layout lighting

[Anonymous]

[?][8]I'm building a double-decked layout (with a third deck for staging) and clearances are minimal for lighting the middle and lower levels. The layout uses 1 X 4s and I would like to keep the lighting recessed in that space as much as possible. The benchwork is finished and has one dedicated 15 amp circuit for each deck. Anyone have any novel ideas or suggestions for lighting? Would like to not use florescents but may have to but construction halted pending resolution to my problem.

[cacole]

At htis point, it may be too late to put in the required fixtures, but small halogen floodlights of 30 or 40 watt rating might be better than fluorescent fixtures. Halogen bulbs would also provide truer color than fluorescent lights do. I've seen small halogen floodlight bulbs at Home Depot, and believe that they have a standard light bulb base.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your input. I still have full access to do any fixture/wiring on the entire layout so will check out the halogen floods. Any input on how much heat output from this type of lighting? The total run for each deck is 55-65 ft. and around 30 ft. for the lower deck.

[cacole]

Halogen bulbs most definitely put out more heat than a fluorescent tube or bulb with equivalent light output, so if you believe that heat buildup could be a source of trouble, you should probably use fluorescent lights. "Daylight" bulbs or tubes would be advisable to avoid color shifts if you should ever want to take digital photographs of your layout. The best course of action would probably be to purchase a small halogen floodlight, screw it into a floor or table lamp, and hold your hand close to it and judge the heat output. Or maybe you can find a lamp on display that has a halogen bulb and can hold your hand near it to feel how much heat is generated.

[cacole]

A friend of mine who lives near Tombstone, Arizona, just installed 24 light fixtures behind a valance along the front edge of his large U-shaped 40' x 15' HO-scale layout, and uses 32 Watt "Sunlight" fluorescent screw-in bulbs spaced approximately 4 or 5 feet apart. These are perfect for photography if he turns off the overhead fluorescent light fixtures that run down the center isle. He found a very small, wireless, color, digital video camera that he mounted onto a flat car that can be pushed around his layout and the colors come out extremely sharp. The same applies with a larger video camcorder and my Epson digital camera. He found these particular bulbs at a dollar discount store in the area, but had to go back several times before he accumulated enough of them. If you can find these bulbs in your area, buy one and give it a try.

[Anonymous]

If you want them to be in the 1X4 how about 12 volt fixtures as used in RVs? They are avalibe in all wattages, are easily dimmable, and they are not hot. FRED

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

A friend of mine who lives near Tombstone, Arizona, just installed 24 light fixtures behind a valance along the front edge of his large U-shaped 40' x 15' HO-scale layout, and uses 32 Watt "Sunlight" fluorescent screw-in bulbs spaced approximately 4 or 5 feet apart. These are perfect for photography if he turns off the overhead fluorescent light fixtures that run down the center isle. He found a very small, wireless, color, digital video camera that he mounted onto a flat car that can be pushed around his layout and the colors come out extremely sharp. The same applies with a larger video camcorder and my Epson digital camera. He found these particular bulbs at a dollar discount store in the area, but had to go back several times before he accumulated enough of them. If you can find these bulbs in your area, buy one and give it a try.

[Anonymous]

In the vein of this subject, does anyone know where I can find small wire nuts? I have searched all my local hardware stores and can't find any. These would certainly be a blessing while wiring underneath my layout.

[Anonymous]

In reference to cacoles reply, could you or anyone else give me a brandname on those 32 watt screw in fluorescent bulbs? I've checked Menards and Home Depot and all the dollar stores in the area to no avail. None of the above had any "daylight" or "sunlight" bulbs. The salesperson at Menards was very helpful and was going to check with her suppliers and get back to me but so far has failed to do so. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[techguy57]

There is also another alternative.

I work in the theatre industry and we use a lot of color gel to gain certain looks. I've also spent some time in TV production and I know that they make color correction gel that works for flourescent lighting. TV studios use this a lot to give the feel of outdoor lighting on shots done in the studio. Some of them even come pre-made to fit over flourescent tubes. If you are near a major city there is probably a theatre supply house nearby.

Two tips:
1. Have them send you some color booklets first. These are almost always free and you can use the sample pieces to test which color works best for you. I absolutely recommend this as this gel usually costs about $7.00 for a 20"x24" sheet. I recommend Rosco brand or GAM brand gels
2. Explain to whoever you work with in the stage equipment company, what you are trying to accomplish, then make sure you only speak to that person from then on. Most of these folks are pretty creative minded, but also are practical and want to give you the best deals available. By working with the same person it is easier to be sure that you are getting consistent help each and every time.

If you decide to go the halogen route, which I personally would advise against, you could still do this, but wrap some cardboard around the end to add some distance between the light and the gel. Poke quite a few pin holes in the gel and some bigger holes in the cardboard. If not the halogens get so hot that the gels would melt or burn through. Not a pretty situation.

I'll check this thread so if you've got any other questions on this idea, let me know. Heck, I hadn't thought of doing this myself until now. Could be cool!

t

[electromotive]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

At htis point, it may be too late to put in the required fixtures, but small halogen floodlights of 30 or 40 watt rating might be better than fluorescent fixtures. Halogen bulbs would also provide truer color than fluorescent lights do. I've seen small halogen floodlight bulbs at Home Depot, and believe that they have a standard light bulb base.

Halogen are the way to go, these units can be put on a dimmer to give the light effect you want..
My whole layout is lighted this way

[Anonymous]

I have a small diorama style (2 feet deep, 2 feet high and about 15 feet long) layout which is enclosed in a box type structure. The bottom of the box is L-girder benchwork and the top serves as a shelf and a lighting valance. So the construction is likely close to what you would have in a double deck layout. I found under cabinet lights at Home Depot that work nicely and are easy to install. They are halogen, 2 inches in diameter, 1 inch thick, and run on 110 so they can be attached to a conventional dimmer. Price is about $6 a piece. I used 12 on my layout to give. Might be a little pricy depending on the size of your layout but you might want to check them out.

[trollw]

I visited one layout that used a string of white christmas bulbs (the old style C7 bulbs, not the new miniatures) to light his lower deck. Just drilled a hole in each of the upper deck supports and threaded them through. I got a 50 foot string at Home Depot (1 socket about every foot) to use on my layout but haven't gotten to that point in construction, yet. The sockets can be removed from the cord and then reinstalled so they can be spaced as close or as far as you desire.