Decoder fitting

Hi Nigel.    You would not believe it? But for the man that doesn't spend enough time on his hobby, I really buy some useless Locos, this time eBay was offering "6 Pugs" I placed my bid and waited, to be outbid, no takers.    Now I have a chance to either build a DC Layout, or learn fast and fit all of them DCC?     Trouble being the cost for either option, Hattons price for two suitable Decoders ( Hornby 8249 ) is greater than the price of the Locos.
All the best. Kevin

Hi Nigel.   That raises  an issue with eBay , I always buy eBay goods with the same card. But when it comes to refunds?? They complicate the problem with PayPal , but why?? When the option comes my card details are there ready, for me to complete .  So, Why then involve a "Third Party"?     Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Good luck with both.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.   Thank you for your reply. Just Good Luck? I was hoping that you would be more inventive?  Kevin

Hmm, Ed's Hornby link gives a 25 step guide to hard wiring a decoder, lavishly illustrated with 27 photos for this loco, so how much more inventiveness are you looking for Kevin?

I would however confirm Nigel's comment regarding the two speed control of the earlier locos, which is spot on. Furthermore, if you're going to use any of your 0-4-0 fleet as shunters (slow running) over insul-frog points, you are likely to discover why these little chaps are so inexpensive!  

The recnt Model Rail (by Dapol) 0-4-0 Sentinal is a much better proposition with its 'supercreep' motor, although some patience is now required in finding one.

Good luck with whichever route you decide, but please make sure you select a really good DC runner for any DCC conversion before committing further resources.

Cheers,

Bill

Hi Bill. Thank you for your reply. I guess I was the one, born every minute. I should have looked before I leapt?  I just don't seem to be doing anything correct, at the moment, and it has been a long moment??
All the best. Kevin

Going slightly  :off topic you can never have enough Pugs, Kevin.

They lend themselves to all sorts of great little conversion projects, either now or in the future and you don't have to run 'em.

Couple of my efforts…







Not great by a lot of peoples standards, but a bit of fun to do and they now sit on a shelf.

Have a search on here and the other forums around the web, lots of things you can do with Pugs :thumbs




Ed

Hi Ed. Thank you for your reply. But, alas I think you could be a "Group of One" in supporting an "Unwise Buy?"Apart that is, from Bills comments on your Hornby link to 25 step guide to Decoder installation , which incidentally I am yet to find. When I read the price of suitable Decoders ( one Decoder = more than two of my Pugs)
And if they were short of a motor? They would bung in a Scalectrix motor? instead. Another comment the wrong hearing, unsuitable for slow speeds, these comments are ringing in my ears.    All the best. Kevin

As Nigel said, the newer models are better and have a motor that is a little less a of a 'Scalectrix'.

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How slow do you want to go.

Decoder since removed, but was a Digitrax DN136D mainly due to it's small size.

Think Hattons do a small own brand decoder, which would be cheaper than a Hornby decoder.


Ed

Hi Ed.  Thank you again, I will have to investigate all possibilities. But, I believe this thread began with me having aproblem with a Bachmann loco and a Decoder :bumpand my not being able to assign the Cabside number.  And then I went :off topic. And switched to 101 Hornby Collectors Club Loco 2002  vintage. And then progressed? To the pug, that was down to me, confusing the situation. As for " You can never have enough Pugs" comment? not every modeller would see it that  way. If I am to build a DC layout( a long time since I had one?) I will need a crash course on points/siding isolation .   
          All the best. Kevin
PS True that Loco is really running SLOW.

I've said many times and probably will say it again, that one can never have too many panniers. Opps, I've said it again!

Besides a clutch of Bachmann panniers and some Hornby's, I've an as new, mint and boxed Mainline 57xx I bought 35 years ago and will be hard wiring a decoder into it in due course. It's good to have a hobby, so don't stress about your pugs Kevin.

Bill

Hi Bill.   No stress here? But I am not keeping my finger on the pulse lately. Instead it is running all over the iPad keyboard .     All the best.  Kevin

Hi Ed.   I have just spotted something that reminded me of the Hornby idea , back when they had steel rails and genuine weathering (Rust) Their idea back then ,which you probably know about, was called Magadhesion .This I just spotted whilst looking at Pug videos, and it comes from DCC Concepts,but, if one went along with it, it has to be laid on the baseboard first "Powerbase". not I don't expect for the likes of me? But it does seem to tame the wildest of Pugs.     All the best. Kevin

Wait long enough, and things get 're-invented'  


Ed

Kevin, there are many DCC fitting guides online, if you Google them (or whichever other search engine you prefer!).

