Passanger Car Bulbs

Scroll down to see all the bulb types. One thing to be aware of on LED bulbs is the widely varying color temperature. Generally warm LEDs are more pleasing in model trains, but the sources don't always give you an accurate description.

http://hennings-trains.shoplig...eed.com/search/bulb/

Thanks Chuck. I had looked a Henning's sign but missed the.

I figured I wanted warm, but I didn't realize descripting's would be inaccurate.

Does anyone know if I can use the 14V or 18V? rom all my reading on this forum, every time I think I understand things, I read a curveball about electronics when it comes to modern equipment.

CORRECTION

Thanks Chuck. I had looked a Henning's site but missed them.

I think most of the LED color descriptions are accurate when coming from the popular train stores, but I have gotten some wild variations on eBay, etc. I also find even a warm LED to be a bit less warm than an incandescent bulb. They also can be somewhat directional depending on the structure of the bulb plastic compared with incandescent bulbs.

A 12V incandescent bulb driven at 18V is not long for the world!  There are many rules-of-thumb but applying a bulb voltage just 10% more or less than the nominal voltage alters bulb life by at least 1/2 (either way).  So here you're driving bulb at 50% more than nominal.

If you can find an 18V bulb with the correct plug/socket I'd think that's the expedient solution.  I suppose you could convert to an LED solution but it can be difficult to find economical LED bulbs with the wedge-style base (like Christmas lights).  It's been a few years but I had the same dilemma,  I dug up this photo showing a wedge-style LED bulb but check out the price!  List price of $12 per bulb?!    I'd think price/availability might have changed. 

At the time I didn't want to pay those prices so I ended up building my own!  To be clear, I do not recommend you try this at home!

But if you're curious, here's a link to the O-gauge archive showing how I did it.

Stan, this is an 18V bulb: Henning's Parts - 161 Clear Push In Bulb, 18v

Stan2004,

I was surprised when I read that they were only 12V. I guess Lionel wasn't thinking of them being run on a command layout when they made these cars 10ish years  ago. Looks like they were add-on cars for a conventional RTR set.

I don't really want to roll my own and I agree with Chuck that LED warm are not as warm as incandescent bulbs.

Since I only run these under the tree I'll stick with incandescent bulbs and move up 18V.

I believe this is what I need. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Mark W.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Stan, this is an 18V bulb: Henning's Parts - 161 Clear Push In Bulb, 18v

I believe the 161 is the wrong plug/socket.  I think he wants the 8352 style.

Hmm... I thought we were talking about the 161.  Gosh, I have a fistful of the 8352 18V bulbs in my parts box, they common as grass!  MTH shipped them in passenger cars for a number of years when they moved up from the 14V bulbs for command.

I just received a conventional Harry Potter set for my wife.  I am fixing it prior to gifting it to her and changing the bulbs brought me to this thread. 

Even though it's conventional and likely the cars will always run at less than 14 volts,  I went with the 18 volt  bulbs anyway.  I figure if the kids decide to run her cars in a mixed train with lionchief equipment I would rather they don't blow out right away.

And boy are those cars hard to open!!

@jhz563 posted:

I just received a conventional Harry Potter set for my wife.  I am fixing it prior to gifting it to her and changing the bulbs brought me to this thread.

And boy are those cars hard to open!!

Have you seen this Topic?

The tapered craft (popsicle) sticks help :

https://ogrforum.com/topic/lionel-diner-1

scroll down to the pics from TexasPete

For the Hogwarts cars you'd want six instead of 4, but the idea is the same.

You could also easily just wire the 12v bulbs in series. If you want the series/parallel option, a small .75 DPDT switch can be included.

@SteveH posted:

Have you seen this Topic?

The tapered craft (popsicle) sticks help :

https://ogrforum.com/topic/lionel-diner-1

scroll down to the pics from TexasPete

For the Hogwarts cars you'd want six instead of 4, but the idea is the same.

I've 50 or so passenger cars... this will certainly help.  I still have a box full of plastic pry/levers from days of old when I used to fix my smashed cellphones... maybe I'll give those a try as well.

Thanks Steve

@MWasko posted:

Stan2004,

I was surprised when I read that they were only 12V. I guess Lionel wasn't thinking of them being run on a command layout when they made these cars 10ish years  ago. Looks like they were add-on cars for a conventional RTR set.

For awhile, some Lionel cars would come with extra bulbs to use for 18v operation. These may have been for freight cars that were lighted, though, don't recall for sure.

Re: roof removal, the newer Baby Madison cars have two screws accessed at the bottom of the cars, for removing the roofs. It's a snap. This may only be for the ones with interiors, though, not sure now, but I know those use the screws.

The Hogwarts Express cars are a different design with no screws holding the roof in place, just 6 stubborn tabs.

@Dennis-LaRock posted:

I've 50 or so passenger cars... this will certainly help.  I still have a box full of plastic pry/levers from days of old when I used to fix my smashed cellphones... maybe I'll give those a try as well.

If you open them up, it's a good time to do an LED conversion.

That's the plan John.  I think most of my passenger sets have all the add-ons imaginable (yes, including station sounds).   I know you've got the *fixins* and I'll be in touch when I'm ready... it's definitely going to be a *project*.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

If you open them up, it's a good time to do an LED conversion.

I need to do this. I'm pretty technically challenged:-) Are there LED conversion kits you'd suggest? Can it be done without soldering using wire nuts, or is it time after 66 years that I finally learn how to use a soldering iron?

I tried to make this one solder-free.  As long as you can get to the leads from the pickups, you just use the crimp connectors provided.

Passenger Car LED Lighting Kit

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I tried to make this one solder-free.  As long as you can get to the leads from the pickups, you just use the crimp connectors provided.

Passenger Car LED Lighting Kit

Thank you, John. Will these work about the same as incandescent bulbs when running conventional, or is there a particular reason I should avoid LED if running conventional. I'd be converting modern Lionel passenger cars, but running them with Post War engines.

This is what the kit says...

"This kit has been designed with command operation in mind. The lighting module works correctly when supplied with from 12 to 19 volts AC.."

But it could be made to work if it was preceded by an inexpensive boost voltage ckt. That's getting into soldering, I know, however LEDs are not be ruled out for conventional. It just takes a little more but worth it.

Another way to use them with conventional is to use the 5V LED strips and just use the regulator boards.  Of course, this does require some soldering.