The LL Erie-Buillt is one of my favorite engines, smooth-running and heavy!. The decoder install is very similar to LL FAs, which Dan Crowley has documented. I solder to the brush tabs, and grind out a bit around them for clearance of the wires. Locating the decoder aft in the "A" unit does require you to grind the top of the frame quite thin--the depression already there is to clear the fans, so I had to grind out quite a bit to have the decoder clear the fans in the shell. I also had to thin the fans' backsides a bit to make the decoder clear them. I've removed the headlight, which is mounted on a board that spans the split frame. I've read that leaving it in will blow a decoder. Is this true? I tried soldering the white and blue wiresw into the bulb, but my hands were not steady enough today, Does the headlight board need to be separated from the frame? I'll cross-post this to the DCC & Electronics forum. Man, this is one sweet-running loco!
Who needs Kato when LL is making units like these. Once you own a set of these, you'll soon not care that Kato does not cater all that well to transitional modelers.
Dan Is your write up on converting LL diesels archived anywhere? In the near future I will be converting a pile of these jewels. There is no sense in me hacking and grinding if you have figured out the best way. I have enough non DCC friendly stuff to give me an excuse to buy a milling table for the drill press. Actually, who needs an excuse to buy a tool . TIA Len
On my website there are five photos showing how I installed a decoder in a FA 2 I thought I did an article using these pictures, but if I did I can't find it anywhere? Find them at the bottom of this page Picture achives
Dan, I got your tutorial off the old Atlas forum, before it shut down this summer. For the life of me, I can't find it in the Atlas archives. The search engine just shuts down. But all I have is a hard-copy that I printed last year--that doesn't help anyone. Grrr!
