Hi there, can't stop fiddling with new ideas and this time came up with adding markerlights onto the container carriage from Mehano, first of all they are quite nice and being on special I've bought 20 of them at around A$ 500.00. they are 100 % plastic except the axles and the metal insert in the containers makes them 102g, without the containers they just weigh 26g, which is if you like to have them empty are a danger they will derail. so I've added a 3mm thick metal plate which I've cut into size and glued it on from the bottom. this increases the weight to 76g without a container and with containers 152g. the carriage without the extra weight and the containers comes to 102g. swo I'm pleased with the results and they seem to behave satisfactory on the track. forward and backwards.

second job was to add some markerlights, added 2 red smd led's, soldered 2 insulated wires onto it, connected both and than glues them onto the dummy marker lights, covered them with black paint so the light beam is restricted, used the metal plate as a conductor for batteries one minus the other plus and than used the 2 connections as shown in the pictures. the contacts for batteries have been glued onto the frame and enforced with a steel rod so it doesn't lift the contact up. to finish it off I used some paint and painted the the top of the metal plate and also underneath the parts which didn't have the same colour red.

I know but unfortunately we have gone past this era and everything these days has to be to scale. but I've noticed like cars if you want all the extras you have to pay extra or you don't have a choice at all and than it is time you make your own thing and stuff.


John

Ray, you're right, since the plastic era these marker lights are no longer suitable for plastic cars although you could have a suitable assembly to suit plastic cars but a slider is always necessary, these container cars have dummy marker lights and it is this what I've used to glue the real marker light onto it and the rest is just to use a method suitable for you.


John