MATT LOVELL looks at these innovative new coach lighting strips with sound.
Have you ever wanted to add modern door sounds to your OO Modern Image coaches? Well, now you can. This unique product developed by Train Tech is an exciting new addition to their already very successful range of coach lighting strips(in OO Scale and N Scale).
The principle behind the lighting strips is to allow your coaches to have realistic lighting without the need for powered axles or wires trailing through your coach. The strips feature preinstalled micro LEDs which are powered by a small cell battery which is plugged into the end of the strip.
When it detects movement the in-built motion detector turns on the coach lighting, and when the coach stops and no movement is detected the lights stay on for a further four minutes.
This latest lighting strip includes a sound module installed in the centre of the strip which activates after three seconds when the coach has stopped. The sound module first makes one slow beep which simulates the sound of the doors being unlocked, and then a few seconds later a rapid beeping which simulates the warning that sounds just before the doors are closed.
The coach lighting strips are very easy to fit with minimal work as all the electronics are pre-installed, so no wiring is needed. I have used a Hitachi coach from Hornby but it is suitable for any modern coach with automatic doors.
Start by taking the body of the coach by removing the ends one at a time and turning the body of the coach upside down. Line up the strip in the roof using DLAD-29 Tacky Wax, and once you are happy with the position glue the strip in place using DLAD-45 medium thickness super glue. You can either install the battery before or after you glue the strip in.
Replace the ends of the coach by sliding them over the chassis as per in the picture below, you should feel them click into position.
Once you are happy that all the bodywork in back in place and that the coach runs smoothly, you can now add it back on to your layout and give it a test by rolling it along the track (either under locomotive power or by hand) and then bring it to a stop. You should hear the slow beep sound after 3 seconds followed by the faster beep. You should also be able to see the lights in the coach by tilting it sideways or looking through the end doors.
All of the coach lighting strips including this one can be found here and are available with either warm white or cool white LEDs.
As our resident sparky, we usually get Matt to deal with the really difficult electrical problems. Like changing the light bulbs.