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Matthew explains LED lighting for your layout

First things first, those of you who couldn’t watch Arnie’s stunning new video last time, it’s here.

Now on to Matthew, who has a done a brilliant job of explaining LED lighting for your model railroad.

“Hi Al,

I have been absorbing all your modelling tips and now it’s time for me to give something back…

I am an electrician and have great experience in wiring up LEDs in models (remember my Thunderbirds Tracey Island?).

The easiest way to wire up LEDs is according to their power source & LED voltage rating.

Say for a 3V LED, and a 9V battery power supply, you wire up 3 LEDs in series: 3+3+3=9V.

Then if you need more than 3 LEDs in the model, you can connect 3 more 3V LEDs in series (or a series circuit), then connect this series circuit in parallel with the first series circuit.

This way you don’t need to do any calculations for adding resistors, or look up the resistor table to find the right one – less mathematics, less soldering. It’s got to be good, eh?

Because LEDs consume very little power, or in other words draw very little current, you can connect many series circuits of 3 x 3V LEDs in this fashion.

In my Thunderbirds Tracey Island model I connected:

4 x 1.5V AA batteries in parallel for a total 6V power supply.

Then I connected 4 x 1.5V LEDs in a series circuit.

I connected 10 of these series circuits to the batteries. 40 LEDs in total.

Once you have the circuits and the power supplies sorted out, you can add switches to control each circuit of 4, or more LEDs separately.

Before I used these LEDs in my model, I tested them vigorously.

I ran my 10 parallel legs of 4 x series LEDs off 6V battery power for 8 days continuously.

My conservative calculations estimated 3 days of running time, so they well exceeded my estimations.
Because these LEDs use very little power, they are awesome.

NOTE: Battery voltage is DC voltage. So, all of the above relates to DC circuits only.

Now, because everyone in the train modelling world uses 12V DC output from the power adapters.
I live in 240V AC land, so my power adapters are 240V AC input via 3 pin flat plugs, 12V DC output.
UK and Nth America will be different inputs but I think we all talk the 12V DC output language.

So, for a 12V DC circuit using bright 3V LEDs:

4 x 3V in series = 12V

8 x 1.5V LEDs in series = 12V

How to arrange your LEDs series circuits

So, arrange your series circuits around your models, run a twin wire (+ and -) back to the power source for each series circuit.

Connect all your positives together, connect all your negatives together – no resistors required!
Then, you can decide how you want to switch them. Easy.

I have also wired LED interior lights in my VW transporter 9 seater.

I have estimated you could wire a house in LED lights and have them running for 1.5 days continuously off a 12 V DC battery. How good is that?

I am willing to help any modeller with composing circuits of any voltage, using any LEDs, with any amount of switches, in any layout, because you guys have given me so many good modelling tips so far.

Have a good day, Al!

BTW, I now design optical fibre networks. So as soon as Intel develops the optical micro processor, we will all stop warming up the planet with excessive amounts of heat dissipation from electrical devices. It will be all electrical supply to optical converters. If we transmit at visible wavelengths, then we don’t need an extra electrical device to convert the light source into a wavelength we can see…

Wouldn’t that be nice?

Our power bills will be a lot less.”

“Hi Al,

Thank you for the time and effort that you put into running your “Tips and How To” Site.

I wonder how Meany modellers throw away a great power supply for running their accessories each time they up grade their computers. The computers Power Supply. I run several.

Each power supply has mutable out lets in 3.3v, 5v &12v that I use to power up several bus-bars. The outlet wirers are colour coded to give you the voltages and the amperages of each supply.

I hope that this will help a little with recycling old computers.

Cheers,

Geoff”

“Hi Alastair,

I started this layout with my kids and taught them how to build this railroad as their skills increased.

We didn’t have much room so I built it as a wall unit 10″ deep with shelves to store rolling stock when it was folded up against the wall.

They used the 4 x 8 flat side to post their school work.

All the wiring is in a 2 inch space between the railroad bed and the outside.

Two support legs swung out as it was lowered down to operating condition. All the scenery is crushed screen wire tacked in place and covered with plaster. We never finished it as they went off to school and their jobs took them else ware. So it sits in the garage gathering dust. Sad.

