Passenger Car Lighting

Just replace the GGD LED's, pretty easy and cheap, job done.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Just replace the GGD LED's, pretty easy and cheap, job done.

Would like to do just that.  Any suggestions?  Do I order a dozen LED strips from Atlas parts or can you recommend a source?

I know that the Atlas LED bars have 8 LED's and are secured by six screws to the top of the cars.  I guessing that velcro would work on the GGD cars.

Thanks.

I just rip out all the existing wiring and put in the LED strips from the 5 meter rolls and use my LED Lighting Regulator board to control them. The procedure has been widely discussed in a number of threads here. Since the Atlas has even enough lighting, I think you may be able to simply add a capacitor to eliminate flicker, I'd have to look at them to see where.

GRJ, BTW your store is off-line.  

Not in my neck of the woods, I just checked in...

John, when you figure out the capacitor for the Atlas cz cars, could you post that? Thanks. 

If I ever have one in captivity to look at I will.

GRJ, Just a FYI, I think it's the links in your tagline that are not working. I can get to Hennings site and your YLB link works. The Super Chuffer, Chuff-Gen and LED links appear to be broken. However, I can still get to everything by going to Hennings main site.

They changed the store, I'll have to fix the other links.

Thanks for pointing that out!

SantaFeJim posted:

GRJ, BTW your store is off-line.  

It was just my links, the store software changed, all fixed.

You are most welcome. I couldn't read your screen shot above very well so I thought I would just go look at them in person. That's where I ran into problems. Glad it was an easy fix.

The LED strips are cheap and easy to do..... taking the GGD cars apart.....not so much. 

What really gets me is the size of the LEDs in those cars. Hello, this is 2017...do you know how small and cheap LEDs are these days? The LEDs in the strips are now so small you won't even see them. 

If I didnt have 24 GGD cars to swap over I would do them, but thats a lot of man hours and money for "little people". I would also tint the windows if I were going to take them apart.

Doug, the "little people" are actually cheaper per person than the new Lionel 21" car passenger sets.  When I take the cars apart, I always populate them as well, no reason to go back in twice.

Yeah they are cheaper but they sit at an angle, big time and usually require more hacking off of limbs than some of the other people. The little people are definitley better dresses than most of the others 

GRJ, 

Are you using the term "Little People"  in generic term or are you referring to the LP that Scott sells.  The ones that Scott sells IMHO are pure crap.  I will take the Railking sets that MTH sells any day.  YES, they do cost more but they are gems and still a lot cheaper then the Arttista, which are in a class of their own.

The RK figures are more expensive by quite a margin.  I do like the Arttista figures, but they're totally out of sight as far as price!   I use them for engineers and firemen, but buying a boatload for passenger cars is too expensive!

Gents,

The Forum and its Luminaries are my primary source of The Straight Skinny when it comes to matters O Gauge.  I use Gunner John's LED strips and regulators and am very happy with the results in mid-last-century streamliners.

However, I was attracted to this topic by the general heading because I am starting to model turn of the last century equipment and am hope to learn of an outfit that sells "period lighting" in O Scale - LED powered period lighting is preferred

I've searched the web (even doll house sites - yeccch) and came up empty handed.  Suggestions, would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Very interesting and I look forward to learning more about this subject at York. Is Hennings Trains going to have a booth in the Orange Hall? Or somewhere at York? Thank You. Great Subject....

Henning's Trains has a booth in the center of the hall spanning the I and H aisles.  I have a display setup that I use to demo the super-Chuffer, etc. as well as the passenger car lighting.

Laidoffsick posted:

The LED strips are cheap and easy to do..... taking the GGD cars apart.....not so much. 

What really gets me is the size of the LEDs in those cars. Hello, this is 2017...do you know how small and cheap LEDs are these days? The LEDs in the strips are now so small you won't even see them. 

If I didnt have 24 GGD cars to swap over I would do them, but thats a lot of man hours and money for "little people". I would also tint the windows if I were going to take them apart.

Doug - I agree with you 100% about the problems with the GGG El Cap cars.  Taking them apart is a major PITA.  However, because of some poor design flaws, putting these beast back together is an ever BIGGER pain.  Cause of must frustration on my workbench.  As for the tinting on the windows, I have exchanged a few emails with Scott on this topic, even offering a possible solution well before he even considered the second run.

It can't be very difficult, all the CZ cars are tinted and the visual effect is stunning. After additional consideration,  I think that I will pass on converting the ElCap's with better LED's.  As for now, I choose to run 'em dark. That IMHO is much better than seeing the glare of the bright LED's reflecting in the windows of he lounge car.  Also I don't like wearing RayBans to operate any train.

SantaFeJim posted:

As for now, I choose to run 'em dark. That IMHO is much better than seeing the glare of the bright LED's reflecting in the windows of he lounge car.  Also I don't like wearing RayBans to operate any train.

Use the right LED controller and you'll have an intensity pot to tone the lights down.

John- Will you have the LED kit at York for sale?

If GGD's scores a 3 than the Weaver passenger cars with the Zombie shades score a (-1)! The aluminum cars are beautiful looking but beg an LED upgrade!

We'll have plenty of the LED kits and lighting controllers at York.  I try to have plenty of all the products on hand, you never know when someone will want a dozen.

SantaFeJim posted:

Also I don't like wearing RayBans to operate any train.

Now that is funny Jim!