Last Updated: 11 June 2023

Graham Farish Class 43 (HST) DCC Conversion - Later Chinese Split Chassis with PCB

Mistakes may damage your locomotive, controller or other accessories. Use a multimeter to make absolutely sure you have completely isolated the motor from the track before testing. Always use the Programming Track for testing. Our guides are provided for reference only, and you proceed entirely at your own risk. Unsure about something - try our DCC Conversion Service instead.

This guide covers the later Graham Farish Class 43 diesel locos, including:

Some time after moving production to China, the chassis for the Class 43 was changed to follow the usual split chassis arrangement, with a PCB added to the top. If your chassis looks different to the ones pictured here, have a look at the Older Chinese Chassis page instead.

Step 1 - Remove body

Remove the body by gently pulling upwards.

Convert Graham Farish Chinese split chassis with PCB Class 43 HST to DCC

Step 2 - Remove PCB

Remove the two screws at either end of the PCB, and gently detach the PCB from the chassis block. Be careful that you do not bend the contacts that touch either side of the motor.

Step 3 - Remove Components

Desolder the coiled 'chokes' from the PCB, marked 'L1' and 'L2' respectively. This effectively breaks the connection between the track pickups and the motor.

Step 4 - Connect DCC Decoder

The decoder needs to be wired in place of where the chokes originally where. The easiest way to do this, is to re-use the same four solder pads. Solder an orange and grey wire to the pads nearest where it says 'MO+' and 'MO-'.

Solder a red and black wire to the other two pads. Fix the decoder in place using some black-tack or a sticky pad. There is plenty of room at the back, which means the decoder should not be visible through the rear windows.

At this point, put your loco onto a test track and make sure it works.

Step 5 - Re-fit Body

Clip the body back on, and the conversion is complete.

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