Well, I finally bit the bullet, and purchased a DCC controller/booster (NCE Power Pro). It seems to be a well engineered product Nicely done circuit boards and all that. So the logical next step is to add a decoder to a willing volunteer. The N12A0 decoder is a good fit for either my Dash 8-40B or my new SD26, but the Dash 8 #7428 stepped forward first. Disassembly was fairly straight forward, the only caveats being to watch all the little plastic things falling out and those little black clips holding the motor in place... A little bending of motor wires, a little covering of everything metalic looking with insulation tape, and then it's time to put the bits back together. Very fiddly work. Maybe my fingers are just overscale. Now, just pop the assembled engine on the programming track and... Nothing. How about adding little metal shims to connect the circuit board to the frames reliably? Suddenly all becomes clear. #7428 is given a new Address and moved to the main track for her maiden DCC voyage. Throttle up and away she runs. Of course, she looks better with her shell ( Santa Fe yellow and blue, of course), and better still with the headlights on. All in all, I'm very impressed. Thank you Atlas for the engine, NCE for the electronics, work for paying for all this; and most of all, all the people who post how-to's on websites and forums. All that remains to do now, is build a layout to put my fleet of (soon-to-be) DCC engines on.
ATSF Admirer: Welcome to the world of DCC. You'll never look back as it is a wonderful experience to control your loco's and run your railroad... That is.... when you build a layout..... Stay cool and run steam......
