what is the process and how difficult would it be to add lighting to a Lionel Gondola
i would like to add LED's to a christmas gondola to highlight contents
thanks
rdeal
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why not use battery power? Especially since it's seasonal. And doubly especially if it's a one year thing.
- walt
Originally Posted by walt rapp:
why not use battery power? Especially since it's seasonal. And doubly especially if it's a one year thing.
- walt
That is a great idea, Walt. No wiring, no fuss, and stores like Wal-Mart sell these
and they use 3 AA batteries -- not too much added weight. Pick-ups put "drag" on the rollingstock and adds to the load the loco has to pull anyway. The battery pack would fit easily in the gondola and could be covered with a snow blanket, miniature tinsel garland, or even wrapped as a Christmas gift. They offer lights in a warm clear LED if you wanted to light a Nativity scene on the gondola.
How about those inexpensive (pennies per LED) 12V LED lighting strips frequently discussed on this forum. They have adhesive backing so easily attach to the walls...perhaps one strip on each long-side of the gondola.
I thought most Lionel Christmas-themed gondolas already have power pickups to drive the Santa mechanism. Hennings sells modules that drive these LED strips. Perhaps the strips are even thin enough to provide enough clearance for Santa to chase the reindeer around the gondola.
Or if you go the battery route there are low-cost (under $2) modules which can step up the voltage from, say, 3 or 4 AAA/AA batteries up to the 10-12V or so needed to drive these LED strips.
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