Manufacturers’ kits
Most kits include parts to add power pick-up to your car. This
simplifies the process, for sure. But they can have other issues.
Many kits from the DC era had low voltage bulbs that were
pretty bright at about 8 volts or so. Putting full DCC voltage (12
to 18 volts) on these bulbs can cause lots of issues, including
melted plastic and short-lived bulbs. In addition, bulbs take a
lot of power from the track (as much as 1/8 to ¼ amp per car).
Since there is no way to shut them off easily, running a bunch
of these cars can overwhelm the DCC system’s power rating.
Adding a resistor in series with the lights can drop the track
voltage down to what the bulbs want to see, but won’t reduce
the current draw from the DCC system. Also, this resistor will
probably take ⅓ to ½ of the power from the bulbs, getting very
hot. Adding a decoder will allow you to turn the lights off. But
the lighting kit and the decoder can add $40 or $50 per car.
Followers of my columns know that I am a fan of LEDs for
lighting, due to low cost, low current consumption, long life
2: Kato LED lighting kit in HO scale – photo courtesy
of Kato USA, Inc.
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