Wiring plan for control panel.

Hi Phil.
You might be late to the party, but bring the right bottle, (or advice), and you will always be welcome.
Thanks, Trevor
 
Ok. Bacon sandwich then. The 'Anglian' comes from me originally coming from Lowestoft. I've been over here 45 years. I see there are are few East Anglians in the group, even Essex!! I must waangle an invite to see how it's really done when I next come over.
Trevor
 
Anglian said:
Hi Jon. One is devoid of stickers but the other one appears to be 1988. There really is so much to enjoy about all this detective work. When the models themselves have a history, I think that it really adds to the railway under construction.
Trevor"?
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Any chance of a photo of the undersides of both Stainzes, Trevor?

Jon.

EDIT: Oops, sorry, posted that before I looked at your latest post with the pics!

OK, looking at the pictures..... I'd say that the gold sticker on the left one MIGHT be of questionable provenance - it does indeed suggest 1988, but both Stainzes are quite early models with the "clamshell" gearboxes - '88 seems very late for one to be built with that type of gearbox, but others here might know otherwise?
As clamshell-gearbox models, they are DCC-chippable but need a little more conversion work and hard-wiring than later versions would. It's still not a difficult job, though getting them back together again afterwards can be fiddly. You'll need a basic wired decoder for each, with around a 1.5-2.0amp power capacity - a Massoth L would do nicely, though if you're looking at the new MD/Modell-Land decoders that we've been discussing then their "S" type here:
would do just fine at a considerable cost saving.

Do note, to avoid confusion, that the MD/ML decoders seem to use a different terminology to Massoth - a Massoth "S" is a sound-only decoder to add-on to a driving decoder, but MD/ML uses "S" to describe their small driving decoder; the only one that correlates exactly is the "L".

Jon.
 
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Thanks Jon.
I was looking at Rails (Sheffield) for the MTSIII pack because of the price and then will have to decide on the decoder supplier. Are the Modell-Land shipping costs reasonable otherwise I would go for the Massoth. Like many, I was reared with Airfix/Tamiya kits of varying complexities and taking things apart and putting them together is enjoyable given clear instructions. I think there should be sufficient guidance within the different forums to enable me to fit the Stainz(es),
Can't wait to get started.
TrevorIMG_20181123_141125.jpg
 
Anglian said:
Thanks Jon.
I was looking at Rails (Sheffield) for the MTSIII pack because of the price and then will have to decide on the decoder supplier. Are the Modell-Land shipping costs reasonable otherwise I would go for the Massoth. Like many, I was reared with Airfix/Tamiya kits of varying complexities and taking things apart and putting them together is enjoyable given clear instructions. I think there should be sufficient guidance within the different forums to enable me to fit the Stainz(es),
Can't wait to get started.
TrevorView attachment 254392
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Modell-Land has a "flat rate" shipping fee of about 18.00 Euros, whatever the value of your order - so if buying from them it makes sense to get everything you need in one go, and thus pay only one shipping charge. It makes them expensive if you just want a few bits and pieces, but good value if you're buying a reasonable amount of kit.

A Stainz (especially an older one) has some really sneaky tricks to disassembly and reassembly - for example, there is a "hidden" screw that fixes the rear of the boiler to the footplate, which you can't access until you've dropped the gearbox unit out of the frames.... but once you've learned by doing your first one, the second will be a doddle! ;)

There are several threads on here (and elsewhere on t'interweb) about converting an old clamshell gearbox to DCC - in the simplest terms, you have to get the motor out and solder new wires directly to the motor terminals, either cut or bend away the brass bus strips that would normally press on the motor terminals, then pick up track power from the two exposed brass contacts on the top of the gearbox that were made to supply the rudimentary lighting circuit in the original loco. One you've got your four wires (two - white and brown - from track power and two - green and yellow - to the motor), it's a simple job to connect them to the four wire loom from the decoder, and Robert is your Dad's brother....

