I am re-entering the hobby after a thirty year absence. I have 8 conventional locomotives of that vintage. I thought I would jump right into DCC. I purchased a Bachmann EZ Command system with a DCC 0-6-0 engine as a starter unit. I was given a Bachmann DC "prairie" 2-6-2 for fathers day. For reasons that the prairie was a gift I now have a sentimental attachment to it although I don't particulary care for the appearance of it. I note that the chassis and frame of both are the same. Can I convert the prairie to DCC. What decoder should use? Is it worth the effort? I plan to upgrade my new layout to a more sophisticated DCC system sometime in the future. I will eventually want to convert some of my older engines to DCC (30 years old + or -). Can they be converted? Should I just put the EZ command system on ebay and start right away with something better?
starting in DCC
- Thread starter reamscpa
- Start date
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Most engines can be converted with enough skill and patience. However, you do have to select a compatible decoder. I can't help you with that, although if you go to Loy's Toys' site, or to Tony's Train Exchange site, you will probably find a list of several scores of decoders, some of which will do the job once matched. Digitrax, NCE, and TCS will all have one or two for your engine. Some of us really like the sounds for steam and for the prime movers of diesels. In that respect, the Sountraxx "Tsunami" decoder for steam is excellent. You'd have to install a speaker in the tender, drill out a few 1/8" holes for the sound to escape, either through the coal load or down through the floor. You would also have to mount the speaker in a baffle to keep movable air from its back face...otherwise you would get very weak sound. I believe the sound decoders all come as a full package.
The key and critical step is to isolate your motor from the frame and from all other electrical contact. Sometimes it means relocating wire connections, and a lot of installers place a layer of electrical tape between the motor and the frame if the motor makes contact on its outer case.
In DCC, the decoder runs everything. It gets the power from the wheel wipers and the frame directly, after wheich it meters out usable voltage to the motor, lights, and speaker(s). So you will have to find a place for the decoder and the speaker(s), and then hard wire them so that the lights get power and the motor and speakers. Note - your decoder can only handle so much voltage...or else it lets the magic smoke out and you are hooped. So, make sure your old motor won't need more current than the decoder can handle for hours at a time without melting outer materials or itself. To be specific, if your motor needs 2 amps, make sure the decoder can deliver it safely. Select from the list(s) accordingly.
One other key point...your lights will have to be scrutinized for power requirements, and the decoder will have to have its outputs meant for lighting matched. In some cases it is already pretty good, in others you need resistors in-line to keep the current from blowing perfectly good lights.
That's just a general overview. There is lots to read about DCC at the sites I mentioned, but you are sure to get some more specific info from other readers.
Good luck.
The key and critical step is to isolate your motor from the frame and from all other electrical contact. Sometimes it means relocating wire connections, and a lot of installers place a layer of electrical tape between the motor and the frame if the motor makes contact on its outer case.
In DCC, the decoder runs everything. It gets the power from the wheel wipers and the frame directly, after wheich it meters out usable voltage to the motor, lights, and speaker(s). So you will have to find a place for the decoder and the speaker(s), and then hard wire them so that the lights get power and the motor and speakers. Note - your decoder can only handle so much voltage...or else it lets the magic smoke out and you are hooped. So, make sure your old motor won't need more current than the decoder can handle for hours at a time without melting outer materials or itself. To be specific, if your motor needs 2 amps, make sure the decoder can deliver it safely. Select from the list(s) accordingly.
One other key point...your lights will have to be scrutinized for power requirements, and the decoder will have to have its outputs meant for lighting matched. In some cases it is already pretty good, in others you need resistors in-line to keep the current from blowing perfectly good lights.
That's just a general overview. There is lots to read about DCC at the sites I mentioned, but you are sure to get some more specific info from other readers.
Good luck.
Assuming your Bachmann DC Prairie isn't on of the really old model, it actually quite easy to convert, although you'll have to do some soldering. The guys at Loys or Tony's Train Exchange can walk you through it. You can use a Lenz decoder, which is the same type of decoder that Bachmann uses in their DCC equipped Prairie.
As to whether it's worth it, if the sentimental value is really great and you want to run it, then the answer is yes. If you could do just as well with it on a display case, the answer is no. The Prairie is just 0-6-0 with a pony truck added. You'll see this if you put the two engines side by side. It has the pulling power of the 0-6-0, which is to say, not much, and the mechanism is not very good. If it was my engine and I didn't have any real attachment to it, I'd use it for something like a city park display and get a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation. Already comes with DCC, has way better details, pulls like a champ, and is an all around better product. You can get one at between $70 and $80 at http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=bachmann+2-8-0, not much more than the decoder and aggravation of converting an inferior engine is going to cost you.
I've been using E-Z command DCC for about a year and it's a great started set. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more sophisticated units but that's why it's a good starter. Lets you get your feet wet, understand how DCC works, and then you can move up to a more capable unit. I'm in the process of changing over to a Digitraxx DCS50 now because it will do me a lot more things with my locomotives but I would have been lost a year ago trying to figure it out. The E-Z Command is a good first choice and you can sell it on e-bay when you move up and get almost all your money back for it.
As to whether it's worth it, if the sentimental value is really great and you want to run it, then the answer is yes. If you could do just as well with it on a display case, the answer is no. The Prairie is just 0-6-0 with a pony truck added. You'll see this if you put the two engines side by side. It has the pulling power of the 0-6-0, which is to say, not much, and the mechanism is not very good. If it was my engine and I didn't have any real attachment to it, I'd use it for something like a city park display and get a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation. Already comes with DCC, has way better details, pulls like a champ, and is an all around better product. You can get one at between $70 and $80 at http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=bachmann+2-8-0, not much more than the decoder and aggravation of converting an inferior engine is going to cost you.
I've been using E-Z command DCC for about a year and it's a great started set. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more sophisticated units but that's why it's a good starter. Lets you get your feet wet, understand how DCC works, and then you can move up to a more capable unit. I'm in the process of changing over to a Digitraxx DCS50 now because it will do me a lot more things with my locomotives but I would have been lost a year ago trying to figure it out. The E-Z Command is a good first choice and you can sell it on e-bay when you move up and get almost all your money back for it.
