Beacons. I Need Beacons.

[kalbert]

I need beacons. Is there any source for beacons like the one on top of this unit: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3062443

I don't need them to work, they just need to be lumps of plastic or pot metal that look like a beacon.

[C855B]

Oooh. That's a Federal Signal Commander, model #372R. Sunrise Enterprises produced a casting many years ago, but it's now made of unobtanium.

To the "lump of plastic" style, take a look at Deluxe Innovations. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Theirs is a representation of the Prime Manufacturing beacon used by Santa Fe, BN and SP (rarely), among others.

For the Federal Signal version, I've used a T-1 size LED poked through a hole in the cab roof, and painted a silver stripe to represent the base. Whether you hook it up or not is up to you. Bachmann does the same thing on their DDA40X model.

[djsmeltzer]

You could get the beacon Atlas made for the Dash 8-40B.  It might not be exact but could fit the bill.

https://secure.atlasrr.com/mod1/itemdesc.asp?ic=9487357

[victor miranda]

"bacons I need bacons"

I thought this was another Ed themed thread.
funny what one reads sometimes

a piece of styrene rod and some paint?

I kinda like the LED idea myself.

victor

[wm3798]

I used a yellow LED, a chunk of clear rod that I filed down to a conical shape, and wired it into the decoder for the rotary beacon effect.  Wasn't hard at all.
Lee

[Philip H]

Sheesh, Lee, that thing sounds almost as bad as my coffee grinder!

[Bob Bufkin]

I know that loco.  Wheels need to be trimmed to run on code 55.  Ran mine on Eric's and it did the same thing.  Coffee grinder indeed.

[kalbert]

I thought it sounded authentic... All it needs is a plume of smoke and you'd not know it was a model!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check that stuff out. I like the idea of using an LED being it has the correct shape and all, but I think it might be too big? I don't know the dimensions of the beacon in question but a 3mm T1 LED would be like 19" and that seems kind of big.

[ljudice]

Doesn't Details West make a set?  anymore?

[robert3985]

I thought it sounded authentic... All it needs is a plume of smoke and you'd not know it was a model!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check that stuff out. I like the idea of using an LED being it has the correct shape and all, but I think it might be too big? I don't know the dimensions of the beacon in question but a 3mm T1 LED would be like 19" and that seems kind of big.

I used to chuck big, orange LED's into my lathe and turn them down to the correct profile (including the base...long enough to protrude through the plastic cab roofs), paint the base profile, stick 'em through a hole drilled in the cab roof, and they worked well hooked up to a Richmond Contols circuit. 

You could probably do the same thing using a hand-held drill or drill press, and file an orange LED down to the correct size. 

If you don't want it to work just cut it off after you're done filing it to shape.  You might want to polish the dome before you cut it off, or see if an application of Tenax will make the dome area shiny.  I use a polishing wheel with green polishing compound chucked up in my Dremel to polish the ones I've made.

The orange plastic looks exponentially better than simply painting a metal beacon's dome orange.

[u36b]

http://www.microlife-online.com/epages/61508632.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61508632  -made for trucks, but look right on to me

Stephan

[Bremner]

I am sure that there was a thread on Trainboard about this a year or two ago and someone designed one to be made by Shapeways

[Bremner]

FOUND IT!!! http://www.shapeways.com/model/270591/n_scale_beacon_lights_20_pack.html?gid=ug
 

[Chris333]

I saw bacon too.   

[kalbert]

Holy smokes look at this:
http://led-switch.com/2mm%20LED.htm#2mm flashing mark

A 2mm LED, more than long enough to stick through a cab roof, allow some trimming rounding and polishing, a nice wide base for gluing, AND A FLASHING CIRCUIT!!! Albeit it's probably a coarse strobe flash, not a nice pretty glowing rotary flash, but still. I think this may be the winner!