I am trying to figure a way to add light to the automatic gatemans lantern. I have the PW model made of plastic with a light inside. If someone has done it please give me a hand. We newbies are so needy.
Kevin
Can't stop working on the railroad!
The earlier metal version of it had a light in the base that shined upward into a lantern in the figure's hand. I suspect you have the later plastic version. I don't know how you would light it except possibly with a white LED.
Grain and Wheat bulb, imbedded into lantern, disquise the wires...
How about a single strand of fiber optic from your light source into the lantern....that may be better than the grain and wheat.
Anyway you look at it it would be tricky.
The best way to hide the wires or a fiber optic cable would be inside the arm. Drilling a channel through the middle without affecting the arm's ability to swing would require extremely flexible wire/cable and would have to come out short of the shoulder. However you could make the arm immovable without affecting the overall look of the gateman. That would negate the need for having the wire come out and go into the side of the body which is what you'd have to do to keep the arm swinging.
If you do manage to pull that job off, drilling a wire shaft down through the gateman's body and out his foot would be a bit easier since the body is thicker than the arm. You'll need to be sure the wire/cable doesn't obstruct the mechanism and flexes freely as the gateman operates.
If you manage to make it work, I'd love to see pictures! Good luck!
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Since you are thinking about modifying the piece why not take the idea of the original and update it? Specifically, drill a hole in the base, put in an LED with a small lens with a focal length equal to the distance between the base and the lantern bottom and let what should be a very bright beam of light illuminate the lantern.
Thank you I think this is the route I will go. Do you where I can pick up a focal lense/ I have plenty of LED's so no problem there.
Thanks,
You need a positive lens. The focal length of the lens is
focallength = 1 / (1 / LEDdistance + 1 / lanterndistance) ,
The image of the LED on the lantern will be larger than the LED by the factor lanterndistance / LEDdistance; so, if you want all the light to reach the lantern, you don't want the LED to be much closer to the lens than the lantern is. Instead of focal length, the lens might be specified in terms of its optical power in diopters, which is 1 / focallength, with focallength in meters.
Bob Nelson
I did this and it does work but I cant seem to get the gateman to work properly with MTH IR sensor. I got the gateman to come out but the light inside went off and I am not sure where to connect the wires so the lantern light only lights when the gateman is activated. If anyone can help that would be great.
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