Wiring Ditch Lights AC4400 Loco

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

How would I go about wiring Ditch lights as well as marker lights (all LED’s)
As`well I’d like to control through a DCC decoder for (Digitrax Empire system)
Whoes decoder do I buy for an Athearn AC4400 (its not dcc ready I’ll have to do it)

Thanx

2

TCS and Digitrax would be your best bet for a decoder. Which decoder exactly depends on a few things.

  1. Do you want the ditch lights to be a separate function? If not you can just wire them into the headlight curcuit

  2. Do you want to be able to have alternate flashing ditch lights or are you fine with them just being on all the time.

Now, if you just wire the ditch lights to the headlight circtuit, you can use a TCS T1 or a DH123.

If you want the ditch lights as a separate function you will need a TCS T2 or equivalent digitrax.

If you want flashing ditch lights you will need at least a T3X from TCS, Im not sure the digitrax model that can do it though.

Also, I am not clear on which marker lights your talking about. Could you explain that a little more?

3

I’m not sure of the correct term for the various lighting on an actual loco, but I am refering to running lights?? on the side of the engines, the amber “park lamps”