Wiring a P2K GP38-2 for ditch lights

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

The saga of detailing my HO Proto 2000 GP38-2 continues:

First, the good news:

  1. DH163L0 decoder installed and working properly - Had to rewire the NMRA socket first

  2. Ditch light housings attached and holes drilled - Not the prettiest job but I’m using this as a learning locomotive

  3. LED headlights (front and rear) installed and working properly

  4. Ditch lights wired to decoder with proper resistor value

  5. Decoder CVs reprogrammed for alternate blinking and working properly - Pretty cool effect, I might add [tup]

Now, the bad news: For the life of me, I can NOT figure out how to route the ditch light wires so that the shell closes all the way down.

There are a few “chaseways” that can be used for routing wires but there is really no place to “stuff” the excess when you are finished. And you need excess in order to be able to pull the shell off the frame and lay it to the side so that you can access the decoder - without having to unsolder everthing.

Apart from milling out some of the frame, the only other method that I can come up with means that I’ll have to solder and unsolder the wires with the shell already on the frame, thereby having to solder very close to the shell. If I leave just enough slop in the wires, I should be able to poke them back up in a couple of the gaps, just behind the front pilot. (Not exactly desirable but workable.)

Has anyone else been able to come up with a viable solution for situations like this? Are there small connectors that can be “reasonably” connected and unconnected. Other than the couple of ideas mentioned above, I’m pretty much at a loss what else to do.

And, it’s more challenging because you can’t really see inside the shell when it’s attached to the frame. You sorta have to hold both halves in front of you then play what I call "3D Tetris

2

I’ve never seen the inside of a P2K Geep so I can’t help with routing, but what about using connectors instead of excess wire?

3

Why not stuff them in the cab. There is lots of room in there for wire. Maybe use masking tape to hold them down low so you can’t see them from the outside but leave enough play so that when you pop off the shell you can remove the tape to give you that extra room you need.

4

Dave,

You’re right. There is plenty of room in the cab and, actually, in the area above the DCC board. The problem is routing the wires to get to those openings.

The way this Proto 2000 frame is designed in the front portion of the locomotive, it protrudes up into the nose opening of the shell and completely blocks off that, as well as the sides leading to the cab. (Maybe I’ll try and add pictures later today to better illustrate what it looks like.) There is a slot already cut into the top of the frame’s nose section that could be used as a wire chase. I’d have to mill the front “V” of the nose off slightly to create a chase.

Another idea is possibly running the wires across the bottom and up through the front truck opening into the cab area. I’d want to make sure that the wires did not impede the trucks at all when they rotated.

Chip,

That’s what I was wondering, too. My concern would be how reliable and “reasonably” repeatable are they to plug and unplug.

Thanks for the help, you two! [:)]

Tom

5

Does anyone know if the Proto 2000 GP38-2s cabs can be removed?

I was watching a Joe Fugate video recently where Joe was installing headlight and ditch lights in an Athearn(?) locomotive. He was able to pop the cab right off to access the light ports to the headlight and number boards. The Protos have tabs but appear to be glued to the rest of the shell.

Tom

6

I see what your talking about now, I just pulled the shell off of one of mine. I think your going to have to mill off a little bit of the front weight so the wires can run like the head light wires run to the decoder. That looks like the only clean way to do it. It looks like the body is in 3 pieces to me, the hood and cab look like they just pop off the floor part but I’m a little worried to try it, lol. Mine doesn’t have any glue on it keeping it together.

7

Thanks, Dave. That seems to be the least obtrusive and risky way to do it. I could even just use a file to flatten or knock off the point of the nose. Shouldn’t require taking too much off to pass four wires up the front of the nose. I’ll keep you posted.

Any further observations and ideas by others are still welcome.

Tom

8

Thought about contact pads? Should be easy to construct and actually uses the frame as opposed to avoiding it. The couplers would hold this connection tight, and you dont have to worry about any exposed wires.

David B

9

David,

For the most part I follow your idea. But you lost me on the couplers. Could you elaborate on it a bit further for me? Thanks for the help.

Tom

10

tstage,

The cab comes off my P2K GP30. The shell comes off the walkway and then there are some tabs holding the cab on the rest of the shell.

Hope this helps,

SOU Fan

11

Doesnt the coupler pad hold the shell on the chassis? That is what I meant.

The pad route eliminates the wire issue entirely.

David b

12

I just thought of something. There is a screw holding the body down under the trucks so if you drilled the front screw hole out bigger could run the wires through that into the inside of the loco. The wires could be hidden under the walkway leading to the bigger hole. The slot on the side of the weight looks like its big enough to hold the wires so you may not need to mill it bigger. Just another option for you…