What do you do when "the lights go out"?

[willy6]

As I putt along building my layout, I have been building structures, detailing them adding lights and the glueing them in place and adding scenery. And then the other day, I thought, What will I do when the building interior light bulb burns out. I thought of removable roofs, but some structures I already built do not fall in the category. Any ideas?

[canazar]

Most of my lights have the wires coming in from the bottom of the structure thru a small 1/4 hole. You might be able to pull it out from the bottom, (maybe redrill the hole if needed) and slide it back up. or, depending on the size ot the structure, and if it is really secured and gotta replace, maybe come up from the bottom with a 3" hole saw so you move you hand up in side the structure.

Or, could always replace it all together. Good luck

Best Regards
John Kanicsar

[dave9999]

The structures on my layout will have "under the layout" access for just that reason.
After I determine the exact location of a building, I will drill holes for the bulbs. I also
plan to use some sort of putty to hold the lights in place and to plug the holes. When
I need to change bulbs, I only have to pull the plug.

Or, you could just pretend that the occupant didn't pay their power bill[;)] Dave

[jdolan]

I mount my lights in PVC pipe and put it up through the bottom of the Building and just pull it down to change bulbs.
Jack

[leighant]

I glue my PLASTIC buildings down with a just little bit of Elmer's WHITE GLUE at a couple corners. White glue is not a particularly good glue for plastic--which is the general idea. If I ever need to move the building, the bond is pretty weak. Just pop it loose.
(I only use one small drop for a plastic or metal load on plastic flat car deck...)

On some buildings, I make removable FOUNDATIONS. Foundation is built into ground, building has a friction fit, or a plug. Easier to hide than a removable roof.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jdolan

I mount my lights in PVC pipe and put it up through the bottom of the Building and just pull it down to change bulbs.
Jack

I do similar to that. I have my lights fed up through a drinking straw from the bottom of my layout. works fine for me, I don't always run the lights and if so, not for long periods.

[mcouvillion]

willy6,

You could 1) run the lights for the buildings from a separate transformer and drop the voltage a little bit below what the bulbs are rated for, 2) put a small dropping resistor in the circuit to the bulbs to drop the voltage they receive, or 3) get bulbs rated above the voltage of your power source. You could also 4) put a rheostat in the circuit such that the bulbs come on gradually and go off gradually, reducing the strain on the filaments. Essentially, you could make the bulbs last "forever" by cutting the voltage a little and ramping them ON slowly and ramping them OFF.

Mark C.

[Anonymous]

Yes - I agree with mcouvillion - the best way to change the bulbs is to not HAVE to change the bulbs.

Running a 12V bulb at 8 or 9 V will GREATLY increase its lifespan. I also prefer the slightly orangey-yellow light from a bulb running dim, rather than the bright white of a full-power bulb.

It will also help keep the light from shining through the sides of the buildings, if they are slightly translucent.

You could also try white (or Golden White) LEDs. They are more expensive, but they produce almost no heat ,and last for a long, long time.

Rob

[willy6]

Thank you guys for the ideas, I'm going to use a combination of them. I already run the lights of an old LL power pack. and i'm going to use that PVC/ straw idea. And for the structures currently installed............when the lights go out, i'm not paying the electric bill and putting a minature "for sale" out front.