DON'T BE AFRAID! DCC conversions are easier than you think!

[@DieCastoms]

I did something like this "for practice" with HO scale "train set" quality locomotives with pancake motors. Two A units back to back, on a single cheap decoder, directional headlights (in the noses only), both motors wired together, all wheel pickups wired together, and used the door-window to pass the wires between the two shells, but I went a step further and removed the rear couplers from both units and used a piece of used guitar string and a bit of solder to make a drawbar: a rigid 'dogbone' shape, narrow in the middle with a loop on each end to fit over the coupler post on each unit. This allowed the two to be closer together, but also made it impossible to separate them and rip the wires out! I was really proud of what I had done, and it ran decently, but it got destroyed by a family member's children while i was not home.

[@thesheq5023]

One thing if you want to make your life a bit harder- you can use a 6/8 wire quick connect between the a and b unit for easier transport

[@AndrewJohnson-ur3lw]

When doing two units on a permanent connection if the B unit has pickups I'd wire them onto the appropriate red/black as it is then not likely to stall on dirty track etc.

[@theubaum]

Jimmy it was great to meet you at the Hickory train show! Keep those great videos coming! Tony

[@timhamilton5699]

I had to come back and watch this video again. I got my hands on an old CB&Q Atlas WDT a few days ago and would like to convert it. I think the 1st hurdle will be checking to see if the old flanges are too large to work with my code 55 trackage! Keep the good work Jimmy.

[@rwissbaum9849]

AWESOME video, Jimmy. One thing I would add: the default volume settings on most sound decoders is way too loud. The attenuation of sound over distance is an inverse square relationship: that is, if you have two identical sound sources, and one is twice as far away, the farther one will sound 1/4th as loud. In N scale, a viewing distance of 3 feet translates into 480 scale feet - one and a half football fields. Adjust your volume with this scale factor in mind.

[@davebnsfnscale4433]

Sound is impressive, nice soldering job!

[@danbalmer1]

Great video. Still happy with my DC but appreciate the work put into the older non DCC ready locos to see how it is done. Would like to see a video, or group, on changing out Rapido couplers to magnetic knuckle on locos and rolling stock, specifically body mount couplers and what choice you made and why. One reason I'm not buying older locos and rolling stock presently.

[@edwardaudet8367]

Excellent, excellent video I put all my life likein a box called do not use. I'm going have to take a second look, the nyc trains were fantastic, whole lot of new life.

[@acrranscaleandlifejourney4330]

Great how to Jimmy. Thanks for sharing.

[@Steve_Larson]

Awesome work, especially soldering those tiny contact strips! The only improvement I can think of is exchanging the Kapton tape for heat shrink tubing. Remembering to slide on a piece before you solder is the hardest part. I use my cheap hot air soldering station (on low heat) to shrink it down. I probably spent at least $30 on heat shrink tubing assortments, but now I have nearly every size and color I could ever need.

[@michaelpfister1283]

Jimmy, your cram-fu is very strong! Nice video! Thank you for sharing. I would never have thought you could put a decoder in that little thing!

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

I remember hearing a lot of good things about those old Life-Like FAs.

[@melkitson]

An absolutely fantastic video Jimmy. I am a Kato convert since I met the Pocket Line series. They are within my pensioners budget and go so well. I plan on converting one very soon.

[@TrainmasterSP-qk2lo]

Good to know this information! I have a bunch of Athearn DC locomotives that I bought back in the 80’s, and knowing I can install decoders into them is a big plus! Thank you for the video!

[@iannarita9816]

Congratulations now you an Alco FA with all the bells and whistles! ☺☺

[@alexanderpoirier3350]

Ir would be interesting to see this little loco with lights (the headlights and small red reversing lights). As well, not sure if it would be possible but you could possibly add frosted glass to the cab windows to hide the electronics inside and to add a bit more detail to the engine, plus if you add lights later then the little cab will glow nicely. Very nice and informative video! Keep up the great work and happy railroading! Also, that little engine needs a Kato Caboose to go with it.

[@petert9749]

Just goes to show: if you really want to upset someone, just tell them their car sounds like an Alco. Your test had this FA starting much better than the F Unit you did a few months back. Enjoyed. Pete

[@jhoodfysh]

Very well done Jimmy

[@jasonminier6782]

That FA sounds surprisingly good!

[@bruceyoung1343]

Thank You Thank you Thank you. You have given me confidence. I’ll be honest with you, I love to be “tested” . Only thing I still worry about is choosing the correct decoder. Cause that can make it or break it. You are AWESOME

[@melkitson]

You must have the eyes of an eagle and the fingers of a concert pianist. The Pocket Line conversion, not yet finished, is darn hard work. Tiny parts and me obviously are not a marriage made in heaven.

[@someguy2637]

You make it look so easy. I think I will give it try. I have both Kato steeple chase loco and the tram. I am going to try the the tram first. Thanks for the great "how to" videos.

