has MR ever published an article on installing DCC in brass engines? if not, is there a book on this subject? if any of you MR people are reading this i think it would make a great article for a future issue.
thanks for any help
Hi Alex,
In April 1997, page 80, we published part 3 of Keith Gutierrez’s Easy DCC series which covered basic decoder installations. The example steam locomotive he used was an IHC plastic 2-6-0, but its wiring is just like that of most brass steamers, so what he did applies to them as well. The Easy DCC system is meant to be used with all makes of decoders, so his instructions were generic and based on the NMRA standard color coding for DCC decoder wiring.
If you’re thinking about brass diesels, the same article covered a couple different brands of plastic diesels and again there’s some similarity with brass models. The main concerns are to have the motor brush connections isolated from the track, generally easy to do with modern can motors, and to identify and use the track pickup connections coming from the trucks.
Getting back to steam, we’ve also published two articles on installing DCC sound decoders in HO brass steamers: “Sound decoder installation,” by Jack Burgess, January 1999, page 148, and “Installing sound decoders in steam engines,” by Bill Darnaby, June 2001, page 81. Both have good tips for using DCC with brass models even if you aren’t adding sound to your engines.
Good luck,
Andy Sperandeo
Editor
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine