I just finished installing an ESU LokSound select into my F40PH-2 CalTrain #914. Nothing really to this install, except for the introduction of separate ditch lights, rather than using the "all in one" light pipe that Kato provides. There is no frame milling required, and plenty of room for everything. The only unfortunate aspect to this model is the near impossibility to put in the correct marker lights for reverse running. Since CalTrain has these mounted high on the hood, next to the number boards, and Kato has the large pipe for the numberboards there, it becomes near impossible to have them in place. Here are a couple photos of the decoder and stuff. You can see that I mounted a rear light, onto the speaker enclosure. Why, you ask, if it is normally pulling/pushing passenger trains? Well, what about when the loco is not coupled? What I did is use the very versatile function mapping of the ESU decoders, and have dedicated a function switch (well, 2, since I have two cab cars) and the reverse light only goes on when there is no cab car. (In ESU programming, the F0(R) function is now active when: F0 is on, Direction is reverse, F12 is not on; F13 is not on. I will use F12 for one cab car; and F13 for the other.) I put the ditchlights down on the frame (could have mounted them even lower, hence the tape to help block light And this shows the modifications to the light pipe. Some tape for light blocking, plus I used a black sharpie on the main light pipe Here is a short YouTube of the sound in this unit
With both the F40PH-2 and MP36PH-3C, I also needed to get the newly released Bombardier CalTrain cars The two CalTrains in Sunol yard on the JACALAR The cab cars The Kato cab car (left) has built in lights, while the Athearn (right) does not. My next project is to convert my two Kato cabs and the Athearn to use the ESU LokPilot Fx Nano to display the proper lights, including flashing ditch when the Cab Car is leading.
Hi RBrodzinsky, I like your work! I hope to install ESU sound decoders in my fleet of F40PH's and MP36. I also have them all in Caltrain. Do you have any photos on how you modified your light board on the F40PH, and decoder wire placement to the original light board? Thank you for posting. Ed
Ed, the light board is completely removed. All lights are now 0603 LEDs. I create a 0.020" styrene "fake" board, which holds the long brass contact strips in place, and protects the motor.
...and, mostly, it is because I had a TCS decoder in there previously. Never had a DC stock board. If you look at the top picture, you can see how I solder the pickup wires the the brass strips, mid frame. There is a small PCB board between the decoder and speaker which has been milled into 5 isolated strips. 4 are split, with a 1Kohm SMD resistor across the split. The common (positive) blue wire is soldered to the strip without resistor, and each of the light outputs to the other 4. The small kapton wrapped package on top of the board are two tantalum capacitors, wired in parallel, the anodes connected to the blue wire, the cathodes connected to the decoder ground. Not true keep-alive, but enough to buffer drop outs.
