Lm3s wiring a steam engine ho.

[carpediem4570]

Good Evening Folks:

New member here from Canada.

Got all of my railpro kit across the border and am getting ready to wire up my locomotives.

I have been scouring the internet looking for info on hard wiring my ho engines.  Lots of good videos wiring up diesel locomotives but nothing on wiring ho steam locomotives.

I have 12 IHC Mehano steam locomotives and one IHC Mehano diesel locomotive.  These engines came in a package with cars, track and dc power pack and we’re marketed by a Canadian grocery chain called Presidents choice.  Presidents choice brought out one train set every Christmas for 11 years starting in the early 90’s.

These trains are not dcc ready and must be hard wired.  There is no room for the lm3s in the engine so, must be mounted in the tender, along with the speaker.

Does anyone out here have experience wiring up a steam locomotive?  I’m trying to do this so the cab and tender are not hard wired together.  Pictures or video would be great.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Kind regards,

Max

[G8B4Life]

Welcome to the group and to RailPro Max.

I can't say I've seen much info on HO steam installs here, most of the steam install info here is large scale, but don't let that put you off, perusing some of the large scale installs (check the finished installs board on this forum) may give you some general ideas.

Essentially though you'll need a plug between the loco and the tender if you wish to be able to separate them. I think companies like TCS sell small plugs for this purpose. How many contacts the plug needs depends on how the Mehano loco's are set up (not familiar with them) but you need 2 contacts for each light, 2 contacts for each motor and 1 contact for each pickup that passes from the engine part to the tender.

If I knew how the Mehano steamers are set up I could do a drawing but it's too late in the night now to research it, that'll have to wait

- Tim

[carpediem4570]

Hello Tim and thanks for the reply.

My soldering and wiring experience is quite rudimentary but, I am looking forward to the challenge.

The penny dropped last night and I realized I am going to have to install extra plugs.  From what I have learned from the lm3s instructions,  I will have to connect six wires to the cab: two motor, two pickups and two for the forward light. Other engines I have include smoke.  There is an on off switch.  I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

The IHC Mehano train sets were manufactured in Slovakia.  The Loblaws corporation under the brand name Presidents Choice, contracted Mehano to produce a train set for every Christmas season for 11 years.  The focus was on Canadian steam with two sets being diesel.

If you type in presidents choice train sets in your web browser, you will find some really nice info on these sets.  Go to eBay and you will find sets that are still new wrapped in the box.  Average cost per set is between $100.-$150. Canadian.  Of course, some people are selling sets for rediculous prices.  Be patient.

A couple years ago, I purchased a number of brand new sets from the son of the marketing director of loblaws who came up with this promo.  The man grew up with a train set.  In the 90’s, he found train sets were cheaply made and very expensive.  He convinced loblaws to commission the Canadian trains using a reputable manufacturer for a reasonable price.  If memory serves, the sets were under $90. Canadian and, they are quality engines.  The marketing ploy was a resounding success and many children were introduced to model railroading at Christmas time.  What a memory.

I found this individual on kijiji.ca  In Ontario.  Again, type in presidents choice trains.

I’ll keep you folks posted with my conversion project.

Kind regards,

Max

[KB02]

The process for wiring in a steamer is actually the same a diesel. The only real difference is, as you have found out, finding a place for everything.
I have a Rivarossi Hudson that was originally built for DC that I have converted to DCC and then to Railpro. I found room in the boiler for the LM as well as a keep alive, but the speaker needed to be put in the tender. This particular loco gets left rail power from the loco and right rail power from the tender, so I have to wire sets running between loco and tender to ring power back and forth. I found micro plugs on ebay for both 2 and 4 wires. They are certainly small (and a PITA to work with sometimes) and do the job nicely.

[carpediem4570]

Hello KBO2

Thank you for your response.

The Hudson is one of the engines I will be wiring up for rail pro.

I am waiting for a supply of micro plugs, as well as led’s, solder and various colours of 30 gauge wire and shrink tube from Aliexpress.  The new soldering irons showed up the other day.

Did you attach one end of the micro plug to the engine or tender? How did you do it?

Where did you route the wires on the engine and the tender?  Have you any pictures you can post?

I purchased a dcc ready OO merchant navy series from Hornby in Britain. The female end of the micro plug is located on the underside of the tender, A pain to unplug but very discreet.

Does your Hudson have smoke?  If so, how did you wire that?

I appreciate your input.

