Which decoder to fit to R3953 please to enable DCC.

[Gordon-1234956]

Which decoder do I use to enable DCC running of R3953 please ??

[96RAF]

The loco is not DCC-Ready i.e. it does not have a socket to plug a decoder into, so it will be necessary to get the soldering iron out and either hard wire the decoder in or better still install a socket. You can use either a four pin, 6 pin or eight pin decoder.

There are guides on the DCC conversions page showing how to hard wire a decoder into several 0-4-0s which are essentially all alike.

If you cannot solder then maybe your local model shop offers a decoder installation service.

[Chrissaf]

The R3953 is a Hornby Collectors Club 0-4-0 loco, it is therefore the cheapest of the cheap and in my opinion not worth the effort of converting to DCC as the 0-4-0 'wheel layout' locos are notoriously bad runners on DCC. If you do decide to continue with a conversion, then I highly recommend and suggest that you use a non Hornby decoder that comes with a factory fitted 'stay alive' to overcome the potential running issues. It should also be noted that space inside this loco to accommodate a decoder and socket plus a 'stay alive' may not be sufficient.

As Rob indicates above, decoders are not loco specific, in principle any decoder can be used in any loco. Choose your decoder brand / model based upon its specification suitability to do the job. In your case as the loco has no lights, you could use a 4 wire decoder as this is likely to mean it is smaller and consider my 'stay alive' comment.

[ColinB]

When I converted my 0-4-0 locos, I converted them by using a six pin socket, it is quite easy on these locos. I used the DCC Concepts 6 pin socket as these seem to be the most robust, on a lot of the others the wires pull off too easily. I then used a Zimo MX617 decoder which has a higher current rating than the the Hornby ones and is a nice decoder. The Zimo MX617 also has the option of adding "stay alive" if you want it.