The USAT Hudson has green lenses in the classification lamps for some reason. Operationally, it would much more useful to have clear lenses. They are about 1/8” in diameter. Does anyone have an idea of where to source clear lenses? I was thinking maybe some kind of bead cut I half, but maybe there’s another solution.
Perfect, thanks!
I picked up a couple of packets of these clear lenses, but they have an opaque silver coating on the back. Does anyone know if there are translucent lenses available anywhere? Or maybe the coating comes off somehow?
Eric, They looked like they had something on them in the pics. I assumed it was just to make them more visible in the package and would peel off. This may help http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/213950.aspx
Thanks, Dan. I didn’t open the packets, assuming I’d be returning them. But I’ll open one up and see if I can scrape it off. I couldn’t find the right combination of search terms to find any official information from the manufacturer.
The foil can be scraped off. Carefully. Classification lights had the following meaning. Off meant a regular scheduled train. White was an extra. Green meant a following unit of the same train was following, mostly used in the hey day of passenger trains. I like to use bright white leds behind clear lenses on my steam engines.
Eric Reuter said:
The USAT Hudson has green lenses in the classification lamps for some reason. Operationally, it would much more useful to have clear lenses. They are about 1/8” in diameter. Does anyone have an idea of where to source clear lenses? I was thinking maybe some kind of bead cut I half, but maybe there’s another solution.
Get some of that ‘As Seen on TV’ glue that sets with ultraviolet light. It’s clear. Put drops on saran wrap or other flexible clear plastic sheet, cure it and flake off or cut out with a #11 blade tip… Only $10 at Bed Bath and…
If you scribe circles in the plastic, that may be enough to contain the glue, just a thought…
Experiment with different plastics. It failed to hold on the plastic I bought it to use on.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)
Paul Burch said:
The foil can be scraped off. Carefully. Classification lights had the following meaning. Off meant a regular scheduled train. White was an extra. Green meant a following unit of the same train was following, mostly used in the hey day of passenger trains. I like to use bright white leds behind clear lenses on my steam engines.
Yes, that’s why I think green is a strange choice for the default. I’m certainly not going to have two Hudsons! What’s even stranger is the red ones that put on the diesels.
I pulled my green lenses and put one in each in the marker lamps at the back of the tender (facing to the sides). I can’t see using those very often, either, since it won’t be a pusher. I guess if running light engine.
John Caughey said:
Get some of that ‘As Seen on TV’ glue that sets with ultraviolet light. It’s clear. Put drops on saran wrap or other flexible clear plastic sheet, cure it and flake off or cut out with a #11 blade tip… Only $10 at Bed Bath and…
If you scribe circles in the plastic, that may be enough to contain the glue, just a thought…
Experiment with different plastics. It failed to hold on the plastic I bought it to use on.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)
Great idea. I’ll see if these I’ll see if the ones I bought will work, and try glue if they don’t.
Eric
I have a SLA 3D printer that prints clear plastic minuscule parts like that. It’s a 3D Systems Projet 1200. Can you create a .STL file?
Gilbert
GLX Scale Models
Yes, that would be awesome! What is the resolution like? I’ll make a fresnel lens if it’s fine enough.
I checked out that printer. Looks pretty amazing.
Eric
The resolution is 56 microns. Layer thickness is 0.03mm and the build volume is 43 x 27 x 150mm.
PM me, please.
Gilbert
I’m finding the MV Products out of stock everywhere. Maybe they went out of business?
Well, David, it doesn’t tell you how you can order from them.
I got the #17s that I bought last week from a vendor on eBay.
Lou Luczu said:
Well, David, it doesn’t tell you how you can order from them.
Yea I know. And they don’t really list what they have in a sensible format neither.
While not as nice as MV lenses, I use cheap rhinestones from craft stores. The reflective material on the back is easily removed with sand paper.
I like the 600 grit black sand paper. Wet the sand paper and sand the reflective material off the back of the rhinestone.
Changed the red class lenses this loco came with to clear rhinestones. Check out the link below to the “very large image” to see the class lights up close.
That is kind of reminiscent of the older HO days, when folks used “jewels” for lights. They look pretty good. They might look a bit better if they weren’t frosted