Uploaded December 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Hi Guys and Girls back again so soon :p It was just today that I unboxed and reviewed this loco and here it is already modded for night time operation!!
I decided after a couple of bourbons on a hot friday night that this mod was do-able but boy oh boy did it take some work and time! about 3 hours being my most difficult mod so far as the space in the shell is very limited, but I have managed to fit a 2xAAA battery pack making 3 volts and a headlamp running off 3 volts.
For starters I had to remove allot of the ribbing inside the shell (almost all of it), then I removed the face and cleared the area in the shell above the face in preparation for the headlamp hole to be drilled. I then drilled my neatest hole so far!! haha the bulb is a snug fit not needing glue to hold it in. I then turned to the chassis and removed the whole negative battery terminal and the white plastic support that holds it in place. My new temperature control soldering iron then got a workout after trial fitting proved everything would fit (just barely). assembly was quite a pain but i got it all together eventually and to my delight it works great!! The fast speed wasn't the intention of this mod but the 3 volts were simply for the light to be its brightest the fast speed is a byproduct of the extra voltage.
This is a very powerful locomotive and shows that these new drive units can take some punishment. The front truck is carrying a heavy quartz stone to try and slow the train down but it did little. pulling 12 trucks caused the trucks to topple over in the S bends after the station but it pulled them fine before the accident hehe.
Let me know what you people think of this mod it seemed impossible when i started :p
It also came about because I was going to put a light in my 4.5v gordon but I was defeated by a stripped screw head and couldn't be bothered fighting with it tonight lol Gordon will get his turn soon.
Anyway my neatest mod so far he looks completely standard except for the bulb poking out a little above the face, you'd never know it was modded until it was turned on.
Thanks for watching
Hi Guys and Girls back again so soon :p It was just today that I unboxed and reviewed this loco and here it is already modded for night time operation!!
I decided after a couple of bourbons on a hot friday night that this mod was do-able but boy oh boy did it take some work and time! about 3 hours being my most difficult mod so far as the space in the shell is very limited, but I have managed to fit a 2xAAA battery pack making 3 volts and a headlamp running off 3 volts.
For starters I had to remove allot of the ribbing inside the shell (almost all of it), then I removed the face and cleared the area in the shell above the face in preparation for the headlamp hole to be drilled. I then drilled my neatest hole so far!! haha the bulb is a snug fit not needing glue to hold it in. I then turned to the chassis and removed the whole negative battery terminal and the white plastic support that holds it in place. My new temperature control soldering iron then got a workout after trial fitting proved everything would fit (just barely). assembly was quite a pain but i got it all together eventually and to my delight it works great!! The fast speed wasn't the intention of this mod but the 3 volts were simply for the light to be its brightest the fast speed is a byproduct of the extra voltage.
This is a very powerful locomotive and shows that these new drive units can take some punishment. The front truck is carrying a heavy quartz stone to try and slow the train down but it did little. pulling 12 trucks caused the trucks to topple over in the S bends after the station but it pulled them fine before the accident hehe.
Let me know what you people think of this mod it seemed impossible when i started :p
It also came about because I was going to put a light in my 4.5v gordon but I was defeated by a stripped screw head and couldn't be bothered fighting with it tonight lol Gordon will get his turn soon.
Anyway my neatest mod so far he looks completely standard except for the bulb poking out a little above the face, you'd never know it was modded until it was turned on.
Thanks for watching
