How to convert N Gauge Union Mills Class 0395 to DCC

This guide covers the following models:

• Union Mills Class 0395 30571 in BR Black

Union Mills Conversion

This is a tender-driven loco that follows a similar chassis arrangement to other Union Mills models such as the T9. The tender body is a single piece of metal and requires a very small decoder to fit.

One side of the loco has pickups, which is connected to the motor via the black link wire between the loco and tender. The other side of the tender has pickups, with the chassis block and motor support making the motor casing live. One leg of the noise-suppressing capacitor bridges the live motor casing to the other motor contact.

Step 1 - Remove Tender Body

Turn the tender upside down and remove the screw nearest to the loco.

Step 2 - Remove Components

Desolder the wire from the motor, remove the capacitor and the wire that is soldered to the motor housing.

Step 3 - Position Decoder

Place a piece of kapton tape on top of the motor housing, then secure the decoder in place using a small amount of black tack.

Step 4 - Connect Motor

Connect the grey and orange wires from the decoder to the motor contacts. Make sure the wires are trimmed down as short as possible, as there isn't much space for any excess.

Step 5 - Connect Track Power

Connect the red wire from the decoder to the solder point on the motor casing that was previously connected to the motor contact via the capacitor leg.

Step 6 - Connect Loco Wire

Reattach the tender to the loco.

Loosen the screw at the back of the loco that traps the wire in place. Remove the existing wire.

Cut the decoder black wire to length, and strip about 8mm from the end. Tin it with solder, then insert it into the hole where the original wire used to be.

Tighten the screw to secure the wire in place.

If you prefer, you can solder the original wire directly to the decoder, or splice the wire to the one already attached to the decoder.

Step 7 - Test

At this point, you should be able to place the loco on your programming track and read the loco ID. If all is well, place another piece of kapton tape over the decoder to protect it, then refit the tender body.