This evenings modelling session was mostly focused around getting some locos fitted with decoders, starting with the locos which I am usually using for testing the layout.

Having found a handful of Lenz Gold and 1025 decoders liberated from sold diesels, it was time to get to work.

First up was to be King Henry VIII, this should have been an easy job (as per the earlier work on Nunney Castle), but for some reason it refused to work. I tried the decoder in Nunney and it worked fine, yet when I put it into the King it would programme but refused to move properly. It would move in one direction, but was not responsive (emergency stop wouldnt work) while in the other it refused to work at all. All the time it made a fair bit of humming noise. Eventually I gave up and converted back to DC (on which it worked fine).

Instead I moved the decoder (a 1025) into my 72xx, testing with no body it worked fine, yet as soon as i stuck the decoder into the boiler tube and fixed to the chassis it died. I still have no idea what caused it!

Moving on, I thought I would dismantle my WD 2-8-0 to see if it was DCC ready, (it wasnt), I started to hard wire in another 1025 in the place of the Bachmann circuit board. Again it worked fine with no body on, yet wouldnt fit when I put the body back on. Instead I removed the top keeper plate off the motor and taped the decoder to the top of the motor. which hopefully will provide enough clearance...

All in all, very annoying. I hadnt really considered about how much more difficult DCC was with Steam relative to Diesels...