eBay - Garbage - or Convert to DCC


Gdelmoro

Gdelmoro

Member
Hi all,
Last year I converted my layout to DCC. prior to that I ran a DC layout for 20+ years and have about 20 DC locomotives. Riverossi, Atlas, Mantua, Atheran from 1980 - 2015. RS1, 2, 3, Pacifics, F7, Shay, GP-7, What do you guys do with your older DC Locomotives?
 
Hard question to answer!
If any had sentimental value I'd keep.
If any were worth converting later I'd also keep.
Those of lesser quality I'd throw on Feebay.
Any that were basically crap I'd give away or use for practice or experimentation.
(Insert evil laugh here)
 
Many do convert them, some are easier than others. If they are from the era before sound became available, most have more room inside them than the late ones, because there wasn't the concern about traction there is today, when trains, like the prototype, have gotten longer and heavier.

Each would have to be judged on it's own merits. Condition of the shell/running gear. Old open frame motors will probably need replacing, gears/wheels the same.
 
I think it depends on the level of details on the shell and era that you want. Older "trash" units can always be used to detail a scrap yard and/or a dead line track, or if they have value - sell them.
 
Most of my locos were converted from DC to DCC. I would agree with the others, though, that if they're trashy units, there's not much of a point in converting. If they're decent quality, there no need to get rid of them.
 
I had a Rivarossi Challenger. I really don't recall how I got ahold of it. I put a decoder in it and did quite a bit of work on it to try to get to run with a little bit more fidelity than complete stop or wide open. It just doesn't have the quality motor in it to accomplish that. It's been on display in the cabinet now for at least a decade and the decoder is in one of my older Blue Box Athearns.
 
If you're happy, stick with what works and makes you happy. If you're into buzzers and whistles and bells (literally), you will have some luck with converting what you have. Some just won't. I bought a home-built Doodlebug, figuring a couple wires here and there and all would be good. I ended up swapping out both trucks for some on a trolley. That project is still in the works, but it should fit together nicely. If you decide to go DCC, be prepared for the growing pains and frustrations related to the process.
 
Guess I wasn't clear, I switched to DCC a year ago and am very happy with it. Most of the DC locos run great on DC, some not so much. The Atlas RS units are smoothe and quiet but the Mantua and Bachman, not so much. I would love to convert the Atlas and will plan to do so. I wish I could convert my Riverossi 2-8-8-2 to DCC. It runs very nice on DCC.
Well I think I'll try a couple and see what happens. If you see a large plume in the sky ...... :eek:
 
Ha, Ha ... Just be careful and not open the can with the factory installed smoke ......

Think you got too many "C's" in your last sentence?
 
This is one of the reasons that I decided not to switch to DCC. The majority of my locomotives fleet are the original Atlas Alco units that I picked up when they first came out. After years of use they still operate like a Swiss watch. They are also custom painted and detailed for my freelance railroad.

Most locomotives can be converted to DCC, some easier than others. In order to convert the Atlas units, a pretty good size of the weight would have to somehow be removed to make room for a decoder, let alone a speaker. With this and the fact that I am a lone operator with a layout built mainly for switching, I will stay with DC.
 
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