HOScaledWill
Member
I'm considering changing my incandescent-lit HO scale crossing signals to LED signals though I've been hesitant to do so. One reason, bad experiences with LEDs and another, for cosmetic purposes. But now I'm coming to the realization that using incandescent bulbs isn't helping, especially now that I'm trying to light up crossing gates in addition to crossbuck signals. If I'm not mistaken, I think trying to flash too many bulbs will not only use too much energy but also might fry your flasher units and I've burned out three of my flasher units (all from Circuitron) trying to flash crossbucks and gates with bulbs, one or two of them I repeatedly burned out, to Circuitron's annoyance. Plus according to what I've read and especially what I've been told, LEDs seem to be the better option, they're more energy efficient and they last longer (and work better as long as you wire and operate them right and always use resistors!)
I will show you which signals I'm talking about and what LEDs I am thinking of using for them.
Bachmann 42421 crossbucks
Sakai Seisakusho crossing signals (after their lights were replaced with 3.2mm grain of wheat bulbs)
Train Tronics (or TrainTronics) 510 crossing signals with their original bulbs
NJ International 1190 Boulevard/Over-The-Road (cantilever) signals. Left signal's lights replaced with 3.2mm bulbs, right signal retains original bulbs, which are smaller.
LEDs I was planning to use are 3mm LEDs, 1.8mm LEDs, and perhaps 4mm or 5mm LEDs, all red. I mean I wanted all of them to have 3mm LEDs but they might be too big or too long for my TranTronics signals and too small for my Sakai signals. So for the TrainTronics signals, I might use 1.8mm LEDs since the domes don't stick out too far, and I don't want my signals looking too silly! For the Sakai signals, being they have large brackets/housings/back-holes, I figure 4mm or 5mm LEDs might be better, they'll be less likely to move around, especially without the bulb holders these signals came with when they had their original lights. One of the signals still has its bulb holders but the others went missing! Because of that, 3mm bulbs and LEDs wouldn't be good for these signals and they can get loose and fall out of the signals too easily! But with the light holders, the light sources would have tighter spaces.
But 3mm LEDs should still be able to work with the Bachmann and NJI signals. I'll also need to buy the proper resistors for these. I prefer the blue resistors but may have to use beige resistors for different LED sizes.
I won't know until I acquire the LEDs and see if they fit. Thankfully LEDs don't cost that much, especially if you buy one individual LED.
And although it's settled I'm using SMD LEDs for professionally-made HO crossing gates, for my home-made crossing gates, which are wider and longer, I would prefer slightly larger LEDs. Would like it if I could use LEDs that looked like 7" gate lights. They won't be circle-shaped though like real gate lights. The 1.8mm LEDs are a good size, at least for 4" lights, but they have square bottoms instead of circle-shaped bottoms and I wish 1.8mm LEDs with round bottoms existed. 3mm LEDs have round bottoms but the domes are too long, in fact I think the whole LED that size is too wide and would over-hang the gate arm. I do not want to use 2mm LEDs, they look ugly to me and wouldn't be appropriate for my crossing equipment! I'll have to see what I can do, may even have to settle for 4" lights. Would also be nice if they made wider 1.8mm LEDs, LEDs that are just as flat as the 1.8mm LEDs but have wider and round bottoms, and perhaps wider domes, that or maybe flatter 3mm LEDs! I would prefer not to have square-shaped gate lights if at all possible, although they wouldn't be if I had the LEDs pointing up instead of outward. I'd do that with 3mm LEDs as well, I'd like them to point outward to get a more circular view but the LED dome as I kind of mentioned earlier, will overhang the gate arm, so probably best to have the LED point upward.
But I'm considering switching to LEDs and not just for efficiency but also to allow for more lights to be used now that I'm trying to light both crossbucks and crossing gates. I wanted to stick to incandescent bulbs for nostalgic purposes because bulbs were used on older real crossing signals up to the late 1990s, which was when LEDs started being used on real signals though some continued to be incandescent, plus incandescent lights fade as they flash, LEDs don't unless you have something that makes them do so. My NJI flasher module (now discontinued) is really good at making lights fade, even LEDs, but my Circuitron flashers will make LEDs turn on and off without fading, which is okay, I'll settle for that, but I would like it if I could make the LEDs fade in and fade out (I know Logic Rail has a flasher unit that makes LEDs fade as they flash, I think it's called Grade Crossing Pro, but I am wondering if there's anything I can add to flasher units from other brands to make LEDs turn on and off [more] slowly. See this thread asking that question https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...ny-way-to-make-leds-fade-as-they-flash.34233/) I also prefer to use transparent LEDs but still red both when they're shining and when they're off.
NJ International flasher unit (now out of production.) This can make LEDs fade while flashing, at least SMD LEDs.
I'm also thinking of using LEDs because I'm tired of burning out and frying my flasher units trying to flash multiple bulbs. Back then I was anti-LED but now I'm seeing using bulbs isn't such a good idea and now I understand why others won't use bulbs on their signals or anything else, be them model railroaders like myself or signal manufacturers, and others have been telling me something like "it's better to use LEDs," or "LEDs use less energy," or something like those. So now I'm thinking of riding the bandwagon when it comes to lighting! Plus I believe LEDs are less likely to fry the circuits on the flasher units!
