Im thinking of converting my straight DC Rivarossi 4-8-4 (UP) to DCC. How tough of a job is it? Anyone out there done this yet? Looks like Soundtraxx makes a decoder (TSU-1000) and sells a good variety of speakers. Any wiring diagrams available?
Thanks for any help!
Rob
Step 1…open up the tender. Good luck as Rivarossi Vanderbuilts and Centipede tenders are sealed shut.
David B
What David said.
We have a club member with one of those that he purchased used recently and we haven’t figured out yet how to break into the tender, but that’s where everything must go.
Greeat… thats what i was affraid of… I will do some poking around but if its too much, it’ll just have to stay DC forever. [:(] Thanks!
I did a Riv Big Boy, if the tender is anything like the same it is essentially a molded tube with the ends being glued into the tube. It was very difficult to work the ends loose without damaging the model to any great degree.
I have opened the tender on my Big Boy and Challenger, basically the same. The trick it to very gradually pry the end (near the engine) with a sharp #11 exacto blade. Study where the seams are and eventually you can get it started. I was lucky on one and it didn’t even damage the body. The second one was glued a little better and I pulled some of the body away but it all went back together OK. While I had them opened I added rear LED lights and installed my speaker on the inside of the tender end facing the cab of the loco. I drilled a lot of very small holes and you really can’t see them when coupled to the loco. there are two steel plates covering the entire floor so you can’t put speakers there. I used small connectors made from IC connector sockets. This is a lot of work but well worth it in the end. While I was at it I put LED’s in the headlights as well. I used 12 volt LED’s so I wouldn’t have to add resistors.
Just take it slow and when you have the tender ends off, you can see what you have to work with. I put my decoder in the loco, just ahead of the cab. I had to cut a small part of the weight and the cab internal rib, but it worked out fine.
Was it pretty easy to wire? Do you have a wiring diagram, or did it come with the decoder? I will probably go with a Soundtraxx TSU-1000, is that what you went with?
I do appreciate the info… I f I can get a wiring diagram, I will feel much better going into this adventure, I just dont want to ruin a great loco as I havent wired any engines to DCC yet. Call me “Chicken!” lol.
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/hrfef.htm
This link should be of help
I used a Digitrax SDH series decoder with sound and motor control (not very good; go with Tsunami). The wiring is not that hard but you need the NMRA wire color table which may come in the instruction for the decoder. The decoder wires will be correct but the engine may have different colors. You will have to match them up as you go. The motor wires are grey and orange. The wheel pickup from the track is red for right rail and black for left rail. The blue wire is the common for the lights with white going to the headlight and yellow to the rear light (if it has one) The purple,green or tan wires are ususally for the speaker on a sound decoder. Your instructions will tell you how to wire the speaker. Also, you may need 1000 ohm resistors for the lights if they are 1.5-3.0 volt bulbs,again check your decoder instructions. I have never used a Tsunami decoder but have installed two of the Soundtraxx LC decoders. When I did my Challenger I replaced some of the wires by soldering the decoder wire directly to the motor.
Do a search on the internet for install articles for your specific engine and decoder and you most likely will find more info. The biggest problems I have had are tracing some of the wires in the locomotive because they don’t use the NMRA color code. Some wires are easy to follow and some arent’t, depending on the engine. Just take your time and practice soldering small wires before attempting to do it on your model (unless your already have decent soldering skills). Good luck,
BTW, if it is like the Big Boy then all the wires in the loco are the same color (black). Use the factory wiring diagram in the link I posted above to make sure you know what comes from where. In the installation example on the Wiring for DCC web site they are just installing a non sound decoder and are able to fit it into main engine. Sound of course will have to go in the tender, and if you use a regular Tsunami, which is huge, it will have to be in the tender. Therefore you will have to route the connections for the motor, pickups and front headlamp back to the tender. This will require a connector if you want to be able to disconnect the two. I have to say for a first time hard wire decoder install this one will be a bit of a challenge. It is certainly able to be accomplished however.
Thanks for the help guys! Especially the wiring diagram link. This deffinetly gives me some insight on what to expect. I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing this for awhile and with this info, I will go ahead with it. Sounds like the biggest challenge will be getting into the tender! With the price of buying one of these already complete with DCC and sound, this is a viable alternative.
Once I get started I will take some pics as I go and post it to this topic for future reference to somebody looking to do the same.
By the way… who owns Rivarossi now? I’ve heard they went out of business awhile ago.
They were purchased by Hornby. All Hornby and Rivarossi manufacturing was moved to China, although I beleive that Rivarossi still has offices in Italy.
If you search the products under HO and FEF-3, the following article will show up with pictures. The DCC is as simple as removing the sand dome, but the sound installation is more complicated.
CZ
by Andy Sperandeo // Published: March 25, 2004
Rivarossi HO Union Pacific 4-8-4 Northern steam locomotive |
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I am doing this conversion as well I got lucky ,I was able to get the loco side of the tender apart with out damage in about 15 mins
Hi Rob,
There is one thing noboby mentioned, check the stall rating. Soundtraxx decoders are only 1Amp rated,I had a Riv Blue Goose that peaked with locked wheels at over 1¼ needed a can motor. Not trying to putting a spanner in, just helping out
Be in touch.
pick.
just for a test i installed a decoder that i took out of my trackmobile and he works like a charm its a nce decoder i also removed both ends of my tender im addin leds as well as sound
I have a FEF Rivarossi Locomotive and I needto install it a Tsunami sound decoder. My first problem is to open the tender. If you had this experience, how I have to do it, the tender is close. The only possibility that I saw is open at the end of it. My personal E-mail is [removed by moderator]. Thanks.
[From the Moderator: It’s a bad idea to put your e-mail address on a public forum. Folks, if you can help this person, please reply by PM instead. Thanks.]
OK. How can I contact him by PM?. [PM is “Personal Message”?]. Thanks.
Click on the user name of the person you want to send a message to, and on the next page that comes up, to the right of the person’s name you’ll see the words “Add as Friend.” Right under that is a smaller link that says “Start conversation.” Click “Start conversation” to send them a PM.
Thank you very much. Regards.