Hello. Planning a HO shelf layout in a room which measures approx 12 by 25.
Looking for valance lighting ideas…what type of light to use. I want to limit the number of electrical fixtures. T-Bar ceiling at 94" above floor. Valance heght is ‘flexible’. Layout height will beapprox. 52" above floor. I may want to be able to dim lights…thinking about white rope light, would it be bright enough? Color fidelity not a key concern …Thanks in advance!
Ken King…St. Albert Alberta Canada.
I used the florescent tubes mounted end to end.
Don’t know if this would work, but I’ve thought of using white rope lights behind the valance for “daytime” and blue rope lights for “night time”. Separate dimmers ( maybe variacs) for each. Just a thought, Ken
I have white rope lights also. Essentially Christmas lights in a tube. I’ll tell you not all rope lights are created equally. I bought one set at Home depot and one set at Walmart. The Walmart set is noticeably yellow and not white as the other strand.
Reports of those who have tried rope lights seem to agree that they are not bright enough to simulate daylight, even on double-deck layouts where light to track spacing is much smaller than yours. Any overhead-based lighting system should be mounted so that light comes from front of layout, otherwise awkward shadows result on foreground models. Yet, you don’t want people’s heads casting shadows, either.
The ideas I have seen that work are:
flourescent tubes. Not dimmable at any reasonable cost. Extra $$ for full spectrum and electronic ballasts are considered worthwhile. Tends to better imitate an overcast day to relatively even light levels and limited shadows. Can be easily set up for high light levels for work, with lower light level for operation if desired. Use UV filters on tubes to prevent color fading.
incandescent and halogen lights, often track mounted in spot light form or fixtures. Heat and power consumption are the big drawbacks. In your size room, assuming 2ft shelf on all walls, you have at least 32 lights. At 60 watts each, that takes a separate maxed-out 20 amp electrical circuit just for the lights. And if you air condition your space, you have just added an 1800 watt heater to your room while you are trying to air condition. Short lifespan is another issue. Color of light is a secondary issue - halogen is closer to white. Big plus is easy dimmability. From what I have seen, fixtures need to spaced every 2 ft or closer. Aiming and placement of fixtures can give a variety of lighting effects.
flourescent spiral replacement bulbs mounted in incandescent fixtures. Solves the power consumption and heat issues. For double the price, can be dimmed with standard dimmers although dimming may impact bulb life expectancy. Color spectrum not as good as with quality flourescent tubes, but better than incandescent.
Realistically, you probably want to use a mixture of the above to get desired lighting when you want it w
I guess I should also mention my light strands are incandescent. I do have a friend that has used LED rope lighting and reports it came out great. It’s all about placement of the light etc also. He purchased a channel 1.99 per two foot section and I believe he paid 11.00 a foot for the light rope. 
Seems a bit expensive to me.