Wouldn’t the bridge rectifier provide protection in lieu of another diode in the case of the installswith this new voltage regulator?
For my simple constant lighting circuits, I tend to use plenty of resistance with my LED installs anyway, because I prefer a dimmer headlight in most cases, so that may be helping dampen voltage spikes. I also have DCC track voltage turned down to 12.5 volts.
I’ve only applied these in a couple of installs, but noticed no shortened life issues. The plow doesn’t see much track time, so not a good test there. The other is a recycled license plate lamp assembly I use for a light source in a remote staging area. It’s obviously happy at anything from 12.5 to 14+ volts. Also has some onboard resistors embedded in resin, maybe there’s a diode hiding in there, too? so again not a good test.