This is the just released 1955 era Observation Dome Lounge for the Challenger. It has the correct color trucks but Walthers used the updated version to the new roller types. This car was only used for about a year as an end car train and was converted to an inline Observation Lounge with a diaphram and door replacing the end and drumhead, but served the UP many years on City Trains without the drumhead.
The drumhead in the photos is removed to show the possibilites of lighting the drumhead. It is not glued in so it can be removed.
This car would look very sharp with the drumhead lit.
Have you considered the approaches to take? I know you’ll likely be very careful as the downside is that Walthers seems to rarely carry spare parts for their limited run rolling stock.
In looking at the one-piece drumhead assembly, it looks like you could CAREFULLY drill very small holes on the rear and perhaps install the tiny LED lights that NGINEERING sells. A good friend of mine uses their products and speaks positively about them.
Antonio’s advice is excellent as always and tiny led’s might be the best (easier) way to go.
Yet there is another way to go with this. As I understand it, this sign on the prototype was neon? So have you considered Miller Engineering experimenter kits, I think either 2501 or 2503 could work. The beauty of 2501 is the “light” is as thin as paper, can be cut to size and doesn’t generate heat. The challenge with it is that Miller signs like 4 volts dc so you’d need to work out a way to get it power. You’d also need to hide the electronics. Or you can just work out a way to hide the included AA power pack.
I have been given thought to how to distribute the light without having bright spots. I order the smt leds by the dozens with the wires attached and have several that could be used for this project. I use those in the headlights and ditch lights and the tail red lights on the end passenger cars. I believe the lettering mask would have to be removed and a non transparent plastic between the smt leds and the lettering. It is a Challenge and it is named properly!!
Thanks for the comments. I probably will light it just to see if it can be done. It
''They were neon as you have stated and that is an option. When the 3985 ran trips out of Ontario Ca. in 1995, I was there watching the train both days they ran to Barstow as round trips. They had a drumhead mounted on the tail car for that train and it was a neon.
The actual letters were neon and that is impossible but lighting behind the letters should look good. Hiding batteries below the dome would not be a big problem, but some interior detail would have to go.
4Volts DC should not be too hard to get with a regulator off of the 16V DCC.
One thing I wanted to make clear, you either have to get 4 volts dc to it somehow or use the included AA battery pack, not both. In either case you do need the electronics that is attached to the battery pack.
No problem. I will check out what regulator will give me 4V DC if I use the neon kit since batteries would take up a large space and would have to be replaced fairly often. The electronics that come with the kit would have to be fairly small, I hope. I appreciate the information. The neon kit should give equal lighting for the large area of the drumhead. I use the smt leds for most of my projects, but they are extremely bright and have a small surface.
