Rivarossi 0-8-0

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

T1



Installing T1 decoder in a Rivarossi 0-8-0 - by Jean Lacroix.

This locomotive was renamed for a fictitious railroad company name. First, remove the screw at the bottom of the chimney (under the locomotive) and pull out the skirt of the locomotive behind the cab as shown in the picture.
This locomotive was renamed for a fictitious railroad company name. First, remove the screw at the bottom of the chimney (under the locomotive) and pull out the skirt of the locomotive behind the cab as shown in the picture.
The light clip located in the front of the boiler will be discarded because we are not going to use it after. You can run both a blue and white wires inside the boiler room, from the motor towards the front end of the locomotive. These wires will be used to power the headlight LED. Using a connector, you can link the yellow wire and the blue one to the rear of the tender to light the backup LED.
The light clip located in the front of the boiler will be discarded because we are not going to use it after. You can run both a blue and white wires inside the boiler room, from the motor towards the front end of the locomotive. These wires will be used to power the headlight LED. Using a connector, you can link the yellow wire and the blue one to the rear of the tender to light the backup LED.
The grey and orange wires from the harness of the T1 should be soldered to the top and bottom copper clips of the motor.
The grey and orange wires from the harness of the T1 should be soldered to the top and bottom copper clips of the motor.
The black wire from the decoder goes on the special metal tab located at the rear of the frame that is used on the drawbar between the locomotive and the tender. The red wire goes on the metal tab located on the top left of the motor. You can cut back the green and violet wire and cover their end with heat shrink tubing or liquid tape. Please note that covering all soldered joints with heat shrink tubing or liquid tape is a must to avoid short circuit.
The black wire from the decoder goes on the special metal tab located at the rear of the frame that is used on the drawbar between the locomotive and the tender. The red wire goes on the metal tab located on the top left of the motor. You can cut back the green and violet wire and cover their end with heat shrink tubing or liquid tape. Please note that covering all soldered joints with heat shrink tubing or liquid tape is a must to avoid short circuit.
You are almost done! Just put back the body. The locomotive is now ready to go on the track.
You are almost done! Just put back the body. The locomotive is now ready to go on the track.

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