(jeb@oscalemag.com). - O Scale Trains Magazine Online

Some passenger cars that I converted had four incandescentlight bulbs per car that each used about 1/4 Ampere. In thiscase, one car’s lights consumed about 1 Ampere, and a traincan easily use more electricity for lighting than for the locomotivemotor. This compares with 0.02 or 0.04 Ampere per car forLEDs. It would take 25 cars to use one amp of power.LED light projects more like a searchlight, so I aligned fourof them to point along the length of the car. Thus they light upthe O Scale people in the car and don’t directly shine out thewindows. They are very realistic (but are not as appropriate forpassenger cars that have silhouettes of occupants pasted on theinside of the car windows). Four LEDs per car tended to givemore even lighting, but one or two would be perfect for a combineor a caboose.Parts List:All parts can be obtained from Digi-Key, Radio Shack (possiblyby order) or All Electronics. The only problem is thatvendors prefer to sell them by the bunch due to their low cost.Remember to connect the diodes (white stripe) and the regulator(flat side) in the correct direction. Also the longer LED lead is theplus lead. Backwards is bad news.QuantityFigure 3. WIRING SIDEItem4 1N4001 Diodes1 or 2 LM317LZ Regulators1 or 2 62 ohm 1/2 watt Resistors (or56 or 68)1 (Optional) Disk Capacitor(0.01 microfarad or anythingin that range)Now you have more current-efficient and more realisticlooking lighting in your passenger cars that is compatible withDC, 3-rail, or command control. You can run a more realistictrain with a diner, Pullmans, and a mail car in addition to thosecoaches, while consuming less of that precious power yourlocomotives would really like to have. You could even stringtwo red LED’s and one white LED in series in a caboose formarkers and internal lighting.But the lights will still flicker, just as the incandescent lightsdid. Next time we will describe how to get rid of the flicker.Here’s a hint. We will use an electrical flywheel.uBrian ScaceA fellow was posting his tale of woeon one of the forums the other day. Hewas converting three-rail trucks to tworail,and kept losing truck springs. Thisbrought to mind an old tip for manipulatingsmall springs that seem more interestedin escape than in employment.Take a needle and thread, and loop thethread through the spring. Knot it off ina loop, of a size easily hung on to. Put thespring in (I use a small flat-blade screwdriverto handle the li’l guy.) When it fliesoff in a desperate attempt at escape, youstill have it by the loop of thread. Onceyou (finally) succeed, clip the loop andgently slide the thread out, leaving thespring in place.You’ll find that putting springs intrucks or Kadee knuckles will becomemuch easier, just because the nervousnesslevel will go way down.“You cannot escape me!”uO.L.L.Co. GE switcher #27 coaxes a short trainthrough Kaloma yard heading west on Brian Ottaway’s OL&N.Mar/Apr ’07 - O Scale Trains • 61