Jon.
 
Thanks Jon.
I'll be doing the ordering next week, since I'll have time to think about the supplier. I'll proceed with caution when I start the surgery but I'm sure that given the resources offered by this forum, I will manage.
Thanks for all the help. I look forward to continuing dialogue in the future.
You know Robert?!!
Tremors
 
Hi all.
The die is cast, Rubicon crossed etc. I've ordered the last MTS III Modell-Land had in stock, plus three of their MD/ML S decoders. It did work out cheaper than I had expected thanks to the advice I received from you all.
Trevor
 
Welcome to the "Dark Side" Trevor! Now the fun really begins! By the way, nice little point-to-point you've got going there. I look forward to hearing more about your layout progress.

Phil S.
 
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Thanks Phil. It's amazing how a little encouragement can spur you on. I presume that I now switch to the DCC thread site now. It's a whole new ball game now but one I am really looking forward to.
Trevor
 
Something that quite surprised me - on a visit to GRS yesterday I picked up the very latest LGB catalogue, and given what we've all been saying about the obsolescent nature of the MTSIII system and how Marklin/LGB are pushing their new advanced MFX/CS3 system quite hard, I was surprised to see that the MTSIII is actually still listed in their current catalogue as a production item!

Well done for taking the plunge, Trevor, when your stuff arrives from ML we will do our best to help you through the joys of decoder installations and so on..... ;)

The great thing is that as you already have three decoder-equipped locos anyway, you should (in theory) be able to simply set up your new system as soon as it arrives, straight from the box, and get it up and running immediately with your Spreewald, 2-6-2 and KoF; fiddling about with putting the decoders in the Schoema and the Stainzes can wait till you're familiar with how your new system works.

Just one more question at this point - when you bought your Spreewald, your Harz 2-6-2 and your yellow KoF - did any of them have any indication as to what DCC address they were each set to, in the form of any kind of owner-affixed sticker or number on the locos anywhere, or written on the boxes they came in? It's not a problem if they didn't, as you can either re-assign new numbers from your new control system or else you can find what they are currently set to by a process of trial and error (you've only got 22 possible addresses to run through).
LGB MTS-equipped locos will usually be set to address "03" as the factory default, but of course a previous owner may (and probably will) have changed them to suit his own loco roster. The yellow KoF, being from the MTS starter set, will have been supplied with a default address of either "02" or "04" - but again, of course a previous owner may have changed that.

Jon.
 
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Thanks Jon. This really is such a good site. As with all things, 'taking the plunge' is the hardest bit. I've always resisted participating in forums in the past other than reading through relevant bits, but now I've started..... Long may it continue.
Trevor
 
Hi Jon. There are no clues as to settings, but as you say, this can be sorted. I was reading with interest the new update from the website re people's opinions of the value of the MTS system nowadays. I presume that given the numbers of people who are still happily using it, that I need have no worries.
Trevor
 
Anglian said:
Hi Jon. There are no clues as to settings, but as you say, this can be sorted. I was reading with interest the new update from the website re people's opinions of the value of the MTS system nowadays. I presume that given the numbers of people who are still happily using it, that I need have no worries.
Trevor
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I don't think you need to worry, Trevor - yes, as we've discussed before there are other systems that are more modern and give you a lot more features and functions, BUT the MTS gear is solid, pretty reliable and generally simple to get your head around - as someone just starting in DCC, you should be able to use it straight away and get the hang of it pretty easily without having to worry about a lot of technical stuff at the early stages - just opening the manual for some of the more advanced systems could put you off for life!
That's my opinion, anyway... and the thing about opinions is that everybody's got one..... ;)

Jon.
 
Hi Jon. All is good. I couldn't be bothered with pursuing high-tech. Really looking forward to receiving a large parcel from Deutschland. One of the joys of world-wide shopping. My last LGB, two-plank wagon came from a toyship in the Netherlands listed among some Playmobil items.
Trevor
 
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