dim headlights on diesels

[owen01]

I have found that the headlights on the small diesels (40 to 50 ton types) are exceedingly dim. This cannot be corrected through DCC adjustments. Apparently the led or bulbs are just not bright enough. Bachman service people have no fix for this. How can the lighting be improved or replaced? Incidently I did check out new stock in the store and they all have the same problem.

[bapguy]

If the color of the LED a dull yellow? It could be the LED passes the light through a  light pipe that cuts the brightness down. Get some LED's that are col white. Remove the shell and touch the ends of an LED to the board where the factory LED is installed. If it doesn't light turn the LED 180 degrees. LED's have a + and - lead. The new LED should be brighter.  Joe   

[Doneldon]

owen-

It's also a consideration that newer locomotives with lights often have LEDs. Unlike the ones used in flashlights and such like, which are getting brighter and brighter, many current locos have softer, dimmer warm white bulbs.
                                                                                                                                                                       -- D

[richg]

All I know of are the 44 ton and 45 ton.

The diagram shows the 45 ton has LED's

The 44 ton has LED's as well as the 70 ton.

Bachmann is noted for having LED resistors about the normal 1k resistance. I have measure around 2.5 k resistance. That has been noted by some users. 1k allows about 9 ma in a 20 ma LED which is used quite a lot.
The resistors are SMD devices and not easy to modify the resistance if you are not into soldering very small components.

No idea on how far the LED is from the headlight lens.

Rich

[richg]

My 44 ton with DCC ready had the 12 to 14 volt light bulbs which lit up quite nice. Many Bachmann locos with LED's are disappointing from many users I have seen in different train forums, not only the Bachmann forums.
Some train designer missed this with the locos.

Rich

[owen01]

thanks to all for replies. LEDs are used by Bachman and are surface mounted devices. Looking inside I find that they are just not very bright and the task if replcing them looks like a job for a brain surgeon. The leds are mounted on tiny pc boards attached to the main board. Apparently this part or parts are not available from Bachman.
I consider this to be a defect but Bachman will only replace the entire loco, which does nothing because they continue to use the same incorrect leds. 

[jbrock27]

I am pretty sure I read somewhere, I think it was said by Steve Turner, here or somewhere else, that you can dim the brightness of an LED by putting some clear nail polish on it.