Hello how would I convert a Lionel 18214 CSX #7500 to a Dummy engine? Would Lights still work also? Thanks for any help.
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Disconnect the wires leading to each motor and remove both motors; the lights and horn will still work.
-John
You can't just remove the motors from an AC power engine. However just remove the armatures to make the trucks free rolling and replace the brush caps and turn the E unit off or disconnect the wire to the coil. Even easier than removing the motors.
What ^^Chuck said. In the case of these Kughn-era Dash-8s, the motor field is staked to the truck, so you can't easily remove it; thankfully you don't need to. You can take out the armatures and brushes. I think the powered models had "LionTech" electronic E-units. I'm not sure whether these E-units will freak out if they don't detect resistance from the motors. To prevent any damage, I would probably disconnect the center rail feed from the pickup rollers and tape it off. The gears in the truck will turn with a little bit of resistance, but for all intents and purposes it will now be a dummy unit.
Be sure to save all the parts, it's very easy to reverse these modifications if you ever decide to sell it.
