If you have installed a DCC decoder into an Athearn DCC ready locomotive and you are getting one of the following Problems this page should help.

1) You have installed a DCC decoder and it went up in smoke

2) You have installed a DCC decoder and the lights work but the loco will not move.

Before we start I am not here to make fun of Athearn or their products but to help my fellow Model Railroaders.  That said, lets start by taking the shell off of the drive frame. To do this you will have to remove both the front and rear couplers. Lift the shell off the frame and at the same time watch that you do not pull the lights out of the shell. The wires should be long enough to lay the shell down beside the frame (see pic 2).  More than likely the metal clip that holds the brush in the motor is touching the frame and causing a short (see pic 3). Remove the 4 screws holding the motor in place and lay it on the frame as in pic 4.  You will need to reshape the clip so it will not touch the frame and at the same time I would and did put electrical tape down the length of the clip holding the brush so there was no possibility of a short (see pic 5). Once that is done reinstall the motor and make sure the motor turns freely by turning the fly wheel. Now you are almost ready to install your new DCC decoder. Before you install your decoder remove the chip plugged into the wires (see pic 6). This chip is a jumper board and if not removed will cause your decoder to go up in smoke.  Once you have your decoder installed and tested you can put the shell back on and reinstall the couplers. I hope this has been helpful. Happy Modeling.