Coach lighting...

[Warflight]

Okay, so, suppose I just bought six "Bachmann Coach (1860-80 era) - Painted Unlettered Green (HO Scale)" cars (I'm lying, I actually bought four... and two combines... and they are Mantua, but, I have to assume the process would be the same, and all of my engines are Bachmann... DON'T BE MAD BACH-MAN!)

Now, suppose, I want to light all six cars...

Also, we should imagine that I am a danger to myself and others with a solder gun...

Are we imagining that? (picture something from a Buster Keaton movie... it'll make it easier)

So the question is... what would be the easiest way to light these cars? (and since they are probably two different answers) also, what would be the best way?

The cars are pulled by a Bachmann DCC 4-4-0 Spectrum, however, I use DC track, and a DC controller (because I won't get a DCC controller until I have at LEAST two DCC equipped trains... it's coming, however)

Much thanks for any advice given...

[ACY]

How about use your imagination to pretend they have lights in them?
Seriously though depending on what cars you actually had would greatly effect my answer.

[James in FL]

Seriously though depending on what cars you actually had would greatly effect my answer.

I thought it was clearly stated here;

...1860-80 era... snip... I actually bought four... and two combines... and they are Mantua

Hi Warflight,
I saw these same cars at a recent show I attended.
IIRC they were about 6 inches long yellow/orange with black roofs and horn hooks.
I was actually looking at something in another scale, when another patron walked up to the same vendors table and started questioning him about them.
He took them from the box lid and looked at each one.
The cars appeared to be all intact, other than two with broken couplers.
He had a dozen or so and the vendor told the guy he could have the lot for $75.
The guy offered him $70 and walked away with them all.

But back to your question;
If soldering is not an option (IMO it's the best option), it almost eliminates track power pick-up.
It is possible, I suppose, to use very small mechanical connections, say about a 00-90 screws, washers, and nuts, to make your connections depending on your skill level. That may require drilling and tapping and/or crimping.
You would also have to fabricate either wheel or axle wipers.
If a mechanical connection is not an option, then you will have to consider Battery power.
Because of the cars length, I would look to using N scale lighting kits, either Easy Peasy or Fox Valley.


Good luck

[Warflight]

FANTASTIC! Some great ideas there...

Yeah, I picked these up on eBay, and they appear to be rather new! Like, Spectrum quality, with really nice metal spring couplers... though they are labled "Mantua Classics, they also have the "Model Power", and "ATI Model Products" AND "Exclusively made for Model Rectifier Corporation" on the boxes. So, I'm guessing a Tyco/Mantua design, but made by Model Power? I just know that when I bought them, I thought they were Bachmann at first, but still ended up being really top notch quality! Lots of metal, and detail on them.

This isn't a GREAT photo of the two combines (the passenger cars are being delivered today) but you can see the attention to detail.




Colour of the lighting is probably irrelevant, as the windows are tinted green, but the shells, when I tested them with a high powered flashlight, and a blue laser, don't have any light leaks. So when they are lit, the light will ONLY come out of the windows, and the top... only where light SHOULD escape.

I'm actually thinking of maybe changing the "glass", putting some chairs and passengers in, and doing at least ONE of them up all prototype, just to see if that's the sort of thing I might enjoy doing.

Oh,and thanks to the advice here, it looks like I'm probably going to have to teach myself to solder! (well... solder better... I can do it, and I have a solder gun... I'm just really bad at it is all... I mean... think of a Buster Keaton movie, if he had to solder something... "The Electric House" is a short that comes to mind)

I may have just dated myself just then...

[Len]

A soldering gun would be over kill for wiring car lights. Something around 25 watts, or a variable temp, chisel tip soldering iron would be better.

Mini-a-tronics makes a variety of lighting options for passenger cars and cabooses. The passenger car lights come in either white (fluorescent) or yellow (incandescent/oil lamps), and can be cut to length. This is an example of the white light bar:


The kit contains pick-up wipers for the trucks.

Len

[Warflight]

The passenger car lights come in either white (fluorescent) or yellow (incandescent/oil lamps), and can be cut to length. This is an example of the white light bar:

Ooh, I like that idea! The Easy Peasy got me a bit excited, but, the N scale are 5 5/8 inches in length... the inside of my HO scale cars are 4 inches.

I have looked everywhere (even eBay, which is just LIKE everywhere!) and it seems nobody has lighting for passenger cars from the 1860s! Only the long cars from the 20th century.

This set you mention may be what I'll need. I do like the Easy Peasy battery idea though, so as to not tax my track power (I'm still running DC track) but, I suppose sacrifices, and all that.

Oil lamp look... I might be replacing the green windows after all!

[jbrock27]

a variable temp, chisel tip soldering iron would be better.

Len

A Weller WLC100 soldering station would be even better, in addition to multiple settings there is an offering of a variety of tips for different jobs.

[Warflight]

Thanks! That sounds like a good idea, and maybe I'm bad at soldering because I never had a proper tip?

[jbrock27]

Proper tools do help the job get done properly.

[Geared Steam]

Black stone (Soundtraxx) sells a decoder equipped a lightboard for its HOn3 long caboose, 3 LEDs with capacitors. Requires soldering and a tad expensive, but they are great.

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/2016/08/adding-blackstone-lighting-to.html

http://www.soundtraxx.com/accessorydecoders/accessorydecoders.php

Learn to solder and put your own LEDs in for pennies.

[Warflight]

I may have to... I just worry, because my hands aren't as steady as they used to be.