I found a guide for the Hornby GWR 101 locomotive here https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-dcc/decoder-installation-guides/standard-0-4-0-decoder-installation-guide, or the Caledonian 'pug' here https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-dcc/decoder-installation-guides/r782-0-4-0-smokey-joe-decoder-installation/.

While these basic 0-4-0s tend to have 'racing car' gearing (as previous posters have pointed out), a good decoder can tame them a bit, as long as you can ensure all pickups are in contact with all wheels and the wheels and track are clean. With a little fine-tuning, you should be able to get the starting (CV2) and slow-speed running fairly controllable, and limit the top speed to something more manageable too (CV5).

While space is a problem in these locomotives, it is not an insurmountable problem. With several 'spare' locomotives, you can afford to have a try with one, and use it as the guinea pig while you learn as you go.

p.s. Please avoid the Hornby decoders; they are not robust and if you are hard-wiring them and they blow up, you have to desolder everything and start again with the replacement. I save all of my leftover Hornby decoders (the ones that haven't self-destructed) to use as function-only decoders for lights in trailer cars (as in DMUs, for example).

Hi Jeff. Thank you for your reply.  I am hoping, praying, that my 101 being a "Collectors Club" 2002 vintage model isn't too bad? I have given it a run up and down, and I imagine it could derail if not carefull. Now I am awaiting delivery of the Pugs, I just hope that they will run well without any work being done let alone fitting a DCC Decoder , as there are so many hence the idea of either a DC layout(too much to consider?) or a separate DC line running beside a DCC line. But I don't imagine that you have "Stooped so Low" to buy a Pug. Let alone running one on your extensive layout.    Kevin

I had a "Smokey Joe" but gave it away together with a layout I renovated for some friends' grand children. That loco was usually to be found sitting on one of my bus dioramas, but was ideal for the friends' use on DC. I had previously removed the "Smokey Joe" name and added a BR early crest, and it came up well. It wasn't a bad runner, apart from the top speed, and may well have found itself on DCC if I had kept it.

I don't have any good photos of it scanned in; the nearest I can find ready to go is this one of the figure-8 layout with the pug sitting in the siding (next to our late Toby).

Hi Jeff     Thank you for your reply. At least the "former Smokey Joe" went to a good home. On the subject of a DCC ?There have been comments of the value of DCC and Hornby Locos, that is any,that were never intended to be done.
By the way you did mention suitable Decoders from Hattons that were a better choice and cheaper than the Hornby Decoders.     All the best.   Kevin

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Nigel.   Thank you for your reply. Just Good Luck? I was hoping that you would be more inventive?  Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Inventive? With these models it's a necessity. If you must it's one of the few that are best hard-wired. The load from the recent motors allows a Z/N scale decoder. Cut wires, solder wires, job done. That's the easy bit out of the way (taking it apart is the hard bit).

The body is not bad with some detailing, the pistons/wheels/rods are just awful, and the diameter of the wheels and gearing is way too high for reliable slow work (they'll do a scale 100+ mph flat out). The last one I did (a "Smokey Joe") had a replacement N/S chassis, new N/S pistons, new rods, new wheels (3' scale or thereabouts), 50:1 gearing and motor from Branchlines. £££. I only used the body shell and metal chassis. Lots of work and fettling, but it looked OK in the end. Enough room in the body for a small speaker with the Hornby stuff gone into the bin.

You can whip the as is wheels off, and replace with ones with more appropriate diameters, along with a new gear and motor and keep the original chassis (new ones are plastic, old ones are metal and are best for this sort of work). Doing a tram cover for the rods and pistons also saves a lot of work. Or get rid of them and make it a locomotive with inside pistons. Hide the metal retaining clips on each side with tool boxes/oil cans/heaps of rusty chains. I used to use these models for On16.5 models - new cab, chimney, dome, etc. Should have some pictures somewhere.

One thing of note that most folks miss is that the with the open cab models the rear of the cab has doors. They are there for a reason - to get coal from the flat-bed or 1-plank wagon permanently coupled to the locomotive. With a nice heap of coal (and shovel) it's the ideal place for a small speaker. Which sort of makes it an 0-4-4.

Ed's right - they're nice project starters. Even if  the end result is not prototypical. And if it gets messed-up, it's only a fiver (hope you didn't pay more than that, the  GWR "Special Edition" 101 is one of several thousand, not exactly hen's teeth).

Good Luck.

Nigel

Hi Nigel   When I said "inventive" I meant let me down gently. When I made my purchase, it seemed like a good idea, at the time? I had better be more cautious in future.  Kevin