Shoving platform lights

  When I built my shoving platform years ago TCS offered lighting only decoders so there's probably something available still. I set it up for flashing rear light( or front light if moving in reverse) much like a FRED uses but there were plenty of light style choices. Be sure to make it easy to access the interior of the caboose as my lights have stopped working but I haven't been able to fix it yet due to the handrails, etc. connected to the shell and the frame which make disassembly difficult......DaveB 

Shoving platforms and Remote Cabeese

Dear Jeff,

Suspect the reason for lack of lighting info for _shove_platforms_ is that they generally are pretty simple affairs.
For literal "platforms" derived from flatcars

- CSXT SEICO platforms

- CSAO cut-down cabooses,

- BNSF flats,

to regular cabooses tacked on the leading end of the local

- CSX "MJ Lead" job, in Zeeland Michigan, et al

, there's usually nothing bar a standard portable coupler-mounted EOT (end of train) flasher. Search YT for "Meeker Southern" and "Eastside Freight Railroad" for examines of caboose-type Shoving Platforms.

- Meeker Southern

- Eastside Freight Railroad

For larger "Remote Control Platforms" however
(cabooses and similar, equipped with radio --> MU equipment,
so they serve dbl-duty as both "shove platform" and "radio receiver"),

Then they can be positively bristling with head, ditch, strobe, RC status, step/ground, Red flasher/warning, and other lighting. They also can be equipped with their own horn.

- "MRL Remote Caboose" (Blue ex-BN widevisions, 110x series)

- "CSX RCP" ( Black ex Seaboard SEICO pulpwood flats, note the extra airtank and equipment cabinent)

- "UPY CCRCL" (UP used stripped U23b hulks as remote units in LA before radio-equipped Gensets became available)

- "MMA VB caboose" (the MMA railroad used to operate a number of caboose-based remote platforms)

If you're looking for a basic lighting decoder, I reccomend the TCS FL2 OR FL4. Small, cheap, can accept a KA/CK, and easy to program.
NB that if you want that subtle out-of-sync "beating" of 2-or-more strobe lights,
(see the HO UPY CCRCL clip above),

you may want to try 2X FL2, rather than 1X FL4 decoder. By strategic wiring and CV-tweaking, both FL2s will respond to the same address and Function-key commands,
but as they are not "sync locked" together strobes on each decoder will flash subtly-different-in-time to each other, which looks good IMHO. 

If however, you want to go the whole hog worth a horn (or air-whistle) equipped Remote Platform,
the ST "SoundCar" decoder is the only real game in town. Team with a SSS speaker, and maybe a secondary TSC FL2 for "out of sync" beating strobes, and you should have a fully-lit Shove Platform to go take on any no-runaround switching mission....

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

"If however, you want to go

  Hi Prof,  One of the air whistles on the platfom of a caboose would be a nice touch. I used to see them backing down the street tweeting as needed....DaveB 

The electrical part...

your looking for might be here.

[topic:id=3690]

I’d certainly start with the last suggestion.  

Nick

Thanks that’s great stuff

Thanks that’s great stuff guys. Prof K outstanding run down. I’m targeting something roughly like the Meeker or Eastside so some ditch lights or a headlight and a (non functioning) horn would probably fit the bill. A light function Decoder would fit the bill. 

A CSXT sled is somewhere down on my long scratch build project list too, PK yours is excellent. 

Nick specifically what last suggestion do you mean?

Thx

Jeff

CSXT RCP

Dear Jeff,

The CSXT RCP is actually a reasonably easy kitbash:

- Start with a Walthers SEICO pulpwood flat (bonus points for starting with a prototypically "Southern" painted unit)
- Remove the side ladders from each corner of the bulkheads. Set the ladders aside for re-use.
- Using a razor saw, cut the bulkheads off flush with the top edge of the long sidemember beams
- Close up the resulting open deck areas with styrene sheet (bonus points for chequer-plate)
- Add a pilot from styrene or a KVModels etched pilot
- Form up a flat deck area between the equipment cabinet and the B-end with more styrene and chequer-plate
- Handrail stanchions out of styrene L-channel and 0.010" brass railings surround the platform
- Brakewheel from DA/DW/Atlas/Ath/Kadee freight car brake detail set
- Form the cabinet from a box of styrene, scaling from the EMD-hood-door-sized doors and catches on the front of the cabinet
- The rear airtank can be repurposed from a DA/DW/Atlas GE U-boat airtank.
- A pair of trimmed-down DA/DW ditchlights + 0603 SMD LEDs form the headlights on the front of the cabinet
- DA or Atlas strobes with 0603 SMD LEDs top the cabinet
- Add wire grabs to the rear of the cabinet
- A length of Code55 rail and some styrene form the vertical horn support, topped with an appropriate horn casting
- Trim down the retrieved bulkhead-side ladders, and re-install them at frame-level at the B-end.
- Install DA/DW MU cables at the A-end for feeding the "Remote Control signals" to the coupled locomotive.

Painting is easy, a complete coat of black. (Even I can do that, and I hate painting!). 
The lettering, stripes, and other markings on the side-beams can be easily had by trimming, sizing, and printing a prototype pic onto Micromark White Decal paper. The resulting "long skinny decal" nestles perfectly in between the flanges of the sidebeams.

As far as lighting up the model, the cabinet should fit a TCS FL2 up inside it.
Wire the F0 output to _one_ of the SMD headlights, and the F1 output to _one_ of the strobes.

A 2nd FL2 can easily fit between the centresill frame member and a sidemember, _under_ the deck. The wires run _up_ to _above_ the deck via a hold hidden under the airtank, and along the centreline of the original pulpwood deck to the cabinet. (This replicates prototype cabling which runs along the deck, check the prototype reference pics). Again, wire "F0" to the _other_ headlight, and "F1" to the _other_ strobe. With both decoders having a common address and CV-settings load, the headlights and strobes will "act as one" even though they are fed from separate decoders. However, the pair of strobes will have an entirely-prototypical "beating" to their flash pattern which can be somewhat hypnotic to watch...

For those who want to add sound, a SoundCar (or Digitrax SFX0416) decoder should be also able to fit between the centresill and the sidesill _under_ the deck, while being invisible from a side-on viewing.
(The SEICO flat sideframe member beams are quite tall!). A long/skinny iPhone 5 or PMD "sugarcube" type speaker would also fit under the deck.

Pickups can be added to the stock trucks using the previously-posted "Kadee #5 centring-spring" technique and NWSL or Tichy "Superflex" wire.

NB that I prefer the "94xx" series RCPs with their clean-and-clear deck area. The "91xx" series in contrast have large equipment boxes occupying the deck between the Horn stand and the A-end. These boxes could well make including a SoundCar decoder and speaker easier to hide.

References
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rslist.aspx?id=CSX&cid=3

https://railpictures.net/showphotos.php?train_id=CSX%20Y291

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Hi Ken,

The suggestion was to point you to an electrical circuit to light up the lights on the shoving car.  Neat project.

Nick