If you use fluorescent lighting, do you use the fixtures with the plactic diffuser or do you use the no-frills, bare-bulbed “shop” fixtures?
Thanks in advance…
Bare-bulbed “shop” fixtures with daylight tubes. Plastic difussers are optional.
A little safety to remember if you use the bare bulb type, especially if you mount them directly to the floor above: wrap a piece of very thin wire around the fixture in two places to catch the bulb if it vibrates and falls out.
High output fluorescents and plastic diffusers.
CNJ831
[#ditto]
Duke
Right now I have not-quite barebones shop lights, mine have a hinged grid that covers the open side - no diffuser though. I am thinking about using cheap porcelain screw-in fixtures and those fluorescent spiral bulbs instead of the long narrow shop lights for the future though.
–Randy
When using fluorescent lighting the “cool” bulbs give everything a blue tint.
And the “warm” bulbs turn everything yellow. I tried using one of each in the same fixture and everything looks great.
[#ditto]
Actually the bulbs I bought are called Natural Sunshine and don’t give off a yellow cast at all. I found them at HD and they are for the 4ft shop lights,if this helps.
Duke
Look for a lamp with a high CRI. The higher the CRI, the more natural the colors appear. Color temperature is also important. Compare the numbers on one of those Natural Sunshine lamps to the typical cool white and you will see why they look nicer.
I just had simple cool whites in my fixtures for now, worked ok for pictures because I could set the white balance to match. I had a couple going bad so I picked up some replacements but got the warm white instead. So now I have one of each - and I DO like the way that looks. A little of each balances things out nicely.
–Randy
One word of caution here. You are looking at a long term Ultraviolet fading problem. I have had to recolor my scenery twice and finally figured out that the worst fading was directly under my 4’ tubes. There are UV shields you can put around the tubes and I am now looking for them. When I find them, they’ll be used! [:)]
For a more permanent system using fluorescent lighting, you might check the article on layout lighting by David Barrow on page 78 of “Model Railroad Planning 2005” This is the system that I plan to use on my N scale layout. As stated above, you can buy fluorescent tube of different color temperatures that will more closely approximate daylight. These tubes tend to be more expensive than the standard cool white tubes that are usually used in shop light fixtures. I have taken photos with Kodacolor 400 film using cool white fluorescent lights for the only illumination. There is a slight bluish-green cast to the photos, but I’ve not found it objectionable.
To Roger Hensley: When you find a source of the plastic UV shields for fluorescent tubes, please pass along the information. I’ll be needing to get some for my own layout.
Bob
I use sunlight tubes with a difuser to spread the light mor evenly.
This difuser may mr may not lessen the UV.
One, four bulb fixture mounted on my 7 Ft. ceiling, is NOT enough for my 4X8 layout however.
Just my 2 1/2 cents,
BB
On my previous layouts I used 4ft shop lites, with cool white tubes. They worked well and cast lots of light, and I didn’t mind the blui***int. My layouts are set in the central and northeasern sections of Pennyslvania, so the lighting nicely stimulated the hazy sunlight, often found there.
Nick
If you are using fluorescent, it probably won’t really matter if you use a diffuser or not. Fluorescent tubes are pretty diffuse already. (That is, you won’t get many sharp shadows.)
The main thing to keep in mind is that if you have bare tubes, you will want to invest in some plastic tubes to hold the pieces that form if you accidentally shatter a tube through a collision. And the previous post about looking for UV protection is a good idea.
Bare bulbed shop fixtures with daylight correction tubes are the best way to go.the only down fall is the daylight tubes are like 24$ each so dont break them
Roger,
Is that what you are looking for? http://www.ergomart.com/FLUORESCENT_LIGHT_FILTERS/filters.htm
Answer depends on how “finish” you want your train room to be. First train room had recessed fluorescent lighting which looked great and did a good job.
Second train room had single line of bare bulbs behind a valence that was directly over the layout edge all around the 12 x27 room. This lighting was the best: no shadows in corners and very little on the layout due to structures.
Present 12x26 room has three 8’ double bulb sections to light a G-shaped layout (same design as #2) and lighting is excellent. 8’ sections have 4 4’ bulbs. I chose to bo basic since I knew our stay would be short. Very minor shadow in remote corners that is not very noticeable except by me.
During visits and op. sessions, no one looks up. Eyes are on the layout … even by novice visitors who think the trains are cute.
Chris—I bought my Natural Sunshine tubes at HD for $5.97 each.
Duke
That’s one. The other is a film.
Thanks. If I don’t find the other, I’ll get two of these. To my mind, it’s worth it. [8D]