DCC and "Seasoned" Brass Locomotives

[P5se Camelback]

Well, it seems as almost all of the people whose opinions I respect the most have weighed in on to DCC or not to DCC. Much “sound’ advice has been offered and there is one of the main reasons I would go DCC … SOUND!

I put an on-board sound module in a customer's locomotive back in the ‘70’s. I think it was from a company called “Miniatronics” or something like that. It had a mask on the back of the main driver that had a pie-shaped wedge cut out of it so the wiper that collected power for the chuff module from that wheel synchronized the chuff with the side rods. There was a module for feed water pumps, and a few other sounds … it was pretty cool for the time! I brought a bunch of the electronics modules for my Reading I10s Consolidation, my first piece of brass (not a Camelback but a very fat boiler and a Wooten firebox.) I never got to put it in … got new industrial design job, had to pack everything, leave the hobby shop and move my life to South Carolina and NCR. But hearing those sounds … I just always wanted those sounds on my railroad.

Now comes DCC, a new way of putting power to the rails, double-heading, maybe … no throwing block switches, park two or three locos on the same track (why not, the prototype does it!) But there are so many choices and some changes must be made to my locomotives. O.K., I do want to use my Camelbacks, it's been one of the driving forces since the very beginning when the LS&W was jsut a dream in my head! So now I’ll have to “suck it up” and do the work, make the changes. It will happen one at a time … for many reasons.

… such as using plastic Kadees or plastic coupler boxes to isolate the couplers from the frame, and wrapping the motor in electrical tape and using silicone instead of metal screws to mount the motor to the frame would be enough to make the locos candidates for hard wired decoders for DCC.

I realize that I will have to re-motor … I knew that from the beginning – it’ll make my iron horses run better, and that’s a good thing. But why must it be foam tape and electrical tape? Why do I never see the use of a plastic (non-conductive) motor mount?

… People will suggest that you visit a layout that has DCC so you can try it out, and that is probably good advice. … Older open frame motors that don't respond well on DCC … Poor electrical pickup, with the tender and locomotive picking up electricity from opposite rails, instead of the loco and tender picking up electricity from all wheels. …

I have plans to visit the local club layout, which is all Digitrax … and watch things run (maybe even join? :?: And once again, I will be replacing the open frame motors with proper can motors.

… The question for your brass locos is "how easy will it be to isolate the track power from the motor leads?" … I have had my (Digitrax) Empire Builder for 5 years with no problems. Programming is fairly easy. The drawback to the Empire Builder is that it doesn't read the CVs in the decoder. You have to keep records of what you have programmed.... not a bad idea in any case though.

O.K., thanks for that “heads-up” … I appreciate it, Gary! And I have heard good things about the Empire Builder.

… I'm not very conversant on DCC, but if some of your older locos are driven directly off the motor shaft (many were) and use a steel worm with a brass worm gear (it was often also the final drive gear, directly on the driver's axle), then you'll have a direct connection between the track and the motor. A possible fix would be an idler-type gearbox, with plastic gears.

Now there is something I had not considered! I knew that the motor would have to be changed out, but I had not thought about metal gears. I’ll have to look, but I have a sneaking suspicion that some of my brass pieces have a nylon worm … If I could put a nylon gear on the can motor that might help!

… If you have a good bunch of locos, make the layout DC/DCC, that way you can run your brass on DC, and the newer engines on DCC. This'll give you a chance to convert at your own pace, and be easier on the pocketbook.

The only locomotives I have are the fifteen or sixteen (or seventeen … I forget, and they are all repacked so as to lessen the “People Who Hoard” TV show look.*) I bought them as they were released, saving up money for them in between releases – there was no other way to get a Camelback!)

… The brass locos can be converted. As noted above, it may be as simple as a strip of electrical tape, or may require remotoring/regearing. I've talked with our DCC guru at the club, and he advised that you simply take your time and be careful and methodical about it. … As far as Digitrax goes, I do like their system … a Soundtrax mega-bass speaker … I like what I hear.

I keep going to the Soundtrax site and listening to the Light Steam and Medium Steam sound samples … I like what I hear, too!

I have been given the number of the local club DCC guru and he has agreed to talk with me about the situation … I’ll have to wait and see how that goes.

And I must say that I appreciate all of the input from all of you ... really!

* That remark still hurts ... I just didn't see it as funny! Sorry!