I found a pretty good deal online for a 2-6-0 dcc ready locomotive. Are these Roundhouses plug and play ready? Or will soldering of a decoder be required?
"DCC Ready" imply's a plug, but could be either. Roundhouse products have been around a long time.
Ask the seller!,
A trip to their Web site indicates the current 2-6-0's come with a plug. Be aware that the RTR 2-6-0 had been around for quite a while and the older units may not be DCC ready.
http://www.roundhousetrains.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=RND84786
I believe the MDC/Roundhouse 2-6-0's (there were two different ones) were only available as kits. Athearn now offers these RTR, I believe all the old Roundhouse ones they're reissuing RTR are either DCC/Sound equipped or come with an 8-pin plug.
So unless you're buying a kit, it should really be "DCC Ready".
Awesome guys; thanks for the fast response. I was thinking since it is new, not a kit, that it would be 8 pin plug-and-play. But before I spent what little spending money I still have....
"Ask the seller" - if it is that important to you. If he is wrong, you have some leverage.
He also takes your money.
The older steamers were not DCC ready. The tender frames are a hunk of metal you might say with very little room for a decoder. The loco lights are not powered and very difficult to power. The boiler is solid metal at the smoke box. I have some older 2-6-0s and a 2-8-0. Tenders and boilers are the same.
I have a new 4-4-0 which comes DCC/sound only. I have two 2-6-0s which came DCC ready and a 2-8-0 which is DCC ready. The stock MRC decoders can be problematic. The locs tenders have a 9 pin JST connector. I unsoldered the connector and soldered in a Micro-Tsunami decoder. The tender is ready for a one inch speaker.
Roundhouse is a competely new company. All old stock is gone. The locos have been redesigned. The boilers are hollow and weighted. The locos are made in China now.
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.
MDC sold ready-to-run HO scale Roundhouse brand old timer 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 locomotives before they were consumed by Horizon. The MDC built 2-8-0 has an 8 pin DCC plug in the tender. It would be reasonable to expect the MDC built 2-6-0 to also have an 8 pin plug. While these engines were essentially Chinese-assembled copies of the MDC kits, they do have a unique boiler which allowed the factory to install a working headlight.
The Roundhouse brand 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 locomotives made by Athearn are derived from the old MDC model. Nearly all of the MDC designed parts have been either modified or completely replaced with a new Athearn designed part.
As Rich's photo shows there is plenty of room for adding DCC and even sound to the Athearn made Roundhouse locomotives. There is room for a small decoder in the MDC made ready-to-run models, but there is not enough space for a speaker (without getting creative).
I was not aware of the MDC locos DCC ready. I have never seen any. Maybe there were not many sold.
I have purchased from Athearn/Roundhouse new tender frames and trucks with pickups for my older MDC locos. The older tender shells fit just fine. The coal bunker part will have to be cut out and a coal load installed.
I have my "what I did" about sound in the old roundhouse steamers at:
http://www.minkystrains.org/roundhouse_sound/
Thanks if you visit
Harold
TwinZephyr wrote: MDC sold ready-to-run HO scale Roundhouse brand old timer 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 locomotives before they were consumed by Horizon. The MDC built 2-8-0 has an 8 pin DCC plug in the tender. It would be reasonable to expect the MDC built 2-6-0 to also have an 8 pin plug. While these engines were essentially Chinese-assembled copies of the MDC kits, they do have a unique boiler which allowed the factory to install a working headlight.The Roundhouse brand 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 locomotives made by Athearn are derived from the old MDC model. Nearly all of the MDC designed parts have been either modified or completely replaced with a new Athearn designed part.As Rich's photo shows there is plenty of room for adding DCC and even sound to the Athearn made Roundhouse locomotives. There is room for a small decoder in the MDC made ready-to-run models, but there is not enough space for a speaker (without getting creative).
Should not that be a 9 pin JST connection?
He does mention "Before" being bought out by Horizon Hobbies. I was surprised by that as I have never seen any MDC old time steamers like that. I bought my last MDC old time locos, 2-6-0 & 2-8-0 in the late 1990s. Never saw any ads for MDC DCC ready. Maybe it happened in the early 2000s, A photo or two of one of those locos would be nice.
