OK, throwing this question out to the team to see what the general consensus is: “Is it worth going to the extra effort to light the interior of a caboose or would one’s time and resources be better spent elsewhere?” I like everyone else this time of the year am busier than a “one-legged Vegas showgirl”. But I am also finding a little bit of time to work on some model railroading projects. One of them is rebuilding a Marklin offset coupola caboose. I am very tempted to install an interior light in this unit, and have read several articles on the process. And there’s all sorts of things one needs to consider, especially when running DCC. To that end, I thought I would see if others feel as though the effort is worthwhile in regards to Z-realism, or could one’s efforts be better served elsewhere? I mean it’s hard enough just finding the time to do what I am doing. Decisions, decisions….. I was going to write “Dear Abby”, but I think she’s dead……
If it was me, I'd figure out a way to do it with a battery and magnetic reed switch. But I probably would spend my time on other things..........I decided long ago to pass on lighting my layout.........too much wiring, and lightproofing the buildings ( I have over 200 buildings), and then it looks dumb unless there are street lights and lighted vehicles. I'll be lucky to even get close to finishing my layout without adding more complications. So with no lights, will I really even be able to tell I have lighted passenger cars or a lighted caboose? Probably not.........it sounds like a fun project though.
Yeah, it seems like once you go down that lighting rabbit hole there’s no turning back. I have lit several buildings I have completed, and those I am working on, and I really appreciate the effect. However, it is a process and does take time and planning.
It's always worth doing something like Interior Lighting, if there was an interior light on the prototype. I devised an easy method, if you use an unpowered Rokuhan Shorty, they have electrical pickup on their trucks and you can use your preferred LED wiring to the wheel contacts. You can cut and glue the unpowered shorty frame as desired to get proper truck spacing and to fit in any caboose. Maybe we should have a caboose lighting contest based off the Shorty? You know, supercap constant current and constant intensity lighting, flame flicker pot belly stove glow, end marker lighting, etc?
I’ve been reading up on all the nuances of this, and flickering lights were mentioned, use of caps, wheel wipers, etc., etc. This comment was made on the MR forum regarding caboose lighting: "When cabins were in regular service the only interior light would be a single low-wattage lamp over the conductor's desk, so he could see to read paperwork. The rear-end brakeman needed to preserve his night vision in order to do his job - observing from the cupola or bay windows. If the car even had full interior lighting, it would only be turned on when cleaning or servicing was required - in a terminal yard, before or after a run" So there's always that reason not to light the interior -- but a rear marker lamp would be cool in Z-scale.
So I would do both myself. I'm thinking a dim warm white LED above the conductor's desk window if there was a window there, and use a 5-6K resistor, put a light block so other windows do not light except maybe a dim orange firebox flicker in the window opposite the smokejack for the pot belly stove if desired, and the marker lights, and why not torso a figure up in one side of the cupola if equipt. Add a constant intensity with supercap circuit, so the lighting remains on while not picking up track power for several seconds.
Now remember, most cabooses at night would have all the lights out, to see the train ahead in the dark would be harder with bright lights. All the cabooses I've seen back in the day, MAYBE had the conductors lamp on in his desk, not very bright at night. I'd try the marker lights, and section off the caboose to only show a small light in one window for the conductor.
So I’ve got the wheel wipers already, and I am doing the MTL’s coupler conversion using the ZEALOTRY adapter. Now I understand as well, I will be running DCC. I understand the need for the resistor and the benefit behind the capacitor. But I guess my big hesitancy is not the installation or any of that, but is there anything I am missing for DCC. Do I need to do anything special on a DCC hook up?
I just went ahead and ordered all the components except the LED'S to make 50 of these supercap constant lighting circuits using all SMT components. Total cost was under $50, or about $1 per car, and the can be used for powering cars off DCC or structures off 12V-15V accessory power. Probably will run off 5V DC track power too. Super Capacitors 3.3V 0.22F DMS3R3224 Farad Capacitor 6.8*1.4mm: MB10F 1A 1000V SOP-4 SMD Bridge Rectifier: AMS1117-3.3 3.3V 1A SOT-223 Voltage Regulator: VISHAY Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor .1uF 50V X7R 5% SMD: 240 Ohm Ω 241 1/3W 5% 1210(3225) 3.2*2.5mm SMD Chip Resistors: 1KΩ RM063 Vertical Variable Potentiometer Trimmer Resistors Pot:
Minor tweek to circuit above, I'm using a fixed voltage regulator LM1117 instead of the LM317, so I don't need the 240ohm and trimmer, and just sub this circuit for voltage regulation, which will cause the LED's to stay lit and slowly fade in intensity after power removal, something like 10 seconds of marker light after power removal: 0805 CAPACITOR 10UF 50V 106K 10%: VISHAY Cap Tant Solid 10uF 10V 20% B CASE:
Rob, So is the idea to insert this cadre of electronics goodies onto a downsized PCB board of sorts, or is the premise to just insert and secure everything?
OK, so I revised the circuit again, and this is what I think will work: The bridge and the voltage regulator are under 4mm square, the supercap is 7mm round by 2mm thick, and 10uF cap is less than 2mm, as well as the resistors, and the LED's will be 0402's so they are pinhead sized. I will build it chip on chip first, just to see how it works and how small it is, but it could all fit on a DCC decoder sized board, and should fit inside any Z Scale car. Like AZL passenger car lighting, or caboose lighting, etc.
I feel like Gilligan listening to the Professor talk… So will these chip on chips be made available to the public???? Or could you possibly give us a play-by-play run down how to build them ourselves?
....and that my friend is HIGHLY appreciated by everyone on this forum.... And I think you are motivating us all to go to the next level when it comes to Z-scale. Hence the reason for me even asking this "lighting question" to begin with....
I received the supercaps today, and the 3.3v modules a few days ago, and modified the tiny module by removing output caps C3 and C4, then soldering on the supercap to the C3 pads, and tested with a 9v battery. Here is a quick video demonstrating how the supercap works on this cheap Caboose Marker or FRED lighting circuit for DCC or DC track power: The video demonstration is in effect this circuit, minus the bridge rectifier, which you will also need, in an easy to build format:
Ahhhh excellent tutorial Rob. Thanks for laying this out as well as the drawings, etc. For me, this will help get the ball rolling now that I have a workable list of materials.
"“Is it worth going to the extra effort to light the interior of a caboose or would one’s time and resources be better spent elsewhere?”" Well, depends upon what worth you place on your time. ( I won't digress why Z railroaders insist on the most modern of rolling stock and locomotives, then hang a 20 foot crummy off the end (from a period which ended 50 years ago.) But in lieu of reinventing the wheel, I offer you the future past, what woulda coulda shoulda been offered (for american-style cabeese). And what SHOULD BE A READY MADE PROTOTYPICAL FEATURE OF MODERN FREIGHT TRAINS. Waiting, Waiting.... i'd get a couple of these crummy's, paint for my road and then go to work on what lights you can REALLY see on a train, lighted passenger cars. Not much prototypical lighting in a crummy, oil lamp lumens brigthness maybe?
