1:22.5 SCALE FLICKERING FIREBOX LIGHT
Manufacturer: Hillside Railway, 25746 Po Avenue, Mission Viejo, CA 92691. Price: 02-192 constant intensity flickering firebox light for LGB Moguls, $40.00 suggested list.
THE LGB MOGUL, number 2019S, introduced the lighted firebox. Anyone who has seen the locomotive running at night knows what a wonderful feature on a large scale engine a flickering firebox is. But the firebox comes only on expensive models, so some hobbyists are unable to own one.
Hillside Railway's owner, Dennis Kliesen, has solved that problem. He developed a retrofit circuit board to convert any Mogul without a flickering firebox to a lighted version.
So far I have installed five of his fireboxes. The system is completely self-contained. All electronics and bulbs are on a compact circuit board fitting inside the locomotive's backhead exactly as if LGB had made it. On all but some of the earliest red and green Moguls, LGB even provides lugs for mounting the board.
The kit comes with what may be the most complete set of instructions I have ever used. Hillside Railway has carefully and in great detail explained every possible pitfall. The instructions have plenty of photos clearly showing each step.
Actual installation involves removing the backhead, sliding back the cab, and soldering the two leads to the connectors powering LGB's smoke element. Before remounting the backhead in the cab, you must pop out the firebox door, cut it in half, and re-install the upper half in the backhead. It will then be exactly the same as on the 2019S. The instructions completely explain the entire process.
In my opinion, Hillside Railway's firebox is superior to any on the market in two ways: First, the light is brighter. That is because the unit uses three bulbs where the others use two. Second, the competitors' lights go out at random intervals and Hillside's stays lighted. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a fire go out and then relight itself!
All in all, Hillside Railway's accessory is first class. The quality of the unit, its thoughtful instructions, and its pleasing performance result in a superior product. If I were to assign it a rating of one to ten, I would rate Hillside Railway's flickering firebox light a solid ten!-Dean Lowe
