# USAT FEF-3 Steam Locomotive now in stock - anyone have one?



## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Pretty much exactly four years after it was first announced, the FEF-3 steam loco is now available.
Does anyone have one already or have one coming?
I would love to add a picture of the real thing, not just a USAT drawing, to the gbdb database

Knut


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

We receved one last Thursday, it was for a local coustomer. He wanted to open it up here in the shop to check it out. We were quite impressed. Ran really smooth on test rollers, Phoenix sound, and pulse smoke worked extremely well. It is heavy, just the tender alone weighs 14 pounds. One thing that suprised me was that it runs all functions with out the tender connected. So all electronics are in the loco, the owner wants DCC installed, so I get the job of opening it up. I can get some pictures tomorrow.


krs said:


> Pretty much exactly four years after it was first announced, the FEF-3 steam loco is now available.
> Does anyone have one already or have one coming?
> I would love to add a picture of the real thing, not just a USAT drawing, to the gbdb database
> 
> Knut


 We have one, that was sold locally.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Try picture with phone. Not working.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Treeman said:


> Try picture with phone. Not working.





Treeman said:


> Try picture with phone. Not working.


Got a message, up loaded file does not have approved extension.


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Two video clips from Mike at Reindeer Pass.
Doesn't look as if this forum supports uploading video .mov or .mp4 files directly, so I went this route:


http://www.gbdb.info/data/video_mp4/USA-Trains/R20080.mp4




http://www.gbdb.info/data/video_mp4/USA-Trains/R20080_2.mp4


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Have some pictures with boiler removed.


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Thanks...
Which DCC decoder are you installing?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Mike is it free-rolling on the rails (without dc power)?

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

krs said:


> Thanks...
> Which DCC decoder are you installing?


The owner has a DG583 with a 10A peak.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> Mike is it free-rolling on the rails (without dc power)?
> 
> Greg


It turns over fairly easy.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Similar to the USAT Hudson, which can coast great, BUT stop it on a grade with a string of cars and it rolls away (fast)

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> Similar to the USAT Hudson, which can coast great, BUT stop it on a grade with a string of cars and it rolls away (fast)
> 
> Greg


It's home will be pretty level. Do you think the 10A stall current handle it?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Hard to tell, those Pittman motors have an obscenely high stall current when just starting and of course when actually stalled. But normal running current is actually pretty low.

It's really decoder dependent, i.e. how much "headroom" there is between the continuous rated current and the short term current handling, which brings unspecified parameters (from the manufacturer) into play.

I'd use a big Zimo or ESU decoder, for example the G scale Wowsound will probably not work well, nor a large scale tsunami.

The BEMF with a "free rolling" drivetrain can also make a decoder nuts, so if you get weird "fits and starts" try turning off BEMF.

Greg


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## Cato12 (Mar 7, 2021)

Is it DCC ready?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I believe this and many common questions are answered on the main page from the manufacturer:



USA Trains Locomotives



Greg


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> I believe this and many common questions are answered on the main page from the manufacturer:


It says "DCC ready", but what does that actually mean?
Seems it's more of a Marketing buzz word.

I thought it meant that the locomotive has a standardized DCC socket, but when I asked the manufacturer (not USAT) who quoted "DCC ready" which DCC socket since there are a number of different ones for Large Scale - the answer was "no socket", you just wire the DCC decoder in any way you like.
So....what does "DCC ready" mean when it comes to this loco? Is there actually a DCC socket of some type?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

DCC ready has never always meant a standardized socket in large scale... it normally means there are connections to the motor, track pickups and lights and it also means that the track pickups are not permanently connected to the motor, one of the biggest issues in older locos.

Hard to tell from Mike's pictures, the board on the smoke unit may be just for pulsing the fan motor and controlling the heater, it does not look like a sound board, but it could be.

The board with the 3 toggles and 2 slide switches looks like a main board, but I don't see screw terminals or sockets to interface a decoder...

More pictures.

By the digitrax DG583 is a 5 amp decoder.... it has a "peak" rating of 10 amps, and it has a less than stellar reputation... for such an expensive loco, I cannot understand the logic of not using a top of the line decoder with better current handling, better BEMF, more functions, better support and better sound, but perhaps he is thinking this because it already has sound.... 

We will have to investigate the electronics... is the sound board a Phoenix, can give more shots of the electronics?

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Cato12 said:


> Is it DCC ready?


I would so no. The down and dirty method, I would think would work well, as that all functions come on way before it moves.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> DCC ready has never always meant a standardized socket in large scale... it normally means there are connections to the motor, track pickups and lights and it also means that the track pickups are not permanently connected to the motor, one of the biggest issues in older locos.
> 
> Hard to tell from Mike's pictures, the board on the smoke unit may be just for pulsing the fan motor and controlling the heater, it does not look like a sound board, but it could be.
> 
> ...


Yes, it has Phoenix sound with battery.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Ahh, so, would like to understand more, but I'd pull the Phoenix, and put an all in one decoder, so you get good motor control and synchronized sound.

I realize this is a lot more work, and maybe soimewhat risky without understanding the circuitry completely.

Adding a DCC decoder could have issues with syncing the sounds with the motion... more than just the chuff sync, which must be separate, and most likely with actual chuff switch.

But perhaps it will work easily just tuning CV2... worth a shot... like in our conversation, maybe try the NCE D808.

Greg


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave S's new FEF (minus lifters)


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Tried my phone for pictures.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Showing the Phoenix battery, 6 wires between the loco and tender, a spot low in the rear for a second 2 inch speaker. Also a lot of electronics.


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