Hi John,
Have you considered putting in a false drywall ceiling with LED low profile lights? That is what I'm doing in the garage.
There will three separate systems plus the 'sun' fixture. One will be for general garage lighting and it will be quite bright.
The second system will be for the layout only. It will use 40 degree spread LED spotlights which will be dimmable. The spotlights will shine on the layout only.
The third system will be for floor lighting when I am running 'at night' and the ceiling layout spots will be off or very dim. The floor lighting will be attached to the back of the fascia so the lights themselves won't be visible. For the floor lighting I'm using outdoor fixtures designed to illuminate deck stairs. They came with solar panels which I have removed.
Then there will be the single 'sun' light.
The false ceiling will only lower the ceiling height by about 2 1/2" which won't be noticeable. We did the same thing in our kitchen and dining room and the slight difference in height isn't noticeable at all.
You should be able to power the LEDs from the existing ceiling fixture. They draw about 9 watts each so you could install 10 lights and still not be drawing as much as a 100 watt incandescent bulb.
I would offer a word of caution. Don't buy the LED lights that are made in China. Their life expectancy is hit and miss. Our kitchen/dining room lights were made in North America. We have had no failures in eight years and they are used every day.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterI was planning on simply removing it but then my wee brain had a thought. I could use it to simulate a rising or setting sun.
Sounds neat, Dave! I was impressed to see a layout with the lighting set to simulate day and night. While I would love to do that on my layout, I'm not smart enough to set it up, and my layout is in a spare bedroom with only an overhead light and some lamps.
Let us know how it works out!
York1 John
There is one oddball light fixture on the garage wall. I think it was put in by the builder, but it is pretty much useless. It is on the opposite side of the garage from the man doors.
I was planning on simply removing it but then my wee brain had a thought. I could use it to simulate a rising or setting sun.
I have purchased a ceramic 1/2 round wall sconce that will only allow light to shine upwards. I'm going to buy an orange lightbulb. We will see whether or not it has the desired effect.
Could be new if sold to an Amish farmer.
hon30critterThey are obviously not something that would be in a shipment of new tractors in the 1950s. Maybe I'll mount them on pedestals and put them in front of the farm store.
Or age them up and put them out to pasture in a field.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I just found four more 1950s farm tractors! Actually, I found seven in total but three of them have straight steel wheels. They are obviously not something that would be in a shipment of new tractors in the 1950s. Maybe I'll mount them on pedestals and put them in front of the farm store.
I now have a total of 20 farm tractors to make up a unit train. That should look pretty neat.
One of the nice things about re-organizing my train stuff is that I get the occasional pleasant surprise when I discover something that I had forgotten about (is that an indication that I have too much stuff?). A couple of days ago I opened a fairly large box labelled 'CP transport trucks'. I knew that I had a few CP trucks but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there were more than a dozen tractor trailers including three cab over Herpa models that I do not remember buying at all. There were a couple of non-CP trucks as well.
I made another discovery on the top shelf of a cabinet that was too high up to see into it directly. I found eight farm tractors - five John Deeres and three Scene Master generic units. I already had nine tractors sitting on my display shelves so now I can make up a short unit train with nothing but tractor loads.
Then I realized that I didn't have enough proper flat cars to carry the tractors but eBay came to the rescue. I found five CP flat cars at reasonable prices (reasonable if you ignore the shipping costs). I also found a D&RGW flat that comes with a fire captain's van and two plows, all of decent quality.
Hi John and rrebell
That is exactly what we were using - light weight drywall compound. When I first opened the container it was very stiff. I added some water and, after much stirring, it seemed to be the proper consistency but it still wouldn't stick. It was very hard to spread smoothly as well. I have a 2 lb. pail of the real stuff to finish the job with. There will be a lot of leftovers but I can use that for scenery.
I made the mistake of once not reading a label and I bought some joint compound that was "light weight".
Your problem sounds like what I encountered. It would not stick to anything.
That is strange for premixed drywall compond, was in the trades and that has never happened to me but I remember someone saying they had an issue once because in the winter it had frozen.
Thanks Mark.
This is what the south garage wall looks like today:
This is what the wall looked like a few months ago:
Almost all of the screw holes and other defects in the walls have been patched and they look much better. Some areas require a second coat of drywall compound. We had to quit applying the compound today because the material was defective. No amount of stirring and adding a little water would make the stuff stick. Strange. The bucket was new.
We may have to order another shelf unit. The two that we just bought are full and there are still a lot of boxes on the floor. Dianne's garden shed also has a bunch of stuff in it that belongs in the garage.
Dave,
It's good to hear that you're home and still active.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Progress!
I managed to get most of my boxed rolling stock into two cabinets in the garage:
My workbench is still a mess. It's full of parts boxes waiting to be sorted and put into a wall mounted cabinet:
Glad to hear you are back out Dave. Now stay that way!
Mike
The discharge doctor had a wonderful sense of humor. At one point in our conversation she jokingly offered to let me stay for a few more days if I wanted.
hon30critterI was let out of the hospital three days ahead of schedule.
The one time an eviction notice is welcome news!
Great to hear, Dave.
Cheers, Ed
Some good news for a change!
I was let out of the hospital three days ahead of schedule. They had planned on keeping me for observation to make sure all my vitals were acceptable. However, the numbers on Saturday were all excellent so they decided there was no reason to keep me.
Back to the trains!
Hi Brent,
Great idea, except I don't have a tray table. I have to sit in my wheelchair with my dinner tray on the bed. One has to make do with what one has.
Got any old car kits you haven't built yet? Get your wife to bring them and some sandpaper and glue in so you can be productive on the MRR front. Or some weathering powders and a few cars to get done. Or a box of Kadees and cars that need to have the couplers changed out. You could build a Z-scale layout on your tray table.
Thinking of you Dave, keep up the good fight.
I'm in the hospital for at least three more days. They want to make sure the problem is fixed and it will take that long for things to get back to normal.
I'm starting to get a little frustrated. The extended stay in the hospital has caused me to delay getting a quote from the drywall/electrical contractor. It has also delayed the progress on several other projects in the garage and in my workshop.
For example, I was in the midst of sorting my many, many parts. Currently the same part can be found in two or three different tightly packed boxes or drawers. Once I get all the rolling stock moved out to the garage I will be able to separate the parts into more specific smaller lots.
Hopefully they fixed the proublem.
hon30critterI had a trachyoscopy this morning and they found a number of spots in my stomach that were likely the source of the bleeding.
Hopefully, you will bounce right back, Dave. I told you to stop eating those HO-scale rail spikes! N-scale might go through easier.
I had a trachyoscopy this morning and they found a number of spots in my stomach that were likely the source of the bleeding. They cauterized the spots so hopefully that cures the problem.
All I can say is WOW. Life changes in a moment when you get older, but dose it really or are we just more aware. I know nothing about internal bleeding and I know it must be scarry, wish you the best.
Thanks John.
I am currently lying on a gurney in a hallway in the emergency ward with IVs in both arms and three bags of various solutions plus a bag of blood flowing into me! I am feeling much better than when I came to the hospital 7 hours ago. I will see the internal medicine doctor in the morning. I have no idea how long I will be here.
Dave, I just read your latest post. Know that I am hoping and praying everything be OK.
Thanks Brent,