This is the third of several different how-to articles with detailed photos and instructions for installing marker lights in a variety of N Scale cabooses.   

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These projects all started with the discovery of Layouts4U, a great model railroad supplier in England, offering complete caboose lighting kits at very reasonable prices. I highly recommend their products and service.

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I opted for their magnetic latching reed switches with onboard battery (top left), which allow for simple installation and easy on-off activation with a magnetic wand.

 

Disassemble the Micro-Trains caboose by removing the end railings/ladders and separating the body from the chassis (top right). Then drill a small hole in the top of the wall/roofline at the long end of the car body to accommodate the LED and wires (center left). Use CA to affix a very thin strip of styrene on the underside of the roof end to hold the LED firmly in place under the roofwalk brackets. Paint both the styrene strip and the wires red, to make them invisible after final assembly. Make mounting brackets for the reed switch by drilling a hole in a small styrene tab (x2) and thread the ends of the reed switch through the holes before soldering the lead wires.

 

Then use CA to attach the wired reed switch assembly to the underside of the roof. Mount the battery holder to the chassis and reassemble the caboose.

 

With the reed switch cemented to the roof, passing a magnet over the caboose will operate the marker light at your discretion.