I want to add a light to my post war Lionel Caboose. Where to I get parts to do this? Truck/track electrical pick up, new light and bulb in car and guage of wire.
Also does anybody have step by step instructions how to do this?
Thank you from a Lionel lover with begining experience.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
You can do this. I have but will tell you it will cost much less to get a version that is already lighted even if you scavenge the parts off it to light yours. Assuming you have an SP style caboose like a 6257, just get the fully detailed 6457. These days beaters can be had for 15 bucks or less. Pickup roller trucks alone typically go for ten bucks these days.
Pete
I'm with Pete, if you don't have collector trucks already on the caboose, just shop for one that does.
Hi - If you still want to do this, I completed it on my modern lionel PRR caboose. I bought some roller pickups from Henning's Trains and soldered them up in a jiffy. I purchase these lights from Amazon. You can wire them directly and you'll have success. (Amazon link to lights) These are great because you can just double tape them to the base of the Caboose. I used 2. Works great, looks great. Works AC/DC. Used on Lionel and MTH transformers without issues.
I took a completely different route. It worked so good that I did it to a couple of cabooses. Certainly not original, but the cabooses were cheepies. First I covered the windows inside with frosted vellum so that you couldn't see inside. Next I inserted a 9 volt battery. I wired in an on/off switch, the kind that comes on engines for smoke etc. control. I mounted this through a small hole in the bottom. Add into the circuit an LED from Even Designs and you have a lighted caboose with no flickering light. Of course, the only drawback is that you have to turn it on manually and remember to turn it off again.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