[@tiaedge562]

Tim says that's a great job. You're a regular Eli Whitney when doing DCC.

[@josephbrandtner7713]

SOMMERFELDT makes fully functional N scale pantographs! For overhead wire operation, the red wire would go to the pantograph. The black wire can go to either one or both rails like the prototype.

[@kenshores9900]

Great video for us old dogs!

[@possumbayou8238]

Very good. I bought a set of ABA Alcoa when they came out. They are when I made a decision not to leave nscale.

[@tristanmiller3034]

Thank you for making this video it’s really put my mind at ease about installing a tcs decoder in an atlas model that I bought that’s from 1992

[@northmill70]

Hi Jimmy, I am not great using caption tape instead of shrink-wrap. Have you ever tried Liquid Electrical Tape?

[@richardb2382]

Great video. I have the Kato BR freight set with the same tint engine. I had it apart yesterday looking to see if I could get a decoder inside.

[@GelatoTaco]

I actually recently found a shop that sells DCC socket boards where you solder wires to it and make basically any loco DCC ready (as long as everything fits obviously). Since the layout I'm making right now is going to be wired for DCC, I snagged a 10-pack of those socket boards and a spare 8-pin decoder. Basically my older locos are gonna be sharing a decoder while I save up to snag more because I'd rather undo the handful of screws every time I wanna use a different older model than not be able to use them at all.

[@CobbettWilliam]

Instead of using kafton tape you can paint the solder joints with acrylic paint. This is a great insulator to prevent shorts. It also burns away if you need to unsolder the joint.

[@4everdc302]

I do this. I don't have a channel anymore, haha.😅🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲⚡️DC. Great tech, Jimmy

[@kend3900]

Brilliant

[@stefa6348]

awesome engine sound

[@brianpugh2656]

You talk about modifying the weight. What were the weights made of and how much did they weigh? I thought of changing them to tungsten cubes (like for pinewood derby cars)

[@DIYDigitalRailroad]

I didn’t weigh them but they appear to be some cheap steel. I do like using tungsten putty for custom weights.

[@geesharp6637]

Get out the Sharpie and paint those wires between the doors. :D Using the entire B unit as a baffle box made such a sound difference. Awesome.

[@FunWithHOScaleStuff]

Nice job.

[@modelrailwaybackshop]

Using Liquid Tape is way better for saving space than any actual tape. as the liquid tape is just an air drying insulating rubber that you can dip a toothpick into and place over the solder joint. as it dries it shrinks to help the wire not have this random bulge that will get in the way of the model. I've learned this the hard way from all the different tapes I've tried and they all just take too much room to use.

[@kenshores9900]

Jimmy: You answered my question before I can ask it. Please understand my concerns because converting locos with Rapido couplers is supposed to be easy. I still have the parts in a box with my projects.

[@raider-px6wd]

Is there a dedicated place to see what models take what decoders?

[@Clarinetboy82]

Is there a way to use DCC without having to do any "coding" or "programing"? As in, can I just put the DCC train on the track and start using it? I'm not good with programing or anything like that, and I don't have anyone that can do that sort of stuff for me. I get the feeling that model railroading is moving exclusively toward DCC (as that's what I keep hearing about all the time and keep seeing everywhere), and DC is becoming a think of the past.

[@rwissbaum9849]

In my opinion, the DCC experts make a HUGE mistake by quickly jumping into the fantastic power and flexibility offered by DCC - consisting, speed tables, and the like. What newcomers - especially those who are intimidated by technology - need to know is that all that stuff is ENTIRELY optional. Anyone can hook up the most advanced DCC system in 5 minutes: attach the track leads to the controller, plug the controller into a wall outlet, and plug the handheld remote into the controller. Done. Running a DCC-ready locomotive is just as easy: set the controller to loco #3 (that is usually the default), and operate the throttle. Just like DC, you have a reversing switch and a throttle, and it operates as intuitively as you'd expect. I would advise you to visit one of the good online train stores - TrainWorld, Midwest Model Railroad, Yankee Dabbler are all good - and look at the DCC systems. Pick the system that has a handheld controller that you like, because that's the feature you'll be using the most. After you've been using your DCC system to run a single locomotive for a few months, you'll start asking "how can I run another locomotive on my layout?" Believe it or not, the answer isn't that complicated, but that's an answer for another day. And remember, you won't necessarily want to actually run two locomotives at the same time - humans don't multitask that well. But you may want to have all of your locomotives sitting on the tracks, ready to go, and that is SUPER easy to do.

[@edwardaudet8367]

Jimmy Where is the link for the leds U used on the NYC loco. Is it in your Amazon store area ?

[@user-xn1zj2qp6q]

Great video. What size soldering iron do you use? 25 watt or 40 watt?

[@graemeo4]

Did you remove the pink tape below the motor before you put the motor back in? Just how much tape did you put in to push the motor back down to allow the worm drive to engage?

