After seeing how small surface-mount LEDs have gotten, and how cheap, I decided I'd grab a few from our local Jaycar Electronics Store and build a Japanese level crossing signal/light.

Ingredients

• Red SMD LEDs
• Metal tubing, hollow, for the main pole. I used brass from the local hobby store.
• Copper 'winding' wire. Used since it's already insulated.
• Soldering equipment.
• Thin cardboard

The process

Firstly cut a length of the metal pole and then grind a hole in it behind the area where you intend on soldering the LEDs.

You can see I've run the copper wire through to make sure there are no obstructions. Be careful when doing this as you may well remove the insulation where the wire will rub on the metal pole.

Next rotate the pole around and then solder the LEDs into place. Make sure that one LED is reverse polarity!

Also solder a wire to the base of the main pole.

Run the thing copper wire from the tabs on the LEDs into the hole and then out the bottom of the main pole. Do this after all soldering to avoid melting the insulation.

Cut some thin strips of cardboard and glue them as the cross above the lights.

Apply some paint, I was a little sloppy.

Add your favourite flasher circuit. Make sure that it swaps polarity to only have to use two wires.

And that's about it... Signals next.

I can't say I have any more content to post today either... I've been busy on weekends with life (moving state, etc..) and so I haven't had much of a chance to do any work on the models. I'm currently shifting to the state I bought the Shinkansen layout from... how ironic. The layout (due to taking up half of the parents garage) has now been all but deconstructed and boxed. I intend on turning it into a dog-bone, but an L-shape, with a single join. I have 4 weeks to do this, and since sleeping 40 metres from the layout, should see progress. The goal will be to then be able to store this layout on shelves in the garage and not consume too much space.

I've also been busy (call it an addiction) checking out Yass Junction.
Check my page out on the yellow links above... Yass is the closest 'Main South' station to Canberra and gets a lot of good traffic on a Saturday. I usually venture to get down there just before 0600 to see the grain trains, but it all depends on the weather.

Anyway... more news as I get to it.

I've also slapped Gallery2 in the backend and will be integrating soon enough. Hopefully I'll be able to create better stories on adventures such as this morning in Yass where 3 trains ran wrong-road.. ... more on that later.