I managed to acquire another 3rd Rail M1b that needed a little cosmetic work. The original EOB seemed to work ok. Normally I’d swap the RS4 audio board for a better one and keep the EOB in there until it pops but I really wanted to try setting up a proper quiet drive 3rd Rail for Blunami. This engine has a nice gear ratio, roughly 22:1. I swapped all the lighting over to SMD LEDs. I kept the tender markers and the doghouse lighting but didn’t keep the class lights because I didn’t like the big leads that pop straight out of the smokebox (an absolute crime on such a nice model). Smoke unit was put to sleep and it’s mass is just extra boiler weight. As much as I’d a chuff input, not having to set up a chuff switch saves a lot of time. I also don’t have to fuss with antenna wiring and isolation and I don’t need a sound pot nor a program switch. As you can see, the tender wiring is pretty tidy other than my service loop at the end of the tether.
I printed a stand-off mount for the board since I don’t like to sticky-tape boards. The bridge rectifier and filter cap use one of the original EOB brackets. It’s also nice not having to come up with a heat sink arrangement for the motor drivers. I used the original 3 watt speaker and this engine is loud!
Here’s some quick vids before this heads back into the shop for final touch up and weathering:
