Many years ago when I was a lot younger we had Ceramic Mini screw in light bulb holders/sockets. They had a base that one screwed to a flat seface and two screws, one on each side for wire connections. They were perfect for internal lighting of structures. One just screwed then to the table top, ran the 2 DC wires up through the board and connected them. Then all one had to do is screw in the light bulb. Perfect for low voltage lighting needs!
Does anone know if these are still available anyplace and if so where?
I too remember these and I have not seen them for years. I’m afraid if you could find them, you wouldn’t want to pay the price. I have two suggestions for an alternative. Often times at garage sales or thrift shops you can find old Christmas tree string lights that used the miniature screw base 6V bulbs. These were the kind of strings that if one went out, they all went out. Anyway, buy them and cut them apart and run the leads thru your table for perfect lighting at a low price. I also use a lot of the modern miniature bulb sockets. You can get different voltage bulbs for these and you can even wire two or three together for lighting structures to give a more diverse lighting affect. Use the colored bulbs for even more affect. I hope this helps.
They sell bulb holders, including the style you describe. ($1.50) I have used these and they are okay, but plastic rather than the ceramic you (and I) remember. I prefer bayonet, rather than screw base, since the bulb won’t come loose. This style can be too big to get a light right in front of a structure window so the other bulb holder styles may be better.
I remember some of those old Christmas tree lights and they had seven in a set wired in series and the voltage was closer to 17 volts A.C. However the wiring may become fraid from over the years, so I would go with something new. The old fashioned light bulbs are now expensive, but then so is the new LED screw-in bulbs.
My personal word of advice is not to use 120 volt lights on the layout, example old fashioned C-7 light sets. I use at least two circuits with no more than 18 volts from a transformer going to them. A 12 volt cell charger would work but not power more than maybe four lights.
Ken, if you are looking for a cost effective way to illuminate buildings, that uses low current draw, I’d suggest watching after the holidays (or at yard sales, flea markets) for a string of mini-Christmas lights. For a couple bucks (when on sale) you can get 100 mini lights that usually use a 2.5-3.5 volt bulb. I cut the chains apart, leaving a couple inches of wire from the base to then attach leads to, which run to a terminal strip.
The catch here is you need to use a more modern transformer which starts at more minimal adjustable voltage than the usual 6 volt minimum on most Lionel postwar transfomers, so you don’t immediately burn out the bulbs. BUT the 1033 is the exception, which is what I use. With the B-U setting, you get 0-11 volts and with a 90 watt transformer, you can power a lot of these lights. Of course, you could use a DC power pack if that’s what you already have.
The other option with the 2.5-3.5 bulbs if you are going to use a postwar transformer, is to wire a bunch of the bulbs together in-series so you could use an accessory voltage post.
I also make street lights using these bulbs, and I have also found round globe shaped mini-bulbs which come in real handy too.
The mini-bulbs also come in shorter chains using 6 volt bulbs, but I only see these before Christmas and they usually sell out before the January sales, so I always stock up when I see them.
For the money, it’s hard to beat the value of these light chains.