I searched the 'Net and came up empty.
sparkyjay31 wrote: I found a pretty good deal online for a 2-6-0 dcc ready locomotive. Are these Roundhouses plug and play ready? Or will soldering of a decoder be required?
ANSWER: Only the newest Horizon offering. THE PROBLEM:
There are so many out there that do not. "These" does not guarantee a Athearn/Horizon verson, or even 'new' stock. A "good deal" doesn't particularly help matters since there are so many versions out there that don't.
Caveat Emptor! The engine itself is OK, but the 'DCC ready' part is only the latest version and from a new company. Who knows? Sparkyjay doesn't. He's asking us.
sparkyjay31 wrote:I found a pretty good deal online for a 2-6-0 dcc ready locomotive. Are these Roundhouses plug and play ready? Or will soldering of a decoder be required?
If you can do the soldering, I have a little tutorial on what I did, including photos. I have done four Athearn/Roundhouse locos with the Micro/Tsunami decoder and one inch speaker.
Out of curiosity, what is the "good" price.
Kleins has the new ones for $69.99
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/category_s/1713.htm
I figured the price was coming down. I paid $95.00 for each 2-6-0 quite a few months ago when they fiirst came out. I find I have to check almost daily because things change so fast now.
richg1998 wrote: I was not aware of the MDC locos DCC ready. I have never seen any. Maybe there were not many sold.I have purchased from Athearn/Roundhouse new tender frames and trucks with pickups for my older MDC locos. The older tender shells fit just fine. The coal bunker part will have to be cut out and a coal load installed.Rich
Roundhouse 2-6-0 DCC ready
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Roundhouse_HO_84751_RTR_2_6_0_SF_1_p/rnd-84751.htm
don7 wrote: richg1998 wrote: I was not aware of the MDC locos DCC ready. I have never seen any. Maybe there were not many sold.I have purchased from Athearn/Roundhouse new tender frames and trucks with pickups for my older MDC locos. The older tender shells fit just fine. The coal bunker part will have to be cut out and a coal load installed.Rich Roundhouse 2-6-0 DCC readyhttp://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Roundhouse_HO_84751_RTR_2_6_0_SF_1_p/rnd-84751.htm
You did not read all the messages in this thread. I have those Roundhouse locos.
Someone remarked that MDC use to have DCC ready before being bought out by Horizon Hobbies.
They are now Athearn/Roundhouse.
I was also commenting on how the market is changing.
Speaking of the new Athearn/Roundhouse line of steam locomotives, what is happening with the 4-4-0? I see some sold on the Internet, but dealers no longer seem to have them in stock. Is this version being retired? Or just redone?
Voyager
I have one of the ready-to-run old timer 2-8-0 locomotives made by MDC (480-271). The instruction sheet, dated 06/2000, indicates there is a NMRA standard 8-pin DCC socket in the tender. I also have an MDC ready-to-run old timer 2-6-0 with 51" drivers (480-292) but at this time am not prepared to dig it out of storage to check its instruction sheet for DCC information.
Both 480-271 and 480-292 were manufactured before MDC's assets were aquired by Athearn/Horizon. Although Athearn continued the Roundhouse brand name, Model Die Casting ceased to exist in June or July of 2004. Manufacturing of all Roundhouse trains since then has been controlled by Athearn and Horizon. This is why I tried to be careful to say which company made (or perhaps more accurately, imported) the locomotives.
The MDC, Roundhouse brand, DCC-ready locomotives have an 8-pin socket. The Athearn, Roundhouse brand, DCC-ready locomotives have the 9 pin JST connector. Either way, no soldering should be required if one is buying a Roundhouse DCC-ready model regardless of which company made it. BTW, none of the MDC Roundhouse kits ever included DCC-ready wiring. A kit with the plastic motor mounting bracket should not be difficult to wire for DCC.
Regarding the Athearn/Roundhouse 4-4-0... There was only one production run and they all had DCC & sound installed. It is possible Athearn will make another run someday.