USA Train locos are arguably the easiest in which to install battery R/C.
They are well made and have plenty of room up inside the hood for an effective antenna.
I usually achieve at least 200’.
Here is how I have gone about installing my RCS battery R/C inside a GP-9.
The techniques are straightforward and can be adapted to other brands of R/C as well.
The same ideas can be applied to most USAT diesel locos, including the bigger 3 axle models.
There are basically two ways of going about it depending on how you want to set up the loco.
The simplest method only involves disconnecting the track pick-up wiring from the trucks and re-connecting the wires to the output of the motor Driver pcb.
The result is much the same as running on track power. The lights will work exactly the same way and go out when the loco is stopped.
I prefer to have the lights on constantly even when stopped. This involves a little bit more wiring and the addition of a RELAY so that the coloured marker lamps will change colour correctly with direction change.
The most difficult part of the installation is dismantling the loco.
You will need a very long Phillips head screwdriver that will reach down into the holes where the screws are buried. Some screws are also under the fuel tank so it needs to be removed as well. If the screwdriver is long enough you may be able to wriggle it down between the truck wheels to access the holes. If not, you may need to remove the trucks to get at the holes.
Once the body is off the chassis I remove the smoke units and all attendant wiring. They draw a lot of power and will reduce run times dramatically.
I leave all the lighting wiring and the switch pcb in place.
The track pick-up wiring is also removed from the trucks. These are plugs with FOUR wires attached. Leave the motor wiring in place.
I have always found 14.4 volts is sufficient for a realistic top speed.
In my early ins