09-11-2010, 11:57 AM
There are two keys to decoder fitting. FIrst, current draw of the motor. If the stall current on DC at 12 volts is less than the decoder's rating, you're good. You have to measure this, unless you can find a review of the exact loco in one of the magazines that lists it.
Second factor is motor isolation. There can be no contact between the track pickups and the motor contacts once the decoder is in place. This is instant death to the decoder. In older motors, there can sometimes be sneak paths through all metal gears if the brushes are not both insulated from the motor chassis. In other cases (and this is even for modern plastic locos - the Proto 2000 S-1 comes to mind), the pickups fromt he wheels are isolated but the chassis carries one side to the motor. If a decoder is connected it works just fine - until the loco derails one of of the wheels contacts both a rail and the frame.
Now, we all have locos that are irreplaceable for sentimental reasons. Some brass is irreplaceable because no one every made that particular loco. Others though, have been redone in more modern forms that turn out better. Case in point, the PCM Readign T-1. WHen they first came out, my ex father in law and I each got one. He already had one of the NJ (Daiyung) brass T-1's. We put them side by side, no contest, the PCM plastic model was much nicer. Plus it came with DCC and sound. Now, they plastic model still does not touch the detail of the Overland T-1, so if you have one of those.. but the Overland model has a modern can motor and is (relatively) easy to convert to DCC.
Bottom line is, there is practicaly nothing that can't be converted to DCC. Some just takes more time, money, and effort than others.
--Randy
Second factor is motor isolation. There can be no contact between the track pickups and the motor contacts once the decoder is in place. This is instant death to the decoder. In older motors, there can sometimes be sneak paths through all metal gears if the brushes are not both insulated from the motor chassis. In other cases (and this is even for modern plastic locos - the Proto 2000 S-1 comes to mind), the pickups fromt he wheels are isolated but the chassis carries one side to the motor. If a decoder is connected it works just fine - until the loco derails one of of the wheels contacts both a rail and the frame.
Now, we all have locos that are irreplaceable for sentimental reasons. Some brass is irreplaceable because no one every made that particular loco. Others though, have been redone in more modern forms that turn out better. Case in point, the PCM Readign T-1. WHen they first came out, my ex father in law and I each got one. He already had one of the NJ (Daiyung) brass T-1's. We put them side by side, no contest, the PCM plastic model was much nicer. Plus it came with DCC and sound. Now, they plastic model still does not touch the detail of the Overland T-1, so if you have one of those.. but the Overland model has a modern can motor and is (relatively) easy to convert to DCC.
Bottom line is, there is practicaly nothing that can't be converted to DCC. Some just takes more time, money, and effort than others.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad of the 1950's in HO
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com