Kind regards,

Max

[KB02]

I had a bunch of pictures at one point, but posted them to Photobucket before they screwed all their customers changed their policies. I'll see if I can take some new ones for you.

I have two male pigtails coming out of the loco with the female sockets set into the tender.

[carpediem4570]

That would be wonderful.  Look forward to the pictures.

Thank-you.

Kind regards,

Max

[Coupe633]

Max, I can't tell you specifically how to wire up and AHM/Riverossi locomotive but as indicated the key is putting the LM3-s in the tender since there should be ample room for all of this and you would have to hard wire the connectors to the locomotive so you will be able to separate them. I have been a Railpro user now for almost 4 years and this has been a learning experience so I hope you don't get discouraged, it will be well worth it. The hardest part of converting from DC to DCC or Railpro is the installation. Since your locomotives are DC there will be quit a bit of hardwiring involved. The first several locomotives I did first ran fine and the sound was great but I later realized that I had not set up the lighting properly and will be correcting this over the winter months. I get better and better at it but have about 60 locomotives I need to work through before I have completed my conversion and it will take me about 6 or 7 years to complete if I could just stop buying locomotives. When you get your first locomotive running and programed in you will be very happy with the results and the second and third will be a bit easier. If they are all from the same manufacturer they will be similarly wired but not always the case. Most of my locomotives are BLI and a lot of Atlas (yellow boxes) which are going to all be hard wired. While none of this can help you with your particular locomotives I do hope you are encouraged and you don't get too frustrated with the process.

David Cooper

[carpediem4570]

Hello David and thank you for those kind words.

I have my first locomotive set up.  It is a dcc ready, Hornby, merchant navy class locomotive.

The chip install was pretty simple, as there are no lights on this locomotive.  Getting my first locomotive programmed into the Hand held control unit took a bit of time; downloading the picture, trying to find the right sounds in the railpro
Library. 

The next locomotive on the bench is a dc locomotive by presidents choice.  A Mehano.  This will be a full wire job.  Still trying to figure out how to install the 7 pin quick disconnect from the tender.

Weather is cooling down so I will get to it in the next week.

Will post pics when I get to it.

Kind regards,
Max

[Coupe633]

Max, I started my first install in the spring of 2019 in a Broadway Limited Imports Blue-Line which had the 8 pin plugs so it was a very easy install. Just needed to solder the brown wires to the speakers which as easy. The programing was a learning curve for the first one or two but it gets much easier once you get a few done. I have so far converted about 30 of my locomotives and have about 25 more to go. I find the lighting the difficult part and this is not a Railpro issue but how the locomotive is set up with lights, especially a steam locomotive since you are usually using a 6 pin connector from the tender to the locomotive and determining which wires are for the head light since they are usually not color coded. It doesn't see as straight forward as install, program and run. Sometimes you have to install, program and run then go back and fix something that you wired wrong and this is sometimes finding the correct wires for certain lights. Wiring up the pick-up from the wheels is not hard as well as the wires for the motor. The color coded wires on the WH-9 wiring harness is very easy to follow along with the diagrams that are provided with each LM3(s). Once you get how to program everything it becomes a simple process of customizing each locomotive's settings. Hang in there, it will all be worth it in the end but having the first locomotive running the way is should will for sure put a smile on your face.

[carpediem4570]

Happy new year everyone:

Here we are just past the first week of January and my H.O. Mehano, IHC MIKADO steam locomotive is still on the bench.

I put a new five pole motor in as the original motor had the brushes melted to the plastic.  Of course the new motor was slightly larger so filing of the motor mount was in order.  The good news is it is fitted and runs great.

Now for the railpro.  I will be mounting the LM2S in the tender along with the speaker and converting the rear light to led.

Of course, I have to mount a six pin plug to run wires from the tender to the engine.  This will require some detailed cutting and filing work on the tender next to the coupler.  AND of course, I have no tools to do the work.  So, ordered new jewellers files from Ali express.  Now the wait game.  In the mean time, I soldered the resistors onto the led three mm bulbs I’m using and soldered the wires from the nine pin plug onto a six pin plug. 

This is my first real attempt at soldering.  I damn near went blind trying to solder the wires onto the pins of the plug.  It’s ugly but hopefully it will work and won’t short.  Tried using Chinese shrink tube on the wires.  Too bulky and it doesn’t shrink.  Need to find some clear shrink tube for 32 AWG.

Will post picks as soon as I figure out how.

Kind regards,

Max