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MTH 0-6-0 Switcher - a blank canvas!

VR VT RailroadOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I have an MTH 0-6-0 USRA switcher that has no electronics in it. It may have been a preproduction sample. It’s a beautiful engine! It is so geared down that it crawls with just a bridge rectifier and a ZW! I’m pairing it with a Lionel 0-8-0 switcher tender. It did come with a new smoke unit so that’s a plus.

I’m having fun considering what boards to go with to control it. Looking at ERR Cruise but that probably means everything is in the tender. The Lionel RCDR might fit under the engine shell but I would still have to fit the BEMC motor driver. Then RailSounds lite would go in the tender.  

It’s really fun weighting out the different components and their cost. I even thought about buying a used TMCC speeder and using its components but I doubt it would drive the RS-385 motor I installed.  Wondering if anyone has experience doing a similar project. Experience is a great teacher. Thanks for any suggestions.

Last edited by VT Railroad
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gunrunnerjohngunrunnerjohnOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

The RCDR in the engine poses a little problem, where to run the antenna.  Truthfully, when I did my SGL Pacific Legacy upgrade, I put the RCDR in the tender with the sound board and the BEMC board in the locomotive.  I ran a 4-wire tether between the locomotive and tender for the signals.  I detail the whole upgrade here.

My SGL Reading Pacific Gets A Legacy Command Upgrade

gunrunnerjohngunrunnerjohnOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I recommend you use both of the handrails like Lionel does.  Since the antenna is fairly close to the bulk of the boiler shell (which is common), you need all the signal you can get.

Note that if you want couplers on the tender, they're controlled by the RCDR, the BEMC doesn't have coupler outputs.

You should also take notice of the difference between the most TMCC/Legacy chuff switches and the behavior of the BEMC chuff input.

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