A further experiment in coach lighting.

The switch is Ebay item 263840769117 @ £2.40 for 10, including UK P+P so not gonna break the bank. Hopefully I'll be able to have a crack at fitting one over the weekend and see how it goes.......To be continued, and here's a 'side-on' view.

 

I had a crack at fitting one of these switches to an early Hornby 'Southern' coach this morning, and it went in quite easily, exactly as I had thought it might. These early coaches, which many other members may well have in quantity (since they're cheap compared to current offerings!) have a roof section that is held by a clip at either end, released by a small screwdriver or similar, situated near the top of the moulded black corridor connector frame, a gentle push on each and the roof just eases off to reveal the 'gubbins'. All my coaches have already been interior painted, lighting and passengers added, together with some extra weight as they're all on the light side and adding a bit of weight helps keep them on the track, so fitting an On/Off switch is a modification to existing, rather than a complete new job, so here's how I went about it. Below the slot where the roof retaining tab fits on the Hornby stock, there's a rather useful hole already moulded in, which needs enlarging to accept the boss of the switch, so with this done and wiring modified to include the switch in circuit, it's just a matter of gluing the switch itself into place.



Unfortunately, this pic is a bit blurry (camera phone I'm afraid), but you get the idea hopefully!

 

The locating tag on the roof section at the switch end of the coach will need modifying so as not to foul the switch body. This just needs shortening as below.

 

As can be seen in this end on view, it fits in nicely, and being black is scarcely noticeable even though this is the guard's end of the coach and will not be covered by one of my home made corridor connector bellows, nor does it interfere with the tail light.



Looking closely at the pic, I can see I've been a bit heavy with the glue!

 

......and now with the roof clipped back on.

 

Finally, with another coach (with bellows fitted) coupled to the switch end of the modified coach, you can see that there's nothing visible, and all that's needed to switch On or Off is to uncouple the coach, press the switch and recouple, easily done on mine since I use Kadee's on my stock, but no more difficult on tension locks I'd imagine. A nice cheap and simple way to be able to switch coach lighting as required, what's not to like???
Keith.

 

Thanks Toto, I did a "How-to" for the bellows a while back, but if it got lost in the forum changeover and anyone wants me to re-do it, I can do that. It's easily altered for both dimensions and contours of coach corridor connector frames and best of all, cheap! Just a sheet of black art paper from 'The Range' (other suppliers are available!) and you can make dozens from the one sheet.
Keith.

 

If it's disappeared into the ether, just let me know Toto and I'll do another "How-To". The bellows can easily be scaled up or down (mine are 00 gauge of course) so they could be used on "N" gauge, "0" gauge or anything else really.
Keith.

 

Hi Andy.
Yes, I was aware of what the jumper cables are for (doubt they would have been advanced enough in my modelling era ((late 50's/early 60's)) to have had PA systems, but I stand to be corrected on that). In all honesty, it was just easier to fit the tail lamp on the inside of the corridor connector......my idleness I guess! I'm a retired Electrician, so lighting and fiddling about with model electrics comes easily, the reed switches are a good, if pricey (at £3 a switch) option, but with around 40 coaches to do, not what I want to spend that kind of money on. Not a Yorkshireman (though close, in the next nearest County) although Grandad was a "Wallace" so any tightness could be the possibility of Scottish blood in me!

Keith.

 

Hi Ron.
I don't as a rule link my coaches with a jumper cable, though I have been known to do this with EMU's, switching the lighting by one of the decoder functions and using tiny 2 pin plugs and sockets. The bellows I only fit to one end of each coach, starting with the end furtherest from the loco on coach 1, and doing the same on each coach, which means the last coach (guards end) has no bellows. The switches will be fitted at the opposite end of each coach to the bellows end, thus the bellows on the adjoining coach will cover the switch except for the last one, although when fitted, they are fairly unobtrusive. I have 9 left, so will be embarking on retro- fitting these to other unsuspecting victims in due course, and I may well order a couple more packs of 10 so I can do virtually the rest of my stock in due course as time allows. It'll be a much cheaper exercise than using those rather pricey reed switches, good as they are, especially if, like me you have about 40 to do.
Keith.

 

Hi Andy.
I switch the lighting on reed switch fitted coaches On/Off by using the "Magic Wand" supplied with the LNER Dynamometer coach From "Rails" which I bought a few months ago which has switchable lighting using this method. It's nothing special, just a magnet mounted on the end of a plastic 'wand', so something that anyone could easily make up. (The LNER Dynamometer car was 'borrowed' by the Southern for testing of Bulleid's "Leader" locomotive which I have a model of, hence my justification of LNER stock on my Southern layout!). Having around 40 coaches, although not all on the layout at the same time, means that despite having a 5 amp DCC supply transformer, it can add a noticeable amount of load onto the track supply, so being able to switch coach lighting off when in sidings etc is useful. My only intent was to find a switching method (preferably cheap!) that was not visible and didn't need removal of a coach from the track to switch on or off, the reed switch is a great way of doing this, but as I (and Timbersurf) have been unable to source an alternative switch at less than the £3 each that 'Layouts4U' are charging, I've looked for an alternative method, and these 'Mini torch' push button switches look an excellent way of doing what I'm after. Although it might be a tight fit in an "N" gauge coach, these switches will easily fit into "0" gauge stock I'd guess, then again, you'd need a much smaller DCC/DC rectifier circuit board than my 'standard fit' one for "N" gauge anyway, and I've no experience of that gauge, so can't offer any suggestions. If you're interested in adding coach lighting to your stock, I'm happy to help if needed (not far from you either, only in Morton, t'other side of Tibshelf!).
Keith.