Can I Upgrade Conventional GG1 to TMCC

I think it depends on the motor. Best thing is to drop a note to the ERR and ask them

http://www.electricrr.com/

To be honest I have upgraded a few engines from the early 90's, not really that awesome. If there is a newer ones that has built in TMCC/railsounds you will probably enjoy it more for close to the same price. But if this engine is special or specific to that set it may be worth it. Watch for a mid 90's TMCC GG-1, (TMCC no railsounds) they were OK. Also K-Line had some nice GG-1's with sound

Yes you can, I did one for the Amtrak GG1 from 1988, It gets a little tight inside, but you can add TMCC and Railsounds. Use the pantographs as the antenna.

Yes you can but since it most likely has an open "pullmore" type motor(s) you won't be able to have cruise control. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Boxcar Bill did one for me with great results.

Yes, i have done several for customers and five of my own. It does get a little crowded inside the shell, but it is possible. As Mark (above) said, use the pans for the antenna. Good luck.

jackson

K-Line made some nice GG-1's that are nearly identical to the Lionel in appearance and already have TMCC built in. You might be able to find one of those for not much more than the cost of the conversion, and them sell your Lionel and come out ahead. 

My thanks to everyone for the helpful replies. I'm not sure which way I'm going to go yet but Im leaning towards selling this one and using one of my K-Line GG1's to upgrade. I do need to have cruise control.

Once again, thanks for the help guys

Paul

Finding K-Line GG1's with TMCC can be hard to find, and the so-called "upgradable" one is not "plug and play" (i have two of the so-called ones new in the box), but require a complete ERR conversion.

Inasmuch as you are planning on painting it, a more cost effective approach might be finding the early Williams GG1 (TCA 25th Anniv. model) that came without an E unit. These usually show up at train shows around here for between $75 and $100.

EER Cruise  Commander is $120 and RailSounds Commander is $85. Right now ERR has Cruise Commander Lite on sale for $50, BUT it's maximum rated current draw is 4 amps. Depending on the weight and length of what you plan on running behind the GG1, this might be too much for the CC Lite as the GG1 itself is heavy and has two motors. 

Good luck on your project.

jackson

Jackson is correct that the K-Line GG-1 upgrade kit isn't the easiest of installations. The advantage is that the kit and instructions are matched to that specific unit, but it does take some soldering and the instructions are complex. The original K-Line upgrade kits are very hard to find, but they usually aren't too expensive if you can find one. The K-Line unit with factory TMCC is also somewhat hard to find, but it usually sells for $250 or less when you can find one, compared to $205 for the parts to do an ERR conversion. Of course, the ERR kit has cruise control and the old K-Line unit does not, so the ERR has an advantage there if you're operating on grades. You've got lots of options.