The answer is yes. Many use them. I only have them in engines and some crossing guard lights at this time. I'm sure you will get lots of replies. In the mean time do a web search for, "model trains LED". Lots of stuff to be found.
That is all I use for buildings, EOT's, dwarf signals, etc. I use a separate 12V regulated power supply. I also use a terminal block for my connections. Now remember you need to calculate the source voltage, forward voltage, forward current and the number of LEDs. This will give you the size of the resistor to use. Here is a good calculator to use. http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=zz.led.resistor.calculator These are prewired LEDs http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/ledlights1.html You can also purchase on Ebay, www.moreleds.com www.unique-leds.com cheap and reasonable shipping Also people are using fiber optics.
Thanks for the response! This is what I was looking at: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/340300/LEDs/Standard-3mm-T-1/1.html Any thoughts? Dan
Thanks guys! I had a chance to look at the links and do a search this morning. Very helpful and gets me pointed in the right direction. Dan
LED's are about the only way to go any more. They produce less heat and use less current than incandescent. There used to be complaints of LED colors but not anymore. You can get LED's in any color temperature you want just by trying different brands/sources. T3's will work for general light inside a building but eventually you may need to start looking at surface mount devices to get more detailed. Disclaimer: The above is HO but the principals are the same.
Also, check Ebay. Good deals on cheap LED's in bulk. Just remember to get "wide angle" for interior lights, to speard the light and avoid the "spotlight" look. Yellow is ok, the "bright white" always looks blue-hued.
Not only do I plan on using them for all interior and scene lights on the layout, I plan on using them for the layout room lighting as well. Here is why: 1. The basement has a low celing and I need to have high hat lights. These create a lot of heat in a small area that will need insulation for the winter. LED lights make virtually no heat and won't be a fire hazard. 2. LEDs are directional. This makes them best suited for high hat instalation. 3. LEDs are much better at dimming than CFL bulbs. 4. Blue, yellow and orange LED strings lights can create lots of nice effects like nighttime (blue), sunset (yellow and orange). 5. LEDs last forever, so replacing lights on delicate structures is no longer an issue. 6. LEDS are very efficient. I want to keep my layout enviormentally friendly. No heat means no need for AC in the basement.
WARNING! White LEDs can cause permanent damage to your eyes. NEVER look at a white LED directly! For white LEDs, I always use 4 times the calculated resistor.
Neat Effect For a neat effect, in a couple of the houses in a neighborhood, you might like to add a special effects kit from Iron Penguin Electronics. He make several different circuits. One of his coolest, is for a house. It has a light that is always on. A light that turns on and off randomly and a light that looks like a TV as seen through the window. His web site is http://www.ironpeng.com/ipe/houselightindex.html I've bought many blinky things, from him, for my layout. They really bring my layout to life, when I turn the main lights in the room off. He also sells prewired LEDs. Most of his kits use SMD LEDs, perfect for N scale. He also is a N scaler. More fuel for the fire Just a couple of more ideas. LED Color................................ What it looks like Blue/White.................................Fluorescent Lighting (Businesses) Yellow, Sunny White....................Incandescent Lighting (Homes) Amber.......................................Sodium Vapor (Street Lights) Red, Blue Green Purple, etc..........Decorative Landscape ................................................or Architectural Lighting Red...........................................Warning Lights (some blinking) Bright Blue/White........................Strobe Lights Light up your signs. Either self lit or spotlights. Animated signs grab attention. Even two alternating lights work. I remember signs that just blinked yellow and white. Police or Fire equipment can make an interesting focal point. There are some special effects LEDs. Some will blink two colors. (Red/Blue, Red/Green) I have some that will go through a whole spectrum color show, great for tower domes or a Christmas tree with fiber optics. Red and yellow LEDs replacing the speakers in a pair of cheap headphones plugged into a radio at low power can make a fire effect. Change the volume and tuning for best effect. Colored LEDs with their beams shooting up the sides of a building make it more interesting at night. Put partitions in buildings or cover windows with black to stop that single room house look. Especially for big buildings.Don't forget to separate the different floors. The apartments over a shop would have incandescent while the shop has fluorescent. The lighting in the office part of a business will be different than the warehouse/factory part. The office will have fluorescent while the working part would have sodium vapor lights. We may not be able to animate everything but the darkness can hide a lot. Two alternating lights from different angles give the illusion of a little movement of figures. Just look around you for more ideas.
I've probably got over 400 LED's lighting up my buildings now, but I started from scratch without any electrical knowledge whatsoever. The good news is that if I can do it anyone can! I put up what I've learned and the process on my blog if you're interested: http://quinntopia.blogspot.com/2010/12/lighting-for-buildings-part-2-solder.html Here's a sample of what I've been able to put together with the LED's:
