layout lighting

[jhugart]

I posted some images in the original topic I started when I began researching lighting. These show the different appearances I can get from the four channels. be sure to go to the LAST PAGE to see the images!

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20097

[hminky]

I have a web article on lighting my layout using those twisty screw-in flourescents. They give shadows. No dimming for night but good sunlight.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/lighting/

Hope that helps
Harold

[jhugart]

Before you decide on layout lighting, decide what you want to achieve with it.

Fluorescent is cheap, runs cool, but isn't easily dimmable, and is soft (lacking shadows).

Incandescent and its varioys forms (such as halogen) can be pricey, runs hot, but is easily dimmable, it is easy to control color, and can produce realistic shadows.

Why do shadows and color and such matter? It depends on the degree of realism you want. In real life, we see bright, warm-colored light, and there are shadows. Fluorescent lighting will produce an effect like an overcast day on your layout.

Here's what I did:

1. I installed twin-tube T8 fixtures with electronic ballast, two strips with two joined fixtures in each strip, in the layout area. This provides general work light. For safety, I enclosed each tube in a plastic sleeve, so a smashed tube won't result in shards of glass everywhere.

2. I installed four sections of track lighting around the small layout I'm working on now. Each section is 4' long. Each section has its own dimmer switch. The four tracks are placed so that as I face the layout, the "daylight" track is above me, the "night" track is over the far edge of the layout pointing back towards my feet, and the "dusk" and "dawn" tracks (which could have been shorter) are off to my left and right, respectively.

3. Each track uses line-voltage to power lights with integral transformers. Each light takes an MR16 12V 50W halogen lamp. I experimented with halogen lamps having dichroic filters for covers, but the colors were too intense or not consistent, so I switched to theatrical gels. I used "Sky Blue" for the "night" track lights and "*** Amber" for the "dawn" and "dusk" track lights. The "daylight" track lights are ungelled. While there are a minimum of three lights for the "daylight" and "night" tracks, there is only one for each "dawn" and "dusk" track, which creates nice, long shadows.

4. I bought SmartHome X10 dimmer switches, one for each track. These could handle ten lamps each, easily, so I have room for expansion. I also got the hardward and software for my Macintosh computer so it can send the signals to the dimmer switches on a schedule. This way, I can simulate the lighting for a regular day in whatever time range I program...I have it set to handle a two-minute demo cycle, a 2-hour cycle, and a 3-hour cycle.

It looks great. I need to take some pictures, I know. I have to get my levels set better (night is too bright right now), but with a layout that has some veritcal relief, you get a nice effect.

My idea for doing all this was that when we get into operations, we'll have to work in simulated daylight conditions, or lack thereof. Maybe you had plenty of light while putting the local together in the yard, but once you get to the middle of your switchlist, you have to work using a flashlight. Literally. (And yes, I'm planning some sort of aisle lighting.)

I will try to find time this week to take some quick pictures and post them.

[Anonymous]

I remember seeing a light bulb some years ago in an artist's supply store which imitates natural daylight. I think they are still available and may be worth a try.
DGD

[jkeaton]

Are you looking at using the dimmer for morning/evening/night effects, or just to reduce the power demand of the incandescent bulbs? If none of the above apply - and you just want overall daytime lighting - then skip the dimmer (for now, you can always put it in later) and spend the money on halogen bulbs. Their light is not as red as regular incandescent bulbs, so the greens and blues on your layout will look better, and they produce a lot more light for the same power input, so you'll save on electricity and have less heat being produced in your layout room. The halogens that screw into regular incandescent sockets would be worth trying out. They come in a variety of wattages - and if you've got a special scene to highlight, you can swap one of them for a small halogen spotlight. And, if you decide to later, these halogens can be operated by a dimmer, unlike the low-voltage ones that use a transformer.


Jim

[prostreetamx]

Flourscents put out a green light that may cause you to think some of your colors on your equipment is incorrect. They can also not be dimmed unless you buy dimable ballasts and special dimmers. Also they flicker as they turn on and off at a 60 times per secound rate. Some office workers have complained of headaches because of this constant flickering. Flourscents are still a good choice for general layout lighting if you suplement them with some incandesant or halogen filler lights that are on a dimmer. My layout uses track lighting that alows me a lot of flexability in placement and fixture type.

[northern_blues]

I've finished wiring for incandescent's every four feet. It was a cheaper purchase and money is an issue.

Should I opt for lower wattage bulbs, low wattage halogen's, or regular bulbs and put in a dimmer? There will be a valance but the total number of lights in my layout is only 10 so I'm not much worried about heat.

[ClinchValleySD40]

I use what you're thinking of using and love it. I have mine behind a valance and you can see pictures of it on the web shots album, link on my signature. If incadescents are being used, watch out for heat build up. Be sure to check out Joe Fugate's Siskiyou site, he uses low wattage incadescents and they look really good.

[Jetrock]

I've got a combo system--a row of 22" mini fluorescent tubes, chained together, alternating with 20-watt halogen lamps. I also have a white "rope light" along the back of my layout shelf, which provides a nice evening-light level on its own, and helps reduce the stark shadows that the halogens create.

It's a good combination--the fluorescents give a nice overall light level, the halogens provide some intensity and shadow, and the rope lights fill in the difference.

[MisterBeasley]

I'm fond of track lighting. It's very versatile, and you can put dimmers on it to alter the light level. Since you've got a drop ceiling, you could also get in-ceiling panels which hide the lights more elegantly than flourescent tube fixtures. Both would give you higher resale if you decide to sell your home, also.

[ndbprr]

The problems with flourescents are twofold:
1. Some people say they fade paint colors over the years
2. No shadows

BUT mots of us use them any way.

[Anonymous]

I know lighting is a very subjective issue for a layout. My present idea is to use single tube flourescents end to end over the entire point to point layout design. The layout is housed in the basement with a drop tile ceiling at 96 inches and the railhead at about 50 inches.