# Getting stuff lit



## Theamazingswal

I decided to try and get everything lit this winter. I bought 100 3mm & 5mm LEDS. I also order a 16 ft strip of SMD LEDS. I want to lite everything on the layout. That is all the signals, building, passenger cars etc. As the thread moves ahead stuff will light up. I started my first project with a with one of my signal displays. I never really liked the one 12v bulb I used to lite the display so I started thinking on what I needed to do. The below photos are how I went about this. The signal light in on with my RR crossing gates power supply which is 3 volts. There are no resistors. 

I noticed something wrong with the project. I'm wondering if anyone else knows what that is?

George


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## MichaelE

I believe if the semaphore arm is at 45 degrees the green indicator should be lit. At least on the DB that's the way they are set up.


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## Theamazingswal

Your very close Mike but not quite right. The yellow position is correct. I use to be a RR engineer so it's clear to me what I did wrong.

George


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## MichaelE

The only other thing I can think of, but again it pertains to Deutsche Bahn only, is that the arm would be on the right side instead of the left for an approaching train.

Signals are always on the right side of the track for an approaching train with the arm to the right.


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## Theamazingswal

Mike I thought this US semaphore was an universal thing but maybe your right it's not. I know on the NH this would be correct but now I'm not so sure about other Railroads. On my signal the green and the red should be switched. I just noticed this today.

George


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## gunrunnerjohn

With the size of that signal, I have to ask what scale it's designed for.


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## Theamazingswal

John the scale was decided by the largest hole saw diameter I owned. I needed to cut the colored lenses from some small square pieces of colored plexaglass I had. It's only to enhance the room with some RR display items. I build 3 of these signals. 1 Searchlight, 1 Dwarf and 1 Semaphore. 

George


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## gunrunnerjohn

I figured it was a display, but at first I though you might have had a 7.5" live steam in your yard.


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## Theamazingswal

That's funny John. I'm retired but there's only so many hours in a day. Golf takes up a lot of my time in the summer and my wife needs a bit of my time. So no yard railroads. 

George


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## Theamazingswal

The first project in my lit them up series got done today. My 16 ft SMD LEDS tape I ordered will be here Friday and I'll start lighting up all the building.

George


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## Atlanta

Hey George,



Theamazingswal said:


> Mike I thought this US semaphore was an universal thing but maybe your right it's not. I know on the NH this would be correct but now I'm not so sure about other Railroads. On my signal the green and the red should be switched. I just noticed this today.
> 
> George
> 
> View attachment 512030


Semaphores are available in upper quadrant semphores and lower quadrant semaphores, the meaning of the aspects are the some on both.

Horizontal position means stop by red light

Diagonal Position means Caution of Danger by yellow/amber light.

Vertical up or down position aspect means clear by green light (bluegreen lense).

Two aspect semaphores have the clear position in diagonal position only.


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## J.Albert1949

Atlanta wrote:
_"Two aspect semaphores have the clear position in diagonal position only."_

NOT SO!
_(you're in Europe, right? Things are different in the USA)_

When I first starting running trains on Conrail on the New Haven line (former New Haven Railroad) between New Haven and G.C.T, the line still had the original old NH semaphores to govern blocks and interlockings.

At interlockings, there would be two-unit semaphores, with a 3rd unit dwarf signal on the ground. For a clear, the top semaphore would be vertical (green), the lower one horizontal (red), and the dwarf would be in the horizontal position (red) as well. Thus, green-over-red-over-red.

Two-unit automatics (governing the approach to interlockings) would display (for "clear") green-over-red.

I also briefly got to make some trips on the former Erie-Lackawanna between Binghamton and Corning (NY). The old semaphores were still installed and working in the ABS territory. That was 30 years ago -- most of the line has been single-tracked and the old semaphores are now gone.


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## MichaelE

Both of us were speaking of semaphores used on Deutsche Bahn.


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## Theamazingswal

On another note. I received my 16 ft surface mounted LEDS strip today. I plan on lighting all my building and passenger cars with the 300 LEDS on the strip. It also came with a 12v DC power supply. Pretty good deal for $16.00. We'll see how it goes?

George


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## Theamazingswal

Lighted up my first 2 building with the 16 ft SMD strip I bought. I found you need to cut 3 LEDS at a time off the strip for them to work. I bought 3 different colored plastic school note books to defuse the light. That is I used them as a buffer between the LEDS and the building windows to cut down the glare. I'm pleased with the results.

