Our DCC Helpful Hint of the Month:

Tools needed:

Step By Step:

1. Remove shell from frame, using instructions packed with locomotive.
2. Remove long hood weight from locomotive. Using a hacksaw or Zona (razor) saw, slice approximately 3/8" from top of weight to create space for decoder (see Figure 1).
3. Disconnect both leads from both trucks at motor end.
4. For long-hood-forward operation (i.e., N&W), the blue-green wire on the locomotive connects to the RED decoder lead. The red wire on the locomotive connects to the BLACK decoder lead. For short-hood-forward operation, reverse these two leads: i.e., RED decoder lead to red locomotive lead, BLACK decoder lead to blue-green locomotive lead.
5. For long-hood-forward operation, the ORANGE decoder lead solders to the top motor brush; the GRAY decoder lead solders to the bottom motor brush. Short-hood-forward operation, of course, should be soldered in just the opposite fashion.

Headlights:
There really isn't much room for a long hood headlight, but you can easily mount one in the short hood. Use the Life-Like bulb, or a suitable 12 to 16 volt grain-of-wheat bulb, connected to either the WHITE decoder lead for forward operation, or to the YELLOW lead for reverse. The other lead of the bulb connects to the side of the locomotive to which the RED decoder lead is attached.

General Information:
Keep all wire lengths as short as possible, to avoid problems with excess wire inside the shell. Insulate all solder joints, using 1/16" shrink tubing. Tape decoder and wires in place with Scotch Magic Tape (it holds very well and doesn't add a lot of bulk). Make sure tape doesn't come in contact with any moving parts of the locomotive. Use ONLY rosin-core solder.

After completion, reassemble shell in reverse order from disassembly, being careful not to pinch wires.

That's it! You should be able to finish this installation comfortably in about an evening, and you'll have a very nice-running locomotive to add to your "Digi-Roster!"

Series Bulb Wiring

This hint concerns series bulb wiring for Digitrax decoder installations. By wiring your bulbs in series, your bulbs burn with lower voltage for increased bulb life. Here's how to do it!

1. Fit bulbs into headlight openings and cut leads to a length that will allow you to make all connections without having to worry about excess wire in the locomotive shell. Cut one lead on each bulb to make it about 1-1/2" in length, and solder two of these short lengths together to put two bulbs in line. Repeat this step for the other headlight assembly. Use a short piece of shrink tubing to insulate the connection.
   
2. Slip another piece of shrink tubing onto the long lead from one of the bulbs and solder one of the 560-ohm resistors to the lead, then slip the shrink tubing over the connection and shrink it with the side of your soldering iron. Repeat this step for the other headlight assembly.
   
3. Now you are ready to hook the assemblies up to the decoder. The FORWARD headlight connects to the white decoder lead on the resistor side, and to the blue decoder lead on the other side. The yellow decoder lead connects to the resistor side and the blue decoder lead connects to the opposite side of the REAR headlight. Again, shrink tubing insulation is used on all connections.
   
4. Check to make sure all connections are solid, and that none of the wires interferes with the mechanism or are pinched by the body shell when you place it back on the frame. That should do the job and give you scale-size headlights with good brightness and reasonable bulb life.

Springhaven Shops Home Page © 1997 by Springhaven Shops.
All opinions expressed here are solely those of the owners.
All rights reserved.