you have 2 verticle DC can motors, one on each truck, if you are going to change the trucks, you may want to change to a new motor, but the motors that are in the unit are already DC motors, knowing MTH, they are most likely Pittman motors, a good quality motor, so you may want to keep those, if not for this project, then maybe for future projects....

Since the motors are already DC, you have in the electronics in the engine what is called a bridge rectifier, that should be a part of your reversing unit, this is what converts the AC power to DC power for your motors, no O gauge train manufacturer uses the old AC motors anymore, they all use DC motors now, what you have to do is remove all the 3 rail electronics from the engine, the next thing is to insulate the wheels, this can be done using NWSL wheelsets, you might be able to use the existing power trucks, especially if you want to keep using the original motors, diesels are a fairly easy conversion project from 3 rail to 2 rail operation, there are several people on our Otrains list that can do the coversion for you, go to; http://groups.yahoo.com/

Once there, go into the search engine and type in Otrains, this will take you to the information page for Otrains, click on the Otrains name to get into the group website, Otrains is an email list and the archive's are public, so you don't have to be a member to read the archive's, if you would like to join the group, you will need to be registered at yahoogroups, then you can easily join Otrains, which once you see our archive's, you most likely want to do....

[Anonymous]

If you really don't want to replace the motor then it's possible to convert dc to ac in the locomotive with some electronics. However, I don't know of anything to do this that is commercially avaliable. In any case a new DC motor is probably going to work better that an old AC motor anyway.

[Anonymous]

Since it is O Scale, I believe it is AC. If it is AC, I believe you will have to install a new motor.

Good Luck - Ed

[Anonymous]

The diesel set is 'O' scale. These are not Lionel products. Yes, DC 2-rail operation by converting the trucks, wheelsets and possibly motors from the existing 3-rail operation.

[Anonymous]

What scale and are we talking Lionel AC three rail type engines? Do you want to go two rail DC with this?

Ed

[Anonymous]

I recently purchased a set of Burlington E6 ABA diesels from (MTH) MIkes Train House. Can anyone tell me how I can go about converting these diesels from 3-rail to 2-rail scale operation? I'm aware that the trucks and wheelsets will need replacing but what about the motor units? Also, can somebody direct me to a modeling service that is experienced with this kind of conversion work?