Proto 2000 FA2, Part 3: DCC Installation

 For real this time, I swear.

Anyway, since I've yet to see a particularly satisfying DCC/sound installation procedure for a P2K FA2, I decided to write one up myself. Aside from just doing the install, I wanted to keep both the removable weight (to preserve the pulling power of this little Alco) and the moving fan (which is silly, but distinctive). Keeping those features doesn't leave that much space to work with, but thankfully the shell is roomy enough that, with some modern components, we can scrounge up just enough.

Proto 2000 FA2, Part 2: Servicing

Haha whoops, I'm not dead I swear. On the plus side, I've been pretty productive - I've already completed not one but three P2K FA2 DCC installs, never mind other projects too. I'm reasonably happy with the results, and the method is general enough that it could be experimented on in the future.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's important to make sure that the mechanics and electrics of a loco are in good shape first, and when we last left NYC 1050 it needed some work. Besides the split gear issue, the past 30 years have not been kind to the factory-applied grease, so we'll need to open up the trucks to clean that gunk all out.

Spoiler: It's gross

Proto 2000 FA2, Part 1: Introduction

Life-Like's Proto 2000 FA2 is a pretty old locomotive if we're being honest. If Life-Like's website is to be believed, this was their only their second ever P2K release, back in 1990. The model was retooled for a re-release in 2002, but I'll be talking exclusively about the first-gen/"spinning fan" models produced prior to 1998. Despite being long out of production, they still turn up regularly on the secondhand market. Over time I've acquired four of these first-gen models, of which three are still waiting for DCC installs. For the right price, and if you're willing to put in a little bit of work to clean them up, I think they actually hold up against more "modern" engines. I haven't seen a satisfying procedure laid out for a DCC/sound installation though, so that's what I hope to eventually cover in this series.

But first, the model itself. I recently picked up an FA/FB set from a local hobby shop. These are lettered for the New York Central, in the seemingly-less-common-on-eBay "Cigar Band" livery.

Drop-In Decoders are EZ-Mode

 I've done a few DCC installs so far, mostly trying to use wired decoders. Which are fine, but for my last couple projects I've been using drop-ins and motherboards, and oh my gosh they makes things so much neater.

In particular, I've recently acquired several old Proto 2000 engines in B&O livery from an estate sale. This works for my vaguely New York metro area theme since the B&O hauled freight over the Staten Island Railway. What doesn't work for me is that these are all DC engines, since my layout is only DCC.

Here are the three engines covered in this post - two EMD SW9's from 1996-ish, and an EMD SD7 from the first release in 1995:

An Introduction

My name is Alexnyandra, and I like trains.

For real though, I've been into model trains (and real ones too) for basically as long as I can remember. Maybe all kids are, but in my case I never outgrew it. My parents indulged my hobby as I was growing up, and we had a O scale tabletop layout, in addition to flirtations with G and HO scales. But I've known that some day I want to build and operate my own "basement empire".

Today is not that day, so don't get too excited. What I have been doing over the past four-or-so years is (slowly) working on building a modular HO scale DCC layout for myself, and learning quite a bit on the way - carpentry, electronics, scenery, the works. Plus, nya know, building out a collection of locomotives and rolling stock that's bigger than I'd like to think about.

There's a few reasons that I wanted to start this blog. Partly for posterity, so I can look back later and reminisce. Partly so I can post up some things I've done or tips I've learned, in the hopes they might be useful to someone else. And partly just to show off. Expect mostly talking about HO scale, but some about other scales and even the real thing. A little bit of everything, depending what strikes my fancy.

Hope ny'all enjoy!