DCC wiring issue with Adams radial 4-4-2

[AceinOz]

I have read on another forum (from a 2016 post) that the Hornby Adams Radial 4-4-2 has a catastrophic wiring problem whereby the bogie pickups are wired to the lighting outputs on the decoder socket resulting in a short circuit (decoders bursting into flames etc). What have members on this forum found in regard to installing a dcc decoder in the Adams Radial (apart from the space issue). I have just received my Adams Radial but am loath to install a decoder if its going to catch fire (I have a Zen Blue Nano which should fit) - a potential waste of money and may as well send the loco back. Is it likely Hornby have fixed the problem since 2016?

[96RAF]

Just do some simple checks of the wiring. You don’t even need a meter although using one will prove the pudding.

Pull service sheet 415 to help with locating the pickup plates and socket (item numbers as follows).

Look to see if there are any wires connected to the four inner pins of the dcc socket (item 11), as these are for the function wires. If a lightless loco has any wires on these pins it is wired incorrectly.

The four outer pins should be wired two diagonals (pins 4 and 8) to the various wheel picks and will likely be multiple wires from the main pickups (item 8) and auxiliary pickups (item 9). The other two diagonals (pins 1 and 5), are single wires and go to the motor. It may be item 9 is wired to item 8 then to item 11. I don't have an actual loco to look at.

[ColinB]

I don't remember mine having this sort of issue. On some Hornby locos they got the motor and pick up connections wrong, but I don't remember this being one of them. I know I had an issue with a Schools loco, but that was a really old one.

[AceinOz]

Thanks for the advice. I will check the wiring to the decoder plate. I note the original post I referenced (which was from DCC Concepts) noted that the R3333 and R3334 series seemed to be the main offenders. Mine is R3422 so Hornby may have fixed the problem.