I have a Proto 2000, GP38-2 To remove the body the instructions say to remove the coupler box ass’y and two small screws and lift the body off. Well nothing moves. I’m I missing something. Thanks
Did you get the right two small screws? They are not the ones under the fuel tank. I’m not 100% certain because I don;t have that particular loco, but on many of the P2K locos, the screws are somewhat under the trucks, you have to swivel them to one side or the other and use a SMALL screwdriver to reach them. There ARE some where the shell screws are indeed under the fuel tank, but the ones in the center of the fuel tank are the motor mount, not the body shell. I’m pretty sure the GP38 is one of the former type with the screws near the trucks. If the screws are removed the shell should jsut slip right off, there are not other catches or anything on P2K locos. No real force should be needed to pull it off.
–Randy
Randy is correct. They are somewhat offset under the trucks towards the fuel tank.
Joe
Randy That did it,thanks alot.
If your installing a decoder in that Proto then be aware that the number board lights are wired wrong from the factory for DCC. They work fine on DC. You need to remove or relocate the bulbs or the decoder will read a short when you go to program it.
Is there a way to correct the wiring?
It’s very simple, you can wire them to the red and black track power wires but you will need to replace them with 12-15 volt bulbs. They always stay on though and be aware they do produce a fair bit of heat. You can also wire them to one of the functions on your decoder that way you have the ability of turning them off and on, just make sure your decoder can handle the factory 1.5 bulbs or you will need to replace them. The Digitrax DH165L0 decoder is perfect for 99% of Proto loco’s. It has resistors built into it so you don’t need to swap out bulbs. The easiest solution is just to simply remove the number board lights all together. You can gently turn the wire on the plug in a circle and it will eventually break off. It sounds like a pain in the rear to do but after you do it enough times it becomes very easy, I’ve installed decoders in around 30 Proto GP38-2’s and it sounds harder then it is. If your not going to run your loco in the dark then I would just remove them. Just be very sure your removing the correct ones first before you do it.
Thank you for the info. I have the DH165LO. Jerry