Model Power 2-6-0 Decoder

I am planning on installing a decoder in a Model Power N-scale 2-6-0 locomotive as my Christmas vacation project this year. Does anyone have any suggestions, advice, or warnings about the procedure? I have some experience installing decoders in N-Scale diesel locomotives, but have never done a steam locomotive.

Thanks in advance.

 

ompeng;

Welcome to TB. I've used the lenz mini silver decoder for this steamer. The decoder fits in the tender where the four wires for power are located. Don't try to wire the headlight of the steamer to the decoder as this requires complete dis-assembly of the steamer. MP steamers are difficult to put back together for the average modeler. The front headlight will always remain "on" if you just wire the steamer for power to the decoder and not try the front head light wiring.

Have fun....

 

Powersteamguy1790,

Thank you for the heads up about working only with the tender. Looking forward to starting the project in a few weeks.

Regards,
ompeng

 

ompeng:

You can wire all MP steamers the same way. All necessary wires for DCC control are in the tender except for the headlight. If you decide not to wire the headlight in these steamers which is difficult, the light will always remain on.

 

The Digitrax DZ125 and the TCS M1 work nicely in the Model Power steam locos.
If you do try to wire the headlight remember that the boiler is solid and the wire needs to be run on the outer surface usually where the chassis meets the boiler.
You can also just wire up the white wire to one bulb lead and the other bulb lead to either of the the track pickups. The blue wire would not be needed in this case making the install a bit easier.

 

Model Power now makes this 2-6-0 with a vanderbilt tender for a couple of roads (SP and Southern I believe). Any thoughts on installing a decoder in a vandy and would some sort of speaker be out of the question?

Thanks,
boxcar

 

There isn't much room for a sound decoder and speaker in that tender.

 

A TCS Z2 decoder will work as a decoder for DCC (no sound) too. It is a little less $$. and is smaller too.

 

Only 2 wires?

Pardon but I am the ultimate newbie on hard-wired decoder installations. I opened up my tender and the only thing promising I saw was an orange wire and a grey wire soldered onto tabs. Is that all there is to it? Do I just clip and ignore the other wires on my DZ125 decoder?

 

You'll need 4. Two for the power pickup, and two to the motor leads.

 

So I should pick off the red and black power leads inside the tender?

 

Do you just hook decoder wires to wires in tender and that's it please forgive me I'm a decoder dummy

 

Clip the orange and gray and tie those into the decoder orange and gray. solder the decoder red and black to the tender leads, red and black, or in this case the right side rail pickup is red and left is black.

I don't want to steal your thread, but it is even possible to put sound in these. I have a video of one on my you tube listed under a thread I will post here as a loksound install of a MP 2-6-0, with pics.

Enjoy the experience and don't worry too much over it, it's part of the fun!