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Is it possible to add DCC to my old locomotives? They are by no means DCC ready as I've had them for at least 27 years. Is it worth it? How difficult is it? Anybody here ever do that? Does it take an electrical/mechanical expert to do this?
It's possible but of questionable value. I don't know what scale you are talking about but I know that I didn't have any N scale locos of that age that I would even consider being good enough for installing a decoder in. If it is a very good runner and you really wish to convert it you may want to do a little research about figuring the max amp draw that your motor requires and how to determine that. Then you will need to make absolutely sure that you can totally insulate the motor from the frame. Also whether you will install LED's to replace the old wheat bulbs or just keep them as is. The other thing is a decoder won't make a poor runner into a real smooth runner.
I just replaced all of my old N scale locos with new or recent runs of good running used equipment. Most were DCC ready and only required the replacement of the light board with drop in decoders. Four of them required the soldering of a TCS CN-GP decoder with a split board in place of the light boards. I used a CN-GP in a new LifeLike GP20 and in a used Atlas SD9 and two used Atlas GP7's.
All of these locos ran VERY well before the addition of a decoder and run like a fine Swiss watch now. But if a loco runs poorly before installing a decoder it will run poorly after as well.
I do athearn blue box all the time. Some soldering skills needed but nothing major. Check out my pair of LV F7A's on ebay. They are DC now but have the 8 pin plug so you can plug and play a dcc decoder. Some older locos with 'non-can' like motors draw too much current to make DCC practical.
There is not a loco on the market that can't have DCC added to it. It just depends on what the older loco means to you. On any project like this, it all depends on how far you want to go with it, and how much work you are willing to put into it. If these locos are Athearn Blue Boxes, there is a chance that the motors may need replacing. This will depend on the stall test to see how many max amps the motor draws. If over 1 amp, replace the motor.
Is it possible to add DCC to my old locomotives? They are by no means DCC ready as I've had them for at least 27 years. Is it worth it? How difficult is it? Anybody here ever do that? Does it take an electrical/mechanical expert to do this?
...anybody here ever do that.... Yes, I've been converting locomotives to command control since 1983. Similar to what CRCrecsent said, I've yet to meet a locomotive that could not be converted to DCC. As Burlington Bob said, in some instances it might not be worth it. I would say generally if they say things like "Tyco" on them they are not worth the effort.
A locomotive being 27 years old isn't the issue. The manufacture and exact model would determine how hard/easy the conversion is. The 1984 Atlas RS-3 is a really simple conversion, that is well worth it. There were many locomotives of that era that are wonderful (thinking of the Stewart F units). Many older locomotives that I converted (Atlas ROCO drives and Athearn Blue Box) I also remotored. No it doesn't take any kind of an expert to convert a locomotive. Understanding the simple concept of a closed circuit is all that is needed. I often found the "hardest" part was the headlights.
I have done a few Blue Box GP-35 that have to be real close to 20 years old. Was pretty simple to do. Just had to add a wire between trucks and make a frame ground. Runs better on DCC than it ever did on DC. First one took about an hour. Fifth one took 20 minutes. I did install one with sound. Now I need to cut out the fan and install the brass etched fans so the sound can get out .
As Carey stated, there is no locomotive that cannot be upgraded to DCC. This past week, I upgraded an Atlas RSD4, an Athearn BB Trainmaster, and an Atlas/Roco FP7. All run great. I find it more economical to upgrade older stock, (for which I mostly paid top dollar for, back in the day), than to sell it off probably at a loss, then buy new stuff at todays' prices, assuming I can even find a comparable new locomotive. Next project will include several Atlas Alcos, and an Athearn BB F7 A-B-A set. Since I'm not really into sound, a simple decoder install costs me around $25 - $ 30 per engine. One last comment, It's my observation that the addition of a decoder will improve performance of a DC loco.
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