I'm planning to use track lighting with LED bulbs for my model railroad. I was wondering if you can mix brands of components particularly the heads?
Fisker I'm planning to use track lighting with LED bulbs for my model railroad. I was wondering if you can mix brands of components particularly the heads?
I don't see any reason why not, as long as they all run using the same type of electrical power, which is usually 110V house current.My layout uses both fluorescent fixtures (double tube 4' and 8'), along with LED bulbs in simple plastic or ceramic fixtures, and also thin self-contained LED fixtures in the layout room's drop ceiling...
Four switches, outside of the layout room, control all of the lighting and also the power to the layout room receptacles, some of which are on or under the layout's fascia, or under the layout itself.
Wayne
Thanks Wayne
Any LED shop lights will cast realistic daylight, but they look ugly above a layout so I'd recommend a pan light with diffusers. Some models are meant for being recessed in a drop ceiling where others mount to drywall ceilings with a few screws.
Check local building codes. Some jurisdictions may at minimum mandate wires be in greenfield.
Fisker I was wondering if you can mix brands of components particularly the heads?
I installed some track lighting back in 1995 when I began building my layout. I've since added on to the track and added many various heads. I've converted them all to LED now.
IMG_8648_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_8646_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
This is the "older" side of the layout. The other side has a drop ceiling with recessed mini-cans. I don't know who's standard the track is made to, Halo maybe? but I bought the heads and track from several sources, mostly when they were being closed-out at Home Depot or Lowe's at big discounts. I forget the exact configuration but there's a hot and ground on one side and the neutral on the other groove. Or vice-versa, but the heads of this style are interchangable.
This is called the H track system (for Halo) and seems to be the most common. There's a J, J2 and L system, too, but I haven't come across them very often.
Good Luck, Ed
I have used track lighting for display cases.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
I don't know if it is a standard or not, but yes, many brands of "modern-ish" track lighting will allow mounting of one brand's light fixtures onto another brand's track.
The current style of track lighting has two contacts sticking out one side of the fixture, and one on the other. This is the common style now.
When I took my spare light fixture out of the box to take the picture I saw a note on the box.
Apparently, "H Track" is the term for the current common track design.
Older track lights had different configurations.
gmpullmanThis is called the H track system (for Halo) and seems to be the most common. There's a J, J2 and L system, too, but I haven't come across them very often.
Well, I guess I should have read Ed's post before I wrote out mine. That would have saved some time.
<Edited to remove quote from a deleted post>
-Kevin
Living the dream.
This is my plan for lighting the next layout.
13 LED can lights
4 lights on each ceiling fan
Strip lights underneath the cabinets (light blue)
Also, 5 additional LED Can Lights over the workbench. -Kevin
Also, 5 additional LED Can Lights over the workbench.
Thank goodness for forum members like Wayne who have and are willing to share such photos for the sake of helping others.
Wayne, I appreciate you showing each of the different types of fixtures you are using and where, and how they work together. A newbie might not put together how they can use different fixtures together without such guidance.
Jim, I too an looking forward to photos of your new layout. If it's anything like your last layout, it will be a gem.
[edited to remove quote of a deleted post]
Mike
Just a thought for your consideration.
If youre going to have a lighting valance, consider LED strip lighting. It is relatively inexpensive will eliminate shadow areas on the layout. Be sure to get the full spectrum kind. You can also get run a strip of blue LEDs to get the moonlight effects for night operations. Then you can also use track lighting to spotlight specific features. Like I said, just a thought.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
I only use flat flush mounted LED panels. For tracks, I think it might depend on the mounting. They should all slide, and the ones I used years ago with the halogen pots were 'twist in and out' style. I don't know that the wiring configuration works across brands, but I don't know how else they can be slid unless there are two wires, one on each side of the track, and two pickups that meet them at their level of mounting.
Mike, your kind words are much appreciated. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I not only agree with that, but often include the thousand words, too.I would have thought the pictures to be easiest to digest, so I'm uncertain why some folks don't care for them....best for them to simply skip looking, I think.
I will be replacing some of the ceiling fluorescents that are over the single level portion of my layout, with those thin LEDs in the drop ceiling, as they offer a pretty good spread of light. The fluorescents over the partial second level will stay, though, as the thin LED fixtures would need to be placed much closer together in order to get good light coverage.I also hope to replace the fluorescents which are under the partial second level: they offer good uniform lighting, but because the tubes are not covered like those in the ceiling, they do fade the colours on that portion of the layout.
They'll be replaced with LED bulbs in simple plastic or porcelain fixtures, attached to the underside of the upper level. The LEDs should help to lower the hydro bill, too.
It seems that multi-deck layouts need more light than single deck ones. Mine is the latter and I have three tracks of four LED lights. I get more light using a floor lamp that shines at different parts of the layout. Some might say that is too dark but it works for me.
Bottom line: whatever works for one person for lighting might not work for another.