When I first got my Legacy CSX SD40-2 back in January, I told all of you that, to my dissapointment, the CSX version of the SD40-2 had no ditchlights unlike the NS version, which was catalogued a year ealier, did have them.
And do to the fact that all CSX SD40-2s in real life have them, I tried to see if Lionel would provide me with them to put on my engine. When I first inquried by Tech Talk what the part # of the ditch lights were, they told me and I ordered it. What came was NOT the ditchlights, it was instead the harness which holds the 5 pin clip and wires.
Then, I emailed Lionel a week or two later asking how I could get lights for my SD40-2, and I got this responce:
"No lighting upgrade is available for this unit. We do not recommend or
give information for modification of our products.
Talk To Us"
So I am unable to get any ditchlights for my engine. I personally think Lionel should offer ditchlights for it because is says both in the catalog and manual that the engine is equipped with “Ocillating Ditch Lights”.
If I remember right, TAS makes a kit that gives you the ocillatiing ditchlights. Get it and do it yourself. I added ditchlights to a dummy. I used 18V grain of wheat bulbs. Now I have some LED tiny lights to use.
You did? I though about doing that to, but when I emailed them about it, the nice guy there said that he didnt think so, becuase the ditchlights use 8 bit serial code, while the Legacy engines use a 9 bit serial code. When he called Lionel, one of they guys there said he felt that the 9 bit serial code would send the AD20B boards into a tailspin, and that he thought no.
But if you did it on a SD40-2 dummy, I guess it should work on mine to.
I know tht old TMCC engines could be converted. A dummy is a dummy. Atlas sends theirs with pickups. MTH does not and parts have to be ordered to make it get power. Lionel does not come with pickups and is more “withdrawn” and parts seem to be harder to order. Just tried to order pickups for a newly released Conrail Uboat dummy. “Those parts are not available” was their cold answer. Got a NS Dash 9 dummy on order and it says electrocouplers. Want to see what Lionel has done for that non-powered unit. I try to power all of mine. I then add lights [Atlas comes with their dummies lit] and a smoke unit. Keep researching. If nothing else, add the lights and not get the ocullating. Maybe later, get the parts number for the NS and order the board for it and swap it out in the CSX. See, should have gotten the NS one and not the CSX [little short line]. [:-^] OH, I ignore a lot of Lionel’s tech folks. Some don’t know their * from a hole in the ground. Atlas on the other hand, costs more but are completely opposite when you talk to their techs. Later
Grayson,
I just checked the Lionel catalogs on the NS SD40-2 and CSX SD40-2 they both state ‘Operating Marker Lights’ but they do not say anything about ‘Oscillating Ditchlights’. Maybe you have this wrong?
I would also recommend contacting them via phone, not email. If you contact them via email you are going to get the canned ‘Not available answer’, however if you contact them via phone you can state ‘The catalog, box end flap, and the instruction manual all state that the engine comes equiped with Operating Marker Lights. However the engine does not have this feature.’
Brent,
I believe the “Occilating Ditchlights” was in the catalog were the CSX SD40-2 was first available. I do know for a fact that the insturction manual and box flap indicated “Ocillating Ditchlights” as a operating feature.
No, I am not mistaking it. The engine does have Marker Lights, as does the NS version, but the NS version, unlike the CSX version, does not ditch lights. [:)]