Installing lights in Non Powered

I think you have the idea.  I'm doing this to a bunch of MTH dummies for a local guy, basically you need the pickups and then you can get creative with the lights.  I put a switch in to kill the lights if desired.

 

Lionel used to have a kit for lights in dummies, but I haven't seen one in quite a while.

MTH does sell kits.  I think you can find them in the catalog or web.  What is good about the kit, though it is pricey.  Is it is built for the specific dummy type.  So you get the correct pickups that match.  All inclusive with option for track or 6V CV power if I remember correctly.   G

Why would the 6V be required?

Or you can run a wire from powered units lights to the lights of the unpowered ones light. If no light in unpowered unit, add a light.  Only one wire required and use body of the unpowered unit for ground.

I do this all the time and for passenger cars when I lack light pickups on some cars.

 

Rig up a plug on the wire between the units to allow uncoupling if desired. 

 

Charlie

Because MTH uses 6V bulbs for their standard lighting.

Becomes Constant voltage light not dependent on track power after you get above about 6V.

 

Charlie, you can do that with passenger car lights powered from the track, but if you do that with a PS-2 command engine or even the latest Lionel Legacy you will blow the command board.  New Legacy and PS-2/3 don't use AC chassis ground as a reference for their circuit.  So you need to send over at least 2 wires for lights.  Plus only get 3 or less on a circuit.    G

There seems to be lots of MTH Electrification kits available form various LHS. I just need to fiqure out which one would work. MTH site says 50-1031 is for a six truck diesel. I am trying to get copy of installation kit to see if it would work in a  new Lionel ES444 dummy.

The MTH kits are really for MTH. The instructions will not help you. the difference btween the 4 truck kits and 6 truck kits are the roller p/u lengths. the six Wheel has the long arm pick/up-there are two and the 4 truck has 4 short arem pick-ups. Lionels reengineering of trucks for their locomotives are far different from model to model of their own models- let alone another mfg's models. you best et for ease of installation if goto lionel parts and figure out the roller pick-ups/screws/possible trucks assemblies needed to add power to your dummy unit. Try to reengineer an installation of another mfg's roller pick-up will give you more heartache and frustration than results.

Thanks prr,

 

I have been able to isolate the parts I need from the powered schematic parts bin on Lionels site, at least for the collectors.Al B

I receny lite up an MTH GP20. I orders the pickups for the power unit, and I wired in leds for the headlights. I found really good 3mm warm white LEDs that fit perfectly into the headlight wells. They are the best warm whites Ive come across. I actually have a bunch left over, and I would sell them for 50 cents each plus postage. Forward voltage is 3 V they're 3500 cmd.
Alan

If you're going the a la carte route with truck pickups, if you go the LED route I'd think you might be able to get by with one pickup and save a bit of coin as well as roller noise and drag.  LEDs draw roughly 5-10x less power than equivalent (same brightness) bulbs.  And LEDs are DC devices so you can use a capacitor for flicker reduction and to provide the energy storage to demote the effect of using 1 truck pickup set rather than the typical 2.

Good point Stan, a 1000uf capacitor will probably light them for several seconds.

 

Simpler approach -- 9-volt battery, switches, and LEDs w/resistors. I have a powered/dummy pair I'm back-dating and since I'm planning to go pretty far with the work I'm going to go ahead and light the dummy unit. Don't even want to deal with track voltage -- just going with batteries.

Matt....where do you place the on/off switch for the battery pack?  Is it hidden under the train or is it exposed so the train can remain on the track when turning the switch off and on.  

 

Rick

Dummy units typically have switch slots that match those in the powered units. You install a slide switch in those spots and just reach under the trucks with a coffee stirrer. Some of the later non-powered units had lift-off fan housings which would be a good location. If push came to shove, you could install switches underneath near the ends of the fuel tank. As a practical matter, LEDs draw so little current that you can leave them on for hours on a 9-volt battery.