Hornby OO Gauge Tender Drive Steam 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.

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This guide covers Hornby OO gauge steam loco models that are driven by the motor in the tender. Examples include the LNER A4 'Bittern' and B17 'Everton'. It also applies to other locos with a similar arrangement:

• Hornby B17/4 'Everton' in BR Green livery (R133)
• Hornby LNER A4 'Bittern' in BR Green livery (R770)

Step 1 - Remove Tender Body

Remote the tender body by unclipping it, and popping it off.

Step 2 - Isolate Motor

There are two wires coming from the motor, attached with spade connectors. One of the wires goes to another spade connector attached to the chassis. The other wire goes to the tender pin.

Desolder and remove the capacitor that bridges the motor contacts.

Cut both wires, leaving at least a few centimetres of wire at either side. Solder the orange and grey wires to the wires coming from the motor contacts. Use some heatshrink to cover the joins.

Solder the red and black wires to the other wires that go to the chassis at the top, and the tender pin at the back. Again, use some heatshrink to cover the joins.

Step 3 - Connect Decoder

Solder the four wires onto the decoder as below. There is room inside the body for a 6-pin socket, so you can optionally install one of those for convenience if you wish.

Step 4 - Reassemble

Tidy up the wires, and replace the tender body.

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