How would you install a DCC decoder in a unit, such as a Brass Brill Gas-Electric, with a Spud Truck (Motor is built into the Drive truck), i.e. TENSHODO ?

Thanks for your Help !

Eric

-- Eric Thur (erict9999@aol.com), June 15, 2002

Answers

At a minimum, you will need to get at both electrical connections to the motor and both left and right track pick-up connections. Be sure that the leads from the motor are isolated from the track pick-ups.

Then simply wire the decoder between the track pick-ups and the motor. Expect plenty of trouble with intermittent track connections if you are using only one truck to pick up power. Add track pick-up from the second truck is it is not already there. Wire it in paralled w/ the motorized truck.

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), June 17, 2002.

Speakin of trucks

Shamsheer

watch out for redlof

-- imme (¿¿¿??@greenspun.com), January 21, 2003.

The thin metal pickup that extends into the slots on the sides of the spud, makes direct contact with the motor's brush caps. To add a decoder, it is here where you need to scab in the wiring for a decoder. I did it by soldering the decoder's motor wires to thin strips of shim brass that will fit down into the slot, between the wiper metal and the motor's lug. I insulated one side of the brass shim strips with thin electrical tape. Do both sides. The wheel pickup wires from the decoder are then soldered directly to the scintered bronze wipers already in place. The original bronze wipers will actually pinch hold the new motor lead/brass strips in place down in the slots, trapping them against the motor lugs. It works great. I have done several this way, including my 1911 Clyde Iron Works boom skidder on page 38 of the August 2002 issue of Model Railroading Magazine's feature story on my Creech Brother's Logging layout.

Bama Harman NMRA Master Model Railroader #317 NMRA MCR Division 8 AP Chair

-- Bama Harman MMR #317 (bama000@bellsouth.net), April 13, 2003.