George


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## Theamazingswal

I'm continuing to get stuff lit. Here's some photos on how I used my new lights I bought a few days ago. I bought the 12 for $14.99 and used 7 in the north Janesville engine facility. 1 at the ash pit, 2 at the fueling pad, 2 at the coaling tower and 2 at the over head crane. I have 5 left which I'll use at the south passenger car shop and fueling pad. If you want the light to show a little brighter than normal you can tug a little on the SMD chip to move it down and away from the pole reflector. Remember these are 3 volt SMD LEDS and need a resistor.

George


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## Theamazingswal




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## J.Albert1949

Very nice enginehouse scene... I like the NH Alcos, as well!


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## Theamazingswal

Thanks Albert. Yes the tracks those NH 424's use to run over from Danbury to Hopewell Junction pass Valley Lake is be made into a rail trail this very day. The sanding tower in front of the coaling tower is modeled on the sanding tower at Brewster yard. I know you worked there for that matter so is the fueling pad. 

George


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## Theamazingswal

My second batch of street lights arrived yesterday. A little different design that the first. Here's how Janesville looks after installing all the building and street lights. The street lights are 12v bulbs with the resistors attached type.

George


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## Theamazingswal

I started to light my passenger cars today. I cut 12 SMD LEDS from the 16ft strip I bought. I glued them to the car' roof and solder on a mini connector in case I wanted to detach the roof later. I wanted to use the mini plug connector but you really don't have to use one. You cannot solder the connecting wires to the Walther's rail pick ups tabs so I had to glue them on. The spring steel they use for the pickups cannot be soldered. The car looks great all lighted up. Now 10 more to go. 
George


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## MichaelE

Great job. I need to light mine. At least one train's worth.


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## Theamazingswal

Thanks Mike. I've made a change on how I connect to the Walther's passenger cars electrical pickups.

I've got 8 of my 16 Walther's passenger cars lit but I changed the method on how the strip LEDS I bought connect to the car's pickups. I decided to make push on's like you see in locomotives. They work well. I thought the lights looked a little to bright so I soldered on a 150 ohm resistor to the LED strip. The car's lights look a little bright in the below photo buts that's the camera. They look great. 
George


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## Theamazingswal

Continuing on getting stuff lit I bought some goose neck lights. The lights where 10 for $6.40 free shipping. I bought 2 packs. How can you beat the price? That's 0.64 cents a light. I used them on my barrel factory & 1 of Hunts Point Market wholesale produce buildings. I do the others in the weeks to come. I also ordered some freight yard lights. 20 for $6.40 cents free shipping. I bought 40. With these prices I finally found it affordable to light my entire layout. 
George


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## Theamazingswal

Continuing on around the layout lighting stuff up I had to relight the RR memorabilia dwarf signal I created a few years ago. I made a mistake of connecting it to a 12v power supply one day a blew the two dollar store flashlights I use to light the signal. I did not use any rocket science as a format to light this signal. I took out the flashlight's battery parts and soldered on 2 wires that connect to a 3 volt power supply. I also bought a dollar store green plastic school notebook, cut out 2 pieces to place in front of the flashlights to display a clear signal.
George


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## Theamazingswal

The freight yard lights I bought arrived the other day. I like the lights, 20 for $6.45 free shipping. I did not like the light base so I made my own base out of some tubbing I had left over from another project. The lights come with a clip on sign that I discarded although you could print up some Christmas decorations and clip them on for the holidays if your going to use them as street lights. The light enclosure and base are white I painted them all silver. 
George


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## Theamazingswal

Continuing on getting stuff lit I bought 10 3 light yard lights for $12.99 and installed yesterday. I also added some truck freight yard lights to the Hunt's Point Market truck unloading area. 
George


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## Theamazingswal

Got some signal bridges going this week. I used a Oregon Rail Supply kit for one the home boards. The signals aspects are controlled by the turn outs and crossovers. If your going to use one of the Oregon Rail Supply kits use the smallest wires possible. I found out this the hard way. To many wires no enough space in the signal mass tube. 
George


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## Magic

Looks great.
I really should do something like that but I don't know if I'll ever get to it.

Magic


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## gardena_shortline

Looks awesome! Lighting definitely adds a ton of realism.


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