Mounting "ditch lights"

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

how many of you have ever mounted ditch lights on your locomotives?..I have Athearn locomotives and need some tips on mounting them so that i don’t make a mess of the engine fronts…what parts do you use?..will grain of rice bulbs work?..any information on this subject will be very helpful…thanks!..Chuck

2

Details West do a selection of Ditch lights in white metal for mounting both on the top of the walk-way and on the front below the anti-climber they need to be drilled out to suit the bulb size but it works well and they come with instructions for drilling the mounting holes in the right place.

3

thank you brother…it’s going to be awhile before I do this project and want all the info i can get before starting…Chuck[:D]

4

What kind of loco are you mounting them on? I have an Athearn SD40-2 that I would like to add them to also. I’ll have to check out Details West’s website for those kits.

Good Luck
Greg

5

i’m going to mount them primarily on AC4400’s, U33c’s, SD,50’s, GP 50’s and GP 38-2’s

6

I’ve always thought ditch lights are best modeled using fiber optic, much like this:

http://www.thefiberopticstore.com/Projects/John-FO-Loco/Train-Misc.htm

Here is a discussion from our very own board this past April about fibre optics and locomotives:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=13008

One bulb (well, one LED), two lights - very nice. Only problem (and a big one) - add-on ditch lights that rise over the anti-climber, as opposed to the ones mounted on the pilot/anti-climber (very straight shot running cable to the latter, as opposed to annoying bends for the former).