Thanks for the very nice comments and update Jerry.
After Christmas I plan to look into some 12v automotive dash bulbs.
I 'am ashamed to admit that I'am just a token rail roader but I look forward every year to watch the train run around the tree.
Merry Christmas to you and to all in this forum.

Michael

I just noticed that Bachmann sells powered trucks (Jackson sharp trucks) $10.
They are constructed. exactly the same way I did mine.
If you want to save money your combine has all the parts you need.

I got tired of switching the battery on and off on my North Pole Express combine , so I converted mine to be powered off the track rails.
The job is amazingly simple and all the materials are already on the combine except for two 5" pieces of wire.
You will need a soldering iron and a small drill or round file.

1. Remove the screw holding the wheel truck on the baggage end of the combine (with the sliding doors) you will need to add some weight later.

2. Push the tabs that hold the battery box in and pull the box out far enough so that you can unsolder the wires to the battery box .

3. With the battery box removed , bend and pull out the 2 metal contacts in the box ,these will be your brush contacts that ride against the wheels.

4. On top of the truck there are 2 screws that hold the outside of the frame together , these will be the hold downs for the contacts.

5. Straighten the batterybox contacts out and then fit them to the top of the truck so that the screws will hold them down and with a 45 degree angle they will make contact with the front side of the wheels. Make sure you you have plenty of pressure against the wheel. (you can tweak these later).

6. File or drill a small notch in the contacts so that they will slip under the loosened screws on the trucks , adjust the contacts against the wheels and tighten down the screws. After I tightened down my screws the contacts had so much pressure that the wheels would not turn but you can adjust these for just the right am out of pressure.

7. Cut 2 pieces of wire and connect the 2 wires coming out of the combine to the contacts on each wheel. You can do this without a soldering iron by wrapping the wire around the screws holding down the wheel contacts before you tighten down the screws but a soldered connection is much better. Before I connected the wires ,I drilled a small hole in a cross member under the combine and passed the wires through it ,you can just tape them up.

8. Reassemble and enjoy.

When I first tried the combine the lights worked fine on the straights but flickered and went out on the curves. I then put 4 rolls of pennies through the sliding doors and the lights worked great with just an occasional flicker (that's why you need to wire the wheels under the baggage end of the combine).

It is suprising how bright the lights are , I wish the engine light was so bright.

Michael Morris