During the late 1930'ies, the shunting locomotive class V 36 was developed military purposes. After the war the engines got in the locomotive parc of the German Federal Railroad. In 1947 to 1949 a reproduction series with 14 and in 1950 another with 18 engines was procured again. Near the shunting service the passenger traffic belonged to the fields of application for the class V 36. Some locomotives got a special kind of a roof pulpit which should make possible a better sight for the train driver. Typically for V 36-hauled passenger trains were trainsets consisting of "Donnerbüchsen" in red painting. In 1968 the locomotives still got the number 236, in 1981 the last engine was put out of service. Luckily, numerous V 36 survived with museum railroads.

The previous owner of this locomotive was a hobby colleague who had died last year unfortunately. Because no one in his family was intertested in his model railway collection, they started to sell it. I also bought a number of items, I also got, in addition, an almost new diesel locomotive of the series V 36 from Lima. With the converting of the locomotive for AC operation had already been begun. Two - with the installation of a spickup shoe disturbing - gearwheels were already removed, and a hole for the screw holding the pickup shoe was already drilled.

The locomotive belongs to the newer generation of Lima-models. The plastic shell consists of two parts. If you removes both parts, you see at once the massive metal block which accomodates the motor. I was surprised by the inserted motor; it is a Bühler motor which insides of this model. In the original condition all three axles are driven; there are no traction tires.

Because it is a diesel locomotive, power take off over the catanary is not possible. So, a pickup shoe has to be fitted. However, such a pickup shoe needs a certain ground clearance, first of all its thicker end pieces. The point contacts (Pukos) are higher on turnouts than on other track pieces. If there's not enough ground clearence, the pickup shoe doens't have enough space for movement; the locomotive is pressed upwards on turnouts and double slip turnouts and will derail. That's why two gearwheels must be removed, namely gearwheel B, the gearwheel of the middle driving axle, as well as gearwheel C, the gear wheel between the middle and front driving axle. Behind the opening for gearwheel A an approx. 4-5 mms long deepening was cut out from the cover, also to get enough space for movement for the other end of the pickup shoe. Also to the attachment of the pickup shoe should be meant. Moreover 5 mms from the edge or the opening for gearwheel A a hole for the pickup shoe's screw was drilled .

All works mentioned up to now were already done by the previous owner.

I began to continue the converting with the fitting of the right pickup shoe. I took for this the pickup shoe 7175 from Märklin. This pickup shoe normally serves for the power take off of the interior lightings for 24cm express train coaches of this manufacturer. However this pickup shoe didn't prove very well. So I tried a Fleischmann pickup shoe 692009. Unluckily this pickup shoe has to be ordered as a spare part in most of the cases; many dealers only Märklin and Roco pickup shoes in stock. This pickup shoe' base plate isn't made of pertinax or plastic; it only consists of thin sheet metal. So its an ideal pcikup shoe for locos with not much ride height. To fix the pickup show I used the screw in the middle of the chassis. However this screw has contact with the metal block holding the motor inside the loco. So that metal block musn't have any contact to the ground!!!

Then, a red cable (which should harmonize in the tint with so chassis) is soldered to the pickup shoe. The cable was laid along the brake shoe of the rear axle into the locomotive inside. Besides, was to be paid attention to the fact that neither this wheel set nor the jack wheel are hindered in any form. Certainly, this solution sounds simply , but, however, hardly strikes. The cable must be soldered absolutely laterally, this may in no case happen on the bottom. The consequences would be that the pickup shoe would be pressed the downwards, this would cause problems on turnouts .

At last, this photo: you can see the pickup shoe with the closed hole (green arrows) and the place in the suspension where the gear wheels have been dismantled (yellow arrows).

Now the electric works are complicated less. As a reversing unit I also took for this locomotive the FRU 550 from Uhlenbrock. The installation of the reversing unit takes place in accordance with the enclosed instruction, in our case this means: Both motor connections are on the front of the motor. There you have to solder both red cables of the reversing unit. What concerns both small lamps: I have renounced the lighting, because it struck anyway hardly. Morevover, more place in the locomotive inside was won (especially on the top side of the motor block). One black cable has to be connected with the connecting cable of the pickup shoe. The four wheel grinders must be connected with the second black cable. In order that the shell is still fitting afterwards, these cables must remain in the special deepenings on the exterior side walls of the motor block. The reversing unit finds its place in the driver`s cab of the locomotive. (Note: because the wiring of locomotive is not so extensively, there's no wiring plan published).

It has been worthwhile in every respect to finish the converting of this locomotive. Before a fitting trainset with red "Donnerbüchsen" the engine . Certainly, the traction power ist limited in certain points, but don't forget that the class V 36 is a shunting locomotive.

Disclaimer. I can NOT be held responsible for any damage you cause by following my instructions, on modifying your model railway equipment. Everything you are doing, you are doing it at your own risk!