any web site or other article that describes an installation?

-- larry gerould (lgerould@remc4.k12.mi.us), January 24, 2000

Answers

Hi Larry:

I've got a couple proto 2000 SW9 running with a rather large decoder, an early kit made by NCE. I've made some comments on my web site, specifically at: http://www.ida.net/biz/tetonsl/railroad/DCChome.htm

-- Wayne Roderick (tetonsl@ida.net), January 24, 2000.

Larry,

The P2K SW's are a pretty easy install, I have Digitrax DH140's in mine and use the light board to supply the contacts in the shell. I will send you a pic in JPG format under separate cover in Email showing how to do one with several different decoders.

Don

Remember Always Have Fun and Enjoy!, Don Crano Akron, Oh NMRA #096211 mailto:donc@sssnet.com Visit Model Railroading with DCC at: http://pages.sssnet.com/donc/

-- Don Crano (donc@sssnet.com), February 09, 2000.

If you don't want to use the TTX drop in decoder (I think it involves some work, such a soldering, but is still fairly easy to do), an NCE D102 is almost as good. It will cleanly fit in place of the light board, attached with double sided foam tape. I suggest you desolder wires from the decoder, one at a time, and immediately solder the appropriate loco wire to the solder pad, cut to length, before desoldering another wire from the decoder. Replace the loco bulb with a 12 - 16 v. bulb of your choice, and carefully position it to match the hood light lens.

Getting the cab bulb to work is a different matter. The D102 has no "touch" pads to match the contacts on the shell. In fact, these tabs need to be protected so as to not touch the D102 decoder -- a potential short! It may be possible to clip the tabs short, solder wires to the remainder of the tabs, and connect the wires to the decoder, but I have not tried this. I have not tried to disassemble the cab to see if another approach is possible.

-- Norman Beveridge (nbeveridge@aol.com), April 13, 2000.

I installed the NCE P2K-SW9 decoder, a drop in decoder. There is some soldering needed (I really need a smaller tip on my iron), but it works as advertised. I took apart the cab, removed the stock bulb (and contact set), and replaced it with a 40ma bulb, running the wires through the guides used by the old bulb. I also replaced the front headlight. Follow the instructions exactly - they refer to the need for a small wire to be soldered between two holes - if you don't you won't get directional lights.

Good Luck

-- Ben Sevier (bwsevier@sbcglobal.net), November 03, 2003.