I enjoy looking at all the layouts that you post. Really nice work.

All the best

Harold”

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Another stunning video from Arnie

Arnie never ceases to amaze me – here’s another fantastic video.

“Hi Al,

In keeping with my current focus on lighting on my Susquehanna Valley & Gulf Summit Railway layout, I put together a short video of my personally customized SV&GS Express passenger train. I hope to be adding a bit more lighting to the layout in the weeks to come but, I wanted to create a video to see how the layout looks at this time.

This is a simulation of a run along the route of the fictional Susquehanna Valley & Gulf Summit Express passenger train on my N scale SV&GS Railway. The train is a custom lettered 5 car passenger train headed by a pair of relettered/named N scale ALCO PA1s (originally Lehigh Valley locos). The video is a composite of primarily recent footage and a couple of earlier clips intended to convey a sense of shift from dusk to night as the train travels its route.

The train is taken under automatic control when it enters and leaves Susquehanna Station near the end of the video. The station stop track is electronically auto-controlled to slow the train to a stop, announce its boarding and then have it leave the station while also changing the track signal from red to green respectively.

Hope you and the readers will enjoy it.

Arnie”

Inspired? Bag a bargain with the latest ‘ebay cheat sheet’.

Best

Barry’s Helix layout

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while.

I was amused when Barry got a few comments about his railroad layout: some said it wouldn’t work.

Come on, chaps, this is Barry we’re talking about it.

“AL,

This tip comes from Michigan the land of salted roads and automobiles. “Bondo auto body filler”. I have built trail layouts in basements and out buildings where moisture is a problem. Conventional mountain building material can mold and mildew. That is why I use Bondo.

I take metal window screen and bend, fold, and contour it into the desired shape. I use a staple gun to secure it. I add wood blocks underneath for support where ever needed. Then I spread a thin coat of Bondo over the screen. On the second coat I add more contour and detail to the mountain, cliff, or tunnel I am creating. After the second coat it is ready for painting. You end up with a rock solid detailed landscape that is impervious to moisture. The only drawback is the need for good ventilation when working with it.

David”

“Hello again Al,

I’ve been busy working on my current layout. I call it My Last Layout because I’m 70 now and I figured it would be my last one. I was wrong! I have been tearing sections of it apart and re-structuring the layout for my newest variation – a radio controlled layout with battery powered locomotives. I sure wish I had known about this part of the hobby before, I could have saved a lot of time and a bunch of money. No wiring, no track or wheel cleaning, just a wireless throttle in my hand and a receiver with battery pack on board (with a DCC decoder if you like) and away you go. More on this at a later date. For now, I am sending you pictures of My Last Layout under construction.

As you may remember from my last posting, I had my Depot enlarged so that I had a new space 12 feet by 24 feet. This would house my new layout and space for me to work as well. I have included a Track Plan (just drew it out on a piece of paper freehand). I lay my track on wood. I used to use plywood but had some problems with expansion so now I switched to MDF, very stable but also very hard. Once I get track down I then begin filling in with foam. I now use foam for most all the layout instead of using screen and/or cardboard covered with plaster cloth because I found it’s much easier for me to put in the scenery on foam (just shove the trees in and done). Also it’s a much easier process if I find I want to add or delete something, just glue more foam on or cut some out.

For those who have been following my progress, you will recognize item’s I salvaged from my previous layout and I found a new way to hold my track in place until I am ready to call things done and start to ballast. I usually ballast last because if I have to move or replace some track during the project it’s much easier if the track is open. I now use small pan head screws to hold my track in place. I use 3 or 4 per each 3 foot section of flex track and none to hold the turnouts. Works like a charm. If you find you have to move or replace track, you just remove a few screws. For those who like to lay track on foam, just cut out a small square section of the foam on the roadbed and glue in a piece of wood. That will give you a place to put the screw in.

This layout will have a wharf area with docks and such. I also had an idea to show my mine operation from above and below ground. Should be interesting. That’s all for now. Next time I’ll get you pictures of the mostly finished layout before I began taking it apart.

Bob”