Metal wheels and coach lighting

[RH Prague]

Well, everyone seems to be unanimous that metal wheels are the way to go. And a lot of people suggest that Bachmann or USTrains will be much better value than LGB.
But what if you want to use track power for the coach lighting? Mr Peyker, the Austrian dealer, tells me that you have to use some LGB wheels with the current connector. Is that right, or have some clever people made their own pickups to work with the cheaper metal wheels?
I realise another option to save a bit of dosh is to rig up battery power for the coach lighting, like this for example: http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=6732&high=Coach+lighting
I've got mainly four axle Austrian and German coaches to convert, so...if you want to both convert to metal wheels, and install lighting, and dont want to spend a fortune, what would you do?

 

[Wobbleboxer]

Battery powered lighting creates less of a drag on the wheels too, i.e. none. Bachmann use a split axle with a pickup on either side if I remember right. Maybe you can get hold of some of those type of axle.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Metal wheels are a good idea, the Bachmann ones http://www.dragon-gscale.co.uk/bachmann-92421-metal-wheel-set-310mm-large-3292-p.asp < Link To http://www.dragon-gscale....310mm-large-3292-p.asp are relatively reasonably priced and quite heavy, giving the coach a lower center of gravity. The LGB metal wheels are lighter as they are mostly plastic with metal tyres. For pickup off the back of the wheels using LGB pickups http://www.dragon-gscale.co.uk/lgb-63193-electrical-contact-set-2-pieces-2003-p.asp < Link To http://www.dragon-gscale....et-2-pieces-2003-p.asp the LGB wheels are better than the Bachmann ones as the latter have moulding marks on the back.
Personally I'd fit metal wheels for better running and battery led lighting to avoid the drag caused by pickups bearing on the wheels.

 

[pugwash]

Okay, the same thing has been ocurring to me for some time, battery pack / LEDs / on-off switch.
The thing is I usually run my rakes the same, so having to switch on 4 light sets, then after running switch off 4 light sets for 4 coaches is a possible nuisance.
Is there a way to run, say 4-coach sets with LED lighting but with one battery (or accumulator) pack with 1 switch but no festoons of wire betwen the coaches. I appreciate that the easiest method would be pemanently coupled rakes, but then there is the problem of lifting and re-railing them (yes, I too only have one pair of hands)?

 

[Madman]

I believe that sometime in the future electricity will need no wires to go from point A to point B. Electricity will travel the way radio waves now do. However, until that day arrives, we must be constricted in the wiring harnesses that will transmit that power from coach to coach for lighting purposes. I know it seems a nuisance to switch on each coach, then switch it off again when finished running trains for the night. But just a short time ago, before LEDs, we had to deal with all that drag, and miniature light bulbs that sap track power. I have converted all of my coaches to LED lighting with battery power. I run the LEDs directly off of two AA batteries. The batteries are located in a battery holder fastened to the underside of the coach roof. A sub miniature toggle switch is located along the sill of the car near one of it's trucks. It's incredible how long those LEDs will stay lit on two AA cells.

 

[Zerogee]

I believe that sometime in the future electricity will need no wires to go from point A to point B.....

We have that now, Dan, it's called "lightning".... Might me a little risky to power our trains that way!!

 

[RH Prague]

A sub miniature toggle switch is located along the sill of the car near one of it's trucks.

Hi Dan


I can see that there's a consensus towards battery power but I am wondering about where people house the battery, and in particular the location of the switch for easy access. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by this sentence. Is there any chance you have a foto of your setup?


Generally, I think I'm moving towards LED/batteries...thanks for all the tips

 

[Neil Robinson]

Switched battery boxes are available. I used PP3 type from Maplins in the link below.
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=29828&high=lighting < Link To http://www.gscalecentral....9828&high=lighting
Others are available from Rapid.
http://www.rapidonline.com/Electric...w/18-2909?source=googleps&utm_source=googleps < Link To http://www.rapidonline.co...mp;utm_source=googleps

 

[Madman]

A sub miniature toggle switch is located along the sill of the car near one of it's trucks.

Hi Dan


I can see that there's a consensus towards battery power but I am wondering about where people house the battery, and in particular the location of the switch for easy access. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by this sentence. Is there any chance you have a foto of your setup?


Generally, I think I'm moving towards LED/batteries...thanks for all the tips

I placed my batteries under the roof of my LGB small passenger cars, as well as my LGB Barmer Mountain cars. I ran the wires down through a hole that I drilled in the floor of the car along the window wall, just behind the truck frame. So if you are looking at the car from the side, the switch would appear as a silver lever hanging from the floor of the car. Unfortunately, the photos that I had are gone for some mysterious reason. The installation is really very straight forward. My best friend, Mr Glue Gun, helps out quite a bit for modeling. All of my passengers are permanently on board, until I say so. I also use the hot glue for many other train related doings.

 

[Martino]

Marginally off topic, but I have recently acquired a Dremel Glue Gun and cannot understand how I managed without it for so long!

A superb tool.

 

[Spule 4]

Ergh, battery, probably the wave of the future, even the finescale HO stuff in the US is going to this.

