What is the best way to add lighting to my U36B Dummy unit?

Well, the easiest way is probably a battery, perhaps with a charging port to charge it occasionally.  However, the way I normally do it is by adding pickups to the trucks and using track power.

Is there a specific pickup to add to this unit?

@Regnildnas posted:

Is there a specific pickup to add to this unit?

I have no idea, given the fact that I only have a tiny picture and no make or model number, it would be impossible for me to say.

Lionel 6-8560 Chesapeake and Ohio.

I like the idea of adding pickup rollers versus just putting a battery inside of it and having to take it apart to reach the battery. Never thought of making the battery rechargeable, that's a really good approach if I can't add pickups to the trucks.

Well, no factory provision for adding pickups to that one.  You might be able to add some surface mounted low profile rollers using a thin sheet of Styrene.  Failing that, you'll have to do some metalwork to make provisions for the pickups.

Very simple to add lighting. Add a 2328-173 collector, 2328-170 insulation and a #6x3/8 screw to mount the collector to the truck. Use a 8030-14 lamp socket for the rear headlight and a 8352-320 lamp socket for the front headlight. Solder a wire on the truck stud for ground for the front headlight ground. The rear headlight socket is grounded to the frame with the mounting clip.

Chuck where would I find these parts at? Seems pretty straight forward as you've described.

Train tender should have all the parts. If not contact me.

Very much appreciated. Will do. Might be putting the cart before the horse on this one but could I use led lights for this set up?

Train tender.com is no longer a domain.

Try the proper URL: http://ttender.com/

It's great that there are parts to add pickups to those trucks, I don't see those enough to know all the in's and out's of that vintage product.

There is no problem using LED's powered from track power, you just have to add the proper current limiting and reverse voltage protection.  Of course, without active controls, there will be no directional lighting, just lights.

@Chuck Sartor do I solder the positive wires to the collector?

Look at Evan Designs website

For just lights, it's not that critical. either will work fine.

If it's a dummy unit and will hence always be paired with a powered engine like an A-A configuration, why not just run a 2-wire tether (with connector to allow physical separation) from the powered unit?

Stan's idea makes operation that mimics OEM A-A

Lights come on only at start up and go out on shut down.

Stans suggestion of a wire between the dummy and the paired engine is the easiest and cheapest way to add lighting to a dummy.  A single small, stranded wire is all that is usually needed as a common wire can be hooked up in the dummy contacting the outside common rail.  If the AA engines are always paired you may not need to provide a way or plugs to unhook the wire between them.

Charlie

If you run a slightly larger tether, you can have directional lighting, including the markers.