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Post by atsfan on Jun 29, 2015 11:58:30 GMT -8
LED or Bulb ?
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Post by icrr3067 on Jun 29, 2015 12:14:59 GMT -8
I can't stand led lights on engines. I use mighty lights lens bulbs. Imo nothing looks like a real bulb then using a real bulb.
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Post by calzephyr on Jun 29, 2015 13:08:15 GMT -8
LED's for most diesels and bulbs for steam. I like to polish the brass reflector and place a nice bright bulb in the headlight with a lens. It really does look nice when the brass gives that nice yellow glow. Diesels with LED's need the lens installed to look nice both on and off. Yes, they are bright but so are the prototypes. I did not vote since my preference depends on the installation.   |
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Post by theengineshed on Jun 29, 2015 13:21:50 GMT -8
Bet Athearn would tell ya that they buy high quality long lasting bulbs...
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Post by bigblow69 on Jun 29, 2015 13:30:25 GMT -8
LED's for most diesels and bulbs for steam. I like to polish the brass reflector and place a nice bright bulb in the headlight with a lens. It really does look nice when the brass gives that nice yellow glow. Diesels with LED's need the lens installed to look nice both on and off. Yes, they are bright but so are the prototypes. I did not vote since my preference depends on the installation. Looking at these sides by sides I kinda agree tat bulbs look better on the steam engine and LED's on the diesel. Since I have no Steam Locos LEDS it is |
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Post by icrr3067 on Jun 29, 2015 14:16:38 GMT -8
If they are modern engines then yes I'll agree on LEDs but I model 1969/70 LEDs don't exist
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Post by antoniofp45 on Jun 29, 2015 15:12:02 GMT -8
I'll go with quality LED lights, hands down. Long durability and the lack of heat, imho, makes them a very nice option. We've come a long way from the days (just 10 years ago) of "Blue" locomotive headlights. Technology has improved and it's really neat that LED lights are now available with light colors that resemble the old, orange-yellow incandescent lights that many of us grew up with way back in the day. The one aspect that I do like about the blue-ish white LED'S is that, imho, the color is appropriate for imitating fluorescent lighting. Nice to use for scale model stores, office interiors and post WWII streamlined passenger train interiors as well. Hey Al! - If you're reading this. I haven't forgotten about you and now that I'm working on equipment again, I'll likely be ordering kits from ya! You have a nice number of happy customers. Word travels fast on the web! Good going.  |
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Post by cf7 on Jun 29, 2015 17:56:27 GMT -8
Simple...I can't stand led's. Bulbs look so much better to me. I model the late 60's / early 70's, so I don't have to worry about replacing burned out bulbs in ditch lights!
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chitownjeff
Junior Member
I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubblegum
Posts: 67
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Post by chitownjeff on Jun 29, 2015 18:54:56 GMT -8
I'm with Antonio, the durability issue is my concern, I don't want to have to maintain light bulbs, I know these LEDs will probably out live me.
Jeff
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Post by packer on Jun 29, 2015 18:57:57 GMT -8
LEDs for headlights, bulbs for beacons (although some of the newer decoders seem to make the last point nill)
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Post by bdhicks on Jun 29, 2015 19:32:35 GMT -8
Eventually I'll get around to making everything sunny or golden white LEDs. If it has bulbs and they don't burn out immediately then they're on the bottom of the list to replace, but I have precious few where all of the bulbs still work.
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Post by WP 257 on Jun 29, 2015 21:23:44 GMT -8
LED, of course, it's a no brainer, but I want them factory installed, or installed by someone who knows what they are doing and won't damage my engines, as I'm circuit board challenged.
I want installations that will last, without my having to replace bulbs. I've seen too many lights glued in place that were a pain to have to do anything with.
John
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Post by peoriaman on Jun 30, 2015 4:19:57 GMT -8
Where is the "None" option? Good 'ol MV lenses all the way!
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Post by atsfan on Jun 30, 2015 5:40:18 GMT -8
Where is the "None" option? Good 'ol MV lenses all the way! Are they still made? |
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Post by peoriaman on Jun 30, 2015 7:04:58 GMT -8
Where is the "None" option? Good 'ol MV lenses all the way! Are they still made? Knowing my luck, probably not! |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Jun 30, 2015 7:15:05 GMT -8
Since I model pre-1969, I prefer bulbs. I use Miniatronics 1.5v bulbs, and have had no problems with them. Heck, I still have locos I installed bulbs in back in the 1990's that still haven't blown out, so getting bulbs to last is not impossible. One of my tricks is to make the bulbs a little dull by using a slightly bigger resistor. After all, it's not like I'm actually running my locos in the dark and need headlights to see where I'm going.
Not to say that I don't also use LED's if the installation calls for it. The pre-wired surface-mount LED's have come in handy from time to time. But if possible, I prefer bulbs because they look more realistic.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 7:43:06 GMT -8
LEDs hands down. Incandescent bulbs are nice in steamers, but I'll replace them with LEDs when they burn out.
The difference in realism is minute compared to the advantages that modern yellow-white LEDs bring - especially in an engine with a lens cover too
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Post by calzephyr on Jun 30, 2015 9:31:07 GMT -8
LEDs hands down. Incandescent bulbs are nice in steamers, but I'll replace them with LEDs when they burn out. The difference in realism is minute compared to the advantages that modern yellow-white LEDs bring - especially in an engine with a lens cover too For steamers that do not have brass reflectors, LED's certainly are a good way to go and they should last a lifetime. The largest LED's that can fit into the headlight makes great light. If the headlight has a brass reflector, a bulb is a great way to enhance the look since a LED's does not light up the reflector, at least in HO. A bulb lights up the reflector compared to the led which only shines forward. Most of the RTR steamers now use LED's so I don't change those out since they should be good for life. Larry |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Jun 30, 2015 10:14:17 GMT -8
My interest in the 1960's to maybe the early 80's. This is a time of Mars lights and real rotary beacons. What I mean by "real" rotary beacons are the original style which actually rotated. In the 80's road's like the Burlington Northern went with a beacon that featured four lights which alternated to make the appearance of something that is moving.
