Been there, Done that! Nice folks.

What type of installed constant lighting is removed to upgrade to DCC? I have no desire to change to DCC and would indeed purchase constant lighting modules to install in my fleet of 9 steam locos that are not currently equipped.

The Bachmann GS-4 and Proto 2000 2-8-4 that I have are DCC equipped and the lights are constant intensity.  The 3 BLI locos that I have are sound equipped and DCC ready with constant intensity lighting. Would it be necessary to install DCC decoders in order to get the desired constant lights?  If so, what is the cost of the basic decoder that would be required? Or, are the lights that are typically removed able to be purchased for my type application?

Is there any plug in module that would provide constant intensity lights for DCC ready locos?

I have four Bachmann steam locos that are DCC ready that I operate on my DC layout.  The headlight is barely visible when at prototypical speeds. Also the lights in my Bachmann doodlebug and an observation coupled to it are not visible at all at prototypical speeds.

The locos that I have from BLI and Proto have headlights that are constantly bright when power is applied.

The older Athearn passenger cars also have talgo mounted couplers which are very easily replaced with kadees.  These will operate on 18" radius curves. They can be found on ebay quite frequently at reasonable prices.

Ben
Montgomery, Alabama

Bob,

As you are just getting restarted in the hobby it would be best to use the track and turnouts that you have now.  It would be very expensive to replace them all with nickle silver.  This would allow you to enjoy the new found bug and as time and funds allow you could replace sections of track.

I have several Athearn, IHC and Rivarossi locos from the late 70's and they still run fine.  You will need to make sure that you clean and lubricate them before running.

I also thought about converting to DCC from the older DC block control system. I operate the layout by myself and only rarely have company over to operate a second train so I have decided to stay with the old block system.  The new locos that are available will operate just fine on either system.

If you want to be able to walk around the layout to follow your train there is a cab control handheld unit that was made by MRC that is ocassionally listed on ebay.  I have one on a long teather and it works great.

As Bob said, Kadee couplers are the best. You can go to their website for information on the type that are recommended for locos and cars. Again, changing all of them at one time would be costly. A pair of "change over cars' with a kadee on one end and a standard hornhook on the other will allow you to change the others as funds and time permits.

Enjoy and have fun.

I think it would not be a bad idea if repliers included the city where they are. I would welcome visitors with a lilttle advanced notice.

Ben
Montgomery, Alabama

Knee deep in Model Railroad Magazines right now looking for layouts. Ben

Jowalmer,

Atlas has a large layout book that has other that 4' by 8' layouts.  I have noticed it come up on e-bay ocassionally. I think that it has a couple of "L" shaped layouts that may meet your requirements with a little modification. Model Railroader has also run numerous layout plans. I will look in the 15 plus year pile that I have and try to find one for you.  If I do I can scan it and post it here for you.

Larry & Ernie,

I am in Montgomery and would enjoy the company and ideas for finishing my oversized (11'x36') layout. If there are any others in this area you are welcomed as well. Phone 334-288-4847 on evenings and weekends or espee-ben@charter.net.

Well, back to square one.  I was working on the railroad this weekend and decided to run the decapod for a while.  Aligned the turnouts, applied power and it would only move at a very slow pace. As I had been working in that area I though I may have caused a short. Turned everything off and checked. No wiring problem.  Visually checked the loco and nothing amiss. Applied power again and it operated like it should until it hit the curve where it slowed to barely moving.  The dreaded shorting of the frame had surfaced.  Applied a trimmed piece of electrician tape to the frame with an opening for the gear. Now the loco operates fine but the noise level that had all but gone has increased noticeably. Any new ideas as where to check for the noise source?

Just thought of one other thing.  I will have to drill holes under the speaker in the front floor area of the tender.

I thought about removing the weight and lowering the circuit board all the way down. There would not be any metal for it to short out on. Then install a module and the speaker which are about as heavy as the weight. If needed a few stick on lead weights could be applied near the ends.

The circuit board can be lowered about 1/8" before the components hit the weight. A module would be a tight fit with the board where it is now. However, the speaker can not go under the coal load as that is where the post to fasten the shell to the base is.  The semi-circle at the front of the board is where the post aligns. Does anyone supply a jumper that has 8-pin plugs on both ends (female/male)?  The speaker would fit if the board is lowered but the module would have to be located in a following freight car. Might make for an interesting project.

I am in the process of adding sound to my "Stealth" locos so I took the shell off the tender of my decapod to see if I could install a sound module in it. There is not enough space to install the module and speaker.  The top of the installed circuit board is about 1/2" above the floor which leaves less than a 1/2" space to the tender top. Another problem is the light tower in the rear portion and the shell fastening post location in the front cuts the useable space to that of the existing board for module and speaker.

The smoke stack will melt if the unit is allowed to overheat.  I know because I had a Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern do it.

Thanks all for your recommendations and ideas. I have since continued to run in the motor and the loco runs fine except for the noise.  It has decreased somewhat but is still there.  I think that I have narrowed it down to a harmonic from the drive belt to the assembly as it only does it in a narrow speed range.  Above or below this speed (about 35 scale mph) there is no noise.  I tend to operate at realistic speeds so I will be below this speed.

I have been running in forward and reverse at various speeds.  I have broken motors in for over 30 years and have not had one that required 2 hours run time to quiet down. I will run it some more later.  As I first asked, does it normally have the noise at the mid range speeds out of the box?  That is the main concern. I will be relettering it for the Rio Grande and do not want to have to return it later due to the noise continuing.