Cemr sd40 5396

[CMMR]

Just finished a CEMR SD40 that I had been working on for a while. I started with a Kato DC SD40 in Wisconsin Central colors that I stripped and added a bunch of detail parts to. I designed and printed the decals, painted it black and installed 5 LED's and an Econami decoder. Still need to block the light coming from the back of the ditch lights.

 

[montanan]

Impressive. That's an excellent job. Brings me backto when I custom painted my fleet of Atlas Alco units for my railroad, but I didn't have any decals made for it and had to do it letter by letter.

 

[tootnkumin]

You're much more adventurous than me Gary P. I've got a Kato SD80MAC that I've got as far as getting the shell off for Loksound install. Seeing all those wires at least lets me know what I'm in for.

 

[CMMR]

You're much more adventurous than me Gary P. I've got a Kato SD80MAC that I've got as far as getting the shell off for Loksound install. Seeing all those wires at least lets me know what I'm in for.

Toot - most of those wires are for the 5 seperate LED's (front number board, front head lights, 2 separate ditch lights and rear light / number board) as well as the 2 leads for the speaker. I used miniature connectors so that I can remove the shell completely.

 

[tootnkumin]

Toot - most of those wires are for the 5 seperate LED's (front number board, front head lights, 2 separate ditch lights and rear light / number board) as well as the 2 leads for the speaker. I used miniature connectors so that I can remove the shell completely.

The DC '80mac's board has only the 8 pin connector, and as you probably know from your one, only 2 LED's also attached to it, doing everything. Nice and tidy, but not modifiable for all the functions we require. Lot's of loose wires hanging about when replacing shells is a bugbear, which Athearn's are noted for (notorious even). Your use of miniature connectors is something I'll definitely look into. Kato's use of moulded light tubes (3 in this loco's case) have me wondering if I should try to retain them, or at least modify in length and attach the LED's to them with heat shrink. Connectors would be an advantage there if so.