Ton:

Many thanks for your input, but that reading seems awfully low for an engine this size. I'll see if I can disconnect the gearbox & measure the motor current running free. Thanks again.

Bob

I have one of the Bachmann On30 2-8-0 locos (which I think has been discontinued) but maybe someone who has one can help me. This one draws about .65 Amps at 12 volts, stalled, upside down on the bench. It has already fried one decoder & I'm leery about replacing it. This engine has been used on a display layout & I think has been run on carpet; the side rods & wheels had a lot of hair & fuzz in them & it was a pain to get out. Can anyone out there measure how many amps their 2-8-0 draws & let me know? It would save me a lot of guesswork.  Thank you--     Bob Battles

Inder:

FWIW, I've repowered a lot of brass locos & while NWSL motors are OK I've had much better luck with the Helix Humper motor made by Alliance Motor Products (search the Web under Alliance Products, I think it is); they're cheap & have a lot more torque than a NWSL motor. They only make two basic motors so get the big one. Hobby shops carry them. If the Big Boy weighs much more than a pound, it's too heavy. Remove some meat from the boiler weight-- it's usually held in from the bottom by a screw or two. Pop off the smokebox door & you can then slide it out the front. You shouldn't need more than one motor-- installing two would be a huge job & hardly worth it! Have fun--     Bob Battles

To Keystone:

Your question is not an easy one to answer-- it all depends on the decoder you're using. Some decoders give you a choice of whistles/horns & some don't. The spec sheet or Manual for your particular decoder should spell this out-- they don't all use the same CV for choosing whistles or horns. This should be available to download from the Manufacturer. Any DCC controller should be able to change the CV value which is all it entails. To do it thru analog mode means getting it into programming mode or whatever they call it & then following the steps. It's a bit tedious but you normally only do this once & then it's set. I hope this helps!

Bob Battles

To JohnnyUtah, my answer to all your questions is YES. The Micro-Tsunami will not fit in the tank with the ckt. board still in place. Labeling the wires before you cut them off the ckt. board will save you a bunch of time. I found the chuffing synced in at the CV setting of around 120--125. Have fun.

Bob Battles

Greetings!

I just finished installing a Micro-Tsunami in a Bachmann Climax & it went fine; it's tight fit but she sounds good. The little Tsunami just fits at a 45 deg. angle inside the tank on top of the speaker & happily, the frame was drilled for the speaker! One tip: before cutting all the wires off the ckt. board, paint them with acrylic paint of the color used by the Tsunami-- it'll make things much easier. If not, you'll have a fistful of black wires coming up thru a hole in the floor & you'll have to buzz every one out, not a fun job. The two wires on the ckt. board marked LED1 go to the headlight, LED2 goes to the backup light, M- & M+ go to the motor & the two at the front corners go to the left & right rails. But the Climax runs like a champ & the Micro-Tsunami chosen was LIGHT LOGGING, so it has a couple whistles that'll give you goose-bumps! Have fun.     Bob Battles

Greetings!

FWIW, I just installed a mini-Tsunami in a 3T Shay & it went pretty well. I installed it & the speaker in the rear tank; I drilled a couple holes in the bottom for the speaker after disassembling the tank completely. I used an N-gage spkr. which fit well. The tricky part was salvaging the old circuit board so I could use the existing wire connectors between the tank & the locomotive. I ended up sawing off about the front 1/3 of the p/c board & soldering the decoder wires to it. This way I didn't have to rewire the whole engine & there are no new wires showing. As for the Chuff Rate, I set CV 116 (?) to around 160 & it seems pretty close. This will probably be different for each engine so you just have to guesstimate it.   My only gripe with the mini-Tsunami is that the whistle doesn't get very loud, but the bell can blow your eardrums out if it's up to full volume! She's a nice-running loco.     Bob Battles

For a layout the size of yours, #16 wire should be fine. You should only require heavier wire if you're running two or three 4 & 5-unit consists all at once & long heavy trains. I have an 8 X 14 around-the-room layout with std. & narrow gage & I only have one 16 ga. track feeder on each line. Make sure you have good track joints & make good solder connections whenever possible.  After running for a while check for any wiring getting warm. If it isn't, you're in business.

Bob Battles

I'm about to put a Mini-Tsunami (Soundtraxx) decoder in a Climax & I'm confident I can squeeze it in the tank & have room for a 7/8" speaker. The floor is drilled for the speaker & with the decoder mounted diagonally it should just fit. I do this kind of work for a couple hobby shops but at the moment I'm waiting for the speaker to come in. When I finish I'll leave a wrap-up message on this site.
Bob Battles

Greetings!

I'm a new member & would like to replace the silly yellow LED headlights in the Shay & Climax with some white ones or else 1.5V bulbs. Can someone please tell me how they come apart, how you get the LED out, without wrecking the headlight?  THANKS!

Big Bob