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How to Add Ditch Lights to an Athearn

A pair of ditch lights sits on the bottom of newer model locomotives to help make the train more visible. In some cases, they may alternately blink whenever the train crosses a road and the horn sounds. Many Athearn engines come with ditch lights molded into the plastic shell of the engine. Therefore, if you want working ditch lights, you must make modifications to the engine. Using realistic ditch lights can make your model railroad look even more real.

Things You'll Need

Screwdriver
Drill with small bit
Model glue
Plastic light casings
LED lights
Wire -- blue, green and purple
Wire stripper
Soldering iron

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the plastic shell from the engine. Some models attach with screws, while others use plastic clips you press to release.
- 2
  Drill out the molded plastic ditch lights from the front of the engine. They are located on either side of the front below the headlights, about even with the walkway.
- 3
  Glue plastic casings over the newly drilled holes to provide a covering for the lights.
- 4
  Glue the LED lights in place from the inside of the shell. Use caution to keep the glue off the lights themselves so you don't interrupt the light they emit.
- 5
  Attach a blue wire to each light, a purple wire to the left light and a green wire to the right light.
- 6
  Strip a section of blue casing from one of the blue wires and solder the other blue wire to it to connect the two together.
- 7
  Connect the end of the blue wire to which you soldered the second blue wire to the lamp common connector on the circuit board inside the engine.
- 8
  Connect the purple wire to the Function 2 connector on the circuit board and the green wire to the Function 1 connector.
- 9
  Replace the outer shell on the engine, taking care to keep the wires connected as you move the shell over the engine.

Model Railroads