# Adding an LGB 55005 - Question



## Merlin83 (Sep 23, 2011)

Hello,

Quick question if add a LGB 55005 - my rails are always powered, so that is a nice benefit. But then basically every locomotive needs to have a decoder. If they are not equipped with one, then they will be inoperable...right?

Also - any chance people could help me match up the proper decoder (LGB) to use for each respective locomotive I have.

LGB F7 A and F7B

LGB 2156S Alco diesel

LGB Rhb 22430 



The idea of adding decoder to every locomotive is somewhat not what I want to do. But then being able to use the rails as a 'comms' bus to control switches, signals, etc. sounds very interesting. Lately I have been running and stringing so much wire all over the place - it looks kinda messy


I am reluctant to proceed with 'fixing' something (adding the decoders) to units that are working perfectly - I have looked and and looked for a good set of pictures or videos of just one of the locomotives I mentioned - but have been unable to find any. 



Thank you,
Brett


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## SLemcke (Jun 3, 2008)

For the first question yes and no. I am assuming you have the 55015 or 55016 handheld controller for the 55005 central station. You can still control all of your LGB engines in analog mode as before, just one engine on the track at a time, two plus engines can be on the track, but all will act the same, no separate control. If you add decoders then you can add multiple engines , each wrth separate control. 

for the LGB F&A/B, if they have the decoder slot installed you can add the 55021 decoder to both units, one for the engine and one to the sound unit. Massoth also makes a plug in decoder to replace the LGB 55021. The other option is to use third party sound decoders, QSI, Massoth Lenz, Zimo, etc. 

for the Alco I think you will have to rewire because the motor blocks are probably three wire. You will need to add a forth wire to each motor block. then add a third party sound decoder. 

can't help with thr RHB. 

If you have other brand engines you might need to rewire or not depending if they have plug and play sockets for decoders. 

But you can still run in analog mode using the 00 address on the handheld. 

Steve


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Any LGB engine with 2 motor blocks needs 2 of the 65020 or 65021 decoders, but you can use a single 55027 for a dual motor unit, and many LGB engines have a DC board for adding in the 55027 decoder. 

Reason for being careful is the 65020 and 65021 are low amp decoders made for a single motor engine. 

55005 can be serial only operation or with the P suffix is serial and parallel operation and this goes for the 55015 and 55016 also. 

And Steve is correct in that older engines have a 3 wire motor block and the motor needs isolation from track power on one of the leads. 

F7B could be run with out a decoder as the speed sensing comes from a sensor on an axle and bell and whistle can be triggered by a magnet, however, the start direction horn blasts will be incorrect in one direction. A decoder will allow you to remote trigger bell and whistle and start direction sounds will be correct. 

22430 shows me it is also a 3 wire motor block which will need both blocks rewired and the pantograph circuits will need modifications as this engine was not made for decoder installations per the pdf diagram I have. I have added decoders to several of these Rhb engines and mad the pantos work from function keys, but te decoder I installed was the Zimo MX690 and MX695 types.


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## rwbrashear (Jan 5, 2008)

You can run analog locomotives without decoders, but I do not recommend this practice, as it causes the motors to run hot. This practice is covered in the LGB 550005 manual. As Dan suggests, there are two versions of the 55005, the serial version (55005) and the parallel version (55005p). Try to find the P version. 

Regarding your locomotives... 

All of the assembly diagrams can be found at the Champex-Linden (www.champex-linden-de) website or the Gartenbahn Database (www.gbdb.de). 

If you are handy with www.google.de, you'l be able to find some sample decoder installations. Don't be picky, look for different versions of each model. For example, you may not find a conversion instruction the LGB 22430, but you may find one for the earlier LGB 2043. For starters, try the following sites: 
http://www.beathis.ch/ 
http://www.gartenbahn-rio-grande.ch/ 
http://tinyurl.com/6nlorfm (Champex-Linden digital information page run through Google translator) 
http://mobazi.zoffi.net/ 
http://atw.huebsch.at/ 

The LGB F7A and F7B were produced with several electrical formats. The original format had a decoder interface in each locomotive. The later version came with a factory installed onboard decoder. For the former, the installation of the decoder is very straightforward. It will take you longer to open the locomotive than it will take to install the decoder. If you don't choose a Massoth or LGB decoder, try to find the pin connectors used for LGB Ball-Bearing wheels. These will make the installation much easier. 

If you have the older decoder interface style locomotives, a decoder is not required for the B unit. The serial pulses to control the sound triggers (whistle, bell, stainion announcement, etc.) are sent from the A unit decoder connector by the LGB 55026 cable. The decoder in the B unit only provides directional information for the starting horn sounds. 

The LGB 2156S is a bit of a mess to convert to digital. This locomotive has a 5V regulator (actually, 6.8V) for lighting boards and it also has a sound unit. The three pin motorblocks need to be converted to four pin style. The conversion process for this locomotive is quite complex. While it can be accomplished, my recommendation would be to sell the locomotive and purchase a later version. If you are hard set on Santa Fe blue, you have two easy options: 
1. Purchase a newer version and swap the body/frame components 
2. Scrap the sound system and install a combination motor/sound decoder. Use a decoder controlled relay to flip-flop the polarity to the existing lighting board. (This may actually be easier than modifying all of the individual lighting components.) 

The LGB 22430 is pretty much the same story as the Alco. The conversion is possible, but it is difficult. You'll need to modify the lighting boards, the motorblocks, and the pantograph boards. You'll need to build a regulator circuit and a relay circuit for the pantographs. There are European companies that sell these items, but you'll need to consider the added cost. At the end of the day, it would be easier to purchase a newer version of the locomotive. Also, if you'd like to add sound, remember you will need to create an opening in the body shell and built a mount and baffle. 

http://www.gartenbahn-rio-grande.ch/LGB-2043-KlostersGe44II-Umbaubericht-001.pdf 
http://www.gartenbahn-rio-grande.ch/LGB2043RhBGe44II-01.pdf 

Good luck! 

Best regards, 
Bob


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