HO Scale Athearn RTR F59PHI DCC Decoder Installation
Last Updated 240510
Streamlined Backshop offers a variety of services including DCC decoder installations.
I have been blessed with more work than I can accomplish and simply don't have time to accept every opportunity I am presented.
One of my favorite proverbs is "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".
With these thoughts in mind, I present this information for those who want to give it a go but struggle with the how to.
For this group of modelers, this is how I do it.
Please note, this write-up is intentionally simplified and only focuses on the "tricky stuff". There are tons of resources on my site and around the WWW that can clarify the common details of decoder installations.
The same basic products, tools and techniques can be applied to nearly any model of the same genre so be sure to look at the forest, not just the trees.
Be sure to visit my online train store, www.SBS4DCC.com today where you can purchase this model and everything you will need to complete the decoder installation as described!
The HO Scale Athearn RTR F59PHI
The F59PHI has come is a couple of different configrations. This install uses an early DC-only version with a mechanism similar to the old Blue Box models.
Recommended Tools and Supplies
There are a few tools and supplies recommended for performing this decoder installation.
Tools:
Wire Strippers
Hobby Knife
Soldering Iron
Motor Tool
Multimeter
Supplies:
LEDs As Required
Decoder Wire
Wire Insulation Products As Required
Tinning Flux
60/40 Rosin Core Solder
DCC Products:
Digitrax SDXH187MT Series 7 DCC Sound Decoder - NMRA-NEM660 21MTC Integral Connector
Digitrax PX108-2 Power Xtender for PX Socket - 2-pin JST Plug
NixTrainz Decoder Buddy Mini 1k Ohm Resistor 21-HW - 21MTC Adapter Board - NMRA-NEM660 21MTC Integral Connector
SBS4DCC "Sugar Cube" Speaker 10x20mm w/ Side-By-Side Twin Coupled Sound Chamber for HO Athearn RTR F59PHI
Note the decoder and keep-alive for this installation were selected by a paying customer. Streamlined Backshop offers the best products from Digitrax, ESU - Electronic Solutions Ulm, NCE - North Coast Engineering, SoundTraxx, TCS - Train Control Systems and ZIMO DCC. There are many products from these great manufacturers that can be substituted based on your preferences.
Pre-Install Preparations
Preparing the model for the installation is pretty straight forward. Remove the shell the pull the motor by removing the four mounting screws in bottom of the frame.
Since the motor is isolated from the frame, I simply reused the original power circuit as designed by adding new orange/gray leads to the motor and new red/black leads to the power rail clip and frame solder lug.
I also replaced the incandescent headlight with a 5mm warm white LED and mounted it in the original housing with liquid electrical tape.
Installation and Final Assembly
I started by mounting the pair of 10x20 sugar cube speakers in the SBS4DCC "Sugar Cube" Speaker 10x20mm w/ Side-By-Side Twin Coupled Sound Chamber for HO Athearn RTR F59PHI. Note since this is a Digitrax decoder, I wired the two speakers in series, pulled the leads out of the box and soldered to the NixTrainz Decoder Buddy Mini 1k Ohm Resistor 21-HW - 21MTC Adapter Board - NMRA-NEM660 21MTC Integral Connector.
Then I routed the remaining wires for track power, motor power, and front headlight through the body of the Tailor-Made Series speaker baffle and landed the wire as required.
The Tailor-Made Series speaker baffle made the project neat and easy.
