Roco DB BR151
For me, the big let down on many of the Roco locomotives is the lighting that they come equipped with. Many rely on poor filament bulbs for the directional lighting - this being transmitted via rather convoluted plastic light guides. I made the decision quite early on, that where I had any locomotives like this, they would have their lights upgraded to LEDs that could then be switched via the DCC onboard chip.
So, fast forward to a couple of months ago and I managed to purchase this Loco Class BR151, complete with factory fitted DCC chip, via a well known internet auction site. At the price I got it for it would have been silly to turn it down. OK, its one of the earlier/budget versions that Roco do so the detailing isn't too great, but its still a great looking typical German freight workhorse loco that I wanted on Kradlebrücke and so it was duly purchased.
Once I'd given it a bit of a running in on the rolling road, I began to start the weathering, paying particular attention to the roof, running gear and ends. Theres still a bit to do on the buffers themselves, but its pretty much there with a work worn appearance - I didn't want it to look like it was ready for the scrapheap. The weathering has done a good job of covering up some of the lack of detailing - like the folded handrails for instance. I'm also going to detail the cab interior and fit blinds and a driver possibly.
The next and main thing to sort was the poor lighting at either end. I know that the lighting on German locos isn't as extreme/bright as maybe some of the UK locos but even so I wanted them to at least be visible and fitting LEDs with resistors would allow a bit of control on the light level output.
You can see how the factory fitted light guides try and send the light to the lenses at the front - a bit complex and not particularly functional either.
Whilst looking for some LEDs to try out I found an unused kit I had bought for one of my UK outline Class 67 models and so did a bit of a test to see if these could be used. Imaging my surprise when I found they were a perfect fit for the light lenses on the Class 151. So a quick electrical test was sorted to see if these would work with the DCC onboard chip wiring...
Once this was sorted the LEDs were secured in the relevant positions with a spot of glue and then tested again. All in all they do a pretty good job - they might not be perfect but they kick out a good level of light and the only addition will be a bigger resistor on the front centre light to knock its power back a bit and also maybe a bit of a dab of yellow tint to alter the colour temp a bit as its quite white (it is after all meant for a Class 67). Once this has been sorted the next thing to do will be to add the cab and blinds back in and then 151 166-6 will be ready for duty.
So, fast forward to a couple of months ago and I managed to purchase this Loco Class BR151, complete with factory fitted DCC chip, via a well known internet auction site. At the price I got it for it would have been silly to turn it down. OK, its one of the earlier/budget versions that Roco do so the detailing isn't too great, but its still a great looking typical German freight workhorse loco that I wanted on Kradlebrücke and so it was duly purchased.
Once I'd given it a bit of a running in on the rolling road, I began to start the weathering, paying particular attention to the roof, running gear and ends. Theres still a bit to do on the buffers themselves, but its pretty much there with a work worn appearance - I didn't want it to look like it was ready for the scrapheap. The weathering has done a good job of covering up some of the lack of detailing - like the folded handrails for instance. I'm also going to detail the cab interior and fit blinds and a driver possibly.
The next and main thing to sort was the poor lighting at either end. I know that the lighting on German locos isn't as extreme/bright as maybe some of the UK locos but even so I wanted them to at least be visible and fitting LEDs with resistors would allow a bit of control on the light level output.
Whilst looking for some LEDs to try out I found an unused kit I had bought for one of my UK outline Class 67 models and so did a bit of a test to see if these could be used. Imaging my surprise when I found they were a perfect fit for the light lenses on the Class 151. So a quick electrical test was sorted to see if these would work with the DCC onboard chip wiring...
