It lives! Tomix EF81 with working DCC provided by a TCS CN-GP.
[Update 7 July 2010: The decoder failed by February. TCS advised that the CN-GP is a very delicate decoder; consequently, I cannot recommend this installation method. Currently looking for a new method of installation. Watch for future posts.]
Read Part 1.
It’s done. Well, almost. [Update 10 Jan 2010: Yep, it's done.] Anyway, it works, and that’s what counts. Here then I recount the two hours I spent last night making it work, and the year of effort that culminated in those two glorious hours. (Yes, it takes me about one year to install one decoder. No, I’m not that slow: it’s just a function of how much free time I have, and how I choose to spend it.)
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Tomix EF81 “Hokutosei”
Here’s today’s subject: A Tomix EF81. This one, no. 98, is a special edition, not easily replaceable—and not DCC-ready, either. In this article, I will cover how to disassemble the locomotive—which is very easy—, and mill the frame to fit a TCS CN-GP decoder—which isn’t terribly hard.
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This one was pretty easy. Four wires, nothing tricky, 20 minutes.
Exterior of KANI24-500
The KANI24-500 is the baggage car used on Hokutosei sleeper express trains. This model is part of my Tomix Yumekukan set. It has a set of markerlights and a signboard that light up when the car is at the rear of the train—which is 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, when the car is at the front of the train, these lights are all off. One light, one function, easy-peasy.
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Happy birthday to me! This set was a gift from my wonderful wife. Actually, we kinda picked it out together, for reasons I won’t yet reveal.
The box reads “J.R. Limited Express Sleeping Cars Series 24 Type 25 ‘Yumekukan’ with Electric Locomotive Type EF81″ (which is far more terse in the original Japanese: “JR ＥＦ８１・２４系２５形特急寝台客車（夢空間）セット”).
The centerpiece of [...]
