Interior lighting "glowing" thru sides of Lionel 6-81840 CA-4 Caboose, and need to add rear lights

I had that issue on a few of my MPC passenger cars. The solution I used was aluminum foil cut to fit and taped in where needed. It's completely reversible and also reflects the light making it slightly brighter than before. Sorry I don't have a good answer for the rear marker lights as I've never do that one myself. Others on here may have a good answer for that.

Davety posted:

I had that issue on a few of my MPC passenger cars. The solution I used was aluminum foil cut to fit and taped in where needed. It's completely reversible and also reflects the light making it slightly brighter than before.

 I was leaning towards black construction paper, yours sounds like a great lightproof solution.

Silver spray paint works.  We use silver paint on fabric airplanes to block sunlight.  I have done this to an orange plastic box car - looks much more realistic, even without interior lights.

BobbyD posted:

Davety posted:

I had that issue on a few of my MPC passenger cars. The solution I used was aluminum foil cut to fit and taped in where needed. It's completely reversible and also reflects the light making it slightly brighter than before.

 I was leaning towards black construction paper, yours sounds like a great lightproof solution.

They both work, but I tend to keep aluminum foil away from electrical thingys whenever possible. Just paranoia.

D500 posted:

BobbyD posted:

Davety posted:

I had that issue on a few of my MPC passenger cars. The solution I used was aluminum foil cut to fit and taped in where needed. It's completely reversible and also reflects the light making it slightly brighter than before.

 I was leaning towards black construction paper, yours sounds like a great lightproof solution.

They both work, but I tend to keep aluminum foil away from electrical thingys whenever possible. Just paranoia.

You mean like old school tinsel and toy trains running under the tree?

I've painted part of bulbs with heat-resistant black paint to cut down the amount of light in engine cabs and inside cabooses. Very easy to do. If necessary, you can add more paint or scrape part of it off the glass bulbs until the right amount of light is achieved. I've also used black paint markers to coat the inside of caboose shells where light was coming through.

If I remember right think I used that foil tape on that caboose. Getting it apart was kind of interesting.

Cereal boxes were my go to as a kid. 

The color used inside has bearing on the final color. If painted, it will almost always look darker when you are done.

   Cheap water based craft acrylics can be easily washed off if you dont like the change...(Im not sure there is a real silver in craft paint ..more likely a grey, white gloss is best then).

Black /dark absorbs more light allowing a lights position to appear more accurate (e g....I have placed some bulbs away from cupolas... because at night you can't see as well out of a back lit glass widow. )

I don't know cabooses numbers by heart, so that's a mystery to know which markers are used, but the transulcent plastics pick up light inside pretty well. Ive even detailed the lamps painting all but the lenses before.  You better mask the lamps inner post, especially the end and side exposed to the light.

Ive also placed grain of rice bulbs and leds at the marker's inner posts with glue or mounted right on them with shrink tube tape, and/or used straws cut down to create a socket/shade.

i have a Lionel caboose and had the same issue.  I used cheap $1 paint and painted the entire inside black.  SInce i'm not worried about restoring to original condition or anything along those lines, i was fine painting the inside.  It works for me for this application.

- walt

You may want to be careful using black contraction paper if the lights generates much heat the paper may catch fire if it comes in contact with the bulls. Alum foil would be my suggestion.

   Wrong bulb if it's so hot that paper ignites......and foil might create an oven if it was that hot too. 

If you can't touch a low volt bulb without blisters, you should go to a lower watt, higher volt, or more than one bulb.

But in drier climates, etc. 1 sheet of paper may be a bigger concern sure.

  But you still need to get 451°f to burn it...

   Though the temp would be harder to reach quickly, many solders melt at lower temps. ....like 100°-200° lower.

LED lighting for new lights on the rear. 

You could use solid styrene sheets to cover the walls.

Andrew

Eliminate the ridiculous bright bulbs, replace with a dimmable LED strip, and use GunRunnerJohns control module. Next put in some Tomar markers on the rear. Then you dont have to worry about the light shining through, and it looks better too 

Laidoffsick posted:

Eliminate the ridiculous bright bulbs, replace with a dimmable LED strip, and use GunRunnerJohns control module. Next put in some Tomar markers on the rear. Then you dont have to worry about the light shining through, and it looks better too 

Thanks for all the suggestions, looks like Tomar is our solution. Can we tap into the Lionel board for the LED markers?

It is the LED illuminated model, went with it to avoid having any dismantling to remove bulbs. Don't understand how they can manufacture a scale caboose and the lights shine thru the sides like an X-Ray... Any product testing? Also would have preferred it came without that huge large smoke stack and the smoke unit, instead having rear lighting for night time operation.

Anyone have the older model? Are there actually end lights as claimed?

These are the features:

• Die-cast metal trucks
• Hidden uncoupling tabs
• Separately applied metal underframe details
• Smoke with On/Off control
• Detailed and painted interior with figures
• NEW Feature Interior LED illumination with ON/OFF switch

Looks like we should have gone with the 6-17691 model and just removed the bulbs as it lists "End Lighting" on it.

• All-new tooling
• New die-cast metal sprung "Q"-type trucks
• Hidden uncoupling tabs
• Separately applied metal underframe details
• Smoke unit with ON/OFF control
• Train crew figures
• Detailed and painted interior
• Opening doors
• Exterior end lights