TMCC steam engine cab light

Sorry to say, but I'm pretty sure this is not a feature with TMCC locomotives. I wish it was!

Yes Greg I think you are correct
It's only a legacy feature not tmcc

Alex

Thanks, guys!

This annoys me too on a couple of engines.

 

There are a couple of solutions.

 

• Disconnect the lights and run dark.
• Install a slide switch and wire it through.
• I've anso entertained the option of building a small circuit to trigger whenever the motor has any voltage in either direction to turn the light off when the train is in motion.  This would be similar to many Legacy locomotives.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I think I might have to purchase a Legacy version of the N&W J if Lionel produces one.  Rumor has it...

I don't think I'd buy one to have better control of the cab lights, but I'll bet a Legacy version would have other nice attributes as well.  Better sound would be one bonus.

Yes, I wouldn't buy one just for the lights, but for some of the other Legacy features.  It's still a maybe for me.  Now that I have 4 chuffs, everything else is a minor concession. 

As a partial solution, if a light's too bright, one thing I've done in the past is dab a little high temperature black paint on the end of the overly-bright bulb to reduce the light (you can get spray cans of it at Home Depot, etc.). You can get a more acceptable level of light that way, at whatever level you like, and it's so simple even I can do it. An always-on cab light can be made more subtle, at least.

Thanks for your reply, breesinup.  I hadn't thought of that.

Funny you should ask.

 

I just built a little module to do the exact opposite, turn smoke on only when the locomotive was moving.  By changing the relay from a NO to a NC, you could use the same circuit to turn the cab light off when the locomotive started moving.

 

Here's the schematic, you have to click on it to expand it.

 

 

quote:

Quick question...how do you turn off the cab light that is constantly on on a TMCC steam engine?  I only want it to come on in the neutral state.

>>>I take it that aux 8 and 9 aren't the toggle for cab lights like they are on a diesel?<<<

After looking through the catalogs to find a representative engine it looks like the ports on the board used to control the auxiliary lights on a TMCC diesel are used to control the smoke unit on a steamer.