Cruise Commander Lite in my MTH 0-4-0 Dockside

Patrick,

Fantastic install, very nicely done.

As for the antenna, I don't think you're going to get a signal if it's inside the boiler. Even if it's insulated from the shell. The only way I can get a signal is by installing the antenna outside the shell, and it will have to extend slightly above the shell. If it's blocked in anyway it won't receive a signal.

Alex

   Found out that I cannot connect the antenna to the shell, headlamp flickers a lot.   Just interference.  Maybe I'll  tow a boxcar with it and insert the antenna  into the car. Works great just hanging from the engine, though.  Gonna get a few more CC Lites, great price.   

The only way that would work is if you ran the antenna wire on both sides, if it was ran only on

one side the shell would block the signal.

I picked up a MTH docksider, after seeing gunrunnerjohn's with TMCC.  I have not yet done the conversion, but you may want to ask John how he did his antenna.

Thanks for posting the pics.  They will be helpful when I do my dockside switcher.

Have you thought about insulating the wire in a tube of neoprene and running it painted black under the loco? I haven't tried it, but it might work.

I used some nickel wire and made new handrails that were insulated for my conversion of this locomotive to TMCC.  They work just fine and I've had no TMCC signal issues.

I'm thinking seriously of changing out the MiniCommander 2 for the CC-Lite, I'd love to have both cruise and actual remote control of the smoke.  Since I opted for electrocouplers on the MC2, I don't have smoke control remotely.

I'll probably swap out the smoke unit for a PS/2 one and try to cram a Super-Chuffer in there as well.  The Cat's Meow would be sound as well, but I don't think that's going to happen.

For lighting, I installed LED headlight and backup lights, they take no real room inside the shell.

Thanks for all the good suggestions.  I'll certainly try a few.  It does run fine with the wire going around the outside of the boiler, so disguising it shouldn't be too difficult.

Sure, disguise it as handrails.