Mantua 4-6-2
- Thread starter Modeltrains2021
- Start date
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Really like it How hard was it to convert it to DCC and sound?
dennis461
Well-Known Member
Simple. Almost all work is in tender.
1. Insulate the one brush holder, I removed the spring and put heat shrink on post.
1a solder a new wire to brush holder.
2. Remove bulbs, install 2mm LED headlight and tiny wires in boiler.
3. drill holes in tender floor to let sound out.
4. drill hole in tender front to bring wiring out
4a drill hole in tender floor for left rail pickup
When I do the can motor upgrade, I'll clean up the wiring. This was an early attempt, I've gotten better using small wires and mini-connectors.
The open frame motor works good using DC up to 18 volts. But my DCC system is 15VDC max.
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Okay thankyou looks sweet hopefully going to add dcc and sound to my mantua.
trailrider
Well-Known Member
Dennis461 pretty much explained it. The main thing is insulating the motor from the locomotive frame so that power pickup from the righthand drivers via the frame goes through the decoder and then back to the motor. The direct drive of the open-frame motor will work okay. Should you want to convert to a can motor, the main task will be attaching a gearbox which will connect to the drive shaft of the new motor. NWSL shows a motor and conversion kit, but it includes a larger bull gear that presumably has to be put on the driving axle, which would entail removing the main driver, replacing the driving bull gear and reinstalling the driver. That can get to be a fail amount of work as you would probably have to re-quarter the other driver sets to match the quartering of the main driver when you replace the wheel.
A "better" solution would be if you can find a drive gearbox that was originally meant for the Mantua steamers. Unfortunately, I don't see one on ebay. The other gearbox was a pair of brass angles with bushing and the worm gear designed by the late Herold Mellor. No idea where you find those anymore, as Herold has been gone for years. I'll look around and see if I can find either for you.
It is NOT necessary to replace the motor to convert to DCC. I like the Soundtraxx Tsunami 2 kits TSU-2200 for the higher stall current draw of the open frame motor.
A "better" solution would be if you can find a drive gearbox that was originally meant for the Mantua steamers. Unfortunately, I don't see one on ebay. The other gearbox was a pair of brass angles with bushing and the worm gear designed by the late Herold Mellor. No idea where you find those anymore, as Herold has been gone for years. I'll look around and see if I can find either for you.
It is NOT necessary to replace the motor to convert to DCC. I like the Soundtraxx Tsunami 2 kits TSU-2200 for the higher stall current draw of the open frame motor.
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Okay thankyou because I was going to convert mine to dcc
dennis461
Well-Known Member
or, you could jury rig like this
smaller motor RPM's were too low
the installed motor had more power, but again too low RPMs
I forgot to take picture of the latest motor
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
as long as I have working dcc and sound I'm even if that means jury rig I'm going to be happy.
Last edited:
trailrider
Well-Known Member
Dennis461,
Where did you get the motor?
Where did you get the motor?
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Ran my 4-6-2 and it kept stalling out every once in a while other then that it ran great going to open it up tomorrow to check for a loose connection when I go to train club.
dennis461
Well-Known Member
Using this motor now
FK-180PH DC 12V Mini Electric Motor High Speed DIY RC Hobby Toy HO Slot Car Boat | eBay
Gear Motor Stepper Motor Coreless Motor Brushless Motor Vibration Motor. FK-180PH DC 5V 6V Mini Motor High Speed Cooling Hole DIY RC Toy Slot Car Boat. 12V 16500RPM 0.14A. RC Car Toy Motor RC Quadcopter Motor Engine.
www.ebay.com
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Denis 461 what dcc sound system did you use for your steam locomotive
dennis461
Well-Known Member
That Mantua 0-6-0 might need a different motor, with long shaft as there is not enough room inside to fit the shaft coupling.
and
maybe we start a new thread?
Dennis,
What is the flywheel - like structure to connect your motor shaft and the long shaft with worm gear? Also does it require any alignment to mesh with the gear? Thx!
What is the flywheel - like structure to connect your motor shaft and the long shaft with worm gear? Also does it require any alignment to mesh with the gear? Thx!
Dennis in your picture you have another motor on a DIY motor mount -- how did you do it, how long of a shaft does the motor need? Does it need drilling holes on the chassis? any alignment needed? Sorry for the many questions, but I wanted to learn from you on Mantua repower. Thank you so much!
