More and more model railroaders are using LED lighting for their locomotives and buildings on their model train layouts. Thousands of LED's are now being used in association with different transformer power supplies and track types. This is because LED lights are so versatile, compact and effective.
Here are 7 reasons why you should consider a change to LED lighting on your layout:
1. LED Lights only draw a very small amount of power (20milliamps) and can be used for passenger car lights, locomotive headlights, ditch lights, lights in buildings, yard lights, emergency vehicles and many other uses. They come in a range of colors including: cool white, warm white, orange, red, yellow, blue, green, and violet. To get the soft effect of incandescent lighting you would probably choose a "warm white" LED. This color would also be suitable for most locomotives. An LED in "cool white" looks more like fluorescent lighting and will typically be suitable for the headlights of newer diesel locomotives.
2. One of the big advantages with LED lights is they do not heat up in the way an incandescent light would. There is less risk of damage to the housing of your train, or melting a roof on a building, or damaging a diorama, water tower, or emergency vehicle.
3. LED's give off a lot more light. Aim for a minimum of 5000 millicandels of light (approximately 1.45 Lumens). Depending on what you are using them for you may prefer, for example, white LED's with 15,000 mcd. Compare this to a GE 14 volt Midget bulb which provides approximately 3. lumens (mscp).
4. LED's are very compact and will fit almost anywhere.
5. LED's seem to last forever, so you will not be replacing them often. Most will last more than 10 years or 100,000 hours. The big advantage in this is that you will not need to dismantle a building, vehicle, diorama, train carriage or loco to change over the lighting. Compare this to an incandescent bulb that will typically last around 750 hours.
6.LED's are very durable and shock-resistant. LED's do not have a filament that could break. When you look closely at an LED you'll see the light emitting diode is solidly encased in epoxy resin.
How to choose the right sized bulb.
The size of an LED light is measured across the width of each bulb eg. 5mm, 3mm, or 1.8mm. It is best to measure the opening where the bulb needs to fit before purchasing it. There is not much difference between the glow from a 5mm or 3mm bulb.
The larger 5mm sized bulbs can be ideal for lighting the inside of buildings, passenger cars, and as running lights on larger scale trains. The bulb is bigger so throws the light about more than a 3mm or 1.8mm bulb.
A 3mm size is a popular choice for many as it is generally suitable for locomotive headlights, train running lights, warning beacons, ditch lights and diorama street lighting on model train layouts.
The smaller 1.8mm LED's are perfect when you do not have much room to fit a bulb. They are often used in die-cast vehicles and give off a bright 3,000mcd glow.
Overall, LED lights are generally a sensible choice because they are versatile, durable, have a low heat and have an extremely long working life. You can also mix any color light, or size of light, either solid or flashing, in the same application.
