traingeekboy Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Well, my layout has hit that point where I'll be running two trains and possibly be parking a shunter on a siding. This raises the question of, whether or not, or when, to go Digital. I have a original release Zephyr DCC controller, so no problems there. All my locos are old stuff and I only have seven HO gauge locos. I suppose I'll have to wire them for basic/cheap decoders. Hmmmm... maybe one steam sound decoder would be nice though. Who's done their own conversions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george356 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Griff said: Who's done their own conversions? Me,me,me The first one was nerve wracking - I was terrified I would cream a £20 decoder, but with a little patience, a good multimeter and plenty of checking it went well. Having said that, I have a couple of really old tank loco's that I think will be a porker to convert (one is an old Mainline J72 split chassis) so I think I would be better advised to leave them DC and run them singly on address 00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 he he they sound funny on addy 00. zing zing zing if you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essex2visuvesi Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I've done one or 2... With help from Griff Its not too difficult to do the conversion if you take your time and think through what you want to do. The hardest part I find is routing the wires. Think yourself lucky you are not considering DCC'ing N gauge locos. Post up a couple of pics of the locos "topless" and I'll see what I can advise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Ok, I think the cheap decoders that are basic.( I assume they control the loco and a had light. ) Should be the first place to start for me. Will go to train store and get one in a couple days. Then if panic ensues I will call loudly for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublecee Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Its pretty straight forward. The only wires you need worry about for a basic install are Red, Black, Orange and Grey. Trim or tie the others back. But you need to make sure that none of your loco's are the old split chasis, as thats not so straight forward. First one I did I took my time with. But now its just 2nd nature. Im planning to do a smoke, lights, fireglow and sound conversion next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 I took apart the old Tyco to a greater extent. i had safely placed my screw driver set somewhere where I could find it. Then I forgot where I put it for days. I really do need a work shed I can stand in to keep tools and junk in. I am not sure I can DCC the Tyco. It would be hilarious to put sound and light effects into such an old toy engine though. But it has a power truck with a ground to the frame. No wires to that side of the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essex2visuvesi Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 traingeekboy said: I took apart the old Tyco to a greater extent. i had safely placed my screw driver set somewhere where I could find it. Then I forgot where I put it for days. I really do need a work shed I can stand in to keep tools and junk in. I am not sure I can DCC the Tyco. It would be hilarious to put sound and light effects into such an old toy engine though. But it has a power truck with a ground to the frame. No wires to that side of the motor. Its still doable with care.... you just need to find a way to insulate the motor from the chassis frame. If you post a few pics I'll see if I can figure out a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 The problem is that it is a toy train. it was riveted together. I will have to use a dremel cutting wheel to remove them and then bolt it back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now