Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
This is the second LGB tram loco I've DCC and sound chipped, and this time I decided to do it a little differently. The first one was an older black and green No.13, with a pre-D gearbox and screw-in lights - on that one I slid the LS sound decoder into the boiler on top of the weight (a tight fit, but it just went in) and then put a Massoth 40mm square speaker in the coal bunker. That all worked fine, but like all LGB 4-wheel locos it doesn't like dirty track or some point frogs.
So, having acquired a second Elias tram a while back (this time a newer one, green and brown No.29 with a "D" gearbox and modern push-in bulbs), after I'd stripped it down I looked at where things could go; this time I wanted to use a Powercap Micro power buffer, which Mark (Muns) very kindly soldered onto the LS decoder for me (and at the same time programmed the LS to the correct sound files for the tram loco).
The plan was this time to use the boiler space for the buffer modules, and relocate the decoder to the coal bunker where, by luck rather than design (as the basic design of the Elias is now well over 40 years old!) it fits perfectly!
This time I'd decided to use a little rectangular-boxed speaker that I'd sourced from Rapid, which looked like it would lie nicely alongside the boiler on the right hand side and be virtually invisible once the body was back on.
The speaker came with a red/black twisted pair of wires and a small (unsuitable) plug, so the plug was cut off and replaced with a Massoth one to go into the 2-pin MicroCT socket on the LS. At the same time I slipped some heatshrink over the original speaker wires to make them a little less visible once the job is complete. Then the speaker was trial fitted with blu-tack, and it seems to fit nicely!
I cut a slot into the end of the boiler for the buffer wires, and also made a little modification to the backplate/firebox part - this is glued in place when the loco is built, and needs a very careful application of BFI (Brute Force and Ignorance) to separate it. Knowing that I might well need to access the buffer again later (especially if something doesn't work) I didn't want to glue it back on, so I drilled a couple of small holes - one at the bottom of the back plate and another at the very end of the boiler top straight down into the tab on the backplate. Two very tiny LGB screws now hold the backplate/firebox piece on to the boiler so that I can easily remove it again should it be necessary!
The three wired-together parts of the power buffer slip neatly into the boiler space above the weight (which was well wrapped in insulating tape to avoid any electrical problems). The only modification needed to the weight was cutting off the lead "spike" on it that sits under the steam dome, no other metal needs to be removed. The first two modules of the buffer slid in easily (oo-er....) but the last one - the bit with the control circuitry on - was a slightly tighter fit, but it eventually went in with a gentle push.... then the cover plate was screwed on and the boiler is basically finished.....
I'd already decided to replace the driver on this loco, as the LGB one is positioned with his arm resting on the body side and makes it a REAL pain to get the bodyshell on and off. A lot of cursing and hammering away with a screwdriver end finally separated the little b*gg*r from his perch - that rubbery glue they use to fix him on at the factory is a real pain to shift! When it's finished, the tram will get a new driver (and possibly a fireman too) from either Prieser or Bachmann (the Scenecraft ones, not the cartoony oversized US type!).
More to follow later as the work progresses!
Jon.
So, having acquired a second Elias tram a while back (this time a newer one, green and brown No.29 with a "D" gearbox and modern push-in bulbs), after I'd stripped it down I looked at where things could go; this time I wanted to use a Powercap Micro power buffer, which Mark (Muns) very kindly soldered onto the LS decoder for me (and at the same time programmed the LS to the correct sound files for the tram loco).
The plan was this time to use the boiler space for the buffer modules, and relocate the decoder to the coal bunker where, by luck rather than design (as the basic design of the Elias is now well over 40 years old!) it fits perfectly!
This time I'd decided to use a little rectangular-boxed speaker that I'd sourced from Rapid, which looked like it would lie nicely alongside the boiler on the right hand side and be virtually invisible once the body was back on.
The speaker came with a red/black twisted pair of wires and a small (unsuitable) plug, so the plug was cut off and replaced with a Massoth one to go into the 2-pin MicroCT socket on the LS. At the same time I slipped some heatshrink over the original speaker wires to make them a little less visible once the job is complete. Then the speaker was trial fitted with blu-tack, and it seems to fit nicely!
I cut a slot into the end of the boiler for the buffer wires, and also made a little modification to the backplate/firebox part - this is glued in place when the loco is built, and needs a very careful application of BFI (Brute Force and Ignorance) to separate it. Knowing that I might well need to access the buffer again later (especially if something doesn't work) I didn't want to glue it back on, so I drilled a couple of small holes - one at the bottom of the back plate and another at the very end of the boiler top straight down into the tab on the backplate. Two very tiny LGB screws now hold the backplate/firebox piece on to the boiler so that I can easily remove it again should it be necessary!
The three wired-together parts of the power buffer slip neatly into the boiler space above the weight (which was well wrapped in insulating tape to avoid any electrical problems). The only modification needed to the weight was cutting off the lead "spike" on it that sits under the steam dome, no other metal needs to be removed. The first two modules of the buffer slid in easily (oo-er....) but the last one - the bit with the control circuitry on - was a slightly tighter fit, but it eventually went in with a gentle push.... then the cover plate was screwed on and the boiler is basically finished.....
I'd already decided to replace the driver on this loco, as the LGB one is positioned with his arm resting on the body side and makes it a REAL pain to get the bodyshell on and off. A lot of cursing and hammering away with a screwdriver end finally separated the little b*gg*r from his perch - that rubbery glue they use to fix him on at the factory is a real pain to shift! When it's finished, the tram will get a new driver (and possibly a fireman too) from either Prieser or Bachmann (the Scenecraft ones, not the cartoony oversized US type!).
More to follow later as the work progresses!
Jon.
