Fitting track-powered interior lighting to the LGB RhB baggage van

(can be adapted to other vehicles and brands)

LGB introduced a 4-wheel Rhatische Bahn (RhB) baggage van as part of their 2004 range. The model is based upon a prototype that was rebuilt on old 4-wheel coach chassis, and offers modellers of the RhB a cheaper alternative to the large bogie van. The van is currently available in red, and in blue/white “Alpine Classic” livery as a limited-run model. I bought the Alpine Classic mainly as I prefer the colour scheme!

When I received my model in March 2005, I was impressed with the detail and standard of finish, however, I was less than impressed with the plastic wheels, which tend to attract dirt and also neither look nor sound as good as metal wheels. Considering Bachmann is able to fit metal wheels to models costing a fraction of this, I feel LGB should be able to. I decided to solve this problem by fitting a set of LGB’s ball-bearing wheel sets, as these also reduce drag (which can be considerable on a long-wheelbase vehicle running on tight curves). As these wheel sets include power pickups I also decided to fit interior lighting to the model. As I’ve also used these parts on other coaches over the past few months I’ve included some advice based on these installations.

The parts:

Step one: remove the roof. It should simply unclip, though persuading it to do so can be tricky. Try gently flexing the sides of the vehicle out if it’s unwilling to move. Just don’t use either excessive force or tools, as spare parts for these models are expensive!

Step two: open your lighting kit(s). For this installation I’ll need some extra 2-core wire (automotive speaker cabling), as I need to wire the two units together and hook them up to the wheels. To do this, I start by unsoldering the factory wires, then measure three lengths of the new wire. One runs between the units, the other two run down through the holes in the floor to the wheel sets. When happy with the length, solder them in place, making sure you have the same polarity throughout to avoid short-circuits. You may also at this point wish to fit the little spade connectors provided with the ball-bearing wheels to the other ends of the power wires, as following this course enables you to keep the soldering iron clear of the plastic rather than having to carry out delicate work later on.

Keep the spare sections of wire with the plugs on – you can use these to make up “through cabling” for vans etc running in “wired” passenger trains. Likewise you may wish to keep these cables fitted to the lighting unit – I have a Sachsen 4-wheel coach fitted with metal wheels and interior lighting that operates as extra pickups for my Stainz 0-4-0, connected via the socket on the back of the cab. In this situation the correct polarity is even more important, as not only must it be correct through the vehicle, it must also match the loco. In this case I’m not keeping the wires as they would be rather unsightly on a model such as this, and also wouldn’t be needed to power other lighting – all the LGB RhB coaches are fitted with lighting and track pickups

Step three: the fun part. Routing the power feed wires in such a way as to avoid them being visible from the outside. I pre-bent them to follow the end walls and floor of the vehicle before leaving via the pre-drilled holes in the floor. These holes are not always present, though there are guide markings – the aforementioned Sachsen coach was not pre-drilled but using the markings made for a simple modification. Once the wires are in place, you can clip the roof back on.

Step four: the ball-bearing wheels are a simple clip-in replacement for the originals, and the spade connectors simply push on as shown here. Check that you have the correct polarity at this point to avoid potential damage later, and the work is complete.

Matt Gadfield 2005.