Tonight I started the project of restoring the Bachmann Ten-Wheeler I got for my 10th birthday. I started things off by replacing the burt-out fillament bulb with an LED. I used a 3mm bright white LED with presoldered resister. After enlarging the hole in the headlight bezel, it fit perfectly. The wires from the origional headlight lead to a small switch on the back of the smoke box front. I clipped these wires about an inch or so from the end and stripped them. Then, I used a pair of alligator clips to temporarily connect these wires to the leads from the LED. Since polarity is crucial with LEDs, I applied power to the locomotive and made sure the headlight illuminated while the locomotive was running forward. With correct polarity determined, I spliced the wires, soldered them and covered the joints with Kapton tape. I reassembled the locomotive and called it done.
Here's the result:
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
PVT KanakaCool! These things come up on the used market from time to time out here in Christmas Colors, so I am glad to be able to follow your lead in restoring one should I be able to swing on one in the future.
These and any Bachmann locomotive of any scale from of this vintage is definitly a "try before you buy" proposition. The reason being the gears were made of a white plastic that's incredibly prone to shrinking and cracking. I got lucky and the gears in mine are still good.
Thanks for the warning. May I ask what the buyer beware date is for these and other Bachmann locos?
- Eric
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