Steam Loco Lighting

[Monon Railroader]

Hi All...

I've been away for a bit. Spent some time moving from the moderate climate of the San Francisco Bay Area to the blazing hot Central Valley! Its started to cool off a bit but still warm.

Anyway, I've a question... Although I'm a diesel loco fan I just purchased a Bachmann USRA 0-6-0 Steamer. I've found that the headlight, like several of my locos, is pretty pathetic! I don't have a big problem with swapping in an LED, but I'd like to have directional lighting.

The circuitry isn't a challenge... the components could live in the tender. The issue is the tender's light. It's just a chunk of plastic. Anyone have an idea how to get a tiny LED in that thing or maybe there is a replacement housing that could be mounted there??

Thanks for any advice!

Amanda

[MisterBeasley]

Is this designed for a light pipe with the lamp inside?

A small surface-mount LED might be just what you need.  It's also just a chunk of plastic.

[hon30critter]

Hi Amanda,

Remove the light. Drill the core of the tender light housing out from the bottom with a 1/16" bit. Drill the lens out whatever size suits the housing and then insert a small LED like these:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-x-0603-0402-Pre-soldered-Micro-Litz-Wired-Leads-White-SMD-Led-200mm-Long-DIY/192706427066?hash=item2cde32b8ba&var&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&enc=AQAEAAADMKvsXIZtBqdkfsZsMtzFbFsbX3WcW5fmB%2Fx7ZbaZTyexwRRkqiUX9N7uOs7%2BKdkDAZ3%2B6QC2L294d%2B%2FbewYz6ZU05mOTLRRZQJ9xogQeG5qBgKTm%2B3OOMCAxGAxtg8anNC1tDLujdT70%2FaD27F9TKkboaaXljYBhgONHrAELYpd5pBLWHt%2BHrtivKl9RtrCDQ9PGgHO1rY5lpiHyShvuLpSw4FxztDBiQB9MGnZjMuDnjdDduo62n5SSbmsB1fWkRWj1BCJSv4xmgL1%2B5H4DB54He0UP0OS0nDPgakbUdyobFcw3JwLWIabbEbF9xjl7kBSJ%2BfnOorSqquGLexdZOh1F5JwSGotQB153yKUTCmzWg3OLefdjOdR3mccgCoImPhL3f26mhSWf%2FBY8GPVO6Qadb9aT5MrQpBXJSJ97Zm20I81k8zdGkerIalAHWbQydoCQ6miRI23dXBRuKZXQduFReJVyOIN05eX%2BLUovdIGqI3rfr%2FBF5UgwPu0aBswhQQrbpfpqfyNOvZ37oEaOiwkB%2BmTHCYJMyPdBMTznoQ8KLGmifbY5xkYWWPwnI0QL8%2FdaVgsruCyGGXsUrUNi0JDuU8L3XQ5tp14j4cKv1J8SeTSPBLuyQFJJXlDLJJg2O3hydj9Yhr9Heq6yizRuGBFXl%2FX6I11YfC72gGI7WnvuLnvV15qrQQoW14t6zsacfo9UvEHDxWF5d5ZVl50t30ZYU9o9JAqljRLjtn2t1pqvS1aunDBgUyPpQbT8GQRN2XMSCNskWc4g0XB6WibVGQ%2BPeL85I0ANP3UGze9wy%2FTqpE%2Bq1n2RO1PGqYBMwdSIpv4kvCaE3D7u2HWJiuupK5FPzP7v2oCkyfMutQ%2BYRLKj3pyXyfCU6liDQ84pAEizLK7lq6AdcBdm%2FKHl33g3%2FaPYzMW8lXrHqhmPhGXKAOGyhp8rM%2Bw%2BbjNyUPA1t60zJweKerloW6HlQWUuP0vLgL4m2x37nfe8T6WwypZ23m5T1SaSd0jidbb1Lp13NhIbSkp38M93k4%2BhYfIircffR%2Bpz28gj5sk8pkEIDi7CNvfDI34tUX2hrQs%2F2chbtkhn%2FA%3D%3D&checksum=192706427066ee926133867742e4a82441db2f2ffc0e

Shipping usually takes a while because they are from China. Make sure you buy the 'warm white' version. Check the colour before installing the LED because sometimes the warm white LEDs are a bit greenish. Don't forget the 1000 ohm resistor. You can use canopy cement or epoxy to hold the LED in place and to make a lens.

Dave

[RR_Mel]

While I like the micro LEDs in Dave’s link if a 3mm led (⅛”D) would fit that would be my choice.  The micro LEDs don’t have a lens and the 3mm LED lens works very good if it will fit.

 

You didn’t say DC or DCC, it regular DC a simple diode in series will work for directional lighting.  The LED only works in one direction but will flicker in reverse without a diode.

 

If you are going DCC the direction is covered by the decoder.  For the diode I use 1N914 glass diodes, they are smaller than the higher power diodes and will easily handle several LEDs.  

 

EDIT:

 

I normally drill the headlight from the front with a ⅛” drill bit then drill a .0625” - 1/16 or #53 drill bit for the wires through the boiler.

 

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[doctorwayne]

RR_Mel

While I like the micro LEDs in Dave’s link if a 3mm led (⅛”D) would fit that would be my choice. The micro LEDs don’t have a lens and the 3mm LED lens works very good if it will fit.....

Mel, I'm building a Bowser A-5 for a friend (and doing my first DCC installation) and have found that those micro LEDs (the ones I have are slightly smaller than the ones Dave shows) work really well in MV Products lenses.  Looks like a bulb in a reflector, whether lit or not.

Wayne

[mlehman]

Hi Amanda,

Small prewired SMD LEDs can be had very cheap from China on Ebay. I used one when I added a backup light on my Shay. The light was a brass casting, which you can hopefully find one that is suitable for the Monon.  I drill a hole for the tiny wires, which are small enough to look scale, then another hole to take them inside the tender shell. I use canopy glue to hold the LED in place after painting the inside of the housing with silver paint. MV makes suitable lenses, which I scratch the silver off the back in the middle, then emplace with more canopy glue. Here's a pic with the lamp housing and then lit on the Shay.

Note that the lens is not in place in these pics. You can see the tiny LED nested in the lamp housing in the previous pic. The lens will hide that once in place. It's bright enough when lit you really don't notice there's no lens in place.

[BigDaddy]

Welcome back Amanda.  She is a DCC kind of girl.

Bowser now owns Cal Scale, if you want to go that route. 

https://www.bowser-trains.com/history/hocalscalesteam.html

It's train show season so you might be able to pick up one there.  Unforturnately the guy who might have one at Timonium has a big flat of parts in no order.  So you have to look at each package bent over, with poor lighting.

You won't need a diode with DCC, just a resistor.  I'm pretty sure you don't have a light pipe in the tender, but if you do, you can glue a LED to the back side, it can be a 3mm or the smaller ones.