# LED lights in buildings



## White Deer RR (May 15, 2009)

Been away from the forum since last year, mostly because the family bought a puppy and was busy repairing things. ;-) I just put some 5mm warm white LED's in my tiny collection of buildings, and I'm testing how to post pics now. If anyone remembers, my layout is pretty small compared with most; modified dogbone with four foot diameter curves and nine foot straightaways. Hopefully I have dog-proofed more stuff this year, especially the track to pack wiring which is now in pvc conduit underground. Okay, here goes the test of the pics.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Very nice!


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## White Deer RR (May 15, 2009)

Okay, if I'm seeing the pics you probably are too. 

A few notes about the LED lights. I bought them on-line and chose 5mm "warm white" for batteries, plus two 9v battery harnesses with small push switches already installed. Since my "town" is so small, it was simply a matter of twisting all the red wires to the red wire of the harness/switch, and you guessed it, black to black. Shrink tube and a little tape around the connections and I'm done.

The place I bought them from also offers LED's with bridge rectifiers for track power. I didn't want to go there, plus I'm not using DCC or anything, just Basic Train Engineer. On and off essentially. 

I chose to use 5 LED's in the Aristo farmhouse, three for the Aristo passenger station and two for my "popsicle stick" general store, which badly needs some tarpaper on the inside.  The Aristo station is about four years old, and has been outside for most of that time. It's been sloppily repainted by me once, and this time I had to repair and replace several windows. Where the window had been lost I used some transparency film.

I made sturdier, level bases for the buildings using concrete pavers and a disused pizza stone that had become too yucky on the bbq. So the 9v batteries are just standing upright inside the station and the farmhouse. I taped the LED wires to the inside walls near the windows, trying to angle them the best I could for the effect I wanted, using some leftover 3M stair tread cut into strips. It's pretty sticky.

So the LED's ran me two bucks each, pre-wired with resistors pre-installed. Apparently LED's will burn out if directly hooked to a 9v battery, a fact I confirmed last year by doing so with some LED's salvaged from a garden light. I'm content with how it came out, and while this method may not be practical on larger layouts, I thought someone else might like the pics. My assistant engineer, now ten years of age, is always willing to turn the lights on for me.;-)

I did purchase four flashing red LED's as well, if I can get around to making some kind of crossing grade signal at some point. Okay, happing running all, as I plant some more badly needed flora maybe I can post some more pics.


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

Just ordered ANOTHER $40 o stuff from All Electronics - this place is cheap! Do not see the "warm" white LEDs in the catalog though, AND I missed out on some after Christmas sales on those, all I have is bright white LED's - where did you get yours? Included in my order is a $3 flashing led kit for a cop car project I would like to do. Never thought of the crossings! They have motion sensors pretty cheap that could work with that! hhhhhmmmmmm


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## White Deer RR (May 15, 2009)

I purchased from an outfit that billed as Evans Electronics, their web site is "modeltrainsoftware.com"

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/ 

If you click around a bit you can find interesting LED's for various projects, and once you find it the FAQ page is pretty informative. 

I don't want to appear to be pimping for them, and I have no connection to them, but the stuff I ordered came exactly as advertised in three days from CO to the west coast. So I appreciate a retailer that delivers quickly. The nice thing about their stuff is that you can get it pre-wired with resistors, or in the case of track power hook-ups, bridge rectifiers. I only got the "for battery power" LED's with resistors.

Check out the "wig wag circuit" if you wish, that would be even more awesome for a grade crossing. They also have some blue colors to simulate welding, orange for hobo fires, etc. Also I think you could find stuff for your model police car for sure. Best!


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

Has anyone used the "wig wag circuit" or any other similar circuit to make a lighted crossing. I can handle the building part, but I'm a bit "electronically challenged" (read as: extremely electronically challenged!!!) when it comes to the automated lighting part. I figured to use a switch of some sort to activate it, but a motion sensor might be better. Any thoughts?


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Talk to my good buddy, Noel out in California, he is an electronics genius, and or wizard!! He does all kinds of wiring engine wiring, lighting, animations and works everything into LED's he re-works all his passenger cars, and makes rr crossing signs, etc. Email him and visit with him see what you two can come up with or join us on our "live" train show on Friday nite from 7-9pm MST Here is the site for that below his email. Regal 



[email protected]

Crazy Train Guy's Garden Railroad Channel - live streaming video powered by Livestream


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## Elliott Munz (Mar 27, 2012)

The place I bought them from also offers LED's with bridge rectifiers for track power. I didn't want to go there, plus I'm not using DCC or anything, just Basic Train Engineer. On and off essentially. 






led strip 
Flexible LED Strip Lights 
Outdoor LED Lighting


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I light a lot of my buildings from the track, using leds. I've also started converting houses lit with malibu low voltage light to leds. It's a little complicated--you have to add a rectifier because the Malibu transformers output AC, at least mine do. I've found the warm white LEDS to be very effective 

I just buy a string a warm white LED Christmas lights, and cut them up as needed.


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## iaviksfan (Dec 27, 2007)

I want to do something like this, using battery, but want to use automatic dusk/dawn timers. I have an entire town and want street lamps and such. a few of my buildings have small solar panels on the roof, but I don't want that on all buildings. What have others done for large scale lighting circuits? 
I have been looking at the harbor freight 45 watt solar panel and using that to some degree.


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