MTH Buildings and Houses Bulbs

Can you find these same bulbs that work on 14 to 16vac

Ken M

These would probably work fine, they're designed for automotive use, so they'd have to handle at least 14 volts.  If you like, you could include a 100 ohm resistor in series with them.  They're specified to replace stuff like the 1445 bulb, which is rated at 14 volts.

I agree after looking at them again, but they specify DC not AC

They would work on AC if you left the opposite polarity wiring mistake intact in pairs of sockets.

I see where some of them or DC & others are AC

Thank You, Ken M

I use mini 12v Christmas tree lights for building lighting.  I cut up a string of any voltage Christmas tree lights into sockets and pigtails and wire them into my 12 v light circuit with plastic wire nuts coming thru the building floor. 

The 12v Christmas mini bulbs use much less wattage than normal Lionel type bulbs and give a more realistic degree of light.  12v or two 7v bulbs wired in series, per building could have been found shortly after Christmas at Wally mart, etc. for 50 cents (1/2 price) for 10 bulbs.  Cheapest source of light bulbs available.  I just picked up 10 packs after Christmas this year.  Any color will do as one can scrape off or remove the colored paint with lacquer thinner.

The pigtails and sockets allow easy installation inside the building in the roof or ceiling to hide the bulbs and give more realistic building lighting.  I wire in the mini 12v bulbs for lighting passenger cars, cabooses and even head lights for locos also.  12v flashers mini bulbs are also available for adding flashing effects to emergency type cars you may come up with.

I have add 12v bulbs to a homemade Aquarium, Gold Bullion and Chicken cars.

Charlie

Choo Choo Charlie posted:

I use mini 12v Christmas tree lights for building lighting.  I cut up a string of any voltage Christmas tree lights into sockets and pigtails and wire them into my 12 v light circuit with plastic wire nuts coming thru the building floor. 

The 12v Christmas mini bulbs use much less wattage than normal Lionel type bulbs and give a more realistic degree of light.  12v or two 7v bulbs wired in series, per building could have been found shortly after Christmas at Wally mart, etc. for 50 cents (1/2 price) for 10 bulbs.  Cheapest source of light bulbs available.  I just picked up 10 packs after Christmas this year.  Any color will do as one can scrape off or remove the colored paint with lacquer thinner.

The pigtails and sockets allow easy installation inside the building in the roof or ceiling to hide the bulbs and give more realistic building lighting.  I wire in the mini 12v bulbs for lighting passenger cars, cabooses and even head lights for locos also.  12v flashers mini bulbs are also available for adding flashing effects to emergency type cars you may come up with.

I have add 12v bulbs to a homemade Aquarium, Gold Bullion and Chicken cars.

Charlie

 

 

 

Charlie....I would like to use the Christmas lights for my Lionel and MTH buildings.   Do you have any pictures or other information you can share for someone like me that is "electrically" challenged?  

What do you do with the MTH buildings that have the small "Miller Engineering-ish" lights on the front of the building? 

Thanks for any suggestions.

Santa Fe

The bulbs are about 3/4 inch long and 3/16 inch dia.  They are rated by voltage.  The 12v bulbs are used for strings of 10 bulbs in series.  Therefore 10 bulbs times 12volts each equals 120 volt or your house hold voltage.  You can buy them on ebay in packs of 10 or at Walmart, or Hobby Lobby, for $1 a pack or 1/2 price after Christmas (they are probably all gone now at 1/2 price.

The mini bulb string of lights come in stings of 10 bulbs , or 20 to 25 bulbs or strings of 50 bulbs for $5 to $8 a string.  Also at Ebay.  The longer strings use bulbs for 7 volts, or 3 volts or 2.5 or so volts.  So if you buy a long string you will just have bunch of lower voltage bulbs to use for something or throw away.  But you will get 25 or 50 sockets and pigtails when you cut up the strings for the sockets.  You can find old strings at garage sales, the trash, in your attic ! from friends etc.

My pack of 10 bulbs for 12v says each bulb is .96 watts or 80mA for an idea of the power.

I just cut up a string of bulbs and get many sockets with say two six inch pigtails.  I remove the bulb in the socket, separate the bulb from the bulb holder and insert the new 12v bulb in the holder, bend over the bulb lead to the side of the bulb holder and insert the bulb holder in the socket.  I mount the bulb into the roof of the building with a thumb tack or hot glue etc and wire up 12 volts light circuit power with two wire nuts for ease of use instead of soldering.  After all wire nuts are good for 110 volt house power.

As for as the lights you mentioned on the front of the building, I am not familiar with them.  But I can recommend a possible bulb for that.  Radio Shack sells a pack of three small bulbs, painted red, green or yellow.  (scrap off the paint or remove with thinner for clear or paint with white laytex acrylic paint for white) . The bulbs are called 12 v miniature bulbs and are 1/8 inch dia and about 3/8 inch long with pig tails for installation.  These may work for you, if not Radio shack has lots more small bulbs.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie for the explanation.   I am going to give it a try.