Locomotive Lighting

[rhobat bryn]

Having just been to Warley and discovered the treasure trove that is DCC Supplies, I have been wondering about the practicalities of fitting an LED to my Kitson 2-6-4T.  The headlamp was located to the front of the chimney.  Does the size of this prevent the installation of an LED or is this a feasible project?

[pilotfriend]

I sometimes wonder if you ever read published work.

http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/chuffed.htm

[Graeme Dunbar]

It depends on the style of LED. This sort has been used as a passable representation of a buffer stop lamp:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/2-5mm-Yellow-LED-Axial-Miniature-72-8405


I'm not sure if white ones are available and it is highly unlikely that this style are available in warm white.

Of course you could use a surface mount LED solder fine wires to it and build up a lamp housing round it.

There may be some potential with this sort:
http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/1-8mm-White-LED-High-Power-3000mcd-55-1654

I've had some limited success with filing LEDs down (expect to loose a few). The dome lenses can be filed down and polished to make them look more like railway lamps.

[rhobat bryn]

It depends on the style of LED. This sort has been used as a passable representation of a buffer stop lamp:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/2-5mm-Yellow-LED-Axial-Miniature-72-8405

I'm not sure if white ones are available and it is highly unlikely that this style are available in warm white.

Of course you could use a surface mount LED solder fine wires to it and build up a lamp housing round it.

There may be some potential with this sort:
http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/1-8mm-White-LED-High-Power-3000mcd-55-1654

I've had some limited success with filing LEDs down (expect to loose a few). The dome lenses can be filed down and polished to make them look more like railway lamps.

Many thanks, Graeme; that's very helpful.  I think I shall have to do some detailed measuring and see what's possible.

I sometimes wonder if you ever read published work.

Actually I read a fair amount.  When I'm not reading up on Company Law, Regulation of Financial Markets, Insolvency Law and Banking Law, I'm reading for a Masters dissertation examining suggested Government reforms to winding up procedures for financial institutions in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse of September 2008 and its implications for the Law of Tracing; this is in addition to my full-time job.

When it comes to my hobby, I'm always grateful to my fellow modellers for their generosity of spirit in pointing me in the right direction so that I can learn more about it and thus improve my enjoyment of it.  Many thanks, therefore, for the reference and for kindly providing me with the relevant link; I shall follow it up forthwith.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Unfortunately the ready-made lamps seem to be out of stock at the moment. I'm not sure how long one would have to wait as I've waited months for particular colours of "DCC decoder" wire from them.

I did pick up a useful tip though from the instructions for the lamps though -  not to bother too much about re-polishing a filed down lens, but to put a spot of varnish on it. Now why didn't I think of that?

I have a friend who has soldering very fine wires to surface mount LEDs down to a fine art. He made himself a miniature clamp for holding them down that he uses for the LEDs for his Faller road vehicles.

[Hobby]

My main issue with lights on the front of trains is that, in general, they are far too bright! On a modern train there are normally one or two "marker" lights and a main headlight which is pretty bright... But that headlight hasn't been around that long on trains and the bulbs which make such a bright light are fairly new as well... Back in the old days the front lamps (even electric ones like those on the SR) weren't very bright... I've never seen one of those big front lights (such as on the L&M) in working condition, but with the technology around at the time I'd be surprised if they gave anywhere near the light a modern bulb would, despite their size...

No doubt lights ion buffer beams were lit in daylight in steam days, but I certainly can't remember being overwhelmed by their light back in my spotting days even though we used to get a head-on view of approaching freight trains from our favored spotting location...

I may not be favourite of the month for this, but I do feel that those small LEDs and Fibre optic cable lights need to be toned down on many layouts... As for mine, I'll probably disconnect them when i get a moment because the on the original of my line they just aren't used in daytime and the rear light is actually a marker board, something i believe many small independant railways the world over used...

[pilotfriend]

They can be as dim as one likes by adding a suitable resistor. I have found that in exhibition conditions, it is better to have the lights a lot brighter that 'scale' however.

[Hobby]

Mmm, I can see your point, John... Though just how many NG lines actually had (or have) front and rear lights that were actually lit in daytime? As I said I know that the ones I model don't, and looking at some randomly Googled images of the Welshpool their's aren't either...

Might be worth a survey either of photos or ask the volunteers...

[pilotfriend]

To my knowledge, none. I only have operating lights as it adds another dimension during exhibitions. Of course, modern WHR is different

[Tigger]

I agree John.  I have some lighting on my own layout and on just one loco but it looks good.  I use 1.5V grain of rice lamps which are a fairly hot white but as the loco (Sierra Leone 2-6-2T) has a steam generator I can get away with it as a bright electric light!
Graham's suggestion abut using a spot of varnish on a filed down LED leads me to further suggest tinting the varnish with a little yellow paint to mellow it.

[pilotfriend]

DCC concepts actually sell a yellow lacquer to transform blue white LEDs

[Tigger]

Good point John!  I remember my father using a yellow tinted lacquer on the discs when he was restoring a symphonium way back in 1975.

[Sven]

There are way smaller LED's than the red one pictured by Graeme. I used a 0603 in my H0 Roco Glaskasten Link to video, which I could build in the plastic non-working lamps. There are even smaller ones, nowadays, the 0402, which are almost half the size of the already incredible small 0603. 0402 is the smallest, with overall package size of 1.0 mm x 0.5 mm x 0.45 mm (L x W x H). Then 0603 at 1.6 mm x 0.8 mm x 0.6 mm. You can actually program, at least with the ESU's I own, the brightness and its behaviour (fading on and off, blinking etc). Brilliant stuff! I used thin black lacquered wire, found at the make-your-own-beads-necklace-section to connect them, as it's thin, but strong.



Picture source: http://led.linear1.org/surface-mount-leds/

[tedp]

I have used LED lights since the 1970s when LEDs just became available. At the time only low power LEDs were available, yellow, green and red ones.

I used small yellow and red LEDs to make up loco lamps and tail lamps, just bending back one lead behind the LED housing. Then I painted the LED black against light shining through, followed by white. Each time the lens was wiped clear. The wires were hidden under the footplate or in the smokebox. Here are a few examples (click on link to show large size photo):


http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/raebridge/p4224399a.jpg


http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/motivepower/loco/pict2065.jpg


http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/motivepower/loco/pict0348.jpg

The end result, if you shut one eye, looks remarkably like a loco lamp. I of course use DC power  ;D  and a 1K resistor will reduce the voltage the LED is exposed to enough so it won't burn out. Some of them have been in use for 30-odd years.

A high power LED of which the lens is sawn off can double as a Colonial type electric headlight. In some cases I add a piece of tube, split at one end, with a plastic square at the bottom for a 'pedestal'. In the example below the lens has been kept intact, but it can be cut down and the surface varnished so it is quite clear:


http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/motivepower/loco/pict0347.jpg

I have even fitted LEDs inside a plastic representation of a Colonial type square oil searchlight::


http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/motivepower/other/pict2131.jpg

Finally, I used red and orange LEDs as firebox illumination, but also in many cases ordinary light bulbs as loco headlamps.

[Hugh Norwood]

If you want really small lights, you could investigate optical fibres. These are flexible plastic fibres that you can glue to the top of (larger) LEDs and run them out through holes in your lamps. (See my article in 009 NEWS)