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Lighted Big Hauler Caboose

Started by RkyGriz, May 26, 2015, 12:36:12 AM

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RkyGriz

Hey guys. I finally finished the wiring for the lights in my Big Hauler caboose.I installed 3  LED light strips that have 3 LED's in each strip. These are the same brite white LED's that were installed in all of my Virginia & Truckee J.S. coaches. I'm powering them with a 9 volt battery that's in a Bachmann battery holder on the underside of the car. This required some cutting and alterations to be made to install both the battery holder and the on-off switch, but I think that the results were satisfactory.
Here's the link to a short video that I just posted to youtube of it operating in the dark:
https://youtu.be/oE-HqB_0sPI
I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm thinking about adding metal railings and (if there's any such thing) a metal smokestack for more realism. What do you guys think: is it worth upgrading or is it good enough as-is?
Thanks!

Loco Bill Canelos

RkyGriz,

You are right a bout the lights being pretty bluish.   Do the LED light strips come in a soft white or Warm White??

The eight wheel caboose is a great caboose, and upgrading to metal handrails wouldn't be to hard. Most hobby shops have brass rods of the right size and while I have not done it on a caboose I have used the plastic rail as a pattern to bend the brass wire to the same shape. As for the stack, it looks pretty good just painted flat black.

I have used this caboose to cut and bash into other styles.  Here is a pic of one of them before and after:



I have also done a one window version for my logging company RR.   Metal railings would be nice, but I never got around to it.

Have fun,

Bill
Loco Bill,  Roundhouse Foreman
Colorado & Kansas Railway-Missouri Western Railway
Official Historian; Bachmann Large Scale
Colorado RR Museum-Brakeman-Engineer-Motorman-Trainman
There are no dumb or stupid questions, just questions!