Why so few cabooses with flashing rear lights?

Depending on the era being modeled, i.e. back in the steam days (prior to the mid to late 1950s), most RR cabooses did NOT have "flashing rear lights".

It's pretty easy to add a flashing red light if you want one.  Since virtually all the cabooses are lighted, you don't need to use a battery.  Just a flashing LED, a diode, a capacitor, and a resistor.

You could also get an Evan Designs flashing red LED that has the built-in resistor and connects directly to track power.

Ron

My solution is 10-15 cents worth of common parts...

@Hot Water posted:

Depending on the era being modeled, i.e. back in the steam days (prior to the mid to late 1950s), most RR cabooses did NOT have "flashing rear lights".

Plus, some railroads used red flags or red painted rectangular plates (Illinois Central for one) in the daytime.  Even when they hung markers, if they were oil lit they weren't usually illuminated in the daytime.  Just so long as the red lens faced the rear.

Rusty

I believe some of the nicely detailed Atlas Cabeese have flashers - but there was some issue with them having the ability to mess up either the TMCC or DCS signal - I can't really remember the details.

Paul

I can't imagine a flashing LED screwing up TMCC, and I've never seen or heard of it.  If you are "rolling your own" and using DCS, adding a 22uh inductor in series with the power would be a good idea.  I'm sure the Evan's model doesn't include the inductor either, so if you go that way, I'd add it as well.

Thanks for all of the info guys.  Being terrible with electrical stuff, I think I will start searching for a used Lionel  Wabash.  Interesting that there are two new ones for sale on the Bay.

Mannyrock

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

It's pretty easy to add a flashing red light if you want one.  Since virtually all the cabooses are lighted, you don't need to use a battery.  Just a flashing LED, a diode, a capacitor, and a resistor.

GRJ,

You have specs on those parts?

Tnx!

1K 1/4W resistor, 100uf 35V capacitor, and a 1N4003 diode.  The flashing LED is any 3mm or 5mm one that fits where you want it, just make sure you specify a flashing LED in the color desired, typically red for this application.

For DCS compatibility, a 22uh 1/4W or higher inductor would be added.

Never seen any hacks back in the day with lights, only lanterns. I switch them off or cut the power wire. Must be a 3r thing?

Manny- I have a nice NYC caboose with a rear flasher. Not prototypical but it's your RR your rules.

Lionel 6-17606

Bob

@SIRT posted:

Never seen any hacks back in the day with lights, only lanterns. I switch them off or cut the power wire. Must be a 3r thing?

Which begs the question, why bother to reply?

If wanted realism, . . . I would take my inheritance and buy a real caboose!  :-)

For me, these are just toys.  I like turning the lights off in the basement in the evening, and watching the lights of two trains going around the layout at medium slow speed.    I find it relaxing  and amusing.

The flashing rear lights are like icing.

Mannyrock

Thanks for that alternative Bob.

Now I have two different alternatives to search for.

Mannyrock

Was going to mention the Pacemaker caboose, but got beat to the punch, with photo and video no less!  LOL

All the waycar red lights I ever saw burned steady. This would include all types of SL-SF cabs and the wide variety of BN, Inc merger road waycars. AT&SF waycars had steady burning red lights.  Which roads had red lights that flashed ?

@Rob Leese posted:

All the waycar red lights I ever saw burned steady. This would include all types of SL-SF cabs and the wide variety of BN, Inc merger road waycars. AT&SF waycars had steady burning red lights.  Which roads had red lights that flashed ?

The CB&Q NE12's had flashing red lights under the ends of the running boards:

Frankly, I never saw them in operation either day or night.  The NE12's always carried regular marker lights on a train.  The flasher may have only come on if the train went into emergency.

Rusty

Lionel did a Western Maryland bay window caboose in the “circus” paint scheme that has a flashing rear light. The caboose was part of a set but, can sometimes be found as an individual piece. Item number is 6-19799. Looks like three are for sale on eBay right now albeit at high prices.

Curt

where can you purchase the different colors  led's 3 and 5 MM ?

Alan

@Alan Mancus posted:

where can you purchase the different colors  led's 3 and 5 MM ?

Everywhere!

I get them on eBay, AliExpress, LED-Switch, Unique LEDs, Lighthouse LEDs, etc.

Manny, just a forewarning since you've posted in the past about seeking smaller sized locomotives...

The Wabash and NYC cabooses mentioned above are both from Lionel's standard 0 line. They're not exact scale proportioned, but pretty close. And MUCH larger than the Menards's Lionel based SP style caboose you are currently running.

The last caboose mentioned above by Curt is a bay window caboose. Part of Lionel's traditional line. Size-wise, more in line with what you are running, but over 10 inches long.

Just something to consider so you don't buy one and then when you get it on the layout, you notice it is much bigger than you had considered.

BUT to get the flashing light effect without doing it yourself, compromises may have to be made.

Final thought... I'm sure your current Menard's caboose could be fixed by possibly filing down any flashing on the coupler of the Menard's caboose and/or adding a little bit of weight to the caboose. I've found over the years of buying various brands of trains, that while couplers may appear on first glance to be identical, there are often very subtle differences that cause the cars to not run well with each other.

Thanks guys for the extra info.

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

Hey Folks,

Seems like there is a plethora of lighted cabooses for O gauge out there, both past and present.  But, surprising to me, so very few with flashing rear lights.  I wonder why?

