Upgrading diesiels to 2.0

If you're handy with electronics its fairly easy to do the upgrades. The kit's directions are fine, but realistically, the only page you need is the one with the wire pinouts. Just follow it through each connector. I want to say its about 60 wires once you factor in all the light bulbs and stuff that also usually end up needing work. The biggest challenge is honestly the wire management. The kit gives you a ton of excess wire because its universal. If you trim all the leads down you'll have far less wire when you're done. 

Just make sure you lay everything out inside before you drill the holes for the board, so you have enough room for everything. 

The biggest risk of doing it yourself is that there's no warranty if you zap the board. If you can stand to take the $150 gamble on new boards, then go for it. DIYing it certainly pays off in the savings and also lets you do custom touches like LED lighting, etc... right from the gate. If you dont think you can do it or dont want to gamble, then pay someone to do it. Doing a non-MTH engine is a little harder because the parts from the upgrade kit may or may not fit (for example, couplers may be too long, too short or not have the right connection to the body). 

I've done quite a few of these so far, and generally the wiring and the like are the easy parts. diesels are actually quite simple, as everything is in one place. I believe that diesel has standard coupler mounts, so sticking the couplers on should be pretty easy.  The recommendation for cutting the wires down to size is a good one, have lots of heatshrink handy for the job.

The most trouble I've had is dealing with the cramped space in some steamers.  I've had to do surgery to fit the tether connector in, and a couple of times I needed to roll my own tach reader holder as the stock one didn't work or wouldn't fit.

If you use a larger tether, you can also add the marker lights, a nice touch.

Landon,  You will have to drill some holes and mount the board and heat sink.  The wiring was discussed.  This is really about your skill level.  The risk, is a mistake in wiring, or crushing a wire/grounding to chassis can blow a board.

You can go to MTH web site and down load the instructions.  That would help you determine if this is something you want to do.

For a Williams, you may need a volume pot, and the speaker mount may need to be customized depending on how Williams did your model.  Sometimes they just hot glue speakers on to the chassis.  G

For strictly command, I sometimes forgo the volume pot, especially if it's a problem to fit it in like my MTH General installation.

Before ordering the kit make sure your motor has a flywheel or you have access to one as the kit REQUIRES a flywheel!

I tend to ditch all the "options" for running conventional/command. Skip the volume pot and connect the 2 and isolate the 3rd like the directions say, forget about the smoke switch as well, and I also cut the battery charge plug out of the harness. All of it is just more wires and stuff to get in the way, and if you're running only with DCS, then the first 2 are done via remote, the last one is solved via a BCR (which also takes up a fraction of the room the battery pack does), or by opening the thing up every few years and putting a new one in. If its annoying to get inside, load in the file and give it an address with the shell off and the battery in, once its been given an ID and you know it works, put the BCR in, shell on and forget about it.

For conventional, I do add a smoke switch.  You may not always want to run smoke, and running the unit dry will cook the wick and eventually kill the resistor.

The charge port is optional, as you say you can charge it on the rails.

This is a EOB upgrade of an older Weaver E8 set.  These pictures touch all the bases that have been mentioned, but it's not a MTH upgrade.  Also note that the original motors were change to add flywheels.  Remember that the install is one item/one wire at a time.  Follow the instructions.   Access the file by clicking on the underlined phrase, then click on Start slideshow. 
Best wishes with your project
Mike.

Mike CT, where did you get the flywheel motor from? I have an older F-7 set I'd like to go PS2 with.

Dumb question Mike, why only 25 of 92 images?  What happened to the rest of the conversion?

Frank Timko  Click to access

drodder:  If you search around in this forum, you'll find a thread in which I posted a running account of upgrading a 1950 Lionel Berkshire. (Frank Timko was source.  Suggest you telephone him.)  There are also accounts of some unexpected issues I had to address.  AFter all my work, doesn't run as well as a new MTH, but it does have sentimental value.

As far as I know, there are no replacement flywheel motors for the old Lionels with transverse armatures.

I hope Landon isn't swamped with all this advice.  It's not that complicated a job.  When you've done a few, you sometimes make changes.  I recommend that you follow the book for you first one.

If you drill holes after the speaker is installed, the steel shavings will stick to it.  Better to remove the speaker for drilling.

GRJ:  The Williams units I've seen don't have marker lights, and it could require drilling plastic to mount the ones that some with the upgrade kit.

I don't know why it wouldn't go to the next page last time, no problem this time.