Akihabara Station » howto

Kato 0系 Bullet Train Pt 1: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:51:56 +0000

Ah, the classic lines of the original Bullet Train.

The DCC installs are back. I’ve got a ton of photos, and I doubt I’ll post all of the work I’ve done in the past several months, but with Kato’s recent re-release of this model, it seemed appropriate for the latest update.

Kato’s [...]

Kato 651系 DCC Pt 2: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:08:15 +0000

651系 cab car.

Finally, a return to my long neglected 651系! In the first and and first-and-a-half parts, I upgraded the factory-fitted interior lights from bulbs to warm LEDs. Now the time has come to deal with the headlights. Thankfully, this conversion proved quite easy using a TCS FL4 function decoder, which is [...]

Tomix “Yumekukan” Dining Car DCC Install

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:21:25 +0000

The Tomix “Yumekukan” is a fun model. The highlight is the three unique coaches at the end: One very first class sleeper, one lounge car, and one dining car at the very end. Last year I installed a decoder into the baggage car; today the dining car (OSHI25-901; オシ25-901) is the focus. The [...]

Micro Ace AE100形 “Skyliner” DCC Install Pt 2: Motor Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:45:48 +0000

The completed install.

This must be a new record for me: Two successful decoder installs in four weeks, nothing dead or fried. The Skyliner motor car is, thankfully, a straightforward install with only minor gotchas. Now, to find the funds for another Z2 to complete the second cab car!

This is part [...]

Micro Ace AE100形 “Skyliner” DCC Pt 1: Cab Car

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:04:31 +0000

A Keisei AE100形, headlights blazing.

Ok, yeah. I said my next DCC conquest would be my Kato 651系 “Super Hitachi”. I lied. Besides, I said that, what, six months ago? I don’t have the necessary decoders on hand to continue work on it, but I did have the necessary decoder for this model, [...]

Links: modelrail.otenko

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:05:50 +0000

Here’s a guy on the cutting edge of modern model railroading. If designing and building your own DCC booster and command station doesn’t establish your model rail electronics creds, I don’t know what does. Lately, Steven’s been experimenting with using the Arduino platform, and churning out some really interesting proof-of-concept circuits for automatic control [...]

Lemke/Hobbytrain Plasser & Theurer Duomatic DCC Pt. 2: Decoder Installation and Tuning

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:50:58 +0000

Update: After consulting with TCS, I no longer recommend the TCS Z2 decoder for this installation. Sadly, the TCS M1 is too large for this installation, and so I have selected a Lenz Silver Mini to replace the Z2.

Previously, I showed how to disassemble the tamper down to the point where we can [...]

Lemke/Hobbytrain Plasser & Theurer Duomatic DCC Pt. 1: Disassembly

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 02:58:31 +0000

The Duomatic itself.

Stop. (Collaborate and listen.) You just bought one of these fancy Lemke ballast tampers, and you are considering converting it to DCC. You can read a little German, maybe, or at least you can work from photos; or you found another guide on the web. It doesn’t look so hard. [...]

Kato 651系 DCC Pt 1.5: Interior Lights Nearly Done

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:10:33 +0000

Just an update on this project. I managed three more cars in one evening, for a total of four out of seven. It’s tedious going, but I’ve got the hang of it now. What’s slowing me down is cleaning the trucks: They’re filthy! Spent the evening with a bowl of rubbing alcohol and a [...]

Kato 651系 DCC Pt 1: Upgrading Interior Lights

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:06:26 +0000

Kato 10-173 651系 'Super Hitachi'

So, you have just purchaed Kato 10-173 651系 (651-series) “Super Hitachi”, and want to know how to convert it to DCC. I’ve just begun this process myself; here is part one (of many!) of my report.

The 651系 is factory-fitted with interior lighting, a nice touch. But, being [...]