Mainline 2251 - DCC?

"DJO" wrote
Any of the Bachmann split chassis locos are a veritable bugger to chip. It involved completely dismantling the chassis to ensure that brush housings are isolated.
The new Bachmann chassis should be much easier to fit although from memory it is not DCC ready. I've got one to do in the near future and if it's as easy as their Blue Ribband 0-6-0PT it will be only a half hour job.
Why not sell the Mainline loco and buy a complete new Bachmann version. It shouldn't cost you too much to update in that way, and you find that the new chassis runs very much better than the old one.
John.

If you are brave you need to disassembly the chassis and remove/insulate the connections between the motor brushes and the chassis. And then wire up the decoder before reassembling. Had to do this with the Bachmann Lord Nelson. It was easier on the Mainline 4MT, no need to disamble the chassis.
Good Luck
Chris

Thanks, I have a Bachmann Lord Nelson too! I think the biggest problem with that one will be where to house the chip - did you put yours in the tender?
David

Yes had to put the decoder in the tender as there is not much room in the loco. Otherwise you need to cut part of the chassis off to make room.
Chris

DJO,
I would be inclined to take John Turner's advice: dispose of the Mainline version and go and buy a proper Bachmann version.
I blew up two decoders trying to chip my Mainline 2251. Mine was one of the first types where the motor was an integral part of the split chassis. I believe that the later types had a self-contained white plastic cased motor which is quite easy to chip. I don't know what was going on with my loco, I insulated it everywhere but the moment I put the body back on some short circuit occurred and blew the chip. Having done 35 locos before, I am pretty proficient at doing these things!
In the end I gave up. The model is so poor when compared with the Bachmann version. I put it in the showcase as the one and only loco that I haven't been able to successfully chip. Heap of c**p.
Graham Plowman

Thanks Graham, What I think I might do is keep it, but leave it unchipped as an occasional runner using loco id 0.
Its only a GWR loco after all, not as if it is a proper engine, wrong shade of green! ;-)
Djo

"DJO" wrote
I don't recommend this at all, and have heard a number of tales of unchipped locos burning motors out when used in this way.
John.

I second this. I have had two Lima pancake motors stop and issue lots of smoke when running as loco 0 on a Lenz system. They don't seem to want to run again after that........
ROB

The problem is that the DC motor has to absorb the full 15-18 volts AC. Larger motors and metal encased motors will usually disipate that much heat, but the smaller motors such as N scale or small HO models which use N scale motors heat up very quickly and smoke. Lima pancake motors (I haven't tried them on DCC and now won't) don't have any metal around them and so, I imagine, just continue heating until the inevitable!
Regards, Greg.P.

This is the problem with all electrical equipment. It operates on smoke which has to be kept inside. As soon as you let the smoke out it will stop working.

My Bachmann J72 has a bad smoking habit.