This page will document the motive power on our layout. Rather than showing pictures of each of my locomotives, I will list them roster style. I will also indicate which ones have already been converted to DCC and those which are targeted for conversion. The DCC information will include the type of decoder used, and its approximate cost. I will also include information on any modifications that had to be made, if any, to each locomotive and their approximate cost. If Micro-Train couplers were installed, I will indicated what coupler conversion kit was used.
I know that I have read in various places, that more money is spent on the decoders and conversion expense of the motive power than on almost any other facet of modeling with DCC. I didn't really understand to what extent this was true until we actually started the conversion process. Regardless of how anxious we are to move ahead, I am predicting that it will take 12 - 18 months to complete the conversion / weeding process of the motive power, not because of the time involved, but because of the amount of money budgeted each month to the railroad.
As an added bonus, I intend to include decoder programing information for each locomotive as it becomes available. My son has devised a form on a spreadsheet that allows him to record such things as settings for special lighting effects, minimum start voltage, maximum voltage before stall, momentum, etc. Our thought is that the numbers we come up with might give you a starting point or programming all of the parameters of a similar locomotive.
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Wabash #483 |
NCE - N12SR ($29.95) |
Micro-Train magnetic |
Aztec milled frame ($10) |
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Wabash #475 |
Not yet converted to DCC |
Micro-Train magnetic |
needs Aztec frame |
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This is a fairly simple DCC conversion. The locomotive must be completely disassembled and all parts removed from the split frame. Mail your old frame to Aztec and they send you a different frame milled to accept a decoder by return mail. Turnaround time is less than a week. Reassemble the locomotive and wire in the decoder. Step by step instructions provided by Aztec are fairly easy to follow. You might want to videotape the disassembly process so that you have a reference as to where the parts go when you put the locomotive back together. The exploded parts diagram that came with your locomotive, or available on the web from Atlas is a great help. When using the milled frame from Aztec, the rear headlight is sacrificed to make room for the decoder. My son was able to dramatically reduce the size of the board the rear light is attached to and fit back in the case. If you are going to attempt this, make sure that you do NOT cut off the wire to the rear light from the decoder and the instructions ask you to. Since we disassembled three different locomotives at the same time to send the frames off, I purchased some of the small plastic resealable containers at the grocery store. We used the Glad brand containers. As a locomotive was disassembled, all of its part went into a container for safe keeping. When we mailed the frames out to Aztec, we put each frame in a plastic, zip-loc bag and enclosed a piece of paper indicating what locomotive the frame was for. Since you won't be getting the same frame back, make sure that you have removed all of the parts before sending it off. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Wabash #502 |
Digitrax - DZ143 ($34.95) |
Micro-Train |
Aztec milled frame ($10) |
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Wabash #505 |
Not yet converted to DCC |
Micro-Train |
needs Aztec frame |
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This conversion is very similar to the Atlas GP-7 listed above. All notes for the GP-7 apply here. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Wabash #561 |
Digitrax - DN 163AO ($34.99) |
Atlas Accumate |
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The most difficult part of this conversion is removing the body. Gently spread the bottom center of the body away from the frame. Insert a flat tooth pick on each side of the mechanism slightly offset from the fuel tank. Grasp the fuel tank firmly and gently wiggle the mechanism from side to side while pulling the body away from the mechanism. Be careful of hand rails. This is a simple swap operation, removing the circuit board stock circuit board with the lights and replacing it with the Digitrax board with both lights and decoder. The installation instructions with the decoder are straight forward, however the do not warn you that when you loosen the bolts holding the two halves of the frame together to swap the board, the trucks will come loose from the frame if it is not setting on a hard surface. Check the truck orientation before beginning this process because there is a right way and a wrong way to install them. Also, the instructions caution you to be sure you have the Digitrax board oriented properly before installing. Once you remove the old board, it is difficult to tell which end is which on the frame. As careful as I was, I still managed to put the board in backwards, and of course, nothing worked. Had to disassemble the unit and reverse the board. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Ann Arbor #20 - custom paint |
NCE - N12SR ($29.95) |
Micro-Train |
Aztec milled frame ($10) |
