Thanks, just what I needed to know.  I certainly have the time now, but not the desire to wade into a major project without near the knowledge to complete it.  I thought I might be able to just put the shell on a new chassis and forgo the "bells and whistles", but we are talking major modification well above my nonexistent skill level, all so I can feel a little better about not reading an add more carefully, and think I haven't thrown away money that I've already thrown away.  So throw more money at it.  Fallacy of sunk costs.  I should just accept that I've paid tuition once again, before I enter the grad program.  You'd think you would hit an age where tuition stops.  I believe you do, unfortunately that age is "dead".

Again thanks for your expertise.  Now I've got to figure out what to do next.  I'd already decided to just pony up and get a new set.  I was thinking about maybe using the locomotive and cars as extras, for a little variety, but that is not to be. 

Got one of the big hauler r/c battery powered locomotive, didn't realize there was such a thing as g scale battery powered train. I'd like to convert the locomotive to electric, and I noticed Bachmann sells electric chassis for big haulers.  What I'd like to do is pull the chassis from the battery powered locomotive and replace it with a new electric chassis.  As you can tell from the first sentence, I don't know what I'm doing.  All I'd want is for the combined locomotive to run.  Don't need the R/C, smoke sounds or light to work, although light would be nice.  Is this something a complete newbie could do?  If so, any advise as to how to go about it?  Or should I just box it back up and take it to Goodwill?