LGB ICE gears and additional motor

[James Day]

Are the lights directional? If so then I reckon the following: if the lights are working as expected compared to the other end but the motor goes the wrong way then need to swap the motor connections. If the lights are also wrong then swap the track connections but leave the motor connections as-is.

I made my own LED lighting when I DCC'd my ICE, and ran a cable through the entire rake to run the lights from a single decoder (only one motor bogie)

Nick that is really neat!

I ended up using Playmobil Light fittings in mine, (as I have loads of that lying around after fiting the PM locos with diodes) PLUS the lighting LGB supplied was always chronically dim.... Having seen how simply yours has been done, I am tempted to re-visit that decesion now!!

James

 

[ntpntpntp]

Having seen how simply yours has been done, I am tempted to re-visit that decision now!!

Thanks James.
Yeah came out quite well apart from the hot-glue fixing got a bit messy. It is destructive in that I had to cut the lenses off the light channel bars and polish the backs before gluing the lenses in place. At the moment I'm just running 3 cores of wiring through the coaches to carry front/rear light and function common. I used mini-DIN connectors to split the wiring between each coach, although there's so much empty space inside could probably have used mains 3-pin plugs and sockets!

 

[PhilP]

Thanks James.
Yeah came out quite well apart from the hot-glue fixing got a bit messy. It is destructive in that I had to cut the lenses off the light channel bars and polish the backs before gluing the lenses in place. At the moment I'm just running 3 cores of wiring through the coaches to carry front/rear light and function common. I used mini-DIN connectors to split the wiring between each coach, although there's so much empty space inside could probably have used mains 3-pin plugs and sockets!

I *know* that is a joke..
But if anyone is tempted to use a 'mains' connector for anything else around their railway.. DON'T!!
YOU know what it is for, but anyone else doesn't.. It WILL eventually end in tears.

On a similar note:
If you have more than one manufacturers equipment in use.. Be very careful about those 'bus' connections. - Quite often using a US-style 'telephone' connector. (RJ series, to those of us in the know)..
You will find most throttles (controllers) can have their cables plugged into most Central Stations. - This can be an expensive exercise!

I had a helper, plug a Digitrax throttle into a Massoth programming module.. BOTH had to go away for repair.

 

[dunnyrail]

Blowed if I can remember what connectors I used in my ICE Conversion. But they were certainly Model of some sort. You could consider these:-

http://www.railwayscenics.com/baseboard-track-connectors-p-1991.html

Though you can get more connector types at Shows or just look at adds in the Railway Modeller or another Model Mag for Flee Scale.
JonD

 

[James Day]

I *know* that is a joke..
But if anyone is tempted to use a 'mains' connector for anything else around their railway.. DON'T!!
YOU know what it is for, but anyone else doesn't.. It WILL eventually end in tears.

On a similar note:
If you have more than one manufacturers equipment in use.. Be very careful about those 'bus' connections. - Quite often using a US-style 'telephone' connector. (RJ series, to those of us in the know)..
You will find most throttles (controllers) can have their cables plugged into most Central Stations. - This can be an expensive exercise!

I had a helper, plug a Digitrax throttle into a Massoth programming module.. BOTH had to go away for repair.

Thank you.

Don't worry, I wasn't going to do that.....

Mine is wired end to end with miniature jack plugs as the connctions between vehicles. The front car has extra pick ups on the trailing bogie but we do not use the rear motor block to collect at all, as it would interfere with the block signalling and isolation. Works amazing well, even before I added the extra pick ups!

No DCC here! Old fashioned Analogue with Automated blocks and loops.

James

 

[PhilP]

You do really need to add weight to the rear car if fitting a motor-block to it..
I used some big 'sinkers' (I think they are called) trapezium? (truncated pyramids) shaped fishing weights..

 

[James Day]

Phil,

That is interesting: Are there weights in the front car as supplied? I don't recall any, but it is year or so since I last had mine apart.

Perhaps you added some weight to the front unit too?

I found that the two motors, with a traction tyre on each were enough to shift the two end cars and three centres. All the cars now have LGB metal wheels, which has certainly made them more stable, but you may well be running a longer set than me.

A chum has a Cargo Sprinter unit and fitting metal wheels really helped that too.

James

 

[PhilP]

From memory..
The front car had a single big 'lump' somewhere near the middle..
This was a brand-new white 3-car set, about ?two? years ago.

I also through-wired the units (plus two additional cars).. I think it may have been a less than perfect track it was on (that, or owner thought he was driving a TGV!).

Both blocks would run at about the same speed (a test I always do on multi-motor loco's), but the rear would tend to break-away before the front started to move. Owner also had a problem with derailments. - Hence thought he was driving it fast, or track geometry.
The additional weight cured the problem.

 

[James Day]

Thanks James.
Yeah came out quite well apart from the hot-glue fixing got a bit messy. It is destructive in that I had to cut the lenses off the light channel bars and polish the backs before gluing the lenses in place. At the moment I'm just running 3 cores of wiring through the coaches to carry front/rear light and function common. I used mini-DIN connectors to split the wiring between each coach, although there's so much empty space inside could probably have used mains 3-pin plugs and sockets!

Nick,

Thanks again for the very helpful posting re your ICE lighting unit. The images were particularly helpful to me in my unashamed plagarism of your design over the past two evenings.

I now have my two power cars fitted with directional lighting that can be clearly seen and shows up well in daylight as well as in lower light. The hardest part for me was getting the dismembered parts of the clear plastic light distributors prepared to give the maximum output from the diodes. A lot of filing was needed after the cutting. I even scuffed flat the ends of the diodes to help here. Mine is no beauty inside, but it works well!

Now that it has those directional front and rear lights I can even use it with the automated shuttle unit on one of my branches!

Much appreciated!

James