Rivarossi Blue Goose 4-6-4 Hudson

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

Kit Coming Soon

Which includes the following items:



Installation

This installation documentation is for a HO-Scale Rivarossi "Blue Goose" 4-6-4 Hudson using a TCS WOW121 Steam Decoder, B-MB2 Motherboard with built in Keep Alive® and 32mm WOWSpeaker. To connect the locomotive to the tender, a 6-pin Mini Harness with Black & White Wires was also used.

HO-Scale Rivarossi Blue Goose 4-6-4 Hudson shown prior to installation.
HO-Scale Rivarossi Blue Goose 4-6-4 Hudson shown prior to installation.
To begin we must first remove the right and left side screws underneath the cab as highlighted above.
To begin we must first remove the right and left side screws underneath the cab as highlighted above.
Next, remove the screw highlighted above in red located in the front of the locomotive under the front truck. With all three screws removed, gently pulloutwards at each end and along each side of the frame. The front boiler cover and steps should come loose. Pull this piece off of the frame. Slide the shell backwards and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
Next, remove the screw highlighted above in red located in the front of the locomotive under the front truck. With all three screws removed, gently pulloutwards at each end and along each side of the frame. The front boiler cover and steps should come loose. Pull this piece off of the frame. Slide the shell backwards and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
The Rivarossi 4-6-4 shown with the shell off. Remove the two clips in front of and behind the motor and lift the motor from the chassis.
The Rivarossi 4-6-4 shown with the shell off. Remove the two clips in front of and behind the motor and lift the motor from the chassis.
Being careful with the motor parts, de-solder the connection between the frame (track pickups) to the motor and solder new wire leads to the motor from the harness.
Being careful with the motor parts, de-solder the connection between the frame (track pickups) to the motor and solder new wire leads to the motor from the harness.
Solder new track power pickups and then cover all the track contacts with Kapton tape to be sure they are well insulated from the motor.
Solder new track power pickups and then cover all the track contacts with Kapton tape to be sure they are well insulated from the motor.
With the shell removed, loosen the two grab rails on each side of the boiler plate and while grasping the face of the locomotive pull it out from the boiler. In this particular installation, the smoke unit was loose and non functional. It needed to be removed and reinforced. To do so, remove the single screw holding shown above in red and the smoke unit located inside the locomotive shell
With the shell removed, loosen the two grab rails on each side of the boiler plate and while grasping the face of the locomotive pull it out from the boiler. In this particular installation, the smoke unit was loose and non functional. It needed to be removed and reinforced. To do so, remove the single screw holding shown above in red and the smoke unit located inside the locomotive shell
The interior of the shell shown with the smoke unit removed.
The interior of the shell shown with the smoke unit removed.
The smoke unit removed. Confirm the efficacy of the wiring connections prior to reinstallation. Be carefull when handling this delicate component.
The smoke unit removed. Confirm the efficacy of the wiring connections prior to reinstallation. Be carefull when handling this delicate component.
We added a new LED to the front of the locomotive and attached it to the smoke unit mount. Be careful to secure the wire leads to avoid the heat generated by the smoke unit. If the smoke unit is physically loose, you may use a high-temperature adhesive to fasten it to the holder. With the motor, track, front LED and smoke unit wire leads into the new harness, close up the locomotive by reversing the steps above. Once complete, you may move on to address the tender.
We added a new LED to the front of the locomotive and attached it to the smoke unit mount. Be careful to secure the wire leads to avoid the heat generated by the smoke unit. If the smoke unit is physically loose, you may use a high-temperature adhesive to fasten it to the holder. With the motor, track, front LED and smoke unit wire leads into the new harness, close up the locomotive by reversing the steps above. Once complete, you may move on to address the tender.
To remove the tender shell, first remove the screw located on the underside highlighted above in red.
To remove the tender shell, first remove the screw located on the underside highlighted above in red.
Next, unscrew the post on the front end. Take care with the small nut on the top so it does not get lost.
Next, unscrew the post on the front end. Take care with the small nut on the top so it does not get lost.
The tender shown with the shell off.
The tender shown with the shell off.
Wrap the capacitors located on the bottom of the motherboard with Kapton tape to insulate them and prevent possible shorts against the weight.
Wrap the capacitors located on the bottom of the motherboard with Kapton tape to insulate them and prevent possible shorts against the weight.
With the components removed, drill a series of small holes in the tender floor from underneath to provide venting of the sound.
With the components removed, drill a series of small holes in the tender floor from underneath to provide venting of the sound.
Using double-sided foam tape, mount the B-MB2 to the weight.
Using double-sided foam tape, mount the B-MB2 to the weight.
To be able to utilize the smoke unit on a function pad (in this case #F1), the corresponding resistor needs to be 'bridged'. To do so, simply place a small dot of solder on each end of the resistor and solder a small piece of wire across these two points.
To be able to utilize the smoke unit on a function pad (in this case #F1), the corresponding resistor needs to be 'bridged'. To do so, simply place a small dot of solder on each end of the resistor and solder a small piece of wire across these two points.
Using the same foam, double sided tape, mount the 32mm WOWSound speaker to the weight as shown and solder the locomotive harness, speaker, and rear LED wire leads to the motherboard. You can now plug in your WOW121 decoder. Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, which is a wax impregnated string used for wire bundling and making harnesses. There are many choices of lacing cord available from Digikey www.digikey.com. We use part number 802534B BK032-ND Close up the locomotive and reinstall the saved screws. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Rivarossi "Blue Goose" 4-6-4 Hudson is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
Using the same foam, double sided tape, mount the 32mm WOWSound speaker to the weight as shown and solder the locomotive harness, speaker, and rear LED wire leads to the motherboard. You can now plug in your WOW121 decoder. Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, which is a wax impregnated string used for wire bundling and making harnesses. There are many choices of lacing cord available from Digikey www.digikey.com. We use part number 802534B BK032-ND Close up the locomotive and reinstall the saved screws. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Rivarossi "Blue Goose" 4-6-4 Hudson is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!

Important Soldering Tip

Please do not use any flux either liquid or paste on the mother board. Over time, the acidic properties of liquid or paste flux will begin eating away at the fiberglass PCB and will damage it. Use only Rosin-core solder or no-clean flux approved for electronics use.

TCS recommends the use of Kester "44" Sn63 Pb37, .015" diameter Rosin-core solder. Kester part number 24-6337-0007.

You can order this solder from the following retailers:
Digikey - PN:KE1110-ND
Techni-Tool - PN:488SO6775

Other solder tips

When stripping wire, only strip a tiny little bit of the insulation. Strip no more than a 1/32 of an inch. When the wire gets tinned with solder, the insulation will shrink back more. Try to not expose any more wire than half the length of the solder pad at most. In no case should solder or exposed wire wire ever be outside the boundary of the the solder pad you are attaching a wire to.
Click here for important information on properly Stripping and Tinning wire