It always surpised me that LGB never came up with a better wiring system for between pax cars. In a nearly 30 year old issue of the US magazine Garden Railways, one modeller used small headphone jacks and sockets. The female sockets on the buffer beams of the cars, and a "double ended male" jumper wire between the two. They looked like prototype brake/electric service.

 

[Martino]

I must admit having cables running from roof to roof always struck me as odd. Something at buffer beam level seems more 'right' somehow.

I'm sort of working on a a system using coupling hooks and chains either side of a Chopper coupling where the hooks and chains carry the electrical connection down the train. No worries about polarity as there would be no crossing of connectors. As I'm lucky in having nothing tighter than an R3, there shouldn't be too much pulling of the chains. Providing everything is brass, there should be no problems - it says here......


I think I'll stay with track power as it only involves one voltage and one circuit. My trains are short, and therefore not too much drag from pickups. If every carriage or wagon has a pick up and each is connected to the next and the engine, there is plenty of juice to the engine, a 'bus' running down the train and opportunities for lighting, and indeed tail lights on every piece of stock.

Simple - in theory. ...but probably a b****r to actually achieve!



One of those pipe dreams like perpetual motion and winning the Florida Lottery.

 

[Madman]

I have been doing it for quite some time. I still prefer the old banana type LGB lighting plugs over their newer square version. Simply because the female end of the newer version is too bulky.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_0952.JPG

If you look closely at the left end of the car frame, you can just about see the two female sockets encased in hot glue at the buffer beam of this small car.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_0951.JPG

Here, I have fitted two male plugs, so that I can double head two Stainz locos.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_1467.JPG

If you look closely at the rear buffer beam of the tender, which is a Hartland gondola, you can see the two plugs inserted into the female sockets.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_1524.JPG

Here is a shot showing some alterations I did to an LGB small field diesel. I have added a "lighting socket" to the rear of the loco. I use the lighting sockets on every locomotive I have to backfeed track power to the loco. This makes for much more reliable operation. Certain LGB locos, the more expensive ones, may not be able to be backfed in this manor, since the lighting sockets are connected to a circuit board. You must be careful which ones you backfeed in this manor. So far I have not had that problem. Probably because I am too cheap to buy the more expensive locos.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_1819.JPG

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_1820.JPG

 

[Madman]

A sub miniature toggle switch is located along the sill of the car near one of it's trucks.

Hi Dan


I can see that there's a consensus towards battery power but I am wondering about where people house the battery, and in particular the location of the switch for easy access. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by this sentence. Is there any chance you have a foto of your setup?


Generally, I think I'm moving towards LED/batteries...thanks for all the tips

I placed my batteries under the roof of my LGB small passenger cars, as well as my LGB Barmer Mountain cars. I ran the wires down through a hole that I drilled in the floor of the car along the window wall, just behind the truck frame. So if you are looking at the car from the side, the switch would appear as a silver lever hanging from the floor of the car. Unfortunately, the photos that I had are gone for some mysterious reason. The installation is really very straight forward. My best friend, Mr Glue Gun, helps out quite a bit for modeling. All of my passengers are permanently on board, until I say so. I also use the hot glue for many other train related doings.

MISSING PHOTOS FOUND.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_4421.JPG

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_4422.JPG

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_4423.JPG

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/madman/100_4425.JPG

 

[musket the dog]

I'd agree with most and say the batteries and LEDs are the way to go, I've lit four LGB four wheelers, two bogie coaches and still have some stuff to spare for the price it cost me to buy two of the LGB carriage lights. And plus the coach lights stay constant no matter the speed of the train and stay on when the train has stopped.

 

[Madman]

I'd agree with most and say the batteries and LEDs are the way to go, I've lit four LGB four wheelers, two bogie coaches and still have some stuff to spare for the price it cost me to buy two of the LGB carriage lights. And plus the coach lights stay constant no matter the speed of the train and stay on when the train has stopped.

That's the other benefit of battery powered LED lighting. Your passengers won't be tripping over each other when the train stops at their station, and they're trying to find their why off of the train.

 

[Martino]

I'd agree with most and say the batteries and LEDs are the way to go, I've lit four LGB four wheelers, two bogie coaches and still have some stuff to spare for the price it cost me to buy two of the LGB carriage lights. And plus the coach lights stay constant no matter the speed of the train and stay on when the train has stopped.

That's the other benefit of battery powered LED lighting. Your passengers won't be tripping over each other when the train stops at their station, and they're trying to find their why off of the train.

Unless your on DCC, in which case the power is on all the time. That's one of the attraction to me as I only have one power source.


I guess also that most of my trains are goods (or freight), so the only lighting I need is in the brake van, and for tail lights. Horses for courses I suppose.

 

[pugwash]

I believe that sometime in the future electricity will need no wires to go from point A to point B.....

We have that now, Dan, it's called "lightning".... Might me a little risky to power our trains that way!!

Hmm, where could I fit a Van Der Graaff generator, in the guards van maybe?

 

[Gizzy]

I believe that sometime in the future electricity will need no wires to go from point A to point B.....

We have that now, Dan, it's called "lightning".... Might me a little risky to power our trains that way!!

Hmm, where could I fit a Van Der Graaff generator, in the guards van maybe?

In the Der Graaff Van of course....

 

[pugwash]

:impatient: