Bachmann Ten-Wheeler LED Headlight Conversion

[PVT Kanaka]

Thanks for the warning.  May I ask what the buyer beware date is for these and other Bachmann locos? 

 

- Eric

[GP-9_Man11786]

PVT Kanaka

Cool! 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.

[PVT Kanaka]

Cool! 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.

[GP-9_Man11786]

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: