# Led Marker Lights



## Rabbitman (Jan 24, 2014)

I have a few Railking diesels that don't have marker lights on them. What type of led light and voltage do you use for this purpose, I guess you just wire them to the constant voltage headlight wires don't you? Also what type of light do you use for this purpose when the headlight is an incandesant type? I m wondering what sizes and shapes of them people use for this type thing. Is it just a matter of drilling a hole in the plastic body and inserting the light through the back side and putting a little silicone or something to that on the back to keep it in place?
Also what are ditch lights and where do they go?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use either 2mm or 3mm LED's for markers. For PS/2 stuff, you can actually tap into the marker light circuit on the PS/2 board and light them directly. That also usually gives you control of them. Yep, I just drill a hole, many RailKing shells have a spot where the mold has the marker shadow.

Ditch lights are typically low on the pilot, again most of those are enabled in RailKing sound files. If you wire into the proper connector, you can have the flashing ditch lights with the horn, kinda' cool.

The dimples on this shell is where the markers would go.











Example ditch lights.










Note spot for ditch lights on this one.


----------



## Rabbitman (Jan 24, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I use either 2mm or 3mm LED's for markers. For PS/2 stuff, you can actually tap into the marker light circuit on the PS/2 board and light them directly. That also usually gives you control of them. Yep, I just drill a hole, many RailKing shells have a spot where the mold has the marker shadow.
> 
> Ditch lights are typically low on the pilot, again most of those are enabled in RailKing sound files. If you wire into the proper connector, you can have the flashing ditch lights with the horn, kinda' cool.
> 
> ...


So I guess ditch lights are white and act like another lower set of driving lights. Is there any certain color marker lights are supposed to be? I see in the picture of the one engine they are red, are they all supposed to be red by regulation? I was wondering about the size too, I'm glad you mentioned it.
Right now I'm in the process of finaly building some wall shelves to put these extra engines and cars on but I want to give those lights a try on some of my engines. Is there a best place or one you recomend to get them from?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The ditch lights are kinda' like driving lights, and the alternately flash when the horn is sounded. They're normally white, I've never seen red ditch lights, though they might exist. Where do you see red ones?


----------



## Rabbitman (Jan 24, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The ditch lights are kinda' like driving lights, and the alternately flash when the horn is sounded. They're normally white, I've never seen red ditch lights, though they might exist. Where do you see red ones?



Oh, I was thinking about the marker lights when I typed that. I see on the other engine in the picture that the marker lights are red and I was wondering if they are all supposed to be red.
I know on the old steamers I see a lot of green ones or is this kind of just left up to the individual Railroads as to what color to use? I would imagine it's standardized but I don't know.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Steamers have green and white class lights at times, depending on if the train was a second section or an extra. As far as I know, class lights were never red, though they are at times on some models.


----------

