The very first LED install I did, was for the head light of a dash 8. Not knowing any better, I installed a 5mm LED; you can read across the room with that thing. Point is a small LED, such as a 402 will sufficiently light a train.
Bad - Black = 0
Beer - Brown = 1
Rots - Red = 2
Our - Orange = 3
Young - Yellow = 4
Guts - Green = 5
But - Blue = 6
Vodka - Violet = 7
Goes - Grey = 8
Well - White = 9
This is just food for thought. A little over 25 years ago, I bought my first DCC command station, a NCE. Had it for about 2 months when I had a chance to try a Digitrax system, the Digitrax much better fit my style of running, with two throttles in one hand held. Had a Digitrax DCS100 for over...
I've had one of the Deltic 55's on order since June of 2023, delivery first quarter of 2024. Current status, shows it as being in production.
https://www.accurascale.com/products/class-55-deltic-br-blue-55020-dcc-sound-fitted
I use the LNWI, with the TCS UWT-50. It is a great throttle, especially if the command station is plugged into JMRI, because now the UWT-50, doesn't just show the locomotive number, but the reporting mark as well.
Sold my NCE system years ago, been using Digitrax for close to 25 years, if that tells you anything. Tried an ESu Cab Control, did not like the throttle. Instead, bought a new Digitrax DCS210+ with DT602D and UT6D Throttles.
I have a DT402R, DT402D, and the DT602D. I wouldn't say the DT602D makes MUing complicated, just different. Be sure and read the directions for MUing closely, but once you get used to the difference, it works really well.
Watts is the amount of electrical work being done, for example 746 watts = 1 horse power. Because there is no VAR in DC, it is measured in watts. AC on the other had has three components, Watts, actual work being done, reactance (VAR), which is a measure of the needed power that flows for the...
I was an engineer for Rail America, ran trains from the pacific ocean, to central Ohio, and everywhere in between. I enjoyed running the trains, the people I got to meet, and the things I go to see. But, I'm glad to be away from the life style, the "let's see if we can catch the crew doing...
Generally a 12V LED has resistors already wired in series, to allow it to work with a 12VDC power source. You could also use something like this:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/microchip-technology/CL25N3-G/4902352
then you don't need resistors at all, and it works with 5VDC to 90VDC.
You hook it up to a computer with JMRI, then to a programing track, and use it to program decoders. If you have a Digitrax system, it can be used as an interface between a computer, and the Digitrax command station. A PR4 is quite a bit better.