Simplest Way To Convert Old DC Locos To DCC (267) 

Welcome back!

Yes, I rate them right up there with the old Stewart/Bowser F-units!

Glad it helped!

I plan to show how to add LED lights on Friday.

@@TheDCCGuy: Cool. I look forward to seeing it.

I love my RS1, the heavy diecast chassis makes for a great puller.

That’s for sure! This type of board works best for the vast majority of diesels. I have even used them on old Athearn locos by sticking it to the top of the motor using double sided foam tape. The one problem comes with LL E-units because the board is a bit too long. For those I now use a Decoder Buddy.

Because that’s what the instructions tell you to do!

@@TheDCCGuy Hmm. Then I might have the newer versions. They have built in 1K ohm resistors on the boards. All you have to do is cut the trace's on them, if you are doing All LED's. I like them too. A whole fleet of my RS-1's are wired that way with no problems. But the new ones I have do not have the motor tab's, as you mentioned. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.👍

I’ll be kind and just say that Mehano is not known for quality. For many years the products were made in Slovenia but since 2010 they were apparently bought by a Chinese company and are made their now.

First look at the underside for any screws that might hold the shell on. If there are none then try pulling out the the side of the shell using the side skirts at the fuel tanks. These are common methods model makers have used.

I’ve done a video on the E units and the rdc would be pretty much the same as the Atlas RS3.

Good tips for sure. I plan a followup video on adding LED lights and will mention that option. I usually cut the light tubes short, sand flat, drill a small hole, insert the LED into the light tube, plug it with black tack and pop on the shell. I’ll demonstrate in the followup video.

First, are you using AC or DC O scale? That obviously makes a big difference. Take a look at the info on the website link below on how to use DCC decoders with AC motors in Lionel or other locos with AC motors. If your loco is DC powered then you just need to get a DCC decoder with a current output rating sufficient for the amperage demand of your motor. Most companies offer decoders sized for O scale and Jim Scorse who owns NCE has an O scale layout so his stuff is designed for it. I suggest you look at the various manufacturers’ websites for specific info on how their systems support O scale. www.digitrax.com/tsd/KB895/digitrax-decoders-with-ac-motors-and-lionel-type-e/

I suspect you have one of their FP7 models. These were made over a long period and the motors for the most part were power hungry-I burned up my first CTC16 receiver with one of those. I still have 3 but replaced all the motors with various can motors but I seem to remember that all were isolated, but check to make sure.

Take the shell off and see if it has a skew wound motor, I don’t think it will. It more likely will draw about 1 amp or maybe more. Also the motor is not isolated from the frame so you’ll need to do that before installing a decoder. I’m pretty sure I’ve covered all this in previous videos. I might have discussed this in video 96 although that one has the skew wound motor.

@@TheDCCGuy thanks, I’ll find that video and take a look.

You could try soldering them to the board, but in some cases they just aren’t long enough so you need to clip them off and splice on a little extra wire to make it long enough.

I use a very hot iron set at about 800 degrees unless I am working with sensitive electronic parts. I tell folks to star at a temp at which the solder will melt and then work up to what works best for them as they get a feel for different jobs.

Depends how old. The old motors were pretty bad. You might be able to lube and clean it up and see how much current it draws, then get a decider with enough capacity to handle it. Good luck.

@TheDCCGuy they are very old, I struggle to finde information on them on RU-vid because most of what I find is newer models. They are the the ones that don't have any real cab detail because the shell extends inside of the cab.

That would likely be difficult then, but not impossible. As I said you need to get it running great on DC then measure the stall current and that will allow you to select a decoder with a current capability large enough to power it. Someone used to make a re-power kit for these but I don’t remember who or how long ago.

Yes, the weights tend to float around in the hood. One other option os to put a piece of electrical tape on each side and insert the weight into the shell before installing it. The tape provides a tight friction fit so the weight tends to stay put.

Find a decoder that fits the socket in the loco, plug it in, and connect the speaker wires to a speaker that will fit in the model. Some models even have a properly sized depression for a speaker so check fir that, otherwise I use sugar cube speakers from www.sbs4dcc.com .

That is Bachmann’s fault if they installed the headlight. You’ll have to open it up if possible and see how it is wired. You may be able to use a smaller rated resistor and get a brighter light, but I have no idea what you have.

Essentially, they are wired very similarly.

That requires some complicated programming and I would only attempt it using DecoderPro. I seldom use auto functions like that as it tends to drive me and the train crews crazy to have the loco popping off all the time. However the SoundTraxx manuals have pretty good documentation of these complex features.

@@TheDCCGuy I have Decoder Pro

For the LL SW9 NCE makes the SW9-SR decoder configured to replace the original circuit board but they are out of stock right now. You might check eBay or dealers who stock a lot of NCE. For the GP9 I previously used a Tsunami2 but that had to be hardwired. In most cases the opening between the weights is just too short for one of the boards I showed. I have a LL GP7 on the benchtop right now that needs a sound decoder so I am scoping out the best options. I am thinking a mini Decoder Buddy might work but need to do some test fits to make sure there is overhead room.

@@TheDCCGuy Thanks Larry! Much appreciated.

That's the way I pronounce it (Kay-toe)

I have an ABBA set I built and painted in 1980. For those I used a standard HO scale decoder hardwired in the model. I installed it on a sheet of styrene with double sided foam tape and the styrene platform was held in place atop the motor with double sided foam tape. You could also use one of the decoders I showed in the video by installing it atop the motor with foam tape. The problem with those older models ws the motors which drew a lot of current, and the sloppy gears. I later remotered them with Mashima cans but the gears were still sloppy. They are mainly shelf sitters now. The current Athearn motors are much more efficient. The important thing is to measure the stall current and buy a decoder than can supply it. I checked another old model with a Sagami can motor and it has a stall current of 2 amps, that’s almost half the output from a standard booster!

@@TheDCCGuy Thank You Very Much For the information . I'll keep this conversation for later .

Because that’s the way NCE designed it to be done-always read the instructions.

I have done other videos using Athearn locos, check the home page listing.

I didn’t say ALL, but you can do a lot of them with these decoders. You could even put one in a tender and run wires back to it from the engine.

@@TheDCCGuy That's why i asked, thanks.