# Let There Be Light!!!



## TGtycopro (Jun 1, 2006)

What are you using for lights around your layout???

I decided to try my hand at scratchbuilding a highway light.
Brass tube, Schick Razor Handle, Wire connector, tin from the bottom of a shoestring potato can for heat shield reflector and connection cover. Primer grey spray paint.

I will use a little differant method for the next one (telescoping brass tubing) But heres how my experiment turned out..


















Testing with a 9V battery


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## zanza (Sep 23, 2005)

The Schick razor handles has definitely a good shape for this purpose...Well done


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

Nice work...


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

schweeet! I want to light my layout if i ever have time...

Hey, speaking of lights... you know that rare Aurora traffic light that goes for hundreds of dollars on Fleabay? Well, you'd think that some slothead who's also an electronics whiz would have built a better one with an HO train scenery traffic light and a few dollars worth of Radio Shack parts... anybody built or seen one of these?

--rick


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

Rick... 
Can you picture any of us actually stopping at a red light on a slotcar track? lol


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

ParkRNDL said:


> schweeet! I want to light my layout if i ever have time...
> 
> Hey, speaking of lights... you know that rare Aurora traffic light that goes for hundreds of dollars on Fleabay? Well, you'd think that some slothead who's also an electronics whiz would have built a better one with an HO train scenery traffic light and a few dollars worth of Radio Shack parts... anybody built or seen one of these?
> 
> --rick


I experimented with IC chips and a Radio Shack electronics book a few years ago. You could do a timed light like a traffic signal with some 555 timer chips. There are also expensive German made control boards you can buy for scale streets on train layouts. An alternative would be to buy a control unit for custom recreation room lights. These are electronic boards that will control a standard traffic light that is converted to 110 vac power for home use. I set one up in a friends garage a couple of years when he got a traffic light through a 5 finger discount.  The unit was under $50.

Actually for years we have used HO traffic lights reconfigured for track condition lights around my track.










You can see another one at the end of the pits here; (out of focus)









Before I built the starting tower tied into the TrakMate program I have, we used toggle switches to indicate if the track was under RED, CAUTION or GREEN. They blow out after a while. Some still operate and are now tied into the starting gate lights and timing program. I can switch off track power completely and then you get the RED.

I eventually want to make all these track condition lights hi-powered LED's, with a flashing LED yellow for "cautions". LED's last much longer and are brighter.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

BTW- I like your lights TGtycopro. Very creative. Have you ever seen dome lights for cars? They are a tube type bulb- might work even better for your design or future street lights.

-Scott


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

noddaz... not so much to stop for them, but i was actually thinking I could put a traffic light between the 7-11 and the Texaco station on my layout and make it the perfect place to start a street race. Get ready when the cross light turns yellow... brake torque the tranny... 










What was Falfa's line? "C'mon, boy, let's go! Prove it!" And Carol saying, "Aw, race him! You can beat him..."

SkreeeeerrrooooooAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR...

"Wow, he's really fast, isn't he?"
"Yeah... but he's stupid."

scott/slott... COOL! I figured I could find something made for trains by like Faller or Marklin or something, but like you said, it'd probaby be mega bucks. I didn't know they made boards to control REAL traffic lights for rec room type use; I think it's time for me to try a Fleabay search. 555 timer chips? Hmmmm...

--rick


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Man, I love Google...

http://the-gauge.com/showthread.php?p=28228 (scroll up the thread to see how a guy rigged a cheap alarm clock to run a traffic light system)

http://www.berkshirejunction.com/ (click the "traffic signals" link next to the pic of the guy dreaming of traffic lights)

And for those just looking for street lights, this place seems to have a variety of them...

http://www.njinternational.com/

And you know how some of us have tried flashing police lights? Check THIS out... It's designed to work on weensy little N gauge emergency vehicles, so I think it'd fit in a Tjet. If I'm reading correctly, it works on 6-16 volts. Wonder if it can be wired to work off a capacitor fed by track power...

http://www.ironpeng.com/ipe/copstrobes.html

let there be light indeed.

--rick


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## TGtycopro (Jun 1, 2006)

Slott V said:


> BTW- I like your lights TGtycopro. Very creative. Have you ever seen dome lights for cars? They are a tube type bulb- might work even better for your design or future street lights.
> 
> -Scott


Thanks Scott, i'll look into them. :thumbsup:


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