I’d like to add rear lights on my Bachmann 2-8-0s and BLI 2-8-2s. Has anyone added rear lights to a steam engine tender? Which headlight casting did you use? I’d prefer to use an LED for the light. Has anyone done that? Which LED did you use? Did you need a resistor for it? What did you use for the lens?
Appreciate any help,
jcopilot
The example here is narrowgauge, but that shouldn’t matter. You’ll need to locate an output to feed it, but they are often marked on the light board or decoder.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/229315.aspx
I think I covered most of your questions in the thread, but give a shout here or there if I didn’t. It is an LED install. The parts should be available. I did mine in brass, but plastic may also be available.
Sounds like you are thinking of a white backup light, rather than a pair of marker lamps, used when the engine is running without a train. Lot of steamers had them. The pix I have seen show a largish round lamp housing, similar to, or perhaps the same as, a locomotive headlamp.
I like incandescent bulbs, they have the right color. The white LED’s often show more blue than a cool white fluorescent. The LED color can be improved with thin coat of yellow paint or dye. All LEDs need a current limiting resistor. 20 mA is the absolute current limit on a LED, any more than 20mA and they go poof. 10mA will be plenty bright enough. You compute the resistor value with Ohm’s Law. Take care to get the LED polarity right. Powering up backwards will often pop the LED.
Could someone provide a more detailed explanation on how to connect wires between the engine and tender? Is there a simple connector that allows conveniently separating the engine and tender?
It depends on the locomotive you own. For instance, my Bachmann Consolidation has a DCC connector in the tender, so it is just plug and play. My Athearn Genesis has a plug with a small circuit board on it; I bought a decoder that has a matching plug, so the circuit baord is removed and that decoder plugs directly into the wiring harness.
For non-DCC ready locos, you can leave the wires loose between the loco and tender, but that may not look so good. They can be concealed in a small plastic tube or straw, but you need to have some flexiblity so the wires do not jam up the loco during cornering.
What brand and model locomotive do you have?
I have a Gem RDG 0-6-0. I realize I can string a pair of wires across, but I’d like to use a unobtrusive connector. I was hoping someone could suggest something like a small metal barrel wrapped in heat shrink
DCC? usually the decoders are in the tender and there should be a connector already between the engine/tender. There are LED’s that have the real Yellow incandescant color. I have the 2-8-0 I’ll check, either way there are many differrent ways to get your rear headlights lit up, its a matter of choice and design and need. I have used super tiny super bright LED’s these are virtually pin sized LEDs, wiring is a lotta fun but doable with patience. You can buy LED’s that are already “wired”, just hook the wires it don’t care about polarity. Its been done, I have done it, I just today put an LED in my 0-8-0 Life Like tender, lots brighter than the forward bulb on the engine! Engine has DCC/sound, so yeppers its been done. If you want to buy a cal-Scale headlight/Precision scale brass, you will be drilling holes for the LED leads, what LED you use will determine how you mount, drill etc.
I use 12 volt warm white LED’s for my back up lights (headlight too!) and they have worked very well for me. I just find the 12 volt ones require less wiring space than the ones using resistors (not always an issue thought). I get mine from LED-Switch Co. The photo is of a Rivarossi Challenger, which I had to do a lot of wiring and connector installation since the engine didn’t have DCC and the tender is sealed. I mounted the decoder and LED on a styrene plate that slid into the tender and aligned with the rear light lens that was already in the tender. This was one of the more ‘challenging’ installs. The Bachmann tenders already have connectors to the engine so it just needs the LED to be wired to the decoder (blue and white wires) and mounted behind the rear light of your choice.
-Bob
gregc
The easiest LEDs to use for backup lights are 0603 SMD LEDs. To translate, ‘0603’ is the size - .060" x .030" and SMD means ‘Surface Mount Device’. Larger LEDs with solid leads can be difficult to fit into the headlight casting unless you don’t mind seeing the wires coming out the back.
LEDs can be purchased through eBay for pennies each but getting the right tone of white can be hit and miss. Streamlined Backshop is one of several sources for LEDs and they offer them pre-wired if you don’t want to solder them yourself:
http://store.sbs4dcc.com/leds.aspx
They also sell connectors:
http://store.sbs4dcc.com/Connectors.aspx
Alternately, you can make your own connectors from IC sockets like these for pennies each:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/AR-14-HZL-TT/AE10012-ND/821766
All you have to do is cut the socket into sections with however many leads you will need. The pieces will plug into themselves to form the connector. Here is an example of a two pin plug system:
Soldering leads to the plugs isn’t difficult. You will need some heat shrink tubing.
Coloured multi-strand wire is available from several sources. Here is one:
http://store.sbs4dcc.com/wireproducts.aspx
In most cases you will need a resistor in series with the LED, but not always. Check the specs on your decoder.Streamlined Backshop sells resistors, but they are much cheaper if you buy them from places like Digi-Key or eBay. A 1000 ohm r
greg,
There’s two schools of thought on this issue. One focuses on convenience. The other focuses on reliability. Using connectors is great when you want to separate the loco and tender. Other than that, they are a multipoint failure zone. My brass conversions just carry the wires straight through to the tender. I paint them black, but sometimes use black liquid electrical tape. Usually they end up looking inobtrusive like water lines, etc.
YMMV
