Track Lighting for Train Layouts

[overall]

I would like to install some track lighting kits to illuminate my layout. Lowes and Home Depot both have them. My question is: has anyone in the forum used these products and ,if you did, what would you do differently now? What should I avoid or stay away from? I saw an N gauge model railroad club's layout illuminated this way and I really liked it.

Thanks in advance,

George

[phillyreading]

Work with a system that is flexible, allows you to add more sections of tracks for the lights. After you install one section you may want other sections to add to it, and can you purchase additional light fixtures for use with it? If you are really good with electrical work or know somebody who is, you may want to put the wires in wiremold(a form of conduit) and install switches on the wall to control the lights, even adding a dimmer switch for going from day to night  brightness.

Lee F.

[number 9]

George,

The first thing I will say is "don't go cheap". These lights are going to be over your table for a long time. If I could, and I may still, I would have put in the smallest fixtures I could find. Since my layout is downstairs in the walkout basement with a drop ceiling there is not a lot of overhead. I have the smaller size bulbs with standard sockets all wired to wall switches with dimmers. I have to tell you it gets warm under all those lights. With a seven and a half foot ceiling the larger "and cheaper" track lights to me are a distraction. I have even thought about trashing them all and putting in a bunch of can lights. I have twentyfour lights over a 21.5' by 18.5' walk in layout, so it is well lit but warm. Hope this helps.

                                                                              Carl

[tibet99]

Hi George,

I use both recessed fluorescent and incandescent track lights on my basement layout. I utilize my fluorescents as "utility" lights when I'm working on the layout for hours on end. They run a lot cooler and consume a fraction of the power. When it's show time I turn those off and run the track lights. I agree with the other replies that small fixtures are best. I use 45-50 watt bulbs and have the fixtures placed over the train layout and not over the aisles if possible. I also try to point them straight down so you're not looking into them. A trip to a museum can give you a lot of lighting ideas. Museums light the areas of interest and nothing else.This requires a bunch of fixtures but it works really well. The color rendition of incandescents is hard to beat. They even show less dust than the fluorescents! The fact they are dimmable makes it nice too.

I bought my tracks and fixtures from Home Depot and have had them for over ten years without problems. Make sure your lighting circuits are large enough for the incandescent loads.

Enjoy your project!

TJ

[Laurastom]

George, good advice already presented. Some additional information. You can get the tracks in one circuit and two circuit configurations. You may want to go with a two circuit to get instant flexibility on two different lighting scenes. I am in the process of redoing my lighting throughout the house. There are T-5 fluorescent bulbs available with a color temperature of 3000 degrees and a CRI of 83 to 85. These produce a light that is very close to incandescent with no heat, but be careful of UV fading. All my other ceiling and track fixtures use LED's. They are now available in all base and voltage configurations to use in track lighting or ceiling cans. They are also available as dimmable. Again no heat and with LED's no UV fading risk. Not all LED bulbs are usable for your purpose. The should have a color temperature of about 3000 degrees and a CRI of at least 80. These all are spot lights rather than floodlights so watch the fixture spacing. The light from these is natural, easy on the eyes and really makes the details lifelike. It is really great to be rid of all the heat gain and electrical load from the incandescent and halogen ceiling fixtures.

Tom

[LittleTommy]

I agree that all the information presented is excellent.  I will only say that I have had the track lights since 1989 and I have been very pleased.

I have dimable lights and also have flourescent "black lights" installed for night scenes.  With the track lights dimmed and flourescent paint you can make very intesting sign and lighting effects that suplement any of the wired in streetlights. 

I use the lights directionally to focus the attention of the visitor to different scenes on the layout so that one town seems distinctly different from the other even though they are in relatively close proximity.

I don't think you will be sorry if you set things up this way.

Little Tommy