Coach Lighting Part 5 “Mainline” coach

 

12/01/2025

Coach Lighting Part 5 Mainline coaches  coach

Let’s make a start coach lights to Mainline coaches .

First off Mainline coaches differ significantly from Lima in so much as Lima coaches have the glazing is part of the roof section. First off I cut a strip of 1 millimetre plastic card 252 millimetres long. On the underside of the roof you can see 3 rectangular mouldings drill a hole in the plastic strip corresponding to the position of the rectangular mouldings, this is to enable liquid glue to penetrate and bond the strip to those mouldings. The strip will be used to mount the LED strip. From here on the rest of the conversion is the similar to the Lima conversion

On the underside of the roof you can see 3 rectangular mouldings which correspond to where the holes I drilled in the plastic strip.

13/01/2025

Another set of wheels modified to have live axles springs fitted 32 awg fly leads soldered them, and by removing some of the plastic on the washroom end of the carriage will allow me to fit 2 16 Volt / 1500 microfarad capacitors to stop the lights flickering. Connection the capacitors in parallel will give me 3000 microfarads of storage I find it’s easier this way rather than using one large capacitor. Also I’ve reduced the value of the resistor on the input to the bridge rectifier from 3K to 1k. With a 3K resistor the light little bit too dim with the lights on in the room with1K resistor this gives sufficient light for you to be able to see lights on and see the interior of the coach.

14/01/2025

A productive day today retrofitted 1K resistors to the previous conversions and finished Mainline coach.

First off was fit 2x 1500 microfarad in parallel I attach the bridge rectifier to the side of one of the capacitors using hot glue into the modified washroom area. I have used 30 awg silicon wire and 32 awg wire from the pick up springs to the bridge rectifier.

Coach Lighting Part 4

 

02/01/2025

Still waiting for Royal Mail to deliver my parts ordered well before Christmas! The 1000uf and 1500uf capacitors were delivered this morning just waiting for the 32 AWG wire the final piece in the jigsaw!

You know when you get those light bulb moments well today I had one regarding the dead axles on Hornby coach wheels. I have a fair few Hornby wheels on my coaches the majority have a dead axle which is no good for pickup springs therefore I have a work around. What I did was to drill a 1 millimetre hole close to the pinpoint on the axle through the wheel this enables me to force a length of copper wire stripped from some mains cable bonding the wheel to the axle voila we have a live axle; the photo will possible help.

Coach Lighting Part 3

 

28/12/2024

Finally I've tested the fit of the components into the underside of the seating unit; they fit quite well into the recessed parts where the seats are moulded. As this is a brake van I've put the 2x1000uf capacitors connected in parallel in the goods compartment they will actually fit into the toilet compartment of a corridor coach. Components now glued cables rooted I am waiting for the pickup springs for the axles but I've managed to test it on DCC like clipping the wires to the rail. I need to re spray the roof to eliminate the light bleed. Next coach will be manufactured by Mainline who use a different construction technique. 

I need to re spray the roof to eliminate the light bleed.

29/12/2024

Roof re-sprayed this morning and fitted 2.0mm Pickup Springs I polished the axel with a ‘track rubber’ to endure good electrical contact. I stuck a 25mm wide strip of ‘speed tape’ (it is thin self adhesive aluminium foil) to the underside of the roof as a precaution to prevent light bleed though the roof of the Lima model then I stuck a 10mm strip of plastic card with 3 blob of hot glue this is important because the foil is conductive this and the re-spray stopped the light bleed that’s one positive.

Coach Lighting Part 2

 

27/12/2024

I constructed a “bridge” to support the LED strip inside the Lima BSK and painted the interior seats. Some of the components have arrived in the post and will allow me to test on the breadboard I know it looks “Heath Robinson” but it worked the LED’s slowly diminish when the power is removed.

Coach Lighting

 

21/12/2024 

I thought it was time I installed interior lighting into some of my coaches. I checked the wheels on my coaches and I only have 12 wheel sets with “live” axles. I chose to start with a Lima BSK first introduced in 1977. I thought the following circuit may give a flicker free setup. BR1 DB103, R1 3.3k, C1 2000uF and 32 AWG wire duly ordered and a 12v led strip which I already have BUT be warned this circuit is for 12v strips only! When the components turn up in the mail I will test on a breadboard.

Dapol Class 121Slipping Drive

 18/12/2024

This is the second time the drive shafts have failed! The knuckle on the end of the shaft just slips. Unfortunately there are no spare parts available at the time of writing. Fortunately I have the old set from the previous failure I cleaned the parts in isopropyl alcohol run a triangular needle file across the mating portion of the shaft and glued the knuckle with cyanoacrylate. That didn’t work Dapol will supply them on an exchange basis. So the loco and the defective drive shafts are going back after the holidays

 UPDATE

Replacement drive shafts have arrived back; I’m glad to see that the design has been changed. To my mind this is a much better design.

Restoration and rebuild of Western Hills station part 2

 

I Sprayed the completed lights poles with Halfords rattle can Rover Damask red which is a close proximity to LMS maroon, next is to fit all those fiddly little LEDs. Meanwhile I've sprayed 18 GWR style platform benches from model railway scenes with Halfords rattle can Rover Russet brown a close proximity to GWR chocolate.