was there some info on useing 110 adaptors from old electronics to use to supply lights on a layout? i thought i have seen that in a issue of MR,this past year or so. if anyone knows what month that was in would be great. thanks
LION does not recall such an article. 110 volt adapters? What sort of adapters? The LION does not think much of using 110 volts on a layout.
You can use a surplus power supply from a computer, that has some nice regulated 5 volt and 12 volt outputs that could be used, but if you have to ask how then perhaps you should not be going there.Such power supplies (called switching supplies) need to always have a load on them. having them run some lighting on your layout takes care of that.
ROAR
110 adaptors otherwise known as wall warts. Little plug in gizmos used to charge cell phones, laptops, battery drills, routers, and what ever. They come in all shapes and sizes. Most of them provide 12 volts DC at a fraction of an ampere. Some provide other DC voltages (I have one that gives 9 volts) or AC voltage. They can light up a dozen or so miniature lamps or even more LEDs.
To use them, you have to figure out what kind of voltage they furnish (this is often marked on the device) and match the lamps to the wall wart. For example a 12 volt wall wart would power 12 volt lamps, a 6 volt one is good for 6 volt lamps and so on. LEDs always require a series current limiting resistor. If you don’t know how to figure the resistance needed, search this forum, the subject has been addressed many times.
Oh… Those things. I have a whole box full of the critters. A few lights on a layout, yes, you can do it, but they would not have the capacity required by the Route of the Broadway LION. 
The LION would not bother with them for anything bigger than a 4x8 with few lights on them, and for that the aux outputs of your transformer will work just fine.
I just found a 12 v 2 amp wallwart at Axe Man surplus in Minnesota. I hope it will power a dozen buildings, but that may be optomistic. It theoretically has the power of 20 100 ma units (I think). It cost $10. Digitrax has a nice unit but it costs $60.
I just pulled a 12 Volt 1000 mA wall wart out of my junk box to power my Internet router after the factory supplied wall wart stopped working. 1000 mA will power 50 LEDs (LEDs use 20 mA apiece) or 16 incandescent lamps (small lamps use 60 mA each). Used wall warts turn up at yard sales for a buck or so. If you have more lamps, just get more wall warts.
I would use a retired computer power supply myself. They’re good for 200 (or more) watts of power, and have 12v and 5v outputs.
Brad