Is there a DIY operational ditch light install with some pics somewhere? I just got a pair of Athearn SP C44-9W's and was looking at the photo's of the real ones online, and I gotta step it up and install some on my locomotives. The wiring part I can handle but just curious about the routing of the wires and where to get the lights.
I'm at the very stage with one of my Athearn SF version. I was quite surprised when I drilled through the ditch light casting without it coming off :O I had bought some SD70 ditch lights offered by Athearn and the bulbs fit perfectly in the newly drilled holes. My next move is to pick out a suitable sound decoder in order to take it to the next step. Still haven't signed off on the path the wiring will take to get to the decoder but from what I'm seeing here I have quite a number of viable options. I'll be keeping my eyes on this thread. verse
I've own a pair of Kato C44-9W, CN. It must be an old run, they're not prepeared for the speaker. I've installed sound into them and came about an idea with ditch lights. I would glue two SMD LEDs to the light tube to the ditch lights. You need only a decoder with enough functions. :angel: Wolfgang
Decoder? No decoder req'd for my layout lol. I've found that with regular resistors the LED's come on before the locomotive starts moving anyway, so I haven't had the need for a constant voltage circuit or anything like that. I'm thinking about glueing a thin strip of pc board into the loco's cover with some copper Z shapes that would pick up the frame and top of the motor(+ and -). Then I can attach wires and led's front back sides anywhere without a bunch of connectors to unhook whenever I need to remove the shell.
If you know some one with a subrscription to Model Railroader they had an artical on installing ditch lights a month or two back.
I was in Oregon for 3 days this week on business and got to stop by the Eugene toy and hobby there. They had an awesome selection of superdetailing parts, so I got a couple of the complete detail kit's for my C44-9W's, two sets of operational ditch lights, an bought several snowplows and cmu hoses to do the rest of my geeps. Our new camera finally came-got a Canon A620, so I am going to try and do a step by step install on he ditch lights and post them up here.