Of course my other option is to just not light up my crossing gates at all, which I should go with, but gates without working lights on them is boring to me and they're harder to see in the dark, even with the crossbucks flashing. But I would like to be more energy efficient so that I won't have to keep replacing batteries as frequently!
So my new goal, at least this is what I'm considering, is to replace my bulbs with LEDs on my signals, using mainly 3mm LEDs, but also possibly 1.8mm LEDs and 4mm or 5mm LEDs. If anyone has advice on what LEDs to use, I'm open!
Thanks for reading.
I will show you which signals I'm talking about and what LEDs I am thinking of using for them.
LEDs I was planning to use are 3mm LEDs, 1.8mm LEDs, and perhaps 4mm or 5mm LEDs, all red. I mean I wanted all of them to have 3mm LEDs but they might be too big or too long for my TranTronics signals and too small for my Sakai signals. So for the TrainTronics signals, I might use 1.8mm LEDs since the domes don't stick out too far, and I don't want my signals looking too silly! For the Sakai signals, being they have large brackets/housings/back-holes, I figure 4mm or 5mm LEDs might be better, they'll be less likely to move around, especially without the bulb holders these signals came with when they had their original lights. One of the signals still has its bulb holders but the others went missing! Because of that, 3mm bulbs and LEDs wouldn't be good for these signals and they can get loose and fall out of the signals too easily! But with the light holders, the light sources would have tighter spaces.
But 3mm LEDs should still be able to work with the Bachmann and NJI signals. I'll also need to buy the proper resistors for these. I prefer the blue resistors but may have to use beige resistors for different LED sizes.
I won't know until I acquire the LEDs and see if they fit. Thankfully LEDs don't cost that much, especially if you buy one individual LED.
And although it's settled I'm using SMD LEDs for professionally-made HO crossing gates, for my home-made crossing gates, which are wider and longer, I would prefer slightly larger LEDs. Would like it if I could use LEDs that looked like 7" gate lights. They won't be circle-shaped though like real gate lights. The 1.8mm LEDs are a good size, at least for 4" lights, but they have square bottoms instead of circle-shaped bottoms and I wish 1.8mm LEDs with round bottoms existed. 3mm LEDs have round bottoms but the domes are too long, in fact I think the whole LED that size is too wide and would over-hang the gate arm. I do not want to use 2mm LEDs, they look ugly to me and wouldn't be appropriate for my crossing equipment! I'll have to see what I can do, may even have to settle for 4" lights. Would also be nice if they made wider 1.8mm LEDs, LEDs that are just as flat as the 1.8mm LEDs but have wider and round bottoms, and perhaps wider domes, that or maybe flatter 3mm LEDs! I would prefer not to have square-shaped gate lights if at all possible, although they wouldn't be if I had the LEDs pointing up instead of outward. I'd do that with 3mm LEDs as well, I'd like them to point outward to get a more circular view but the LED dome as I kind of mentioned earlier, will overhang the gate arm, so probably best to have the LED point upward.
But I'm considering switching to LEDs and not just for efficiency but also to allow for more lights to be used now that I'm trying to light both crossbucks and crossing gates. I wanted to stick to incandescent bulbs for nostalgic purposes because bulbs were used on older real crossing signals up to the late 1990s, which was when LEDs started being used on real signals though some continued to be incandescent, plus incandescent lights fade as they flash, LEDs don't unless you have something that makes them do so. My NJI flasher module (now discontinued) is really good at making lights fade, even LEDs, but my Circuitron flashers will make LEDs turn on and off without fading, which is okay, I'll settle for that, but I would like it if I could make the LEDs fade in and fade out (I know Logic Rail has a flasher unit that makes LEDs fade as they flash, I think it's called Grade Crossing Pro, but I am wondering if there's anything I can add to flasher units from other brands to make LEDs turn on and off [more] slowly. See this thread asking that question https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...ny-way-to-make-leds-fade-as-they-flash.34233/) I also prefer to use transparent LEDs but still red both when they're shining and when they're off.
I'm also thinking of using LEDs because I'm tired of burning out and frying my flasher units trying to flash multiple bulbs. Back then I was anti-LED but now I'm seeing using bulbs isn't such a good idea and now I understand why others won't use bulbs on their signals or anything else, be them model railroaders like myself or signal manufacturers, and others have been telling me something like "it's better to use LEDs," or "LEDs use less energy," or something like those. So now I'm thinking of riding the bandwagon when it comes to lighting! Plus I believe LEDs are less likely to fry the circuits on the flasher units!
Of course my other option is to just not light up my crossing gates at all, which I should go with, but gates without working lights on them is boring to me and they're harder to see in the dark, even with the crossbucks flashing. But I would like to be more energy efficient so that I won't have to keep replacing batteries as frequently!
So my new goal, at least this is what I'm considering, is to replace my bulbs with LEDs on my signals, using mainly 3mm LEDs, but also possibly 1.8mm LEDs and 4mm or 5mm LEDs. If anyone has advice on what LEDs to use, I'm open!
Thanks for reading.
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