I haven't run my trains for about 5 years and forgot which ones I converted to DCC.
Is there an easy way to tell without taking them apart?

Thanks, Bob

I have 7 various Bachmann locos converted using NCE D13SR decoders (1.3 amps continuous, 2 amps stall) - less than $20 each.  The most draw I've measured is .7 amps pulling 4 to 5 cars, on the flat, around 5' curves.  I've also had stalls due to collisions and have yet to damage a decoder.

Barry - the number of armature wire turns.

Thanks, Bob

Any one know the number of turns in the Big Hauler motors? 

Have some brushed speed controllers I might be able to use but they have limits on the number of turns.

Thanks, Bob

I bought a used one that runs fine although the pickup can be a problem running slow over turnouts.  A simple solution is adding pickups from the first car back.  I only wish the LGB wheel sets could be had for less money.  Of the ones I've tried the LGBs are the best.

If it's the type that works via a gap in the rail joined with a diode, you can make your own end section.   You can probably tell by looking at the end section you have.  If this is the case, let me know if you want assistance (rperego1@comcast.net).

Maybe all the sound decoders have this issue, but I've noticed with the Tsunamis I have that if you mute the sound, even the slightest power interruption "undoes" the muting - even a glitch that isn't noticable in the running of the motor.   I asked if a bigger capacitor could be used but they said no.  It's not a big deal but on O-4-O locos I've added a wired in pickup on the first car back to help avoid the problem.

The Dremel disks work well, although if the cut isn't near the end of a section, the flexible extension helps to keep the disk square to the rail because it isn't as big around as the motor.   Or, cut the rail a tad long, and then cut it again so the motor doesn't prevent getting a square cut.

My wife informed me a few days ago she thought she heard a mouse or rat in our living room when she got up in the night.   I checked for droppings near any food source in the house and didn't find any.  The next day she said she heard a noise again, this time around the train layout we have in the living room for the holidays.  Again I checked and no tell-tale droppings. 

Well, today when I was about to clean some track, I noticed holes in the mountain portion of our layout.  I didn't make the connection for a minute until I realized the entire mountain is made of paper mache using FLOUR and water.  Given we live close to the water and rats are a common problem, we're careful about storing food yet here I have pounds of flour just for the taking.  Talk about a "duh" moment.

More ironic is we haven't had critter problems ever since we got a Terrier a few years ago.  But, I also put the train board up off the floor so the dog can't get to it.  Well, duh, the dog can't get to the critters either.

Next time I'll use foam instead of paper mache.

I got the answer from Dave G.   He says this is not uncommon with Shays because the motors seldom run at exactly the same speed accross the entire speed range, hence they're fighting each other.   I may have a worse than normal pair of motors but Dave says even with swapping motors around it's difficult to find a pair that run exactly the same.

Case closed.

Glenn - As mentioned I've stalled a Big Hauler without blowing the NCE D13SR 2 amp decoder although I haven't tried stalling my Shay - it might do it.  But, for $20 per loco no big deal.

Tsnydersr - by Christmas train do you mean the Bachmann "Christmas" Big Haulers or just others you run at Christmas time?  Why don't you think they can be converted?  Seeing is believing - here's a youtube of my holiday layout:  I think the North Pole and Southern is the one from 2 or 3 years ago but I've converted some other pretty old Big Haulers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d67i4L1FLE&feature=related

(Sorry about the video quality - my first attempt at making one)

I curious where you found a recommendation to treat each motor as a separate loco.  If this is true, it is strange that the wiring diagram for the Shay board just shows how to hook up a single decoder.  This said, I'm currently having an issue with some jerkiness at slow speeds but this only recently happened - i.e. it worked fine when I first installed it.

If we're on the same page, I don't see an issue.  I can envision a problem if the motors aren't running at the same speed, but I don't understand your comment about the drive line.  It appears to me that the drive line going to the forward truck is connected to the wheel, whereas the one going to the rear truck isn't connected to the wheel. 

E.g. when I disconnect the front drive line, I can twist the female part connected to the dummy pistons.  This only works because the one going to the rear truck isn't really connect to the wheel.  I shouldn't be able to do this if the rear drive line were connnected to a wheel - agree?

I understand your point, but I'm not sure by "drop in" what you're looking for that is much easier than what can now be done.   My conversions for Big Haulers and some others took some soldering, but for my Shay I kept the factory board in place, made the swith over according to the instructions and supplied interface points, and $20 later I had a DCC conversion (obviously more for the Tsunami I use for sound).

I thought about that but I doubt it is the problem for this reason:  With the Tsunami sound boards I use, if you mute them and the power is lost for just a split second it un-does the muting - which isn't happening.  Also, it does this all the way around the layout - not just in certain places. 

Last year (only drag this out for the holidays) I remember following TOGs advice on checking for no weak springs in the contact mechanisms.  Hard to know what weak is but their resistance was at least pretty consistent.  However, I'll clean them anyway.