ERR upgrade in a K-Line loco question

Not having the locomotive to look at, I can only offer this advice.  Obviously, the other wires go somewhere, so hunt around with the meter until you find where they go.

Pictures of the guts of both the locomotive and the tender would be a huge help here as well.

@Crazy J RR posted:

However, using my meter to read continuity, I am getting a reading from the red wire to the center rail pickups AND the wheels.  Same goes for the black wire.  To me, this can't be the case and still have had a working loco.

There HAS to be continuity between these to power the reverse unit... so your findings are correct. Until you disconnect the original reverse unit from the circuit, there will be continuity... think of it as a light bulb connected to both red & black.

Ah yes, well, the "guts" have been removed already.  There is no board or reverse unit involved in the read.  The unit has some lights (incandescent) and the smoke unit is in the main body.  As you can see on my meter, I get a solid 1 with no continuity.  I get a "read" when there is.  So something as simple as touching the center pickup to the wheels gets a read.  This unexpected to me and I can't recall running into it before.  Am I getting some coming through the remaining lights or smoke unit somehow?  Have I been thinking of this all wrong the last few years?  I have done this on a number of MTH and Williams locos, but this one is... different somehow.  It's gotta be me, I'm just not thinking this through correctly.

Troy

Unplug the light connector to the shell.

The lamps will give continuity.

BINGO!  Thanks boys!  Somewhat comical that I had been using that method for tracing wires through the tether for the last several years on ERR installs and had not run into that.  All wires have been identified.   Somewhat terrifying for someone has inept as I am on electronics to be not only putting the ERR boards in, but have not installed 2 Blunami boards in a Williams brass sharknose set and Williams brass 611.  These went off without the least bit of trouble and have performed well. 

For my knowledge, is the continuity read like this also possible if I have all LED lights?  I need to bank this one away for the future thats for sure.

Thanks again!

Troy

"have" installed blunami

typo

Thanks again on this fellas!  The install went well and she's running great!  This continuity question came up again as I worked on the next engine (a Blunami install in a Williams brass Niagara).  Sure enough, I had to unplug the front headlight to do the read.

Thanks for the help!