Need Help Selecting ERR Upgrade Kit

I was going to say the DC commander kit, but it looks like that was discontinued, according to ERR ‘s web site.  You will need the cruise commander kit.  Your engine has a DC can motor, the AC power is converted to work with the can motor.

Ditto above comment,…you’ll have to get the Cruise Commander, as you’ll have to remove all of the electronics and start over,…..it’s going to be a job, as you’ll have to mount the Cruise Commander in the tender for that small starter set locomotive, that means you’ll have to make a tether. If you want to add sounds, you’ll have to buy a railsounds kit from ERR and figure out how to cram all of that into a starter set locomotive’s tender,…..not an un-doable task, but quite a bit of work …..

Pat

Tony and Pat, Thanks for your input.

Zeke13

@Zeke13 posted:

Tony and Pat, Thanks for your input.

Zeke13

I'm doing my first upgrade in a RMT BEEP. They are not as intimidating as it appears. The instructions are very clear and wiring is easy. Your biggest challenge will be as Pat said, space, and running the harness to the loco.

good luck.

Bob

The Cruise Commander is the clear choice for any upgrade, even if the DC Commander was still available.  Once you've had cruise on your locomotives, you won't want to go back.

I agree that getting the harness rigged will be one of the challenges.  Typically, I use the MTH tethers for my upgrades as they have nicely formed plugs and matching locomotive connectors.

I'm also in the middle of upgrading a RMT Beep with the CRUISE COMMANDER LITE.  It's going pretty well.  I understand as Pat mentioned the Railsounds Lite Board (691RSL2253) currently in the locomotive will not work with the Cruise Commander Kit.

John, any suggestion / part number / source for the MTH tether?

I use the AG-0000039 PCB for the locomotive and the BC-1000002 Tender Harness for the tender.  Both are in stock at MTH Parts.  Do the searches in the SHOP tab without the dashes.

Thanks John for the information.  Greatly appreciated. 

John, Is there a wiring scheme I should follow?  Such as which wires to the motor, which to the chuff switch and so on.  Or is it just my call?

Thanks  Zeke13

The key thing is, there are four #22 wires and six #28 wires in the tether.  The red, black, are typically track power.  The yellow and white are motor drive.  The others are all equal, but I typically double up two for the smoke unit since that's higher power.

My TMCC steam builds typically use eight of the ten wires, that gives me a couple of spares.  This is my "unofficial" color code.

• (2) Track Power (red/black)
• (2) Motor Drive (yellow/white)
• (2) Smoke Power (blue/purple)
• (1) Chuff (green)
• (1) Headlight (orange)

John, Thanks for the wiring info.  It's a great help.

Zeke13