Disclaimer:These are suggestions only – use at your own risk. I successfully used this series of steps to install decoders in two of these locomotives without damage to the units. Take your time removing shells, it will save you time repairing or replacing parts in the long run. If you are not comfortable disassembling your expensive locomotive, please save yourself a lot of agony send it out to a reputable dealer.
Run time = approximately 1 hour (your mileage may vary)
Disassembling
1) Remove handrails from cab holes. I used a sharp knife blade held flat between the handrail and the cab to gently pry the handrail out of the hole. They came quite easily.
1.1) One on the engineers side of the cab for long hood.
1.2) Two on the fireman's side of the cab for the long hood.
1.3) One on each side steps for short hood.
2) Gently pull the long hood out of frame. There are two tabs on the long hood, one on each side approximately one inch from the back. Pulling up on the catwalks about 1 inch from the rear helped release the tabs. There is also a tab on each side under the cab. Gently work the cowling off from front to back. Be very careful not to break any of the handrails. The cowling will eventually pop off.
3) With the factory circuit board exposed, slide off the leads to the trucks. There is one lead on each corner of the factory circuit board. I chose to replace the factory incandescents with ultra bright LED's. The choice is up to you.4) Remove 2 screws from the factory circuit board, and pull up to remove from the motors. Note orientation of the board. The motor leads are tabs tucked under the bus wires on each side of the circuit board. They will slip out when the board is lifted out.
Re assembly
1) Place the new decoder component side down on the motor and tuck the motor leads under the stirrups to each side. Make sure the leads are tight to the circuit board or the body will not fit. I would recommend soldering the motor straps to the stirrups for good contact.
2) Replace the screws holding the decoder to the motor.
3) I elected to remove the 4 wires on the decoder from the factory where the leads from the trucks would slip on, as I couldn't get the connectors to grip tight enough. I then just soldered the truck leads to the 4 corner lugs of the decoder.
4) Test the decoder for basic operation.
5) I elected to replace the factory incandescent with a Miniatronics Corp. Model 12-510-05 ultra bright LED's with the 470 ohm resistors included in the kit.
5.1) I custom bent the LED leads to be slightly further apart, the same width as the lugs on the decoder.
5.2) I soldered the resistor to the cathode and trimmed them to the same length.
5.3) Put heat shrink tubing on the leads to keep the LED's from shorting on the decoder.
5.4) I custom bent the very ends of the leads to sit flat on the decoder lugs. I tested the LED's with the lights on to make sure that the orientation was correct.
5.5) Be very careful when testing the LED's in this fashion so that you don't damage the decoder or other equipment.6) Keep the LED's very close to the circuit board, but bend the lens back toward the end of the locomotive that you are working with, as LED's are very directional, and give off very little light to the sides or off center.
7) The alignment of the LED's is a very finicky with the light guides in the locomotive body. Be careful not to bend the LED's too far, or bend the resistor as both will break.
8) Test the lights for proper operation.
9) Replace the shell. Pull up gently on the catwalks by the tabs to enable the tabs to slide home easier..
10) Replace the handrails and test.
One item to note is that the LED's are not as bright as the incandescent lights, and is a personal choice.
Other installation notes
1) Kadee #5's and the bronze centering spring in a Kadee coupler box (slightly modified) are a drop in replacement for the factory horn hook couplers.
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