HEADLIGHTS: Tips and Tricks with SMD LEDs by Bill Beverly LED headlights that look incandescent ... For the past five years I have been experimenting with and using surface-mounted device (SMD) LEDs to light my engines. SMD LEDs are tiny [1] – think about the size of a pinhead and then think smaller. This makes them ideal for lighting things like locomotive headlights, classification lights, marker lights, and other small enclosures that are could use some light. I have been using two sizes, the 0603 and 0402 Golden Whites with pre-soldered leads. You can get the LEDs without wires and attach your own, but to keep it simple we are going to talk about the pre-wired ones in this article. You can buy these LEDs online from many vendors such as Richmond Controls, Traintek, Amazon, and eBay. Some local hobby shops are also starting to stock them. • INDEX • TABLE OF CONTENTS