This tidbit might save someone some unnecessary frustration. I have two Spectrum HO 44 tonners, each with a Loksound decoder and speaker. The first one was converted some time ago and runs really well so I decided to add a second to my roster. The conversion was identical and I even copied the CV settings of the first diesel to the newer one. However, it really ran poorly, seeming to have a major electrical contact problem. I even rewired the connections to the wheels, running smaller wire through a different opening in the frame to the decoder with some improvement, but it still stalled now and then whereas the other 44 tonner never stalled. I finally figured the problem out, though. I had applied decals and weathering to the newer engine and then gave it an overspray with Dullcoat. In my laziness, I failed to mask the wheels and it seems they got some Dullcoat on the treads–invisible to the eye but not to the electron! While re-wiring the engine, I removed the trucks and when I replaced tthem, the relative position of the “Dullcoat insulation” was now different between the two trucks, explaining the 50% improvement! After cleaning and some running time, the engine is fine! Learn from my dumbness!
I can take some pics. They are pretty nice looking, I think. I milled the frame so the speaker fits in one “hood,” keeping the cab area open. One is the Bachman yellow but with the roof painted yellow rather than the factory green. The other, representing the older unit is black with white trim. The LED’s work well, according to “Rule 17” (?) , a CV that can be set in LokSound decoders. Each is lettered for “Jersey Terminal” or "Terminal Railroad of New Jersey (hence TRNJ).
Did the milling remove enough weight to lower the pulling power? I have one of the single motor style and have been thinking about adding a sound decoder but keep putting it off. Maybe this summer?[%-)]
It can be so frustrating, spend all the time making what should be dramatic improvements, and to end up overlooking the simple…Have done it many times.
I used to assume that all new engines had perfectly clean wheels. Might have gotten away w/ this on DC and multiple lashups, but not on DCC. I find myself cleaning wheels on everything new or once I see the slightest flicker of a headlight bulb.
Actually, the amount of metal removed is small, simply the top of one end of the frame, two “slices” of metal, down to where the main frame is. After the conversion was complete, I added some shape-able lead to the bottom of the engines, drilling two holes for the screws that attach the shell to the frame. The weight must clear the railhead of course but it more than compensates for the removed metal. In one one 44 tonner years ago (old two engine model with motors that burned out in nano-seconds of use), I placed a little weight in the cab roof–virtually invisible from the windows but it made little difference. Each of my 44 tonners can pull 10 NMRA-weighted cars without slipping and I have pulled 14 on occasion, with a little slippage. My normal consist seldom exceeds eight cars, however. I have four other engines, all with DCC and sound but these little engines perform so well and sound pretty good (a little tinny due to the small speaker size) that I run them most often. My layout is a small point-to-point swithing layout and the 44 tonners really fit the scene well. It takes me about two hours to complete a “run” using card-order system. By the way, there is an article on of the DCC conversion based on the LokSound decoder on the web. That’s where I got the info for the conversion. It inculdes good pictures of the conversion in progress. The biggest scare is installing a $125 decoder! Aggh!
I like using moldable lead too…but there are two problems with that…it is now next to impossible to find and it now costs up to 10 dollars an ounce…I can buy silver for that price.
I did some wethering very early on, with one of those Testor’s spray-cans (gloss brown) once, and I forgot to remove the trucks from the railcar. No electrical problems, but the railcar de-railed constantly. I had no clue, untill I looked at it again about 1 week later.