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[quote user="gmpullman"] <div class="quote-header"> </div> <blockquote class="quote"> <div class="quote-user">BigDaddy</div> <div class="quote-content">The OP said he had a LL GP20  It certainly could be different than my LL GP9.</div> </blockquote> <div class="quote-footer"> </div>   Well, for the sake of accuracy what I wrote was: I don't remember which Life-Like locomotives came along with the "improved" pickup where bronze strips were used and the wires were soldered directly to them, maybe when the GP-30s came along? Which implies that there was a design change somewhere around that time and there was two wires coming from each truck and the frame was truly isolated. Between 1999 and around 2003 or so lots of manufacturers were trying to get their version of "DCC ready" locomotives into production. There were lots of variations which involved scratching traces off of PC boards, replacing low voltage bulbs or more commonly, completely gutting the electronics and hardwiring from scratch. STILL there were holdouts, like the aforementioned Alco S1 which—although having an 8 pin DCC socket—still had a hot frame and the motor + was common to the frame! NOT DCC ready in my book! I DO have a bunch of Life-Like GP-7s and-9s and I did the decoder installs probably eleven years ago. I don't exactly remember where the screw for the wire on the frame is. I didn't take photos of them back then.  {edit:} Looks like this (BLUE ARROW) <img style="width:704px;height:auto;display:inline;" src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s319/centralpullman/Signals%20and%20Electrical/LL_GP9_2_zpsoffn5jph.jpg" alt=" " /> Life-Like made many production runs of these Geeps, there are still thousands of them still in boxes! Next month I'll go to a train show here in NE Ohio and I'll bet I see a dozen vendors selling them along with many varieties of E units, PAs, FAs and on and on. They made several design changes during their long production run so there might are  variations, and then there's more changes that Walthers did after THEY took over the line. The best method for a decoder install in nearly any locomotive is to strip it down to the basics, get rid of any existing PC board with useless diodes. Study how the rail power is collected and how the motor is fed.  In its very basic form there are only two paths from the rail to the motor. All you're doing is breaking that path then inserting a decoder between the two end points. <img style="width:704px;height:auto;display:inline;" src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s319/centralpullman/Signals%20and%20Electrical/DCC_fix_zpsznhizn3w.jpg" alt=" " /> Can it be any easier? Good Luck, Ed <div style="clear:both;"> </div> [/quote] Get rid of the Light BULBS! Dont remember which bulbs where in the GP, but LEDs are an easy upgrade due to LL using a Light tube (At least my MEC GP7 Does).  If the bulb is one of the 3/16" (approx) sized ones it needs to go in the trash.  Can easily turn your well detailed plastic shell into molten slag.
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