# Does MTS/DCC burn out Coach and Caboose Lights fast?



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

I have started running some of my trains under MTS which I believe puts out 24 volts to the tracks.

As a result coach and caboose lights burn much brighter - especially since many of them have 18 volt light bulbs in them. LGB has/had 18 volt screw in bulbs and 24 volt push in bulbs but as far as I know LGB has never offered 24 volt screw in bulbs.

Is there perhaps a simple solution (not involving taking the coaches apart) to handle Aristo-Craft Heavyweights and Streamliners such as putting resistors or voltage regulators on the trucks?

Should I anticipate a problem with light bulbs burning out quickly with these coaches and cabooses and if so what are folks doing to minimize the problem?

As an alternative would there be any disadvantages to using a power supply with a throttle (such as a LGB Jumbo) to power the MTS Central Station so that the input/output voltages could be lowered?

Thanks,

Jerry


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## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

Jerry - I think MTS puts about 18 volts on the track.


I have many lighted passenger cars which have been running on MTS for years - some of them for nine years - and have never had a bulb burn out.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2008)

High DCC voltages will degrade the life of incandescent bulbs not intended for that voltage. Most Aristo incandescent uss 14 volt bulbs. They will die after awhile on higher track voltages, besides they waste juice.

See 

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips2/hw_tips.html


and 

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips3/streamliner_tips.html


for several ways to deal with is issue


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By stanman on 12/07/2008 8:55 AM
Jerry - I think MTS puts about 18 volts on the track.


I have many lighted passenger cars which have been running on MTS for years - some of them for nine years - and have never had a bulb burn out.



Hi Stan,

I've been told that MTS puts out 24 volts DCC and I think I saw 24 volts marked on the bottom of one of my Central Stations.

My LGB coaches are probably OK in that the streamliners probably have either 5 volt circuits or 24 volt bulbs and my 3080 type coaches now have decoders to control their lights. I may have to check my older LGB cabooses and replace any 18 volt screw in bulbs with 68333 24 volt light sets. This is for the coaches that I may run under MTS. The rest will be run on track power and should not be a problem.

My main concerns are for Aristo and USA cabooses, heavyweights and streamliners of which most probably have 18 volt lights.

I had not thought about the fact that it is only the older LGB cabooses and coaches that might have the 18 volt lights.

Thanks,

Jerry


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## Road Foreman (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry, 

Install cheap & small HO loco decoders in the coaches & cabooses.. Then you can dial in the amount of light you want.. 

BulletBob


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Hi George and Bob,

I had considered putting the $11 MRC AD322's or similarly priced decoders into the coaches (I did this with the LGB 3080 type but they were consists of 6 units running from a single decoder).

I also thought of voltage limiting circuits etc. but both involve having to take the coaches apart which I am really trying to avoid. Part of the problem is that there could be as many as 50 or more heavyweights and streamliners (not counting cabooses) that may be involved depending on how many I want to and can afford to modify.

My thought is to try to do something external such as putting voltage regulators on the underside of the coaches.

As George points out on his web site the Aristo lights can draw as much as 500mA per coach (3 amps per consist) which would just about kill running more than one train under MTS' 5 amp limit which would make me wonder if I should bother running heavyweights or streamliners under MTS.

I don't have near as many cabooses so my short term plan may be to put MRC AD322's in the non-LGB cabooses.

At this point I don't know what I will do so I am just looking for options. 

Thanks,

Jerry


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## Road Foreman (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry, 

You have a couple of issues.. How much current the lamps draw.. Do the cars have voltage regulators all ready installed.. If you add stuff under the car you will increase the current draw.. If you remove any electronics & add a decoder you can cut the current down.. You can address all the decoders to 1 group of passenger cars with the same address.. 

BulletBob


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By Road Foreman on 12/09/2008 3:10 PM
Jerry, 

You have a couple of issues.. How much current the lamps draw.. Do the cars have voltage regulators all ready installed.. If you add stuff under the car you will increase the current draw.. If you remove any electronics & add a decoder you can cut the current down.. You can address all the decoders to 1 group of passenger cars with the same address.. 

BulletBob


Hi Bob,

Every brand and model of coach and caboose tends to create a different challenge. The LGB 3080 series coaches were the easiest because they had 18 or 24 volt lights with no electronics and I had Mued the coaches together. The current draw of the LGB lamps did not create a problem - especially after I had connected them all to a single AD322 decoder. I have all my coach light decoders set to Loco ID#1 and output at step #4 which works very nicely for me.

My Aristo Heavyweights and Streamliners are up to 8 years old and have no electronics - just plain filament lights. 

The Aristo cabooses have some electronics based on having low voltage marker lights. USA Woodsided cabooses also have some electronics but I have never paid attention to how they work.

I probably need to start just tackling a single coach or caboose at a time and as I work out the individual situation it should work for similar models.

My main curiosity was focused on what others have run into if they ran non-LGB lighted rolling stock with LGB's MTS.

Right now I'm sidetracked with putting some AD322's into Hartland Interurbans which have turned into more of a challenge than I anticipated.

Thanks,

Jerry


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