I finally got around to upgrading two of my engines to LED headlamps. These are 3mm with a built in resistor that i purchased off of Amazon. Simple as swapping the wires and plugging them in to the Airwire board. I am looking forward to some night running with these.
My next projects are going to be doing a full complement of lighting on my RGS Goose 2 And a couple of passenger cars. For the cars, what set up do uou guys use? I am not on track power.
Matt
Matt,
what type of led’s are you using? yours look very bright. I have been using Minitronics yellow glows myself, and I will select a resistor that doesn’t overpower the output visibly. this will ultimately extend the life. as for passenger cars I haven’t done any, but a thread I did a few months ago may be helpful. it involved working marker lamps for cars, using a 9 volt battery and a latching reed switch (hard to find) this allows the use of a magnet to turn on/off and avoids putting a physical switch under the car.
Al P.
I did pretty much the same thing, I used soft white LED’s, 9v with the resistor all ready installed, personally the only way to go. I did add another 100 ohm resistor in line with the other resistor, it did dim the light very little, but that’s what I wanted to do, plus with AirWire max volts of 14.7 I just thought it would add some safety, but personally don’t think I need it. I’ve already done two LGB Moguls both front and rear, plus I added marker lamps, cab light, and firebox flicker, I used the 402 and 603 LED’s for those, all with 100 ohm resistors, worked out fine. I’m going to do my LGB 2063 next, is your 2063 have AirWire installed, if so how did it work out space wise for the system, did it all fit under the hood. Looks great. The LED’s I used, https://www.ebay.com/itm/20-x-Pre-wired-9v-3mm-Warm-Soft-White-LEDs-Prewired-9-volt-DC-LED-Light-8v-7v/161606954180?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200520130830%26meid%3Dd0b0774b8cfb4d75a73f8f2a7e3e6fb4%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D151052047853%26itm%3D161606954180%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bDemotion&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851
trainman
The color reflects the era. The blue cast makes me imagine It’s a present day excursion line and the locos have been fitted with LED. For early steam I would think yellow would be best as Al Pomeroy stated. I find “Warm white” is closest to the glow of incandescent and what I prefer for my modern fleet.
just my .02
-Dan
I use a yellow high lighter on my led’s seems to tone down the white/blue to a warm slight yellow, just right
probably 5 years ago, when ordering some connectors from All Electronics, I purchased several Amber LED arrays that were removed from or surplus from some kind of equipment. They are a pain to unsolder and the leads are extremely short, but I find the color almost perfect for early electric lamps. Here is one being added to my Shay…
For direct use with Dc power they do need a resistor. Some control systems provide LED drivers that do not require resistors. I don’t think this particular part is still available, but Amber colored LEDs might be.
I like the amber color a lot on The lamps, I’m Going to have to try the marker trick on what I installed.
These are what I used L123W 20pcs Pre Wired 3mm Bright White Led Lamp Light Set 12V ~ 18V for Train Layout New https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGF17ZZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_16dpFb85Q4VHG
Appreciate the input, time to start experimenting a little!
Matt
One way to change the colors of LED’s is to paint with Tamiya Clear Paints, Yellow X-24, Orange X-26, works well.
trainman
Finger nail polish can also work for tinting leds and even regular bulbs.
Ken Brunt said:
Another source:
These are the guys I have used in the past, very helpful.
On my 1-1/2 inch scale Baldwin 1600 engines, I used a krypton gas bulb to get the nice Golden Glo look to the headlight. I would think that a similar krypton gas bulb could be found in a smaller format or size. The bulb on the left is LED and the bulb on the right is krypton gas. All naturally formed light and no painting involved. I.E. the real deal :).
By popular demand…I ordered some yellow (that appears a little orange). Thoughts?
In comparison… not my picture btw 
Photos…real life. They DO look good, but what are YOUR thougts?
Bruce, it looks like a super rich burning oil lamp to me… Don’t really know for sure yet. Maybe I will be a little more convinced once I see it running at night?
I may still go and try the ol paint a little yellow on a white bulb trick depending on what I decide.
Matt
Matt,
If you try to experiment with painted LEDs, Oldest Daughter recommends an alcohol based maker. She found it stuck to the LED better than Hi-Liter when she made a light strip for her shorty coach. The brands are Caliart and Copic.
V/R,
Eric