Hi Guys: What type of lighting do you use for your layout????? I was thinking about using track lighting but it looks like this can cost me some $$$ any help or Pic's would be great.
Mike, Just back the new van out of the garage and turn the headlights on. To simulate sunrise or sunset just use the parking lights.
Mike: I use color corrected fluorescent tubes in 4 foot fixtures. The color corrected bulbs give me natural color due to the full spectrum of the color corrected tubes.
I put 35 Watt halogen spot lights behind a valance above the edge of the layout and indirect florescent bulbs with blue filter tubes in a trough below the backdrop along the wall. This give a blue light to the room to color the shadows and lights the layout with the halogens. Here are some photos taken when I was building out the layout room.
UP Mike, the lighting you use makes a huge difference in how well scenes stand out, and if the layout looks natrural. I have had good results using a combination of simple shop lights (fluorescent) for fill light, combined with incadescent spots (cheapo three-light fixtures that can be aimed at specific locations to provide key accents). Together, they blend to a really nice, warm combination that looks like sunlight. You have to watch out for multiple shadows, which can be avoided by focusing the incandescents on different areas, never more than one on a given spot. For moonlight, I use a single 25 watt blue bulb in a light fixture in the ceiling fan in the middle of the train room...it gives off a nice, even, dim blue light that looks great. It really sets off illumination in the buildings, and I need to go out and install some of those Richmond Controls headlights to enjoy nightime railroading!
I used standard 4 ft florescent fixtures (the cheap under $10 workshop variety) with GE Kitchen and Bath bulbs. They throw off a nice natural color. In fact, I have to use the incandescent lighting setting on my digital camera when taking pictures. It's not elaborate (like my layout), but I think it does the job.
Sylvania Design 50's, which is a 5000-deg. k flourescent bulb available in specialty shops and online. They work fine in regular workshop-type fixtures and have lasted for years. They don't make a harsh shadow, which is good and bad news. But the color is good enough I don't need to add any supplemental light for photography at all. Just shoot. I have a low ceiling and small room, and while i like track lighting heat was a REAL problem. Nice part about this approach is that you can start with regular flourescents and then change bulbs as you can afford it. But plan for about twice as many fixtures as you think you need. The train room is the brightest room in the house by far! http://www.buylighting.com/Design50_fluorescent_light_bulbs.htm I'll just post a link to this one. I think I need a diffuser hat. But it does show the concentration of ceiling lights above the layout. And you get the added attraction of Warbonnet Fan and ATSF_Arizona for free! http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing/tm-6.html [ 09. July 2004, 13:57: Message edited by: randgust ]
How many degrees K is sunlight? Is that the type of flourescents you should have? randgust, the 5.95 US$ on those bulbs seems very inexpensive. Thanks.
On mixing flourescents and incandescents...my electronic camera does not know how to handle that. I am not sure what is correct to use, but flourescents only gives me the best pictures. To my eye, however, I do like the mixture of the two types of lights.
Thanks Guys I guess I need to take another trip to Home depot to look around... about how many of these would I need???? And do they make an 8 footer???? If they make an 8 footer I was thinking I could run one over the yard and one over the front side of layout , then one over the right side
Hey Jeff for some reason I Just can't seem to get a clear Pic..... I might have to see that in person
