Spectrum 4-6-0 Headlight is dim

[Trolleymoose]

My HO Spectrum 4-6-0 headlight is very dim.  I have tried to adjust CVs without luck.  Any suggestions?

Trolleymoose

[SteamGene]

If you want to be authentic, turn it off.  Until very late, steam locomotives didn't have their headlight on in the daytime unless in a tunnel.
Gene

[rogertra]

Keep in mind that a steam loco headlight was not as bright as a diesel.

We are so used to seeing sealed beam diesel headlights that we forget that a steam loco headlight was, generally speaking, at best a 100W lamp running on 30VDC provided by the Pyle National turbo generator.

[richG]

The resistor on the PC board is the issue. The LED that uses a 1 k resistor will be brighter. The one for the 4-6-0 and 4-4-0 are higher resistance.  Both mine now have 1 k resistors with a nice yellow light.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,6756.0.html

Also, the 4-6-0 LED sends light out via a periscope that consist of two prisms which helps make the light dimmer than the 4-4-0 which has the LED directly behind the headlight lens. The 4-6-0 has the periscope in the smoke box of the loco. I never did get a photo of the inside of the smoke box area. When the boiler is put on the running gear, the LED ends up at the base of the first prism in the periscope.



Rich

[Mountainman]

Good piece of advice, Rich  Thanks alot....

Rob