Hello, I am wondering if any of you could share some ideas and pictures of your layouts and what you used for your lights? My benchwork is complete and I am ready to start laying some track but I do not have any lights in my layout room. My layout room is 8’x20’ The bench work goes around the walls 30" wide on three walls and 22" wide along the back wall and it is 45" high. the room is a loft area that is totally finished, My electrician recommended some mono rail low voltage type lighting or some track lights. I am looking for any good ideas and what worked well and what did not work well etc, maybe what you would do or do different next time. Thank you!
Thayne- If your looking into the track lighting option try looking at the new LED spots they use very little power,last a lot longer and don’t put out a lot of heat. They cost a bit more but should pay for them self in they’re longer life (10,000 hrs vs. normal incandesant bulbs ). I’ve seen them used on episodes of “This Old House” for kitchen lighting. Just my thoughts , check them out and let us know what you think.
My layout room is a somewhat odd shape, with most of the layout following the walls. Width varies from about 20" to 42", with all track within easy reach. For the most part, lighting (twin tube 48" fixtures above a suspended ceiling) follows the layout and is over the layout, albeit very close to the aisles - that way, operators cast no shadows on the layout. The peninsula area, because of its shape, was somewhat harder to follow with the light fixtures, but seems to be fairly well-lit. I’ve added two fixtures since these photos were taken, which added much needed illumination at both ends of South Cayuga. Here’s a sketch of the room:
In the sketch above, the areas in grey will eventually have a second level built over them, with lights mounted on its underside to illuminate what’s in place now. These will be the same type of fixtures, spaced roughly the same as what’s in place in the ceiling.
This is the Dunnville area, with part of the peninsula visible at right. In the left foreground is the corner at Lowbanks, and, just visible above that at the left side is part of the staging yards. There’ll be another one built above this when the second level of the layout is built, also with lights on its underside to illuminate the yard shown:
This is the South Cayuga area, looking back towards Dunnville (out of sight around the corner). I’ve since added a light in the second ceiling panel out from the far wall, with its right end about 2’ from the wall at right. The Speed River is behind the camera.
I have cheap 48" fixtures from the big box store (about $10 each) and 2 full spectrum bulbs in each (about $5 a pair) What I like is the whites are white not yellow. I will continue to use these and they photograph very well INHO
Due to Seasonal Affective Disorder {abbreviated as “S.A.D.” {no, really}}, we replaced EVERY single light bulb in the house with Full Spectrum CFLs. They help to alleviate the symptoms of depression it brings every winter…
They give off a nice soft, yet bright white light, not some smusky yellow glow.
ALL bulbs in the house, including those in the layout room, were changed. What a difference. Now we can’t stand anyone who has the yellow glow ones,they make everything look dingy.
The full spectrums cost a bit more than the regular CFLs, but are worth it.
Has anyone ever used (or even seen) these LED rope lights. It looks like they would be fairly easy to install. They would probably look better behind a valance.
They are ok, but not really that good for layouts. The wife had me install some under the kitchen cabinets in my house. They look cool at night but don’t produce enough light in my opinion.
The standard for realistic light indoors from fluorescents is generally considered to be the GE Chroma 50, with its 5000K color temperature. I use the Sylvania 5000K, which is their version. There may be others.
My layout room is 28x16, with one end being narrower. There are 15 double tube fluorescent fixtures in a suspended ceiling (ceiling height is low, at 6’8"). I also have 34 50w quartz halogen track lights that supplement and spotlight areas that aren’t as well served by the fluorescents.
It could get warm before I installed central air. The layout is relatively well lit with all this effort and investment, although I still think it could use more. In practical terms, it’s hard to justify more. However, LED track lighting might eventually happen, but only when the price/quality point gets more bearable.
Excellent advice there. Anyone who is largely indoors 24/7 during the winter months should be getting near 1000 iu’s of vitamin D daily. The more they research this vitamin the more they realize that most of us get nowhere near enough of it unless we live below the 40th parallel and can get out in the sun most months of the year.
Sorry to post twice in a row, but at long last I am about to embark on a layout construction project. It will occupy most of a 21’ X 12’ enclosed and paneled loft above our garage. The current lighting is short track 50 watt Sylvania halogens, but they are too limited, or spotty, to illuminate the entire viewable layout. I will have to remove them and go with something else. I currently have two parallel 8 foot tracks above the rectangular layout in use, each holding five swivel fixtures that take GU-10 40 watt halogens with the wider twin prongs. I want to be careful to use the in-ceilng services that are there, but since there are only four, I think I have little choice to get good coverage except for long flourescent fixtures of the common older type or to go, once again, with the halogens on long tracks. The trouble with the halogens is that, not only are they expensive to buy individually, and then to operate @ 50W/pop, but they emit tons of heat. It will be impossibly warm within 20 minutes of commencing lit operations in the loft with its hip roof and commensurate ceiling.
I have to say that the halogens to a great job of illuminating a scene. The give great shadows for imagery.
Thanks for the good feedback guys, I am still wondering what to do. I looked at some nice stuff on the web site my electrician recommended (Techlighting.com) But Crandell kinda confirmed the things I am wondering about. I will keep working on the dilemma. Thanks again.
I get that too. A couple months in Florida does wonders. A big 10/4 on the Vitamin D! Latest studies show cancer patients have lower levels of vitamin D than healthy people!
I didn’t know CFLs were available in full spectrum. Thanks.
It is recommended by the experts that you should provide at least 100 foot-candles on the layout/work surface for modeling purposes. As an example of what that means, I had installed recessed 75W halogen reflector floods at about 2’ on center to illuminate the layout 5’ below. They are on a dimmer for times when I do not need the full illumination. There are reasons I did not use fluorescents (too costly to get the most attractive non-industrial fixtures I wanted), but with the right choice, quality of fluorescent light should not be a problem.
Since your room is finished, retrofitting recessed lighting or other electrical modifications could be more mess than you want to deal with. Track fixtures with fluorescent or LED lights may be the best option, as they’re easy to configure and you can always add more light as your layout progresses.
Again, I’d encourage you to visit some local layouts, this time with an eye to various lighting configurations to see which you like. I think it’s hard to make a good decision without seeing a bunch of options in person. One more-or-less nearby layout that may be a very good source of ideas is Steve Blodgett’s Bear River Ry., which until recently had only a few dual-tube fluorescents. He recently added track fixtures around most of the room (no valences are used) with quite a few CFL floods, and the difference is striking. Maybe a combination like that will work for you.
I have can lights on roughly 4 foot centers, plus some track lighting where ductwork prevented recessed fixtures. In areas of lowered soffits, the cans probably aren’t giving enough light and I’m considering adding more track lights to supplement them. Here’s a photo of part of my layout showing the recessed lights and the change in brightness under the soffit. Things look somewhat brighter now the fascia’s up.
My recessed lights (on their own circuit and dimmer switch) were added to a finished ceiling and wall by a professional electrician with no mess at all. If that lighting is what you decide is best, don’t be deterred by the possible mess issue.
