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Wanna do it faster?I have done four Kato C424s, two Kato C425s and four Kato various Alco RS switchers for my  layout now.  I don't worry about directional lighting as locos in the real world all run with lights on at both ends regardless of direction....not just switchers, all locos.This was info given me when I first asked how locos ran with their lights.[quote user="wjstix"] Keep in mind too that the common model locomotive set up with headlights that reverse to only light in the direction of travel is extremely rare in the prototype. [/quote]....(unless you want to consist them and run with just the rear light of the trailing locos when reversing and just the headlight on the lead loco. I am working through so many locos, I am not worrying about  what they look like in a consist.  I will just turn the lights off the second----fourth loco in the consist.)Anyway, I replace the bulb with an LED set down exactly where the bulb is and work the leads around the little plastic pins, and take a soldering iron to the pins to hold down the bent LED leads with melted-over grey plastic.  I snip the extra length off these and add a short length of resistor.I take a 1/4" staple from my staple gun, and with the soldering iron, heat it up as it spans the motor contact tabs along the side of the plastic "shelf".  When this is melted in and holds the tabs, I use my dremel to cut them away from the rail contacts on top of the shelf so they are free from direct track power. Then I take a $13 NCE DSR13 decoder and slide it under the light bar and bring the leads up around the bar...three on either side (I snip of the yellow lead as I am using the one-light set up.)  I use Digitrax Z125s in the RS's.Then I just solder the leads to all the correct places on the loco.Sounds like a lot of steps, but I can now do one in 30 minutes or less.These older style Kato or Kato combos are a b**ch with their floppy catwalks and loose weights.  That's the only thing I have against them.  But they run so well, and I can get them so cheap by watching Ebay carefully, that I am pleased to convert them to DCC for $13.
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