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I know there have been a lot of post about the lighted bumpers about how they don't stay lit,i have several of them ,on one i replaced the led with one from Evans  Designs & it worked great after that ,but recently i had a conventional engine parked on a siding ,i powered up that loop of track in command control mode ,i then fliped the switch to power that siding completly forgetting about the conventional engine on that siding ,i don't remember why i did that for ,anyway that engine took off at full speed & totally destroyed that lighted bumper ,led & all ,has anyone ever tried to make a replacement bumper for that track ?,if you did what did you use ,pictures would help ,i do not want to buy any other lighted bumper track ,just want something to do on the layout & i think this would be an interesting project to do .

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Gerald Marafioti posted:

George ,That is one possibility ,i was thinking more along the lines of scratch building something & putting it on the fast track ,i just like to fool around with these mini projects it keeps me interested in the hobby .

I thought about scratch building. You can buy Plastruct girders and parts to cut to the right size. Once assembled, you would paint it to the color of your choice. If you were making several, this would be economical, but if you are only making one or two, it will be more expensive.

George

I made this electrical bridge for my turntable out of Plastruct. You use Plastruct Plastic Weld for the glue. You cut the parts, hold them together and touch the glue brush to the joint. It sucks the glue in. I then painted it. Cutting the parts was hard with a knife. I ended up resorting to a Dremel and then trimming the edges with an Exacto knife.

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George

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Last edited by George S

I had at least four FasTrack lighted bumpers on my old layout (before I moved) and they worked just fine.

My new layout has GarGraves track and Ross switches. However, the small, new, all-tinplate layout I am now working on in one corner of my train room lounge area, is constructed with some of the ton of FasTrack sections I have left over from the old layout, including those lighted bumpers. To my dismay, NONE of the lighted bumpers work now. This is a very simple layout with a simple track plan, and even though the bumpers were properly packed for my move, etc., not a one of them works on the tinplate layout.

I know they can be retrofitted with a more reliable light/circuit, but I'm a bit disappointed that I would even have to go that route.

Gerald, I’m in the same boat. I got a block of insulation foam board and imbedded the foam in the three rails so it laid flat on the ties. Then I shaped it in the shape of a pile of ballast, painted it gray glued scenic ballast on it , made a tie bumper post with 1/4 X 1/4 bass wood. It’s close enough for my reasonable facsimile of a model railroad. Hope this helps.B8620BDD-394E-42DD-930D-D45E4F938BD2

 

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George ,great work on the bridge ,i have an idea on how i may attempt this ,i am still working on the details ,i don 't think i would go the plastruct way ,i am leaning more towards what STE ,has done although a little different i will take pictures as i move along each step ,i will also have a light on mine ,at least thats what i am planning now . This project will keep me occupied until i get the parts to Finnish the strip mall i am working on . Keep the suggestions coming ,this project is for one bumper right now ,who knows which bumper will go next .

Just a short update ,i have some of the material i will need for this project ,i am waiting for some 3mm red led lights from Evans Designs pre wired so i can hook them up to track power ,i will be using all of what you see in these photos ,i am not sure if i want to use plaster cloth ,or fusion fiber to cover everything when the time comes ,the straw is what i am using to run the led wires up from underneath the track ,it will be glued in so it doesn't move if i ever have to change the led .5AE18363-75A8-4FEF-8CAA-5802D4060D08BF1766A8-3BF0-4309-BE15-CB8A9D490A7F13760CAE-3AB6-4469-AB18-E341153FC4B2

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George ,I was just looking for something to do ,i enjoy doing these little projects ,besides i already have the track ,& had the red led light ,but it broke when i was trying to get it through a piece of plastruct that i had on hand ,also i have the plaster cloth & fusion fiber on hand ,& when you make something yourself it makes you feel pretty good to, my work isn't the greatest ,but with the excellent help i get here on the forum i manage to get buy ,i don't worry at all about wheather or not a real RR, would do things this way ,or that way ,i just enjoy what i am doing & having a lot of fun doing it,as was posted on this forum a number of times'' IT'S YOUR RAILROAD DO WHATEVER YOU WANT ''.& thats how i approach things ,time isn't on my side anymore ,i am going to make the best of what i have left. The red led's are on there way to me so in a few days i should be be able to finish up this project ,i will post a picture when finished .

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