PARTS Athearn Blue Box locomotive warm white LED head lights DC/DCC EASY INSTALL

Description

A
Pine Valley Models
Exclusive - since 2016.
***Dozens of sets sold, thanks for your continued patronage!***
*** Up for bid is one lot of
TWO
Athearn* "blue box" locomotive LED lighting conversion kits/harnesses for DC
(all
pre-soldered,
with
resistors!
)
for
HO-scale model railroad locomotive lighting
(multiple lots available)
. One lot is enough to do TWO locomotives. EASY INSTALL: Plop them in your locos and enjoy the lighting! Lights can also be converted to work with DCC
**
*Note: can be used with other brands of model locos that need headlights mounted at both ends of the shell.
Details
This started as a quick and easy idea I had for adding bi-directional LED lighting to some of my old Athearn blue-box DC-powered locomotives, that I felt others may be interested in. This lighting kit provides a quick and easy conversion for upgrading your DC-operating HO-scale Athearn blue-box locomotives to bright directional front and back LED lighting on DC power. Just remove old light(s), connect or solder the wire leads to motor/top pickup and lighting bracket, install the LED ends of the harness inside the shell (or on the chassis by the headlights as desired), and you're done! The LEDs and resistors are also adaptable to DCC use for
DCC conversion
(see below).
The LEDs and resistors are set up for optimal brightness and minimal heat generation: at about 1/4 throttle power they are already bright (and stay bright the more power that's applied), as opposed to the old incandescent bulbs Athearn etc uses that need full power.
This kit contains:
---TWO already wired/soldered harnesses, enough to do TWO standard Athearn locomotives.
Each harness contains two LED bulbs, connected to two resistors, all soldered to flexible wires and ends covered with heat-shrink tubing, and tested for proper operation. Buyer just connects or solders harness leads to chassis, and mounts in the shell or chassis as they see fit! (see installation instructions below) No messy wiring, calculating resistance, or soldering LEDs to resistors required!
---Brief wiring instruction paper included, telling how to hook up the harnesses.
Examples of suitable Athearn blue box models
(installation may differ depending on model, age and version.
*May fit other manufacturer's similar models as well
*)
-Athearn GP7/GP9
-Athearn GP35, GP38-2/GP40-2/GP50/GP60
-Athearn SD40-2, SD45, etc
(* Note, wire lengths have been optimized for GP and SD installation. Shorter units like SW7's, SW1000/1500's and S12's may require curling up or shortening one set of LED wires, and longer units like AC4400's and DD40's may require extending one of the sets of the LED wires -
BUT! Custom light harnesses of different sizes can be made on request as time and materials permit - contact me/send a message to inquire
)
All headlight bulbs included are
warm white
(aka yellow glow)
LEDs with appropriate resistors for typical 12-16 volt DC operation and minimal heat generation (they may feel slightly warm after continued operation for long periods, but don't get very hot and won't melt or cause any damage to the shell (tested for hours with no problems). All wire connections and resistors are pre-soldered, and covered with heat-shrink tubing. LEDs are wired for directional lighting depending on the direction of the locomotive and track power.
This kit is intended for
DC operation
, for those who want to upgrade the single dim "fire in the cab" incandescent bulb to something better and to add rear lighting.
For DCC conversion
, everything can easily be reused by cutting the wires and connecting each set of wire leads to the decoder's front & rear lighting output functions, and presto! (
note, no additional resistors are needed for the LEDs, these ones are good for 12-16v output operation. Resistors included on these kits are soldered to the (-) lead of the LED, which goes to the function output on a typical DCC decoder. The positive (+) side does not have a resistor, and goes to the common output. Some model decoders intended for
Athearn conversion
may require connecting the (+) sides to the common 12-16v output
).
Installation:
The buyer of this kit has to do minor installation work, including connecting or soldering the harness leads to pickups, and mounting of LED bulbs in locomotives (most people have their own bulb mounting preferences).
Basic instructions:
-Remove old Athearn incandescesnt bulb and mounting clip
-Mount LEDs inside shell or to chassis so they shine through headlights (see below for mounting ideas)
-Solder or connect
BLUE
wire to top truck pickup electrical strip or top motor strip (which is the right pickup)
-Solder or connect
YELLOW
wire to metal lighting bracket mount at front or connect/wire to frame (which is the ground/left pickup)
(NOTE, if front/rear lighting is reversed, simply reverse the wires)
**PLEASE NOTE:
wire lead colours of batches may vary, but instructions provided with each set detail proper hookup procedure for any wire differences. Wire colours in photos show typical installation, but will always have yellow and blue leads.
