Lighting inside the number boards, possible?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I wonder if it’s possible to have lighting inside the number boards of the Atlas HO scale GP40? Or is this just to much to ask for? [:D]

2

I’m sure you could wire some of the “micro” LEDs / “grain-of-wheat” bulbs. If they can put headlights in HO cars, I’m sure you could illuminate the number boards.

3

My P2K GP-9’s use the same bulb as the headlight to throw some light through the number boards from the inside. They use a piece of plastic to “scatter” some of the headlight bulb’s light out to the number boards. Of course, this means that your number boards must be able to be lit from the inside. I’ve got the original incandescent bulbs in one of them, and I replaced them with LEDs in another, and both work fine.

4

I just opened my Atlas GP40 up and it doesn’t appear to have any special way to light up the numberboards separately from the headlight. The headlight bulb will light the numberboards also, so if that’s good enough then you’re set.

I was hoping it was like my P2K GP60s, which have a separate bulb and light tubes for the numberboards, but I’ll probably just live with mine the way it is.

5

Thanks for your answer. Do you think you can post of close up picture of your engine so I can see the numberboard lights?

6

You could put a ligt ( if it is incandescent then set it right next to the classification thing and put ap piece of black over the light keep it there and to keep the light in. Or you could cut the piece of plastic that lights the headlight and classification thing. Cut it between the area for the headlight and the classifacation thing and put a piece of black tape between the three pieces and then lite them separatly.

7

Awhile back someone did an article in MRR about using fiber optics for head lights I see no reason why you could not do the same for number boards. Just an idea.

8

Good idea, thanks a lot for mention that. Do you remember what MRR you saw that in?

9

Sure, here’s a side-by-side pic with the headlight on and off. While I was putting in a new decoder I removed the stock lights and substituted golden white LEDs.

There is some light bleed around the edges of the numberboards but it looks worse in the photo than in person.