Locomotive Installation Notes

Important:

This installation note assumes you have read the section on Wiring Specific Locomotives. It also assumes you have read the section on Sound. Lastly, it assumes you have read the section on DCC in the Garden.

More Important:

It's more important than ever that you do the above, each and every time you go to refer to these notes and do an installation. Here's why. (I knew you were going to ask.) Changes (improvements!) occur that may supersede what is written in the write-ups below. For example, the filter circuit shown on the G-scale sound installations is now no longer needed with all decoders. Also, I think up new and better ways to do things.

It's not practical to review and rewrite these every time this happens. Especially for the older locomotives, I don't even know if anyone is using them.

So be sure to check the above sections and look for new, higher section numbers since the last time you visited. You may find something new and useful!

Don't see your locomotive?

Look for another locomotive made by the same manufacturer. Often manufacturers use the same approach to building their other locomotives.

Make sure your motor is isolated from the power pick-up wheels. This usually means the motor should be isolated from the metal frame. If you are not sure about whether the motor needs isolation from the metal frame, isolate it. This is not a waste of time. In only rare cases can the motor remain attached to a metal frame.

If you are not sure what you need to do with the headlight, then replace it with a grain of wheat bulb. This is not a waste of time, either. I have found that it can take a lot of work to properly isolate a light bulb from the frame. A grain of wheat bulb only costs a quarter or so. Keeping the existing headlight often isn't worth the trouble.

Installation with an old decoder?

Have no fear, just use a new decoder. The real benefit of these installation notes is taking the locomotive apart and figuruing out where the wires go. Decoder with wires use a standard color code. Newer decoders are smaller, so fit will not usually be a problem.

Table of Contents

Many thanks to all contributing authors!

Diesel HO                                  

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
Atlas	RS-1 or RS-3	Allan Gartner
Atlas	RS-3 or similar	John V. Baum
Stewart	F-3	John V. Baum
Atlas	S-2	Adapted by John V. Baum	Original by Robert Savard and produced by Loy's Toys.
Athearn	PA-1 A&B	Allan Gartner
Bachmann	GP-30	John V. Baum
Bachmann	F40	Jim Kirwan
	European Locomotives	Ulrich Albrecht
Proto 2000	E7	Allan Gartner	With sound.
Proto 2000	GP-9	Robert Petit Duneland DCC
Proto 2000	GP-60	Robert Petit Duneland DCC
Proto 1000	RS-2	Ralph DeBlasi
Proto 1000	RDC	Robert Petit Duneland DCC
Walthers Trainline	FA-1	Bob France

Diesel G & #1                                 

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
LGB	Track Cleaing Locomotive	Allan Gartner	DCC control of cleaning wheel.
LGB	F-7A	Allan Gartner
Aristo Craft	Doodlebug	Allan Gartner

Diesel N                                 

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
Kato	F40PH	Troy S.
Intermountain	SD40T	Troy S.

Diesel Z                                 

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
Microtrains	F7	Glen Chenier

Electric HO                                 

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
IHC	GG-1	Jeff Kandra

Steam HO                                 

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
	European Locomotives	Ulrich Albrecht
Mantua	2-8-2 Mikado	Allan Gartner	Without sound.
Powerhouse	2-8-8-2 Mallet	Allan Gartner
Rivarossi	4-8-8-4 Big Boy	Allan Gartner
Rivarossi	4-6-6-4 Challenger	Allan Gartner
Rivarossi	4-6-6-4 Challenger	Allan Gartner	With sound.
Rivarossi	4-8-4 FEF	Allan Gartner
Rivarossi	4-8-4	Kevin C. Ceroky PE
IHC	4-8-2 Mountain	Allan Gartner
Bachmann	4-8-4 GS-4 (SP 4449 Daylight)	Allan Gartner	With sound.
Rivarossi	Opening the Centipede tender	Allan Gartner	Opening the tender without a jack-hammer, radial arm saw, nut cracker or a whack-a-mole mallet. Darn, that last one sounds fun!
BLI	N&W Aux Water Tender	Allan Gartner
Mantua	4-6-2 Pacific or 2-8-2 Mikado	Allan Gartner	With sound. Installation performed with a Decoder Buddy and 21-pin Tsunami2 sound decoder.
Mantua	2-6-6-2 Logger	Allan Gartner	With sound. Installation performed with a Decoder Buddy Tiny and a 21-pin WOW121 sound decoder.

Steam N                         

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
Kato	2-8-2 Mikado	Mike Mogensen

Steam G                         

Manuf.	Loco	Arthur	Comments
Aristo-Craft	C-16	Allan Gartner	With Pheonix P-8 sound. Wireless, battery-powered, non-DCC.
LGB	2-6-6-2 Unitah & Smpter Vallet Mallets	Allan Gartner	With sound. Uses LGB's installed sound module.
	Generic Decoder & Sierra Sound	Allan Gartner	With sound.The Sierra is no longer made. You will have to use a different sound module.
LGB	2-6-0 C&S Mogul	Allan Gartner	With sound. The Sierra is no longer made. You will have to use a different sound module.
Bachmann	2-Truck Shay	Allan Gartner	With QSI sound.
Bachmann	2-8-0 External Frame Consolidation	Allan Gartner	With sound. The Sierra is no longer made. You will have to use a different sound module.
Bachmann	4-4-0 American	Allan Gartner	With sound. The Sierra is no longer made. You will have to use a different sound module.

              Adding A Tender Headlight
              Using Miniature Lamps

Other Locomotive Write-Ups on the WWW

List of his installation notes		Numerous installation notes. If you do not see what you are after on my website, check out Jims.	By Jim Exler
HO Kato NW2 GP 35 HO Atlas RS-1			By Wolfgang Dudler
HO P2K 0-8-0		Adding power pick-ups to tender	By Wolfgang Dudler
On30 Bachmann       2-6-0			By Harold Minkwitz
Various locomotives			By Gateway NMRA

If you would like to do a locomotive decoder installation, please write me.