sharp edges afterward. If possible, use the original mounting
holes and screw, but be very careful not to tighten it down and
pinch some wires. When you’re satisfied that the wiring is clear
and not pinched, put the boiler back on properly.
TIP:
It is easier to place the boiler upside down on a soft sur-
face and drop the frame/running gear down into it, rather than
fit the boiler down over the frame – you can see if any wires
are caught, pinched or in the wrong place. Then run the engine
on the layout for several minutes as a final test. Don’t forget to
set the decoder address to the number on the side of the cab.
I also like to set CV3 and CV4 to values around 30 or more, to
give easy more prototypical acceleration and slowing down;
this will also extend the life of gears and couplers.
Finally, I like to include a data sheet explaining the details of
the installation, a wiring diagram, and any CVs I changed from
the factory defaults. This will be handy if there’s a problem five
years from now when the details are forgotten.
I also encourage my customers to leave their engines on the
layout or in a larger box where they do not need to disconnect
the engine and tender each time they are used. This will wear
out the cable connectors pretty quickly and, unfortunately, the
cables do not come with a lifetime warranty. Replacing them
will be time-consuming and expensive.
I hope you enjoy your sound-equipped loco for a long time!
