Hi guys,
I am working on putting up my first model rr with my grandpa helping me and we thought maybe we would try the Dcc wiring but we have a bunch of regular locomotives already and we are wondering if you guy’s would know of a conversion kit for them.
Cheers,
Kenneth
Ken, there is no kit, per se, but if you can do some electrical fiddling, including soldering, you can add your own decoders and sound systems as you wish. Find Tony’s Train Exchange on the web and read his library.
Biggest first thing is to ensure the motor is completely isolated from the frame. The only possible conduit for power must come exclusively from the decoder. Otherwise, poof goes the decoder.
Kenneth, you need to be more specific about the locos. How old are they? Do you know what brand they are? Some DCC manufacturers sell decoders that are designed for specific types of locos. For example, Digitrax sells some decoders as whole circuit boards that replace the circuit board currently in the loco. Some locos also come with a plug in them which will accept a plug from a decoder. Just take off loco shell, plug in the decoder and you’re off! lastly, as selector has stated, you might need to do some wiring but that is usually only necessary if the loco is old. Be aware that some brands of locos have different types of circuit boards in them. For example, I have a Stewart switcher but it is really a Kato circuit board.
This may all sound complicated but it is really not. As selector said, check with Tony’s Train exchange or Empire Northern and they would be able to tell you specifically what you need to do for each different brand of loco you have. Good luck!
Kenneth,
You can find some excellent beginner’s information about DCC at:
Kenneth,
Digitrax also makes a “kit” decoder for older Athearn locomotives. It comes with a wiring harness that has slide on clips for the turck pick-ups. You do still have to isolate the motor.