I want my steamers to have a family appearance. And since the SP is the parent road for my free lanced short line, I’d like to move the head lights from my Spectrum Ten Wheeler and American from the top of the smoke box to hanging on the front. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Where can I get functioning SP style headlights? Is this an easy task or should I just leave them where they are?
The headlights on those engines are either LEDS or a fiber optic system from an LED in the boiler.
You can move the headlight (either reuse the stock headlight or get another from Cal Scale, a divisiion of Bowser) to the smokebox front. You may have to redo the light with a new LED or bulb.
I have put the square 1900 era kerosene lanterns on mine, so I know it cna be done. Its just some work.
Walther’s has a pretty good selection made by Precision Scale. Many are brass and can be drilled out for lighting. Use Google to search for sp steam locomotives or sp locomotive headlight if you need more ideas on mounting the headlights.
Bowser also has detail parts. http://www.bowser-trains.com/
Rich
You don’t necessarily need to lower the headlights on the 4-4-0 or the 4-6-0. Not all of SP’s smaller power had centered headlights–especially some of the smaller locomotives on the Texas and New Orleans lines of the SP. However, if you want to change over to an SP-style hooded headlight, both Cal-Scale and Precision Scale make brass castings for the lights. It does entail drilling out the casting to fit the LED through, but that’s a pretty easy operation.
If you do decide to center the headlight on the smokebox front, remember that SP used a ‘low-center’ headlight, instead of right in the middle of the smokebox. If you consult photos of SP steam, you’ll see that the lights are mounted so that the lens is just a little lower than the actual center of the smokebox. One of the things that gave SP steam its very distinctive look.
Tom