Graham Farish Class V2 Black DCC Conversion

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 model uses a more modern, coreless motor and is therefore somewhat easier to convert to DCC than many old Graham Farish steam examples. Space is tight inside the loco body, but a small decoder can be hidden on the footplate, or in the tender.

This guide covers models including:

• Class V2 60800 'Green Arrow' in Green with late crest (372-600)
• Class V2 60807 in lined black (372-601)
• Class V2 4844 'Coldstreamer' in lined apple green (372-602)

Step 1 - Remove Body

First, remove the tender and the rear dolly wheels. Turn the loco upside down and pop out the two wires holding the dolly wheel onto the split pin. This will allow you to detach the dolly wheel and tender from the loco in one go. Still upside down, remove the first screw (as you look at it from the front of the loco) and the one that was previously hidden by the rear dolly wheels.

The footplate detail piece pulls backwards out of the back of the loco to unlock the chassis. This allows the chassis itself to be pushed back slightly also, which releases it from the body.

Step 2 - Prepare Motor

Turn the loco back the right way up, and remove the screw that is holding the weight in place. Put the weight to one side. Using a small flat-headed screwdriver, gently pop the motor out.

With the motor out, solder a grey and orange wire to the tabs.

Step 3 - Connect track pickups

Power from the track is transferred to the motor via a spring onto the lower motor contact tab, and a copper piece at the top. Undo the screw and remove the copper piece. Tin the end of the red wire and make a loop with it, or solder a copper eyelet to it. Trap it under the screw, and tighten.

Remove the spring and cut it in half. Solder the black wire to it, then replace it back on the chassis stub.

Step 4 - Replace motor

Place a piece of tape over the bottom of the motor so that it overlaps the edge by a few millimetres. This is so that when replaced, the motor tab can no longer touch the spring.

Clip the motor back in. Replace the weight.

At this point, you should have four wires: red, orange, black and grey. Using a multimeter, verify that the track (red and black) wires have continuity to one side of pickup wheels (only).

Check that the grey and orange (motor) wires do not have continuity to either the red/black wires, or each other. Once satisfied that there are no shorts, and everything is good, you can optionally attach a 9V battery to the grey and orange motor wires, and the motor should run.

Step 5 - Refit body

Place the chassis back inside the body and push it forwards to clip in place. Route the wires either side of the footplate and out of the back. Push the footplate detail piece back in, which will further secure the chassis onto the body. Refit the two screws that came from the underside of the chassis.

Step 6 - Connect decoder

Solder the four wires to the decoder as below. Add some black tape or shrink sleeve to the decoder, then blacktack it in place on the footplate.

Step 7 - Test

On your programming track, try reading the decoder ID. If all is well, the motor will judder a couple of times, and it should come back with the default ID. Reconnect the tender, and you are done!

Our DCC Conversion Service