Now that the waters of the Shopping Tsunami have receded a bit, it's time to consider picking up some good deals on "seasonal" model railroading supplies. Among the best bang-for-a-buck deals that's really useful are those strings of LEDs that some people use for decorating trees and houses...
For the model railroader on a modest budget, those LED Xmas lites are raw material for all sorts of lighting needs. Here I'm talking strictly about the various white LED lighting available. These sets also come in color versions, but these may or may not be colored LEDs. You on you're own with those.
White LEDs typically come in cool white/blueish-tinged or warm white/yellow-tinged.The cool white LEDs work well to represent fluorescent lighting. The warm white LEDs work well to represent standard incandescent lighting. Cool white LED sets are easy to find. You may have to look around to find the warm white LEDs. After trying 3 stores without luck, it turned out Target also carries warm white. Bingo!
To a certain degree the choice between cool white and warm white depends on your era and location. Fluorescent lighting became a lot more common after WWII and cities tend to have much more of it than rural areas, so pick cool white for that.
A couple of additional things to look for...try to find sets that say "includes replacement lamp" but also physically check the string in order to find ones where the LEDs simply plugs in -- and is thus equally easy to extract. I have had LED strings where the LED is encased in a plastic housing that have been glued or welded together, where each one has to be physically broken to extract the LED.
The best thing I've found to represent an incandescent bulb is what's called a "cone reflector" LED. Suitably stepped down in brightness with resistors, these look very similar to an incandescent bulb when see from the side. The conreflector LED looks like it has a little mirror in it that forces light to the side.
So keep you eyes open for good deals on LEDs in light sets. It'll save you a bundle of money on LEDs.
One other handy item usually available only this time of year are plastic J-hooks and other sorts of holiday lighting hangers. I drill a hole through one end and then screw them into the benchwork to use as clips to organize wiring.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Yes, the rounded ones look like spot lights, the flat ones have an inverted cone at the top and spread the light out better. Sets with little plastic do-dads on them have the smaller T-1 lamp inside of them. Sets with colored do-dads have colored lamps inside of them. The colored lamps are far cheaper to make than the white ones. Lat year I bought a roll of 300 at an after Christmas sale for about $12.00. Going for the after-season stuff you take your chances. I always buy some during the season so that I will have some, but then will also splurge after the season if there are any deals left.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Great tip. Are there any issues regarding voltage? most outdoor lights run directly off 110V, do you have to run these LED's of 110V once on the layout?
No, the individual LEDs in the string are the same as any other LED you buy, low voltage, low current. Wire enough in series and it takes 110V to light them up, but each one, still around 3.2V each for the white ones.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks Randy.