Replacing a light in your fast track switch??

Soldering iron?  Not sure what the question really is, obviously the LED can be replaced.

Guns,

  As we discussed before, Lionel did not make these FT Switches LED operator friendly, the LED's are suppose to last the life time of the switch, which many don't, they were not made to have the owner/operator just replace the LED.  Pain in the back side, replacing the LED switch side light by itself. However  the owner/operator needs to purchase the entire slide in portion of the switch LED, can't remember the numbers right now,  from Lionel.  Then do a remove and replace, if Byran does a search he will probably come up with the thread, showing the Lionel FT slide in bracket replacement numbers.  He will then need to order it, I ordered several of them in case any of my other FT Switch LED's went bad.

Bryan sorry I have everything in storage right now and can not give you the Lionel replacement number.  Maybe somebody else can give you the Lionel part number if you  can not retrieve the old conversations.

PCRR/Dave

I think he is referring to the controller, as he mentions four lights. 

John H, 

Never had a controller LED go bad ever, new one on me.  Probably easier to pick up a used old Lionel conventional switch controller and put LED's in it, or just order a new FT switch controller, don't believe they were engineered for operator replacement.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Guns,

  As we discussed before, Lionel did not make these FT Switches LED operator friendly, the LED's are suppose to last the life time of the switch, which many don't, they were not made to have the owner/operator just replace the LED.  Pain in the back side, replacing the LED switch side light by itself.

I've replaced the LED in a number of Fastrack switches, that's no sweat at all, it's really not that difficult. As far as the controller, it's basically impossible for me to believe it can't be replaced. I haven't had the occasion to open one up, but I'm sure I could replace the LED if I had a bad one.

Guns,

   I want to know how you replaced the LED in the FT switch, like we operators did, the old Lionel Switch Conventional light bulbs or replacement LED's, without removing the FT Switch from the active layout, this I got to hear.  You are good buddy but nobody but God is that good.

PCRR/Dave

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Guns,

  As we discussed before, Lionel did not make these FT Switches LED operator friendly, the LED's are suppose to last the life time of the switch, which many don't, they were not made to have the owner/operator just replace the LED.  Pain in the back side, replacing the LED switch side light by itself.

I've replaced the LED in a number of Fastrack switches, that's no sweat at all, it's really not that difficult. As far as the controller, it's basically impossible for me to believe it can't be replaced. I haven't had the occasion to open one up, but I'm sure I could replace the LED if I had a bad one.

It's a minor pain, but it can be done. Basically, you just unsolder the bad one and solder in the new one!, observing correct polarity, of course.

I had one switch where I wanted to reverse the red and green so that "out" on the switch was green on the controller, so I reversed the red and green LEDs in the controller. (Actually, I designed a circuit to do it electronically but a certain weapons smuggler didn't approve and talked me out of using it...)

The LEDS in my controllers, which are 6 or 7 years old, are wire lead LEDS. There are two lamps of each color in two different sizes. The hardest part is cleaning the holes out so the new LED leads slide through. It is greatly simplified with proper de-soldering equipment. 

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Guns,

   I want to know how you replaced the LED in the FT switch, like we operators did, the old Lionel Switch Conventional light bulbs or replacement LED's, without removing the FT Switch from the active layout, this I got to hear.  You are good buddy but nobody but God is that good.

PCRR/Dave

Did I say I did it without taking the switch out?  I sure don't remember saying that.

Thanks again for all the advice, I will more than likely just replace the switch mechanism simply for the fact that trying to replace the bulb its self would be very hard to do with the soldering iron that I have, the good thing is at least the switching mechanism still works.the switch mechanism is the one with the line around it by the way.