Installing interior lighting in Kato three-car trams

[Jordi]

Just spent a while installing interior lighting in one of my Kato Green Mover LEX trams. While the Centram and Portram trams come with lighting pre-installed, the three car trams do not (despite showing with lighting on the tram set boxes).  I used Kato 11-214 LED Interior Lighting Kit, Version 2 (Indirect Lighting Type). This comes with six lighting circuits, enough for three trams as each three carriage tram only requires two of these. You only need the small black circuit units in white cases inside a little bag in the box, the major parts of the Lighting Kit remain unused for the trams but it is an inexpensive item.

 

I prised the lighting circuits carefully from their white holders, then pulled the cars apart, turned upside down and removed the black covers from the bottom of the pivoting sections. You have to bend the two metal pins on the lighting units with your fingers so they are near vertical but still at a slight angle to the black parts. Then, with the tram carriages still upside down, slip the lighting circuits into the rear slots of the pivoting sections, tiny tag to top. The pins slot into narrow sections each side in front of the lighting circuit. Ensure lighting circuits are down as far as they will go.

 

 I then replaced the black covers (actually the fiddliest part of the process as they can be tricky to position so they and the lighting units don't fall out soon as you turn the tram right way up). I tested the tram and all cars now light up beautifully with a warm white colour. Makes a huge difference when watching them run on the layout, especially in the dark. One more LEX to go, then three more to do when DHL deliver another LEX and the Piccolo/Piccola tram set later today. 

 

There is a YouTube video by a Japanese gentleman, Otaku Oyaji, (in English) on how to install the lighting in the trams (see link below), the only video on this process I could find online and it took some searching to locate even this. You do NOT need to cut the little tag off as he did (I tried both and to me it didn't make any difference when reattaching the black covers. They are so fiddly to position so that they stay in place. Note he bent the pins too much on his first attempt, they need to be at a slight angle. It's a simple process except for reattaching the black covers.

 

Instruction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lt4MYr3yZQ

Edited February 21, 2023 by Jordi
Correction

[bill937ca]

We already have two Greenmax LEX lighting installation videos.

 

 

[Jordi]

Thanks bill. The first video in Japanese did not show up when I searched for a lighting video on the Kato three car trams and I only found the other in a general Google search of YouTube videos. None showed for this Forum. Interesting to see that in the first video, he cut that tag off too and also sections of the black cover. My covers are staying on now without that, well so far. If they do fall off, I may have to do what he did. Perhaps his lighting circuits sit higher in the slots as he pushes his pins flat but the manual has them at an angle. The 11-211 lighting set he used seems to contain only one lighting circuit but these trams need two so you would need two 11-211 sets for one tram. 11-214 contains 6 lighting circuits, enough for three trams so I believe represents better value if you have more than one tram. I paid 3325 JPY to Amazon.jp for it and I have a second lighting set arriving soon for my other trams.

[Guest]

I have the same tram(s)... I recall the instructions and Google translate were sufficient at the time.