Lionel Rio Grande SD40T-2 TMCC Upgrades

ChessieMD-

The only upgrade I can think of would be to cut out the fabric around the smoke unit element to improve smoke output. I've reposted Lionel's video below.

In terms of the smoke unit itself, did the heating element, fan, or entire part fail? With regard to the burnt out light bulb, I believe Lionel used 14v grain of rice bulbs (assuming that your unit is not equipped with LEDs). I had a similar situation with a TMCC GP30, where I had to replace a burnt out rear number board bulb. The repair wasn't difficult - just a question of desoldering the burnt out bulb from the rear headlight PCB. While you can upgrade the headlight/marker lights to LEDs, most likely you will have to add resistors to the circuits.

-John

John,

Thanks for the info.  I assume the smoke unit is completely "shot'.  So much so that the top of the stack has melted.  Anyway, I'm going to replace the smoke unit and take a crack at the light.  Many thanks.

If you're improving it, I find that LED headlights make a huge difference in the appearance.  I use the warm-white 3mm LED's as a rule, they look a lot more like real headlights and throw a lot more light down the track like a real locomotive.