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The notes for the GP-7 apply to this installation. However there are some other concerns to be noted. First, while any generic decoder design for n-scale will work in the locomotives with larger bodies, the RS-1, because of its narrow body, requires the smallest decoder you can find. Like the GP-7 and the U25B, the rear light can be salvaged by milling down the light board to the tiniest size possible. Be warned, however. The lights on the RS-1 are tiny grain-of-wheat bulbs, not LED's and do generate heat. If you do not get the rear light perfectly centered when doing the installation, the heat from the bulb will melt the part of the body it is closest to. (Voice of experience) We were able to purchase a replacement body from Atlas. At the same time, we purchased a couple of LED light boards used in later assemblies. The standard LED light boards sell for about $2.50 each, or, for $10 each, you can get the new bright-white LED light boards. We opted for the less expensive. Since replacement bodies and cabs were less than $2 each, we ordered 3 complete sets. This locomotive was purchased undecorated and then custom painted for the Ann Arbor RR using the 'Ferry in the Fog' logo. The loco has also been weathered, although the weathering does not show up well in these photos. Note that the loco is lettered for the Ann Arbor Railroad, but also has the 'Michigan Interstate Railway Company' lettering on the cab.  The image above shows the RS-1 with the decoder installed. The decoder is on the left side of the image. The stock circuit board with grain-of-wheat light is on the right. (The light is below the circuit board.) On the left is a yellow LED and accompanying resister that was removed from one of the replacement light boards ordered from Atlas. Since the decoder board is encased in a plastic case, there is no chance for a short circuit, even though it looks as if the wiring for the LED is actually laying on the circuitry for the DCC decoder. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Ann Arbor 20 |
NCE Z14SR |
Atlas Accumate |
Blue & Gray Colors |
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Illinois Terminal 752 |
NCE Z14SR |
Atlas Accumate |
Green & Yellow |
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I couldn't resist when these two units were announced by Atlas in 2005, and quickly preordered one of each. The Illinois Terminal RS-1 is a very bright and colorful locomotive. I can remember, as a kid in Central Illinois, watching similar units running on the ITC line from Champaign to Decatur. For some unknown reason, the local farmers all referred to this locomotive as 'The Grasshopper'. I had almost made the decision to have an SW-8 custom painted for ITC when the RS-1 was announced. The Ann Arbor RS-1 was a no-brainer. When my son decided to custom paint the first one, I assumed that he was going to use theWabash colors from the time period when the Ann Arbor RR was a subsiderary of the Wabash. Instead, he chose to do the more recent orange and black color scheme with the 'Ferry in the Fog' logo. Those of you with eagle eyes will have notice that the two Ann Arbor RS units have the same number. This depicts two different time periods in the life of one locomotive. Actually, there is a small discrepancy. AA #20 never wore the 'Ferry in the Fog' logo. Rather, it had, for lack of a better term, the more familiar 'Compass Rose' logo. The 'Ferry in the Fog' logo was sported by RS-1 AA #21. My son didn't realize his mistake with the custom painted RS-1 until a week or so after he was done. He elected not to go back and redo the decals. Rather, we too modeler's license and tweaked history a little bit. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Wabash 1020-A |
Digitrax - DN 163K0a ($34.99) |
Kato knuckle type |
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Wabash 1021-A |
Digitrax - DN 163K0a ($34.99) |
Kato knuckle type |
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Converting this unit to DCC involved a simple board swap. The PA-1's come with headlights only in the front, but the decoder boards, which are used for several different units, come with front and rear LED's. Instructions tell you to clip the leads and remove the rear LED's before installation. Save the LED's to use in place of bulbs in other units. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Ann Arbor |
Digitrax DZ143 |
MTL |
Orange 'Ferry in the Fog' color scheme. Needs decals. |
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Undecorated |
NCE Z14SR |
MTL |
Will be painted in the dark blue and gold Wabash color scheme |
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Undecorated |
NCE A14SR |
MTL |
Will be painted for the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (CRANDIC) RR |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Wabash 2600 |
Digitrax |
Micro-Train |
SoundTraxx |
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This unit was purchased from a small company that custom painted some of the Kato Mikes. The Micro-Train coupler conversion was done at the same time.  A digitrax decoder has been installed in the boiler area of this unit, and a soundtrax sound decoder has been installed in the tender, along with speaker.  My son wasn't satisfied with the way the chuffs synced with the speed - it worked off the throttle setting. So he pulled off one of the rear driver wheels from the locomotive and fabricated 4 brass contacts that fit inside the wheel, each 90 degrees apart.  He then fabricated a pickup unit and fastened it into the undercarriage of the locomotive. A wire runs back to the sound decoder in the tender. When ever the pickup is in contact with a brass contact, you get the steam eaxhaust sound. And now the chuffs are perfectly synchronized with the speed at which the wheels are turning! |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Norfolk & Western 3375 / 1205 |
Digitrax Decoder |
Micro-Train |
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My son tackled this installation one day. He decided that he could install a decoder in the area underneath the frame where the fuel tank assemby was. The decoder was affixed to a piece of styrene which was attached to the underside of the frame. By using this method, you do not loose any weight from milling the frame. You don't even realize that the plastic fuel tank assembly is missing unless you pick the locomotive up and look at it from the bottom.. This switcher runs OK when it gets warmed up. Like all short n-scale locomotives, it has some problems with turn outs and seems to be stalled from time to time by the unsulated frogs. We are currently investigating the possibility of installing a sound system in the calf. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Undecorated |
yes |
Micro-Train |
Partial rebuild done on the bench. |
