Model Railway Forum

interesting, about ponds. My lake has been taken over by Coypu, who enjoy bullrushes. Farmer has set 2 traps, and so far, we have caught 19, plus 2 mink. I hope they soon get the idea, that it is only for fish.

Having started a project to add lighting to my carriages, I thought I would also add a red tail light.
I’m using battery powered kits from Layouts4u which are virtually identical to the Hornby Maglight system but significantly less expensive. These run from a 3v battery so I assumed that adding a single red LED wouldn’t be an issue. But when connected the red light comes on and all the carriage lights go out.
There’s bound to be a technical explanation but to me it seems like the work of Beelzebub.
Anyway I experimented by adding different resistors and found one that allowed both to light up (330R ?)
Here is proof of concept.

2023-10-19_12-20-37 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

It's because red LEDs have a lower voltage rating than the white lights and take all the current

As you have found, if you fit a resistor in series with the red light it will reduce the current taken by it and allow the carriage lights to work. This is why you should always have a resistor in series with an LED.

Witchcraft.

I made an incorrect and possibly misleading comment in my post above - the Hornby Maglight units are very different from the more basic units I bought from Layouts4u.
The latter use a simple latching reed switch but I found yesterday that the reed switch in the Hornby unit is not latching. It seems to trigger some other component that switches the LEDs on/off. As it stands I am unable to find a switched 3v supply within those units.
I have considered buying separate latching reeds but they are a tad expensive assuming you can find them at all. I will carry on sticking my multimeter probes into the gubbins later.

I settled for a traditionally British compromise. I’ve soldered two wires from the tail light to the contacts of one of the white LEDs. None of the resistors available to me allow both the red and white to be on at the same time so I lose the interior light. However, this is the one that is in the bit of the brake coach with no windows, so it makes no real difference.

F5365A0B-9DB9-43FD-9AD6-51C299E7B1FA by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

78F68CE2-6D67-4133-80E5-697CB163FCCF by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

I’ve been out of commission for a spell following an operation but I started light duties earlier this week and completed a mammoth track cleaning session. Scaling my work rate up a bit Indecided that my workbench needed revisiting.
The old one was fixed under one end of the layout on sliding drawer hinges great until you need to get under the layout for maintenance. So yesterday I converted a sheet of 18mm ply into a rolling workbench - it still slides out of the way under the layout but it also slides completely out of the way of the layout when necessary. Included power outlets and space for storing glues and other odds and ends.

20231130_152229 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

Oh to have the skills like that! I was content with what I've got, that is until you showed a photo of your setup!

IanS wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 7:55 pm Oh to have the skills like that! I was content with what I've got, that is until you showed a photo of your setup!

Thank you Ian, but I’ll let you into a secret - it’s all straight cuts and square joints. Well apart from the radius cut on the inside of the footwell.

It took longer than expected as I had to replace a split fuel line on my Triumph Spitfire before I could move it from the garage where it shares the space with my saw collection.

Great idea - like it. I had a Triumph Spitfire back in the day. T reg. bright yellow. The interior was lovely and it retained that old school smell as opposed to todays new car smell of plastic and glue.