My dislike of LED's is they just don't look like a bulb in color. I've yet to see an LED that nails the color of an incandescent bulb and the lights in 60's - 80's locomotives and passenger car Mars tail lights were BULBS. To put things into context, look at a 2015 automobiles headlights and then look at the lights of a 1960's automobile. The 2015 has enough light to reach the moon. That 1965 Chevy Impala looks like your driving without lights and there is a reason. Current headlight design draws a lot of power and cars today put out a lot of power from their alternators. That 65 Impala's electrical system puts out a fraction of the current vehicle. Locomotive technology is no different.
LED's are either on or off and the attempts at Mars lights I've seen with LED's seems very mechanical in appearance. The bulbs in an Athearn Genesis F-unit with a Mars looks more natural. Remember a real Mars light is a light driven by a motor which makes the bulb move in a figure eight pattern. The LED's look more like flashes in effect. The bulbs can actually go up and down in voltage which gives the illusion of bulb movement. Same holds true for a rotary beacon.
I also find LED's much too bright to accurately represent the dimmer headlights of the era. LED's may be fine for modern equipment, but I'm not sold on them for past decades.
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Post by Spikre on Jun 30, 2015 11:05:45 GMT -8
 cant vote here,prefer NO Lites in locos. but don't mess with well designed ones like Kato,Atlas,or Proto. but if they burn out they usually go. Spikre 
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Post by roadkill on Jun 30, 2015 17:44:08 GMT -8
When I see an LED that looks EXACTLY like an incandescent bulb (and I mean EXACTLY) then I'll change to LEDs. Until then it ain't happening. And I rip any and all LEDs out of every model I buy and replace them with bulbs. Maybe one of these days I'll put my scrap box of LEDs on that crappy auction site...
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Post by atsfan on Jun 30, 2015 18:13:29 GMT -8
When I see an LED that looks EXACTLY like an incandescent bulb (and I mean EXACTLY) then I'll change to LEDs. Until then it ain't happening. And I rip any and all LEDs out of every model I buy and replace them with bulbs. Maybe one of these days I'll put my scrap box of LEDs on that crappy auction site... What bulbs do you use? |
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Post by Brakie on Jul 1, 2015 3:09:46 GMT -8
cant vote here,prefer NO Lites in locos. but don't mess with well designed ones like Kato,Atlas,or Proto. but if they burn out they usually go. Spikre Bob,I always removed Athearn's "bondfire in the cab" bulbs and they stay "dark" but,my better diesels like Atlas,P2K, my 2 Bachmann DCC/Sound and my lone Kato GP35 and Genesis GP9 (got it on the cheap and never again) I like the headlights. |
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Post by tdspeedracer on Jul 1, 2015 11:23:15 GMT -8
I prefer the look of a bulb, but I find myself putting in LED's more and more all the time. Especially, since I was able to find the surface mount variety in the cheap.
Trevor
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Post by roadkill on Jul 1, 2015 18:16:35 GMT -8
When I see an LED that looks EXACTLY like an incandescent bulb (and I mean EXACTLY) then I'll change to LEDs. Until then it ain't happening. And I rip any and all LEDs out of every model I buy and replace them with bulbs. Maybe one of these days I'll put my scrap box of LEDs on that crappy auction site... What bulbs do you use? I'll have to dig up a package as I haven't bought any in years, and what I have left is still in storage after my move a while back. Which, BTW, sure has put a crimp on my modelling. edit: Miniatronics. Damn CRS  |
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Post by oldmuley on Jul 1, 2015 18:40:32 GMT -8
A long time ago I got fed up with replacing incandescent bulbs as a part of routine maintenance. Since then I've been working toward 100% LED.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 8:56:53 GMT -8
LEDs hands down. Incandescent bulbs are nice in steamers, but I'll replace them with LEDs when they burn out. The difference in realism is minute compared to the advantages that modern yellow-white LEDs bring - especially in an engine with a lens cover too For steamers that do not have brass reflectors, LED's certainly are a good way to go and they should last a lifetime. The largest LED's that can fit into the headlight makes great light. If the headlight has a brass reflector, a bulb is a great way to enhance the look since a LED's does not light up the reflector, at least in HO. A bulb lights up the reflector compared to the led which only shines forward. Most of the RTR steamers now use LED's so I don't change those out since they should be good for life. Larry I did not think of that. All of my locos are too "cheap" to have reflectors, or don't have them near the headlight (e.g. the Norfolk and Western J) so I didn't even consider that. |
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Post by Mark R. on Jul 2, 2015 9:08:15 GMT -8
For older diesels with the large single light casting (think RS3s) or steamers, I use an inverted cone LED in a golden white color. When on, you see that tiny pin-point of light right in the middle (just like a filament) and the inverted cone design creates a halo ring around the perimeter which looks just like a reflector behind the "bulb". These type of LEDs are quite common in the strings of LED Christmas lights ....  Mark. |
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Post by onequiknova on Jul 2, 2015 16:30:10 GMT -8
Do you have a picture of a finished model with one of those inverted LED's lit? Sounds interesting.
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Post by Mark R. on Jul 2, 2015 17:01:29 GMT -8
Do you have a picture of a finished model with one of those inverted LED's lit? Sounds interesting. Unfortunately I don't .... but I'm working on another right now - an old Baldwin switcher that will use them. Will try to remember to take a picture when it's done. Mark. |
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