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This unit was purchased in the mid to late 90's and has never been out of the box. It had warped drivers and axles. Con-Cor estimates about $40 to do the necessary repairs. They admitted that they had some 'issues' with this particular unit. The problem with the drivers was solved by removing rods to the driver wheels. The rods were warped. The rods on one side have been repaired. We are still looking for a set of rods for the other side. Recently, the locomotive has started binding up again, and is back on the bench. It is unknown, at this time, if it can be repaired to run consistently. We are seriously thinking about cutting our losses with this one. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
Undecorated |
No |
Kadee N-Scale |
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This unit runs beautifully, even though it is old. Someone started custom painting it, using the dark Wabash blue with gold numbers, but never completed the job.If I have to choose between the SW 1200 and FM, I have received some photographs from a modeler in Sweden who has installed a DCC decoder vertically in the back of the cab in one of these units. He also remotored it with an Atlas 5-pole motor at the same time. He used a TRAN DCX74 decoder which, I suspect, is not readily available in the States. We may be able to do the same thing with the smallest Lenz or NCE decoder. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Wabash 124 |
NCE Z14SR |
Accumate |
Custom Painted |
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This unit started life as an undecorated item. It has been painted black, with white decals. Also, the yellow warning strips on the front and read have been added. This is an excellent running locomotive. This unit, unfortunately met with a mishap after it was painted and decalled. While working on the DCC installation, the body was placed too close to a bright light. The heat from the light caused the plastic cab roof to soften and sag. Rather than replacing the body, or cab, and repainting and decalling, we decided this unit had met with an unfortunate accident in the yard. Something fell onto the cab roof! The following pictures show not only the roof damage, but some of the decal work as well 
The dented roof is clearly visible in this picture.
Looking from the rear, the damage is more visible.
Weather has taken its toll on the damaged area of this unit, expecially the damage areas.
Now a note about DCCing this locomotive. I found several web sites and pictures showing various ways to add a DCC decoder to the LL SW8/9 One person blacked out the windows and put the decoder in the cab. A couple others did some milling onthe weights and fitted the decoder under the hood. Both methods had their good points and bad points. We opted for a variation of the cab installation method. The decoder we used was actually small enough to be affixed to the roof of the cab, and is virtually out of site. A very small amount of milling was done with a dremel tool to allow the wires to pass from the cab area into the hood area. The installation is virutally invisible. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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NYC |
Lenz replacement board |
Accumate |
Currently in paint shop |
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By the time the Lenz decoder boards for the Atlas VO-1000 became available for purchase separately, no undecorated VO-1000's were to be found. Therefore the purchase of this NYC unit. It will be completely repainted with Wabash markings and road numbers. The replacement Lenz decoder board will be installed at the same time. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Rock Island 401 |
Board installed before purchase |
Accumate |
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This locomotive was 'leased' by my pike to take care of switching duties at a remote yard, and to shuttle cars back and forth between two industries. At some point in time it may be 'purchased' at which time it will be repainted. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
|
N&W 1516 |
factory installed Lenz |
Accumate |
Needs road number decals |
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This was ab e-Bay purchase. Unit runs well, and is super-detailed. It showed up on my pike after the merger of Wabash and N&W |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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N&S 6603 |
factory installed Lenz |
Accumate |
For sale |
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I am not sure what time warp this locomotive came through to appear on my pike. It is definitely out of place, both as far as size, as well as era. It is a very smooth running locomotive, with good low speed throttle response. While on my pike it will see regular service on the mainline. It is too nice an engine to box up and leave sitting on the shelf. |
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Road / Number |
DCC |
Couplers |
Other |
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Wabash 1003 |
Digitrax DZ-123 - $16 (not yet Installed) |
Rapido on rear - dummy knuckles on front |
MTL conversion will be done when the DCC upgrade is done |
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Wabash 1006 |
Digitrax DZ-123 - $16 (not yet Installed) |
Rapido on rear - dummy knuckles on front |
MTL conversion will be done when the DCC upgrade is done |
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Both of theses units will definitely be converted to DCC. However, because Life Like did not use a split frame, no replacement frame is available from Aztec. However, Southern Digital makes replacement frames for many of the older one-piece Life-Like machanisms, including the E6/E7/E8 series of locomotives. You do not need to exchange your old frame for the new one. Southen Digitals order page gives you the option of ordering the appropriate decoders to go with the altered frames at very competitive prices. Cost of the replacement frames (weights) for the E-8s was $6.50 each as of 7/23/04. I will add photos of the conversion process as we do it. |
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This page last updated 1/31/2006
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