[@muir8009]

Full credit Jimmy: the pocket line decoder installation was quite the achievement. Just an add: Katos US/EU market products are arranged for decoders, the Japanese home market for Kato, Microace, Tomix etc aren't; not so much for space reasons but as you're well aware theres pretty much no interest in dcc there. I've got old, new, borrowed and blue Japanese N and they're all the same. With their very impressive dc systems, including stationary lighting, actual imitation train control that I've yet to see in dcc, all sensors, simple plug in multi train control and the like they seem to be very happy with what they've got. Those coreless motored pocket line steeplecabs are very cool aren't they, and with that well engineered simple compensating suspension. Those lifelikes are really good runners: does the alco still have the plastic frame? D'you reckon it would handle 5.5" radius curves? You've done pretty awesomely there, cheers for the video upload

[@atshinkansen7439]

I model Japanese railways in N scale as well, and have converted my entire fleet to DCC. It’s certainly possible, but is a much more advanced install, in particular for multiple unit trains (my locomotives, which are all Kato, use the same drop-in decoders as their American counterparts, so they’re not too bad). First off, unless it’s a single unit rail car, each train needs at least three decoders: one for the motorized car, and one for each cab car to control the lights. Some of Kato’s Japanese MU trains allow for drop-in installation of their FL12/EM13 decoders, but for those that don’t, the circuit boards for the lights in the cab cars, in particular, usually have to be modified-at a minimum, reversing one of the LEDs to provide a common trace for the blue wire. And speaking of wires, you will often have to cut and/or drill a path to route the wires to the LEDs, as they’re seated in a tight fitting compartment with zero tolerances to prevent bleed-through between the head and tail lights. It requires very careful study of the train your working on, and a considerable amount of extra patience, but the conversion is well worth it. I’ll do it again with the next train I get!

[@CollinCountyRailfan]

hey man! I know you just made a Q/A type video, but I was wondering if you do something special for uncoupling or just move it with your hands. I see you cut the clips when you uncouple when you record operations, so during school I got interested in messaging you about this. Keep up the great content! -Sam q

[@michaelbaumann7722]

What coupler conversion did you use on the traction engine?

[@turboseize]

The B-unit dummy seems to have the same driven trucks as the A-unit, minus the gears. Maybe it's possible to retrofit power pickups to these trucks, too? With power from all axles of both unit, it should become impossible to stall this loco on turnouts and even dirty track would cease to be fearsome.

[@timwright3592]

Very informative video! Question regarding programming DCC and/or DCC & sound boards...( I use MRC DCC Prodigy Elite for my layout) Can I use JMRI to program different manufacturers' (ESU, Digitrax, etc...) boards? I really don't want to buy various devices for each one. Thanks!

[@allenbarnes7202]

I have 3 older Bachmann f-9 locos built in the late 80's would like to convert to dcc. Will it work? They are n-scale

[@keeganseva3975]

soldering kind of lost me...have not gotten that 'far' into the hobby... still trying to figure out basic weathering/painting but thanks still for sharing. I'll save this video for later

[@katellareedycreekrailway9657]

The Kato steeple cab is small but mighty. Delivering peace for Ukraine is quite a load. Let's hope it arrives quickly.

[@inderezzed8454]

Can the lessons learned from this video also apply to HO scale models as well, or are they a little bit different in some way?

[@atshinkansen7439]

Yes, they can, I’ve converted several older HO locomotives. Actually HO is easier because you have more space inside the shell.

[@amperesi9576]

Anyone able to tell me which speaker that is installed, Cube, Cube 2 or 3, I thought I would dislike the B unit with wires showing but it isn't bad looking at all

[@madbrad6282]

I kinda like it without the shell. Haha.

[@bobkohl6779]

An ALCO that sounds like an ALCO!

[@PatrickJones-pi1hq]

Can you put dxx sec der on Con Cor non dcc

[@PatrickJones-pi1hq]

Sorry dcc decoder

[@DIYDigitalRailroad]

I actually just put one in a 41-year-old Con Cor RDC! They’re pretty easy to convert actually.

[@PatrickJones-pi1hq]

Thank you

[@RailfanVince]

Be careful with putting decoders in old locomotives, my friend put a decoder in a old non DCC ready locomotive and Fried the motor 3 days later.

[@DIYDigitalRailroad]

This typically happens when the motor hasn't been isolated from picking up power directly from the rails. A DC locomotive can overheat and break when placed on DCC track. Older DC motors are actually more power hungry than modern ones. Am old DC motor can draw too much current and fry the decoder.

[@dustywetzel5325]

Bizarre idea…..add a speaker into a box car then make it to where it always pulls the box car with it.

[@raypizer8037]

I have this tiny loco and thought I would add this decoder. Soundtraxx price $39 delivery to Malta between $190 and $260!for something so small that would go in an envelope! Soundtraxx con merchants!

[@SFCRambo60]

On old locomotives with the white gears, are they really junk because of the white gears? Is there any replacement gears that someone can buy and install?