DCC ready? Athearn gp38-2

[krn001]

Does the box specify if an engine is DCC ready? I have an Athearn 5312 GP 38-2 w/out instruction sheet so i wasn't certain if it's noted or something on the engine i would visibly see.

 

[rodney mcgiveron]

G'day....Athearn Genesis have the designation on the end of the box...and the cheaper Plug and Play RTR Athearns , I can't recall but I'll check later if I can find an old box that one of my Dash 9s that were DCC Ready came in..pretty sure I have at least a couple of those boxes..Cheers Rod..

 

[NIKO_SUAV3]

One of the my Athearn Locos is DCC ready and it has a board that look like this. Just take the shell of the locomotive off and you should be able to tell.



Anyone correct me if I'm wrong but it should support but 8 and 9 pin DCC adapters (though im not sure if this depends on how old the unit is).

 

[jwb]

I believe it's only from 2013 that the RTR GP38-2s and GP40-2s have the boards with sockets. However, there are numerous Youtubes showing how to do the conversion on older RTR units -- I've done several. You can also get the board shown in the photo as a separate part.

 

[krn001]

Thanks for the info guys, this isn't DCC ready.

 

[rodney mcgiveron]

G'day...I know it's fiddley but it is possible to make a non DCC loco into one but you might need to hard wire the mother board in.Here's a video to give you an idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db6A_hxhCAI . This how to fit the wiring harness. for a decoder too Probably another option is to buy a Quick Plug and Play version...Then it's really straight forward to fit an 8 pin sound or non sound decoder...A Genesis could be around $200...but a Ready To Run (RTR) can be way cheaper..I've seen them for low 100's ..Good luck with it. Cheers Rod...