Here's what I did. I bought an AA battery holder at Radio Shack. Your Tomar marker lights are 1 1/2 volt. I wired the Tomar lights and a single 1 1/2 volt clear bulb for an interior light to the battery holder. After I got the body shell off the floor, I cut the locking tabs off. I use rechargeable NiCads. When I plan a night running session, I just put a fresh battery in each caboose, and go. No flicker, and no pickup problems. At the end of the night you can just remove the batteries, or leave them in and they will run down overnight. You can buy rechargeable NiCads online cheap! And they last for years.
My caboose may be different, but I found I had to pry at the the roof. There were tabs holding the roof to the body. I'll confess it was un-nerving, but the top popped off. I don't recall if I started at the side or corner of the top.
I've been following along. I've got a few of the Walthers "Platinum Line" bay-window cabeese that I'd like to add Tomar lamps and maybe some interior lighting to. Adding power wipes is reasonably straightforward, but how do you get the thing apart? I've prodded and played with it, but there seems to be something holding the body to the floor at the ends that's not obvious. I've removed couplers and trucks, and spread the sides to expose some tabs, but I can't get this thing to separate. Any clues?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
GMILL47Looks like I'll have to replace the plastic wheel sets in my truck, then on to the rest. I was wondering if the wire going into the body of the caboose would restrict truck rotation?
Looks like I'll have to replace the plastic wheel sets in my truck, then on to the rest. I was wondering if the wire going into the body of the caboose would restrict truck rotation?
It should be obvious that others do this with #30 wire and no issues. Use some ingenuity and figure it out on how to run the wires up into the caboose. That is what I and others have had to do. Put a little black paint on the wires if the insulation is not already black.
When you get to this level in DCC model railroading you need to develop techniques that satisfy you. It is not Plug & Play.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Have a look at this site in Australia. This link will take you to the information you require. They also sell parts. If you want to take the time there is heaps of information on this site.
http://www.dccconcepts.com/index_files/DCCLightgenifo2.htm
Cheers
Jim
Bowser has a caboose lighting kit. You might be able to adapt the parts from that kit to the trucks on the Walthers car: http://bowser-trains.com/hocars/n5c/n5c.htm (scroll to bottom of link).
This is kind of easy. Works for me.
http://www.55n3.org/cars/tender_wipers/
Use #30 wires to send power up to the inside of the caboose. Don't know any other way to get power up to the inside.
I have a Walthers Caboose that has plastic trucks and wheels. I'd like to replace the trucks for electrical pick up and connect to a Flicker Free and then to Marker Lights. Has anyone done this and can you tell me how.l First the trucks used? Then how does the pick up go from the trucks to the inside of the car?