Wiring for HO scale buildings

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for a how-to on HO scale house and commercial building wiring.  Can anyone make a recommendation(s) out there.  Chuckyd

[MisterBeasley]

There are a number of different things to ask yourself about first.  Is this a permanent layout, or do you have to remove the buildings frequently for moving or storage?  Are the buildings close to the edge of the layout, so that they are very visible, or further back?  Do you intend to put details inside the buildings?  What are the buildings made of?

Most of my buildings are lit with simple bulbs screwed into sockets I got from IHC a few years ago.  The sockets are mounted to the layout, and the buildings just lift off to get at the bulbs.  These are 12-volt bulbs, but I run all my lighting at 10 volts.  This dims the lights a bit, which I prefer anyway, but the more important thing is that it extends bulb life.

I like to add some detail to the insides of my "foreground" buildings.  This doesn't have to be anything complicated.  Mostly, I download pictures of store shelves, etc., from the web, and print them out on paper or cardstock after scaling to an appropriate size.  I do the same for inside walls and floors.  In this building, I put the light bulb behind one of the shelf pieces, so that it doesn't shine directly out the window.  This building is directly in front of my layout, so the inside is important:

 

If the walls are thin, either cardboard or plastic, then it's a good idea to paint the insides flat black so that the light doesn't glow through the walls.  Even better, use the pattern-on-cardstock approach to line the walls.  This grocery store has paper-lined walls, and shelves again printed on cardstock and folded to shape:

In this building, I mounted the lamp above the windows, so that it couldn't be seen by the viewer.

Sometimes, the lamp needs to be directly attached to the structure, rather than the layout.  For these, I use Fahenstock clips.  Other types of attachments can be used, but these are very easy and solid.  If I have to take the building off, I just unclip the wires and move it:

This one isn't a building, but rather the inside of a subway station.  Here, I've run two copper wires along the top, where the viewer can't see them once the cover is on.  Then, I connected small lamps with shades across the copper wires:

 

Be careful about bulb placement inside the buildings.  These bulbs, even at reduced voltage, can get hot enough to melt plastic or even set fire to paper.  So, make sure you allow enough clearance so that the bulb has a decent amount of air space all around it.

[lvanhen]

to the forums!  Mr B just gave you very good advise.  The only thing I might add is using LED Christmad lights instead of reg bulbs.  The strings can be cut into individual bulbs leaving enough wire to splice into longer leads.  Some of the LEDS come with faceted bulb type ends, which diffuse the light better.  The one thing you have to do with them is start with 4 or 5 on a 9v battery and add/subtract untill you get the light you want.  Then you can use a Radio Shack or other voltage supply for them.  The advantage of LEDs is that they will last forever and create no heat - which can be problem in a plastic building!!  My

[Don Gibson]

LED's don't give off enough light, so you have to use lots of them in parallel with individual resistors. Incandescent bulbs work better, but need more power

LED's DO burn out so I recommend an amp-meter to set them below their 20ma.max.

I also recommend a 5 - 10 amp separate supply for incandescents or 1 - 3 amp DC supply for LED's. that are fused, and have their own on/off switch.

15 6V incandescents pull 3.5 amps for my roundhouse alone.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I just run the wires in through the bottom and put the bulb(s) on the ceiling.

[Anonymous]

I have a small HO scale lay out but am in the process of scratch building a store in O scale.

Reason being that I am trying out new ideas like using a caliper for measurements, detailing the inside and putting in lights.  My plans call for a small light, purchased from Micro-Mart and running fiber optics from it.  I plan to have the lights hanging form the ceiling and possibly have an outside light.   I have no way of knowing if it will work but going to find out.