Hi - Just powered up a new Polar Express 2.0 and found a brilliant white light in the cab. I presume it is to illuminate the interior of the cab. It is so bright however that it makes looking in the cab painful. Is that normal? Any ideas for a diffuser of some sort? Thanks for any thoughts!
RickO45 Hi - Just powered up a new Polar Express 2.0 and found a brilliant white light in the cab. I presume it is to illuminate the interior of the cab. It is so bright however that it makes looking in the cab painful. Is that normal? Any ideas for a diffuser of some sort? Thanks for any thoughts!
As I understand it there's two Polar Express models available now, both steam and diesel. If it's the diesel and you want to be prototypical you can remove the light, diesels don't run at night with the cabs lit up. Most models have lit cabs, but just because it looks cool, no other reason. Steam engines had lights in the cabs but they were muted so as to not affect the crews night vision too much.
I'm guessing it's an LED lamp, some of which can be blindingly bright. An easy way to tone it down a bit would be to "paint" it with a yellow or blue or any color (within reason) Sharpie pen, whichever gives you the desired result. If you don't like the result you can remove the ink with some rubbing alcohol. I've made my own red bulbs with a Sharpie and it works very well. I wouldn't try messing with the electronics though.
Thanks so much for the tip! It is the steam model so I will give the Sharpie a try. It is indeed blindingly bright and I did not want my grandchildren staring at it as they looked at the flickering red light in the firebox and the figures in the cab. Thanks again.
You're welcome! Let me know how it works out.
Hi Rick. Just wondering your thoughts on this loco?
I have been looking into the LionChief+2.0 Berkshire. ( I can run it from my IPad). What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Paul
just cover the light with something
Sorry for the delay. I started with the basic LionChief Polar Express and decided to upgrade. I am very happy with both the appearance and performance. In the product lineup, LionChief 2.0+ seems to be the sweet spot for me. I have very little train experience but I really enjoy it.
Thanks!
I've been looking at online reviews, and looking forward to try my hand....
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