Can anyone give me some help or info on how to wire an older Rivarossi Heissler loco to run on DCC.
Thanks.
I can’t advise you on the older Rivarossi HO Heisler, but i can tell you that I have the newer model and installing a z scale decoder was a breeze and the results are worth the effort. The low speed control is amazing. I presume that it you follow the normal motor isolation procedures, you will not have a problem…
spike
I’m affraid that the gear is in metal. So I dunno if I have to change it for a plastic one or not.
The metal gear won’t cause a problem as long as the motor brushes can be, or are, totally isolated from the frame. The only way to be sure is to disconnect the wires to the brushes and check for electrical continuity between the brush and frame with an Ohmmeter or continuity checker. I don’t have any experience putting a decoder into a Rivarossi Heisler, but I have put them into quite a few other Rivarossi models with no problems. Every Rivarossi I own, from a 4-4-0 to the Big Boy, had an electrically isolated motor even though DCC was not a consideration when they were manufactured.