Layout Lighting

[Anonymous]

I am in the process of designing my new layout. I have partially built several but due to company moves they were never nearly completed. Since I plan to retire in the house we have just bought I would like to do it right. I have a 1,600 square foot basement that I will be sharing with my wife. In the end I'll have about a 15 x 30 foot unobstucted area in which to construct the layout. I plan to completely fini***he room before starting on the layout and that includes lighting. I have seen some references to lighting but nothing in depth describing different approaches to lighting. In the past I have used drop in ceiling 4 tube flourescent lights to light the entire train but this time I plan to install a valance that will direct the light to the layout with a few small general lights through out the room. I was considering using the newer screw in type flourenscent lights as they give off a color similar to incandesnt but use only a third of the power. A 100 watt equivalent flourescent light only draws 25 watts of power cutting down on the amount of power needed and heat generated. Yes they are pricey but will also last a long time Anyone have any thoughts or other ideas?

Ed Schultz

[Big_Boy_4005]

[#welcome] to the forum.

I like to have two seperate lighting systems. One quick and dirty for general lighting and work, and a seperate system for the actual layout. I use regular inexpensive fluoerscent tubes for the general lighting. But for the layout I prefer incandescent.

I have started using those new compact fluorescents around the house, and don't mind them. However, I don't think they can be dimmed, which is something you may want to consider for layout lighting.

[Anonymous]

Big Boy 4005, thanks for the reply. I had something like you mentioned in mind, a set of general lighting flourescent lights for working and then another set for lighting the layout during running or operations. You are right, the screw in type cannot be dimmed which is a drawback. I could put in a third set of lights, one the basic general lighting, a second with lower wattage screw in flourescent bulbs and then another with a hight wattage set of bulbs. Since I'll be installing a drop ceiling I can do this using track lighting tracks. What I'd like to see is an article or some data that says if you have a layout of XXX square feet then you need XXX lumens of light to adequately light the layout.

Ed S

[Big_Boy_4005]

You're welcome Ed. I'm sure you will get some more answers on this question, but it is a holiday, and the forum is a bit slow. I like the idea of the compact fluorescents form an energy and heat perspective. I have switched out a lot of bulbs around the house, especially ones in ceiling fixtures with globes.

For quantity of light required, there are a lot of variables. By using the valance, you have a good opportunity to spread the light more evenly, and use it most efficiently, thereby requiring less actual wattage. There have been articles in the magazines on lighting, they may have some numbers for you. The amount requires is usually based on the area trying to be illuminated.

[mondotrains]

Hi Ed,
One suggestion I have is to buy better flourscent light fixtures which have better ballasts. If you buy the inexpensive "shop" lights available at home improvement stores for around $5.00, you will have lights that will drive your eyes crazy because they will "flicker" without you hardly noticing it. My buddy bought these cheap lights and I can't work at his house without getting a headache. I bought better fixtures at Lowe's and only paid a little more....something like $20.00 each for the ones that hold two 4-foot bulbs. And, as far as the bulbs, there has already been a lot of discussion on this forum about bulbs. I use GE 40 watt, 4-foot bulbs called "kitchen & bath" with an IRC of 82. Trust me, these bulbs cost around $5.00 each but they are worth the extra cost because they produce very natural light, almost like incandescents. (Someone on this forum who was an expert mentioned using bulbs with an IRC of at least 80...don't ask me what the IRC means but it is clearly marked on the cardboard sleeve that the bulbs come in).

One last thing....I bought clear plastic protectors that fit over the bulbs from a GE lighting outlet. They cost around $2.00 each and are very important because they help to filter out the ultraviolet light that is given off by flourescent lights. Considering the hours you will spend under the lights, you don't want to get skin cancer from the UV light. It sounds silly but again, experts on this forum have agreed that the sleeves are a good investment. In addition to filtering out the harmful UV light, they will help prevent a bulb from shattering all over the place if it is dropped while installing or removing.

It sounds to me like you're the kind of guy that wants to get it right the first time. I hope I've helped. Don't hesitate to email me if you have additional questions.

Mondo

[jfugate]

I started out trying florescent lighting on my HO Siskiyou Line, but after talking with Bruce Chubb (of Sunset Valley fame) and seeing how he was doing lighting on his new layout in 1993, I changed to low wattage incandescents (15W and 25W).

The key to using low wattage bulbs is to get them down close to the layout, within about 18" or so of the layout. You get a kind of "shadowbox" look when you do this, and I find it's very attactive. With a multideck layout design this is easy to do, since you already have a pretty confined distance within which to install your lighting.

I give quite a detailed explanation of this on my web site:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model_csl.html

And I also discuss how I do the low wattage incandescent lighting:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model_clt.html

Hope you find this information helpful.

P.S. I also plan to cover this in some detail on the myMemoirs DVD/VHS about construction techniques I use on the HO Siskiyou Line. The video's due out by October.

[Anonymous]

Lots of good ideas on this topic. I am starting a bi-level HO small layout and the new small bulbs sound ok to me. On the bottom layer I can use them, plus some blue bulbs for nightime running. The top layout will e under the room light. Have to give someplace! The top plan is for old-time rr's, and the bottom one I will run what I like, no special time era, it is just for fun!!!