Rapido Trains FP9A Product Manualline - Roof Lights
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By the way, you do NOT need to remove the shell to install the ditch lights.
The outer holes on the ditch light drilling template are for installation of CP ditch lights.
Rest the drilling template on the front buffer, and make sure it is straight. Using a small
diameter drill bit (such as a #78) in a pin vise, drill a pilot hole in each of the two holes.
This last step is particularly easy to do if you have three hands, so that probably rules
out most of our customers. Anyway, remove the template and finish the holes with a #53
drill bit. Dip the end of each ditch light casting in white glue, wipe off the excess, and
shove it into the hole. That’s it – you now have working CP ditch lights.
To operate the ditch lights in DCC, use function 6.
ROOF LIGHTS
The sound-equipped CP FP9A comes with a working roof-mounted searchlight, which
can be operated using F5 on DCC layouts. Some CN FP9A locomotives have roof-
mounted strobe lights installed at the factory. However, there was no room for us to
install LEDs for these without obliterating the cab interior detail. If you have a CN FP9A
with strobe lights and you want them to function, the best thing to do is actually to re-
place them.
Aberdeen Car Shops produces HO scale fink lights: aberdeencarshops.ca. These are
amazing hand-made strobe lights designed specifically for CN locomotives including
the FP9A. If your FP9A is sound-equipped, our decoder already has a function output
programmed for strobe lighting. Cut off the factory-installed strobe lights and drill out
the mounting holes. Install the fink lights and bend the LED leads out of view. Solder the
leads to the F7 and common outputs on the decoder. See the wiring diagram on page
16. Note: the terminals on the decoder are labelled F7, but the functions work on F5.
That’s it – you now have working strobe lights.
For warranty information on what may happen once you decide to open this thing up,
see below.
REMOVING THE SHELL
Installing working strobe lights or a DCC decoder involves removing the shell. This is a
real production. Here’s how to do it. If you damage, destroy or immolate your engine
in the process, it is unfortunately not covered under warranty; once you open it up, you
are on your own. That being said, if you break some bits and we have them available
we will of course be happy to send you replacements.
Place a white table cloth on your workbench or kitchen table. Place a foam cradle
(available from Micro-Mark, product #80784) or a thick-piled hand towel (not a tea
towel!) folded over a couple of times on top of the table cloth and lay the FP9A on its
roof. Alternatively, you can place it upside down in the foam insert inside the wonderful