irishthump

Yes. For DCC I also solder feeder wires directly to the side plates on the trucks on both sides. It's best not to rely on the metal chassis for picking up power. I also switch the older sintered metal wheels for the newer nickel steel type when they're available.

Warbonnet is right in that a new motor would be best but there is a lot you can do to improve the running of older Athearns. Firstly take the motor out and clean the commutator (this is the exposed brass piece that you can see turning when the motor is running.) Just apply some power to the motor and polish the commutator with either a very fine file, sandpaper or a glass fibre pen. The commutator should sparkle after cleaning it! It's a good idea to take out the brushes (careful not to lose the springs) and clean off any dirt or grime. Some modellers also cut about 1/3 of the springs away to lessen the pressure on the commutator and allow the motor to turn easier. A tiny drop of oil on the motor shaft bearings is also a good idea, but don't over do it or allow any oil to get on the commutator. That takes care of the motor but most of the noise from an Athearn loco comes from the drive shafts and gears. Take these apart and check for any flash on the plastic that might cause friction when the parts are turning. Pay attention to the brass worm gear on top of each bogie. Take them apart and clean away any grease and grime them re-lubricate and reassemble them. Lastly, disassemble the bogies and take out all the gear wheels. Check again for flash in and around the centre hole of the gears also between the gear teeth. I take a small triangular file and file between each tooth (a couple of strokes is all that is necessary, don't over do it!). Again clear out any old grease and grime. The loco can then be reassembled with some lubrication and then ran in for about a hour or so but I prefer to add one more step: Lubricate the gears in the bogies with some graphite powder, reassemble and run the loco at medium speed for about 1/2 hour in each direction, preferably not on your layout! This polishes the gears and reduces the friction even more. You can then lubricate the loco as normal after cleaning away any surplus graphite around the bogies that may have been forced out by running it in. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I do it with all my Athearns and it really improves the running. Also, if you run DCC the choice of decoder is very important with these old locos. I've settled on Lenz Standards which give fantastic slow running and control.

Don't knock it til you try it!

Good discussion this! As already said, when choosing a DCC system it's most important to find the one that works best for YOU. It's hard to make a judgement based on the various comparison's made on the web. The person doing the reviewing usually comes to a decision of what's best based on what works for THEM! I ended up choosing the Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2 after doing a lot of reading and I don't regret it, it does everything I need it to do and can be expanded if necessary. Also, it's a lot more intuitive to use than either the NCE Powercab/Procab or the Digitrax systems which seem very unwieldy when it comes to programming. There are loads of videos on Youtube which will show you the programming process for all the various DCC systems. The fact that my 11 year old son was able to run and programme trains with it 5 minutes after unpacking it is a testament to how simple it is to use (the instructions are printed on the back of the throttle!). The system has 3.5 amps of power which is more than enough to run several sound equipped locos at once (the similar spec Powercab only has 2 amps but that's reflected in the difference in price). The power required to run the layout is not effected by the layout's size. A 1amp dcc system will power a 20ftx40ft layout as well at it will a 2ftx4ft layout as long as the wiring is of adequate size. As Mayner said after sales service is also important and Gaugemaster are excellent in this regard. I recently had an issue with the throttle knob on the controller, I sent it off to Gaugemaster and it was back to me fixed within 10 days, free of charge. The idea of having to send a faulty NCE or Digitrax system to the States was not something I was keen on. Again, this is just my own opinion of what works best for myself….

I don't think that will ever happen. Those companies are too heavily invested in their own wireless systems (which are all excellent) to offer a cheap alternative which would allow operators to just use their mobile phone/tablet.

Much as I like to muck around with DCC, I don't think I'd be too keen on this myself. I just prefer to have a dedicated DCC controller rather than cobbling one together with various bits and pieces. And I have to agree with Noel in that I wouldn't fancy controlling my trains from a phone touch screen, I prefer to twist a solid knob!

Forgive me asking all the questions, but I'm curious about this one! What exactly would happen? What do you mean by the loco meeting another local on the main? Did you say the loco was an Athearn?

When you say "over voltage shutdown" do you mean the decoder or the DCC controller was shutting down?

As usual....

I know but the Athearns gear towers take up a lot more space because of the connecting tabs on top, and the motor is much bulkier then what was used in the 141's. The same speaker in the 071 will fit into the 141 without the need for any surgery.

Yes, I believe they're made by Roco. If you download the Lokpilot and Loksound manuals from the ESU site you can see how they operate. The decoder can be programmed to perform and uncoupling maneuver; the loco backs up a tiny bit to create slack, the couplers unlocks and the loco moves off.

The speaker used in the 071 would fit the 121 body without any hassle I would think.

Sorry, yes I was referring to the Lokpilot V4. The decoder has 4 function outputs (which are functions that have all the necessary circuitry built into the decoder) it also has 2 more Logic functions which have the ability to control external devices such as DCC controlled couplers. As I said the circuit boards in modern models that have 21pin interfaces allow the logic functions to be used to control lights/leds.

I think pretty much all decoders now are set up to enable DC running, even the bog standard Hornby ones have that feature. Also, when they say to check a loco on DC they mean to remove the decoder and run it on a DC track or power supply just to make sure the motor mechanism isn't the cause of any problems.

The Lokpilot has 6 functions; 4 outputs and 2 logic functions. The logic functions can be used to control leds by using a special adaptor plate. The PCB in the MM071 probably does the same job as the adaptor.

Yeah it's definitely a Lokpilot. As you say, a hell of a markup!

It's a LokPilot Fx which has 6 functions hence the higher price tag.

Yeah, spot on.

The headlight and cab lights both use 2 functions each, 1 for forward and 1 for reverse in each case.

You need a 6 function decoder to handle all the lighting functions on an 071.

Congratulations guys!

**sold**

We lost Bones in 1999.

Still available!

Lads and lassies, Have a 071 and 201 chip for sale. These are Zimo chips bought from Model Shop Belfast, both in perfect order. Looking for €200 for the pair. Based in South Dublin so can arrange for them to be picked up if the buyer is local. If posting I'll only send them registered and insured so that will add about €10 to the price. Can accept Paypal if needs be. Here's a couple of videos of the decoders: [video=youtube;oDiEKnC-Q-I]