I am retiring my old n scale layout and have some questions. i have about 50 lights in different buildings, street lights, etc. The wiring is a mess. i am wondering how will i know what bulbs are rated for what voltages. I really dont want to go through all this wiring. thank you
Manually testing is probably your best bet. Use a known good flashlight battery plus a DC power pack and meter. Common voltages for light bulbs are 1.5, 3, 6, 12, 14, 16, and 18. Test each one with a single flashlight bulb - if they light, they are 1.5 volt, if the are dim and barely glowing, probably 3 volt. ANything higher, not gonna light up. Then go to the next highest voltage. Either use 2 flashlight batteries or adjust the power pack with the meter to read 3 volts, and try again with any that failed the 1.5 volt test. Weed out the 3V ones. Then try 6. And so on. A dim glow usually means the bulb is good for at least the next highest voltage - however the dim glow may be the desired effect, it usually looks better than a glaring bulb inside a structure, plus running say a 16 volt bulb on 12 volts makes it last a lot longer as well. Grade them by the voltage they look nice on, not necessarily the highest - especially as a 12V bulb will work on 16V - for a while.
–Randy
thank you. sounds great.
And now a word from your local contrarian.
It’s too late to do this for the layout being recycled, so get a head start on the new one where all those bulbs will be re-used.
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. That most emphatically includes the voltage of structure and scenery lamps. Model incandescents have finite lives, and it’s awfully nice to know what to use when one goes on permanent vacation.
Also, a big thanks to Randy. I have bunches of lamps purchased aeons ago in Japan, and now I know how to test them!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)