I guess the title says it all. But for one item: this would be a non-sound decoder as I don’t want to fuss with speakers and all. TCS does not have an installation page or suggestion for this loco that I can find.
The light board has an installed 8-pin socket and a harness that terminates in a 9-pin plug. If a 9-pin decoder is used it simply replaces the dummy chip that the DCC-ready loco came with.
As mentioned, I prefer TCS as its what I’ve installed to upgrade a dozen other locos and I like the BEMF. I am willing to consider other options, though.
According to the TCS website, the T1 has been discontinued. That doesn’t mean you can’t find it online somewhere like Litchfield Station or TTE.
As Pete already stated, the T4 is a 4-function decoder. The newer versions come with Keep-alive wires.
If space is somewhat cramped, I would recommend the MC2. Like the T-series, you can outfit it with the harness size that you need. It also comes in a 4-function version.
With my Proto 2000 GP7, I used the TCS LL8. A bit of overkill on the functions but it was a direct board swap out and had built-in 1.5V pads for the front & rear warm LEDs I installed for the headlights.
Love TCS decoders. It’s my go-to motor-only decoder for non-sound installations. I LOVE seeing my locomotive start out slow-and-smooth. [:P]
Decoder manufacturers generally only put installation info in for engines that require extra work, like a lightboard replacement or hardwiring in a decoder harness for an older, pre-DCC engine. If an engine has a ‘plug and play’ DCC receptacle, any manufacturer’s 8 or 9 pin decoder (TCS, NCE, Digitrax, etc.) can just be plugged into it. So it’s only a question of which decoder brand you like, it isn’t like one company’s decoder will work better with that particular engine.
There is no need for an 8 - 9 pin harness for that locomotive. Remove the jumper from the 9 pin JST and plug the decoder into it. The resistors on the motherboard will take care of the lighting requirements.