Best Locomotive Replacement Lights

[willjayna]

Hey All,

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this question but here goes. I am having to replace some light bulbs on some of the newer Athearn Genesis engines and wanted to find out what you all use when having to replace these newer bulbs. I would like to use a vendor other than Athearn if I can, its tough to find replacement bulbs made by them.

The other question is similar in replacing bulbs or for that matter installing light bulbs on older blue box engines. I have a railpower sd80mac that has no lights which I would like to change that. Only problem is that there is no board in it so what would I use and how could these be soldered in.

Will T

[tstage]

Will,

I prefer and use LEDs for my locomotive headlights.  They emit a very directional beam (great for headlights) and they give off virtually no heat.  Most LEDs are 3-4V.  There are a few that are 12V.

Will, you don't say what scale you're modeling in.  For HO, 3mm LEDs are the right size.  For older engines, golden-white or sunny-white LEDs are appropriate.  For more modern locomotives, sunny-whites work well.

For the above LEDs, Richmond Controls manufactures both and can be purchased here.  Minitronics makes Yeloglo white LEDs, which are similar to the golden-white LEDs.

Lastly, unless you have a light board for reducing track voltage, you'll generally need a 1K resistor attached to one leg of you LED to reduce it to the 3-4V range.  Here's an LED primer (in .pdf format) from the Ulrich Models web site.

Hope that helps...

Tom

[Mark R.]

I have a few customers who still demand the use of bulbs .... because real trains don't have LEDs !

No matter, to each their own. For those cases, I use the Miniatronics line of bulbs. They have a very high life rating and are available in a number of sizes and voltages.

 

Mark. 

[narrow gauge nuclear]

Manufacturers, universally, relegate lighting to an afterthought except in the most expensive models and even then often come up short.  They will expend untold amount of effort in all sort of minutia detailing except for the lighting.

This is why I redo all lighting except for the Blackstone series of locos but then, for $300.00 plus per engine, you get what you pay for.

LEDs are pretty much the way to go in HO and smaller.  Anything larger than HO especially  high scale O and G looks a bit better with proper incandescent bulbs in a proper brass or metal headlight assembly.

Richard

 

[modelmaker51]

This should have been posted in the electronics forum.

The best replacement bulbs for the Athearn Genesis locos are the ones from Miniatronics, they can be ordered direct or through Walthers. You want the 1.5 volt bulbs. Most of the Genesis lightboards are designed for 1.5 volts. LEDs will be more difficult to add as they require 3-4 volts. You can use LEDs on your Railpower SD80/90.or you can order a lightboard from Athearn and use the lightbulbs. You are going to need some soldering skills to do any of this.

[UPinCT]

tstage

Will,

Lastly, unless you have a light board for reducing track voltage, you'll generally need a 1K resistor attached to one leg of you LED to reduce it to the 3-4V range.  Here's an LED primer (in .pdf format) from the Ulrich Models web site.

Hope that helps...

Tom

Will,

You didn't mention what engine or if DCC or DC.  But Tom is right on .  To further expound upon his excellent advice, Ulrich Models makes it really easy.  For example they make a whole replacement kit for Athearn SD-70ACe with excellent step by step instructions

http://www.ulrichmodels.biz/servlet/the-615/Athearn-SD70ACe-LED-Lighting/Detail

Remember the model you have with no lights will need some sort of light board (DCC or DC dependant) because something needs to tell the forward lights or the rear lights to turn on.  You will be able to find it on the site.  I have also found the guys there quite helpful.  So feel free to shoot them some questions, they may already have an off the shelf solution for you.