I have a 38 ton 2 truck shay that is dcc ready, I would appreciate some assistance regarding what decoder is available to plug in and where is it accessed. I do not have a manual for it but have looked on line and only found break downs ,not advising how to take it apart.
Bachmann 38 ton 2 truck shay
- Thread starter Cranford
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I think you could find a Zimo, and there are some others in the US, which does not help you.
You might entertain getting the adapter board that plugs in and has wire pigtails and then use a decoder with screw terminals,
Greg
You might entertain getting the adapter board that plugs in and has wire pigtails and then use a decoder with screw terminals,
Greg
There's this....
Fitting an ESU XL into a Bachmann Shay
I have a number of locos to convert to battery, so I've decided to bite the bullet and start with the 2-truck Shay. Because this doesn't already have a decoder fitted, I figured it made for a good way to ease myself into it. First step was to pull the PCB out of the firebox. I'm going to use...
www.gscalecentral.net
But it's for a battery dcc conversion......some bits may be useful
Malcolm
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Its a starting point , thanks Malc.There's this....
Fitting an ESU XL into a Bachmann Shay
I have a number of locos to convert to battery, so I've decided to bite the bullet and start with the 2-truck Shay. Because this doesn't already have a decoder fitted, I figured it made for a good way to ease myself into it. First step was to pull the PCB out of the firebox. I'm going to use...
But it's for a battery dcc conversion......some bits may be useful
Malcolm
Finally accessed the main board, only 2screws, but a previous perso had completely ruined one of the screw heads which meant drilling the head off.
Once in , it is a bit of a maze of mainly black wires, nothing like the only wiring diagram I found on line for it, plus it’s supposed to be dcc ready, there is no obvious connections for a decoder. Any further advice would be helpful.
Once in , it is a bit of a maze of mainly black wires, nothing like the only wiring diagram I found on line for it, plus it’s supposed to be dcc ready, there is no obvious connections for a decoder. Any further advice would be helpful.
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I thought the board on the bottom was for the lights and smoke. I have found the Bachmann boards inside the coal bunker.
The place to interface is where I said... there's extra stuff down below that you can leave in place...
I think it is two under the front corners, and one from the top, under the 'filler', centre-rear.
But this is from the dim and distant recesses of my mind.
PhilP
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Found one screw under water hatch, someone else had tried to remove it, finally got it out, it’s only one screw the front is on lugs. Inside there are 4 wires on the board not connected to anything , 2yellow, red and black, the other 8 black wires are 2 to the rear motor and the other 6 to, I presume front motor and lights.
As can be seen absolutely nothing like the wiring in the video
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It is not mine, a colleague asked me to fit a loco decoder, as it said on the box , dcc ready, I assumed it to be a relatively easy thing to do. He said it was new or he was told it was new. Damaged screw heads tell me differently.
I think it is an early Chinese model as it has filament lamps.
What is on the end of all the black wires in the last photo?
Did you try to run it before you started?
PhilP
Did you try to run it before you started?
PhilP
I know it’s not safe to presume anything 2 black wires go to rear motor the other 6 go to the board in pic 1. No I didn’t run it as the owner had. If the main board has been removed, as Gregg suggests it is missing, why leave the wires plugged in as they are. I have a feeling someone else has been into it and given up.
Next step is to put it back together and run it on the rolling road.
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Yeah, Big Bertha was one such, but a bit more devious. I bought it allegedly new from Steve the Shop as he had been given an amount of surplus stock by Bachmann (at a price) from a shop that had ceased trading.Some of us have to clean-up after them!
PhilP
The conclusion that we came to was that the loco had been opened up, meddled with, put back togetherish and returned to the shop for a refund, and neither the shop owner nor Bachmann realised that it had been 'got at'.
(Steve and I easily came to an agreement.)
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