MTH SD70Ace/ SD70M-2 Ditch light question

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

So this past week I received my first MTH HO scale locomotive. I ordered Canadian National SD70M-2 #8023. Overall I am very pleased with its performance. Though it does have some compatibility issues when running in DC and DCC modes[#dots]

I have been running it in DC mode on my “mainline” which is a loop of EZ track on the floor, and have been using an MRC Blackbox to control it on my locomotive service yard layout.

So this is my question, the Canadian National model is the only model (that I know of) that does not have alternating ditch lights when the horn is blown. I know this is prototypical for a Canadian locomotive, however I would like the ditch lights to alternate. Does anyone know how to program this loco to do this? Can I program it with my Blackbox or will I have to go to my local club and use their NCE system? I really don’t know much about DCC so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jamie

Here’s a video of it if you want to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n-JdxifFVE

2

Pretty sure you will have to take it to someone that has an MTH DCS system to do that sort of programming. There is very little you can do in DCC as far as makign changes, it’s mostly limited to the address and a couple of oeprational parameters. Changing function behavior is not one of them.

–Randy

3

Does anyone know how to make ditch lights alternate on an N scale SD-40-2?

4

You should probably start a new thread for this - click “Post a new message”. How to make this work is goign to depend ont he loco and the decoder being used. And if there are actually two independent bulbs. Can’t make them alternate if there is only 1 bulb and fiber optics for the ditch lights.

–Randy