Intro and some questions - DCC & Ringfield conversions

[Cathurga]

Hi All, new member here!

I recently acquired a used DCC set for my son's birthday, and knowingly, will be spending some time on it myself! :-)

The set is the Somerset Belle, and some of his family have got him rail packs to go with it. Lucky boy!

I also recently bought a used, older set, as it was well priced with some decent rolling stock to add to his set, and it comes with a Class 8F loco that is not DCC, but I will convert it for him. After looking at some Ringfield/Pancake to DCC conversions, I am considering replacing the Ringfield motor with a CD motor conversion in order to avoid overstall amps destroying a decoder, as well avoiding the problem of some of the ringfield conversions having to isolate the brushes from the chassis. As I dont have the model in my hands yet, I will wait before ordering the parts I need. My questions are as follows:

Are the CD motors going to be more reliable, and operate better than a Ringfield?

I assume their stall amps are going to be lower than a 3-pole ringfield?

Is there a decent DCC decoder thats recommended for forwards/backward functionality only?

I doubt I will ever use the sound/lights function on this loco so not wanting to buy the BEST decoders on the market, looking for budget at the moment so I can cut my teeth on the conversions.

One more question, as this is a tender-drive loco, I will clean and service so it is nice and 'loose' but are there any tips on making sure the loco itself is at its best with regards to easy freewheeling, lube tips, and any other pointers?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Chrissaf]

Decoders usually have some level of function support as standard, even if you found a decoder that was purely motor control ONLY, it would more than likely cost more than the basic 'motor + function' decoders due to supply and 'limited demand' marketing decisions.

Others will probably provide their comments regarding Ringfield conversions and CD CAN motor conversions. But note this, be cautious when searching for CD motors as you ideally need a 12 volt motor and the majority are usually between 3 and 6 volts.

[Cathurga]

Chris, thanks for the reply. With regards to the decoders, I am happy to go with a decent decoder with multi-function provided it is cost-effective, and small enough to fit the application. I saw there are a few 'smaller-sized' decoders on the market, so will be able to check if I need one of those due to space constraints, once I have the loco in my posession.

For the CD CAN motors, I have pinpointed a few ebay sellers, plus some people who make the conversion kits, that supply the motors as well as the adaptors, so will look out for the correct adaptor available with a 12V motor.

Appreciate the feedback.

Another question that has raised its head, is that I will need to check if the points I have will need the little spring pin connectors in order to make sure power and signal are being shared between different lines. Will probably have enough track to have an inner and outer ring on the tracks available.

[96RAF]

Try this guy

https://www.strathpefferjunction.com/product/hornby-ringfield-replacement-12v-cd-motor-adaptor-kit-ha6-12mm-bo-bo/

Quoted 12v motor example only so you will have to ensure you get the correct kit.

[morairamike]

I have a Hornby ringfield tender drive 9F. When I bought it off eBay, you could get 5 pole armatures that were a direct replacement for the 3 pole. I bought one of those too.

Having fitted it to the original housing I then purchased a DCC Concepts decoder D2SA standard size 8 pin with harness. The loco runs well with this fitted. In my case the brushes were already isolated from the chassis.

[ColinB]

When I converted my ringfields I used the £20 Zimo decoder. I have not really studied the 8F but on many of mine I found the 5 pole Henry chassis that Peters Spares sells, fitted my Duchess and A4s with a bit of modification. In the end though I found that early Hornby bodies fit later Hornby chassis generally, so I eventually converted them to the latest Hornby Railrod specification.

[Cathurga]

Mike and Colin, that sounds interesting, it would be nice to keep the ringfield motor, does a 5-pole armature bring the stall amps below 1.5A? I will do some research on the decoders you have mentioned and see what their ratings are. I still believe that converting to a CD might still be the best option but would be interested to know if a CD motor is stronger or weaker than a 5-pole ringfield.

96RAF, thanks, that's where I have done some research and seems he has what I need, and the video tutorials are really useful.

Thanks all

[Fishmanoz]

The 8F is a 2-8-0 so Colin’s chassis swaps don’t apply to this one.

There are 2 sources you can look up:

• google Brian Lambert, go to his DCC pages and he covers conversion of the 3 common Ringfield types
• also google the Hornby Railways Collector Club and do a search on Class 8F and you’ll find many, so figuring out your correct one will be difficult, even when you stick to the tender drive types

Picking out a typical 8F circa 1990, service sheet 145 applies with the tender and motor detail on the back. There’s a clue too on whether you will need to isolate the LH motor brush holder from chassis via nylon screw etc - there is no wire connection attached so you probable do need to isolate it. But refer to Brian Lambert.

Theres nothing special about decoders for Ringfields except they draw more current than the 500mA Hornby 8249. Hence Colin’s suggestion is useful. But again see Brian Lambert and stall current tests.

3-pole v 5-pole - some here will tell you there is little difference in running if in good condition (SoT), so probably not worth the bother.

[Cathurga]

The one I'm getting is the one from the 'Eight Freight' set and it is indeed the one related to the 145 service sheet. At this point I am most keen to do a swap to a CD motor rather than try getting a 5 pole version going.