Suggested LED mounting methods for shell:
Everyone has their own mounting preferences (glue, electrical tape, etc), but some suggested mounting ideas:
-Gluing a piece of styrene or brass tube inside shell opposite headlights, and inserting the LED ends of the harness inside to direct the light output.
-Securing wires/LEDs to inside of shell with electrical tape so bulbs point to headlights
-Securing bulbs to styrene or plastic shims inside shell so bulb matches height of headlights inside if needed
-Securing/suspending bulbs from chassis using front metal pickup strip for headlight and a spare bit of copper or metal wire to suspend rear light
-A small piece of black heat-shrink tubing applied over the LED is also handy in directing light output forward
*Note: kits only include LED lighting harnesses, they do not contain wires to replace stock metal Athearn pickup strip on top of motor. Chassis used in photos are for installation illustration purposes only, and may differ slightly depending on Athearn locomotive model type and/or age. Only two pre-wired lighting harnesses are included in this listing, as shown in original watermarked photo.
*Note:
Due to the nature of electronics, the seller is not liable for damage to parts, electronics, or models caused by improper user installation or use. Depending on availability, replacement parts or harnesses may or may not be available at cost.
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-----Shipping Etc Notes:-----
(updated May-2021)
Ships to Canada and continental US:
S
hipping rates shown in listing reflect the costs of postage, mailers, protective padding material, dollar fluctuations, and the time it takes to securely package and mail shipments. Smaller items are shipped in special mailers, larger ones are wrapped securely and sent in padded bubble mailers. Unfortunately, Canada Post + USPS cross-border shipping costs are higher than we'd like (and the US/CAD dollar fluctuation doesn't help), but one can save on shipping with
combined shipping available on multiple purchases
-
additional items only incur a few extra cents to help pay for extra packing, so the more you order at once, the more it cuts down on repeat shipping charges over time.
**** May ship to other places and countries on a case-by-case basis, upon request and review ****
New shipping note:
New US shipping rate added
: option for
Standard base rate
.73 USD
small packette shipping
for cross-border tracking option to all US states
, ideal for those placing larger orders. Regular
Economy small packette shipping base rate (non-tracked) still an option at
.83 USD
for those who prefer less pricey Economy shipping for smaller orders.
**Note, multiple items may add small 10-15 cent increases to cover extra packing and padding materials for additional items.
Slow Shipping Sometimes:
Lately Canada Post, USPS and/or customs seem to be taking longer than usual with some shipments to the US and Canada. Usually things arrive in 2-3 weeks' time at most US addresses from Ontario (Canada) where purchases are mailed from, but sometimes things can take an additional week or so to arrive depending on postal volume, customs, or if a package is going to the west coast or southern states (longer travel times). For most Canadian addresses, things tend to show up in 1-2 weeks, although it's often on the longer side for west coast purchases. I try to ship out all packages on the same day or the day after when possible, or for the coming Monday if it's a weekend or late Friday purchase. If a package doesn't show up at the end of three weeks, let me know - chances are it might be running late.
*Note, Please contact me first and avoid opening an Item Not Arrived case, as eBay has recently changed its policies to be unfavorable to sellers in disputes.
Ebay Charging State Taxes:
Recently eBay has started charging an internet tax on purchases made by users in some states. Unfortunately, sellers (even those in Canada) have no say in this and their hands are tied: eBay charges and collects/remits the money to the states themselves, independent of the sellers. Sellers don't receive any of the taxes charged by eBay in their own accounts (the money goes straight to eBay themselves when it's paid), and sellers cannot adjust those amounts charged by eBay.
(Payment by Paypal, buyer must make payment within 3 days, examine all photos thoroughly, no refunds unless not as described in listing, item damaged, etc).
If you see something you need more of, need something in particular like a custom lighting setup, or if you're having trouble checking out with
combining shipping
(use the *request total* feature, but sometimes eBay won't let you and just asks for payment) feel free to send me a message.
Custom-tailored work (bigger/smaller, longer/shorter lenses) may be possible on a case-by-case basis.