Can we please comment that Dapol Ltd does not warranty the information contained in the article and any such modifications undertaken is entirely at the end users risk.

Please ensure your model is in good condition before commencing to fit DCC as this will invalidate any warranty.

This delightful model, now in limited supply, is a splendid addition to the British outline range of locos. It is one of the smallest locos too. This presented the challenge to ‘chip-it-up’. There is not much room but it can be done and here is how. Do not underestimate it. The conversion process is quite complex and is best not embarked upon unless you feel confident with your ‘delicate touch’ and soldering skills. If nothing else, it will give an insight into how nicely this loco is constructed.

The chip I used was a Kuehn N025 measuring 11.4mm x 8.8mm x 3.3mm but I expect that other makes of similar chip would do as well. The chip itself will fit into the cab roof being held there with some double-sided sticky pads.

1.The lubrication instructions tell you how to remove the chimney and boiler with a ‘type 0’ cross-head screwdriver having a shaft diameter below 1.7mm.

Do not be tempted to undo the small screws on the under-side of the chassis. It is quite unnecessary and will only lead to lost springs etc. and crawling around the carpet on all fours.

2. The thin wires running along each side under the running board need to be gently lifted out of their sockets at each end of the loco and on both sides.

This is a very delicate part….ease the whole body off the chassis. I found it best to start at the front. It is one of those jobs that is easy to do when you have done it once. However there is always a first time!

The running board wires WILL get in the way when the chassis is part-way out. When this happens they can be lifted out and over the chassis. With care they will not become detached from the body.

3. Use a miniature soldering iron for all the soldering work. I use a 15w miniature iron with a 1mm bit. Anything larger will not get in to the small places accurately enough and will probably carry too much solder. Have a damp cleaning sponge at hand to wipe the tip. Cleanliness is paramount when soldering has to be done accurately and quickly.

4. Unsolder the capacitor and suppression choke from the motor terminals on each side of the chassis. Whilst doing this, separate the capacitor connection with the choke. With such a small soldering iron it would be impossible to remove the capacitor from the motor casing. Don’t try, just tuck the capacitor by the side of the motor.

5. The chip itself needs some preparation. Support the chip in a firm location, like a small vice, with the wire connections uppermost. Remove the Yellow and White wires from the chip by putting a little tension on each wire and dabbing the soldering iron on the connection to the chip’s circuit board. British outline does not require lights and this is typically what the yellow and white wires operate. The wires only take up valuable space and just get in the way. Shorten the remaining four wires to approximately 25-30mm. If you leave them longer they will also take up valuable space. Strip 1mm of insulation from the ends of each of these wires and pre-tin them with solder.

6. Make up two 4mm squares of printed circuit board and tin one side of each of them. These will be used to separate the chip wiring and also anchor the connections. Single-sided PCB material will do but I had double-sided to hand in the scrap box. Solder the Orange wire to the right-hand motor terminal. Solder the Grey wire to the left-hand terminal. Solder the Red wire and the right-hand choke wire to one of the PCB squares. Solder the Black wire and the left-hand choke wire to the other PCB square. All the soldering is now complete and the chassis can be tested in programming mode to see if the default address can be read.

7. Prepare the body to take the chip by removing the cab roof. Two difficulties have to be overcome for this. The first is the hand-rail at the top left back corner of the cab. Gently ease the handrail out of its fixing hole in the side of the cab.

The second problem is that paint may have bridged between the whistles and the plate immediately behind them. Any bridge should be gently cut through so that the whistles themselves remain part of the firebox top and are not attached to the cab front. Inspect the inside of the firebox for the plastic tab that attaches the front of the cab to the firebox top. Gently release the tab, pushing it through and the cab roof lifts off.

8. Refit the chassis into the body with the chip poking out of the cab roof opening.

The running-board wires that had to be unhooked around the chassis will now have to be hooked back again and then re-inserted into their fitting holes front and back.

9. Place a double-sided sticky pad into the roof. Make sure that the pad itself is not too thick or the chip will be very visible in the cab. Route the wires neatly down one side – I chose the left side. Stick the chip to the pad as far back as possible towards the back of the cab roof. This will allow room for the front-cab moulding.

The bow in the roof means that the chip will only adhere to the sticky-pad at each end but this seems to be sufficient. Refit the cab roof chip-and-all. Relocate the cab roof hand-rail.

Refit the boiler and chimney and the conversion is complete.

To give it a final touch, any wires showing in the cab can be painted black.

One word of warning that became apparent after translating the German instructions that came with the Kuehn chip. They recommend not wearing clothing that causes or encourages static (i.e. man-made fibre). Understandably, these chips can be easily ruined by static discharges and this is not, in my opinion, over cautious advice.

Enjoy your digital 14xx.