The OP's inquiry was a bit of a puzzle to me, because most every caboose I've gotten for years, extended vision or bay window, whether from Lionel, Atlas O or MTH, has had a flashing rear light. Yes, the top two (Atlas O and Lionel shown) are scale and fairly expensive, but even traditional Lionel bay window cabooses (bottom two photos) have had flashing rear lights for years now.  The Atlas O flashers have a pretty neat effect, because each flash starts dimly and builds to bright and then dims again before turning off.

@brianel_k-lineguy posted:

Manny, just a forewarning since you've posted in the past about seeking smaller sized locomotives...

The Wabash and NYC cabooses mentioned above are both from Lionel's standard 0 line. They're not exact scale proportioned, but pretty close. And MUCH larger than the Menards's Lionel based SP style caboose you are currently running.

The last caboose mentioned above by Curt is a bay window caboose. Part of Lionel's traditional line. Size-wise, more in line with what you are running, but over 10 inches long.

Just something to consider so you don't buy one and then when you get it on the layout, you notice it is much bigger than you had considered.

BUT to get the flashing light effect without doing it yourself, compromises may have to be made.

Final thought... I'm sure your current Menard's caboose could be fixed by possibly filing down any flashing on the coupler of the Menard's caboose and/or adding a little bit of weight to the caboose. I've found over the years of buying various brands of trains, that while couplers may appear on first glance to be identical, there are often very subtle differences that cause the cars to not run well with each other.

Brian is correct. The NYC caboose is larger than typical post war.

I always thought that when cabooses were eliminated the RR industry began putting a flashing light on the last car.  Is that not the case?

John

Uh, isn't that like mixing matter and anti-matter?

Asking for a friend. 

George

Breezinup,

I think one of the problem is that perhaps the extended vision or bay window models may not contain, in their short one- line titles, that they have a flashing light.  So, when I tried to run google or bay searches, I didn't see  any of those turn up.

Thanks for the extra info.

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

Breezinup,

I think one of the problem is that perhaps the extended vision or bay window models may not contain, in their short one- line titles, that they have a flashing light.  So, when I tried to run google or bay searches, I didn't see  any of those turn up.

Thanks for the extra info.

Mannyrock

Yes. You may have to check pictures or manufacturer descriptions (which many Ebay sellers often include) to find reference to the lights.

BTW, I've added rear flashing lights to several older cabooses, using LEDs from the attached seller, who lists on Ebay. His stuff already has all the electronics wired in, and just requires opening the caboose and soldering two wires to the wires that go to the interior light(s). Drill a hole in the rear, insert the led and wires, solder, and your flashing light is operational. If what you want isn't listed at his site (he produces different batches of things at different times), send him an email and ask if he can make whatever you want.

dans_l.e.d.epot2015

Yea,  I just waded through about 20 Lionel extended vision and bay window cabooses, NIB, on the Bay, from about $40 to $110.  .  Only one mentioned a flashing red light.  Most just said "illuminated interior."

One mentioned "rear globe lights" , but didn't say whether they were flashing, or just red plastic globes that filtered the interior white light.

Almost all of them showed the box ends, and none of those mentioned flashing lights.

Maybe Lionel found out that O gaugers don't like the unrealistic flashing red lights, and don't want to mention them?

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

Yea,  I just waded through about 20 Lionel extended vision and bay window cabooses, NIB, on the Bay, from about $40 to $110.  .  Only one mentioned a flashing red light.  Most just said "illuminated interior."

One mentioned "rear globe lights" , but didn't say whether they were flashing, or just red plastic globes that filtered the interior white light.

Almost all of them showed the box ends, and none of those mentioned flashing lights.

Maybe Lionel found out that O gaugers don't like the unrealistic flashing red lights, and don't want to mention them?

Or,,,,,,,,,,,,just maybe the folks at Lionel realized that the REAL railroads did not use "flashing rear lights" on cabooses!

Mannyrock

@Craftech posted:

I always thought that when cabooses were eliminated the RR industry began putting a flashing light on the last car.  Is that not the case?

John

Yep.  That's the case because freight cars aren't equipped with marker light brackets.  The FRED also monitors the air brake pipe pressure.

But that still doesn't mean all cabooses had flashing red lights.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

But that still doesn't mean all cabooses had flashing red lights.

Rusty

I wasn't suggesting that.  Maybe someone else was.  Cabooses were easy to spot as the last car in addition to being illuminated.

John

@Craftech posted:

I wasn't suggesting that.  Maybe someone else was.  Cabooses were easy to spot as the last car in addition to being illuminated.

John

Actually, REAL cabooses were NOT "illuminated"! Interior illumination would negatively effect the visibility of the rear end crew. Thus there were Aladdin oil lamps, mounted over the Conductors desk, and turned down very low, so that only the Conductor could see at his desk. The world of Toy Trains, has the caboose interior well illuminated, i.e. bright lights, which is NOT prototypical.  

Yep, but your scale prototypical O gauge trains aren't realistic either.   (They have little can motors in them and run on 14 volts, not diesel fuel or steam!)

Give me a break, will ya Guys?    They are ALL toys!

@Mannyrock posted:

Yep, but your scale prototypical O gauge trains aren't realistic either.   (They have little can motors in them and run on 14 volts, not diesel fuel or steam!)

Give me a break, will ya Guys?    They are ALL toys!

Than why do you keep asking prototypical type questions?

Well Hot Water, . . . ya got me there!

But , when I posted my original question, I had no idea it was a prototypical question.  :-O

Mannyrock

I did one with the 9v battery kit, it worked fine in fact one time I forget to turn it off and a week later I noticed it was still flashing.

@Mannyrock posted:

Well Hot Water, . . . ya got me there!

But , when I posted my original question, I had no idea it was a prototypical question.  :-O

Mannyrock

Well, now you know.