I have three or four MDC Steamers which need decoders installed. However they have the old Pittman motors (or what ever MDC supplied with these loco kits). I have read some posts here and articles in magazines about remotoring and regearing these locos and installing decoders in them.
Regearing I can understand; but why aren’t the motors good enough for DCC operations?
Thanking in advance!
Mark
Almost all the older motors are current hogs. They may tax a decoder’s ability to provide the current the motor needs, unless you use a decoder designed for larger scales. Those older motors may even fry a decoder.
Plus the open frame Pittman’s, while considered good in their day, aren’t nearly as smoothly running as even most of the less expensive can motors available now.
They “might” be good enough. Do a motor current at 12 VDC. Common procedure. If the current is too high, replace the magnets with better magnets. Some do that.
Probably if the current is over 3/4 amps, you would have to replace the magnets. Many decoders have a one amp limit.
I run Roundhouse locos with the SoundTraxx Micro Tsunami. They have the newer open frame motors with flywheel. The ones sold by MDC Roundhouse in 1998 and the Athearn Roundhouse have the same motor.
LokSound would also be a good choice.
TCS has very good decoders.
A few photos of my installs are in the DCC forum.
Rich
The other problem with these older motors is that one brush is almost always grounded to the metal frame of the motor, which is thus grounded to the loco frame, which is one side of the pickup. Both motor brushes must be isolated for DCC. Bowser once offered both repalcement motors with both brushes insulated, as well as a conversion kit to add the second insulater, which might work on similar knockoff motors, alas they do not offer these any longer. Or the entire motor fram can be insualted by using a plastic spacer between the bottom of the motor and the loco frame, plus securing the motor with nylon screws instead of metal.
–Randy
Just remembered, the Tsunami Micro has a 3/4 amp limit and are sensitive to heat.
There is not much room in the tender of the older locos.
I bought new frames and tender trucks from Athearn for the older MDC ones.
My locos draw around 500 ma and work ok.
A layer of Kapton tape and nylon screw with work for a motor with one brush connected to the motor frame. I have done that.
Rich
I have insulated motors on other locomotives and understand the process.
I went through my locomotive roster and found that I have alot of work to do on my collection! Ofthe 18 locos I have, 9 need service; or, decoders added.
Depends on the year. MDC even had can moters at one point for even the ones you build yourself. They also had some open frames that were just as good as the can moters of the day, then they had some real current hogs like in the early 70’s and before. Will say I didn’t know they used pitmans at any point but I know little of before the 70’s.
From what I have seen, the older motors look like Pittman’s but I doubt they are. The Yahoo mdcroundhouse group has never mentioned Pittman motors in them from what I recall.
My older with can motors had one motor brush connected to the frame by a wire.
Some even older might have had the motor with a grounded brush.
The below link shows you some of the different motors. I sent copies of some of my locos to him.
http://www.hoseeker.net/mdcmiscellaneous.html
Rich
I bought one of the HOn3 MDC C-25 consol kits in 1974 and bought the NWSL re-gearing kit at the same time. HOn3 was still a dream then and I bought an item here and there so that when the build came I would have some material. I had an HO layout, then… Nothing happened until 2010 and I picked up 3 or 4 Blackstones. These made that poor old C-25 look pretty shabby.
Now with a few years in HOn3, that is the only C-25 around and having already re-motored and re-geared 2 older brass locos and installing Tsunami sound decoders in each, I think it is time to look at re-motoring and DCC’ing that old MDC C-25.
As others have noted, and I have learned, there are many ways to “skin the cat” if the will to do is there.
In regards to Pittman…If my C-25’s motor isn’t a small pittman, it is a darn close copy! I would say it is a pittman. Regardless, it has to go.
I have the MDC Roundhouse 0-6-0 Switcher and two MDC Ten Wheelers, one has a can motor and idler gear and the other the Pittman type open franed motor, which I guess will likely need to be replaced. Both of these locomotives have been “Super Detailed” and kit bashed into Northern Pacific S-4 Ten Wheelers and my opinion is, they turned out very nicely. I don’t like the brass tires on their wheels and maybe this is something I can change.
However, I feel these kits where great models and easy to kit bash into something even better.
Thus Loksound Micro - no heat problems, and even smaller that the micro-Tsunami.
–Randy
This is a old all metal loco tender MDC 4-4-2 with the Pittman type motor that NWSL remotored and regeared for me. Even then, it draws about 750 ma at 12 vdc Both are quite heavy.
It has the single gear on the driver axle.
Original motor and gears.
Rich
I have to agree with Randy, the LokSound Micro handles heat a lot better though I like the sound adjustments the Tsunami Micro has. I have a Tsunami Micro in a old regeared, remotored MDC Climax and can get quite a nice sound adjustment.
I have two Bachmann 44 ton and one 70 ton with LokSound Micro v3.5 decoders. All the locos draw about 550 ma at 12 vdc and the v3.5 have a current limit of 500 ma and never over heat. I run these a little below their prototype speeds.
The LokSound Micro today are v4.0 and good for 750 ma I believe.
I am hearing good reports about the TCS Wow sound decoders.
All three companies also sell Stay Alive modules.
Rich
I bought these from Athearn for my older MDC Roundhouse 2-6-0 tenders.
Rich
I have to use the micro Tsunami as they have real narrow gauge based loco sounds. (special NG sound decoder). They also have one for the goose specifically. I forgot I put one of those in my goose as well. Doing OK also.
Thus far, I have had no heat issues with the two narrow gauge Tsunamis and goose I have installed and it is what Blackstone uses in all their models. I now have 8 Blackstone locos + 2 conversions and the goose all with the micro 3/4 amp NG Tsunami… No probs.