3985 lighting


irocinblue89

irocinblue89

Member
I am working on an HO Challenger and I want to do something different. I am putting a QSI Titan in it for sound with 2 - 28mm speakers mounted isobaric in the tender, 1 - 20mm in the cab, and 1 cube speaker under the stacks. My goal is to get a very nice sounding stereo effect from the Titan. If I'm going through all that trouble I was thinking of really setting it apart from my others. So, with that being said, does anyone know if it had any running gear lights, or anything U.P. added that I can incorporate into this? I'm still doing some searching, maybe a link to help speed me along? Thanks in advance!

Blue
 
Every "dark" photo I've seen has had the orange firebox flicker under the cab, at the bottom of the firebox. I'm not sure how you could get that effect, but it would certainly be cool and unique if you could pull it off.
Other than that, I remember seeing number board lights, and lights inside the cab roof.
 
bnsf971 said:
Every "dark" photo I've seen has had the orange firebox flicker under the cab, at the bottom of the firebox. I'm not sure how you could get that effect, but it would certainly be cool and unique if you could pull it off.
Other than that, I remember seeing number board lights, and lights inside the cab roof.
Click to expand...

The firebox glow.. maybe an orange and yellow LED programmed to strobe like a Mars light?
 
I swear I saw a photo of lights under the walk ways, but I can not find it. I think there were 2 or 3 that illuminated the drivers. I will work on the firebox idea too! Thanks
 
Blue -

Depending on the era, you would not see any firebox flicker from 3985. The locomotive was originally build coal-burning, so any flicker would be hidden by the grates and ash pan. It wasn't until well after 3985 was rehabilitated, after being stuffed and mounted for years, that she was converted to oil. As the late Lynn Nystrom told the story, on a trip back to Cheyenne a chunk of concrete mixed in with the coal jammed and broke the stoker auger. Excursion volunteers took turns furiously trying to shovel coal into the massive firebox but steam pressure kept falling, though she eventually limped home.

As you surmise there is a light fixture on each side under the running board. On the engineer's side the lamp hangs directly below the running board, just in front of a red lever.

i-GpNJ4KW-X2.jpg


On the fireman's side the lamp hangs just behind the shallow step-up of the running board, directly above the rear piston.

i-47SkzHh-X3.jpg


Hope this helps.
 
Wow! I didn't even know they lit it up like that. That is a killer looking photo too!

If you add all those lights, I would be jealous. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with.
 
ncmrdispatcher said:
Blue -

Depending on the era, you would not see any firebox flicker from 3985. The locomotive was originally build coal-burning, so any flicker would be hidden by the grates and ash pan. It wasn't until well after 3985 was rehabilitated, after being stuffed and mounted for years, that she was converted to oil. As the late Lynn Nystrom told the story, on a trip back to Cheyenne a chunk of concrete mixed in with the coal jammed and broke the stoker auger. Excursion volunteers took turns furiously trying to shovel coal into the massive firebox but steam pressure kept falling, though she eventually limped home.

As you surmise there is a light fixture on each side under the running board. On the engineer's side the lamp hangs directly below the running board, just in front of a red lever.

i-GpNJ4KW-X2.jpg


On the fireman's side the lamp hangs just behind the shallow step-up of the running board, directly above the rear piston.

i-47SkzHh-X3.jpg


Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Helps out a TON! Thank you!
 
Blue -

Correction: There seem to be at least two lamps on each side under the running board. In the first photo, there is a second lamp in the upper right corner.

I don't have a great photo that shows the second lamp on the fireman's side, but in another photo shot a few seconds earlier there was one visible in front of the front air tank, above the end of the radius bar.

i-xLJBMSn-X3.jpg


One of the photos you found suggests lights under the cab. I don't have any detail photos of that area.
 
ncmrdispatcher said:
Blue -

Correction: There seem to be at least two lamps on each side under the running board. In the first photo, there is a second lamp in the upper right corner.

I don't have a great photo that shows the second lamp on the fireman's side, but in another photo shot a few seconds earlier there was one visible in front of the front air tank, above the end of the radius bar.

i-xLJBMSn-X3.jpg


One of the photos you found suggests lights under the cab. I don't have any detail photos of that area.
Click to expand...

It looks like (from your photos) they are on all the time. I must assume they are dimmable, and at night or while stopped they are brighter. Either that or the photo's I found are touched up. HMMMM Maybe the oposite of rule 17 lighting. I need to get on the ball and order the stuff.
 
Pre-wired SMT LEDs are available from ngineering.com, but they are proud ($) of their work! The same folks sell a little fixture to hold the LED while soldering. A friend and I stole their idea and came up with this.

i-VNW2jXV-L.jpg


The LED goes in the middle clip. In this photo it is an 0603, which means 0.060" long by 0.030" wide. The wire is "solderable" magnet wire, meaning that the insulation can be removed by a soldering iron set to 850F. Drop the temp back to 500-600F when soldering to the LED itself. Trim the excess wire length after soldering.

i-bfHHKXL-L.jpg


0603 warm-white LEDs are available in inexpensive packages of 100 from Traintek LLC.

As for the running board lights being on all the time, that's the only way I've seen them. Although I've been in the cab of 3985, I don't have a photo of the electrical panel to show how they are switched.
 
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