Cruise Control for Weaver RS-3 (Pictures added 11/19.)

Wouldn't you be better off with a regular Cruise Commander than a lite version?

While you can probably get away with the CC-Lite, I'm with RoyBoy, I'd use the full Cruise Commander.

 

There is certainly enough room under the hood to add full cruise commander

GRJ,

 

Can you supply a wiring diagram for installing LED headlights with either of these?

 

Installing LED lighting with TMCC is very easy.  Either the CC or the CC-Lite are wired the same way.

 

• Wire the front or rear headlight output to the negative terminal of the LED (short lead).
• Wire the positive terminal of the LED (long lead) to a 470 ohm 1/4W resistor and then to the cathode of a 1N4003 diode (banded end).
• Wire the anode of the 1N4003 (unbanded end) to chassis ground.

 

This works for any single white LED from the TMCC outputs.  If you have two headlights, wire the LED's in parallel and change the resistor to a 220 ohm 1/4W value.

 

It's also possible to include the markers if present, I suggest just wiring the two in series with a 470 ohm or higher value to lower the intensity.  I don't like the markers to be brighter than my headlights.

 

Note that for the Cruise Commander Lite you will need to use the supplied .01 uf capacitors directly across the lighting outputs to ground.  I solder these right to the R2LC socket below the R2LC before I install the board.  The full Cruise Commander doesn't require these caps.  If you install LED lighting into a stock Lionel TMCC locomotive, you'll also need to provide the same .01 uf capacitors.

 

Good first-time project.

 

Plastic-bodied, can-motored diesels like the Weaver RS-3 (though I've never done this particular loco) are just aching for CC/RS upgrades. Easy, fairly roomy (narrow body on these, actually), plastic body for a 60-second antenna installation...

 

I did a new WBB Alco FA upgrade for a friend: CC and Alco RS (no Electrocouplers, though), LED headlight...a couple of hours and it was done. I prefer steamers as models, but sometimes the metal tender antenna, the tether, the chuff switch...arghh.

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Anyway, about the headlights: I use 14V incandescent bulbs from Micro-Mark. Technically the LED's are "superior" (?), but, these were cheap (30 of them for some price - been years), 2 wires and you're done...never had one burn out, and the color is more appropriate for steam/early diesel headlights. Just a thought.  

I use warm-white LEDs that have the same color temperature as the incandescent bulbs.  The real bonus of LED headlights is that they are focused and actually look like headlights when they shine down the tracks, that's my principal reason for using them.  As far as power, I don't really worry about that.  However, another good point is that they'll never melt things like an incandescent bulb can do.  I have also used yellow LED's in some steamers to get the effect of the proper color for the period.

I have a Weaver RSD4/5, which is the same basic engine as an RS-3 except for six wheel trucks.  Gary at Weaver installed a Train America command control system may years ago and the engine remains one of my favorite.  Pulls like crazy with 12 wheel drive, looks different enough to be noticeable and has run forever, it seems.  It doesn't have smoke but that's not a bother for me on diesels.

 

Weaver trains were well designed, strudy and long lasting.  Hopefully Lionel, for the domestic stuff, and Atlas for the imported stuff, will be able to carry on the quality tradition.

 

Paul Fischer

The full Cruise Commander and Railsounds Commander fit just fine.

Thank you GJR for the lighting circuit.

Here are some pictures of the installation.

Mounting the ERR speaker was the key. And building a baffle box to keep the RS-3 shell from rattling at higher volume. (I found that I had to fill in the gap between the fuel tank and the frame along the outer edges.)

This speaker configuration can really put out volume without distortion.

 

 

Looks great, hope it runs as good as it looks.

 

At first, the engine ran a little roughly with gear noise.

I thoroughly lubricate it when I had it apart.

Then I ran it for a while in different directions to break it in.

Now it runs very nicely.

The weaver shell is only anchored at the ends. So any gear noise is amplifed.

This is also why I needed an acoustically strong speaker baffle.

I am happy that the break in period worked so well.