This week we are going to look at the lighting plan for the layout room.
There are as many strategies for layout lighting as there are layouts and you will find owner strategies in various model railroading magazines and internet sites. John Armstrong, in his book Creatove Model Railroad Design, has a 7 page discussion of layout lighting that is worth reading, particularly his section on layout lighting criteria. I will briefly note John's 6 criteria for your further researching.
Where John started the layout lighting discussion, i refer you to Lighting Your Layout, a clinic developed by Max Maginness . Max continues John's discussion with his forum on Layout presentation through general lighting and identifies his solutions to the layout lighting.
The WWSL's basement is divided into 4 zones. Each zone is controlled by a standard wall switch. One switch is located at the top of the stairs and controls the workbench area. The other three switches are located at the bottom of the stairs and controls the other three (layout specific) areas. Each area is approximately 12' x 12' and has a minimum two 65w can lights. These lights are connected to one 20 Amp circuit in the load center.
The layout is divided into 6 zones approximately 40 foot long; three zones on the upper deck, three on the lower deck. Each zone is controlled by an outlet that is in turn controlled by a standard wall switch located at the bottom of the stairs.
WWSL version 2.0 was lit with 8' long fluorescent tubes. Installation was difficult. Each tombstone was secured to the valence (upper level) or under the L-girder benchwork (lower level). The ballast was centrally located on each valence/L-girder and then individually wired with both 12V and 120V. Installation of each one took about an hour. I definitely didn't want to do that again.
WWSL ver 3.0 is going to be lit with party lights. I learned of this technique from reading an excellent blog at http://www.lkorailroad.com. Party lights are a commercial grade string of lights designed for outdoor use. They come in a variety of lengths and styles. They are UL approved. I purchased five 48 ft Medium Base String Lights - Black from https://www.partylights.com/48-Medium-Base-Stringer-Black. There are 24 sockets on 24 inch centers on each string.
My lighting strategy is to secure the Light String to the Valence and the Upper Deck Front L-Girder.
It will be easy to install and operate. It will be easy to maintain. It will be unobtrusive.Here is a picture of one of the sockets. It has 4 convenient tabs that can be used to secure it to the valence and L-girder benchwork.
The light string was easily attached to the valence and L-girder benchwork. For illuminating the upper deck I screwed a 1" x 3" parallel and above the bottom valence 1" x 3" at three points (ends and center). From the normal viewing angle, the lights cannot be seen. For illuminating the lower deck I installed an additional 1" x 4" along the upper level L-girder (strengthening the upper L-girder), again attaching it to the L-Girder at three points. If I should ever move again, the removal of three screws from each light bar will allow for easy removal and transport without disassembling each socket or run. The lighting string electrical cable will keep each zones sockets and bulbs together for easy transport and installation.
On all lighting bars I marked 4 socket locations at 1', 3', 5' and 7'. Each light string socket was screwed to the light bar with two 3/4 inch lath screws. The end of the light string was plugged into an outlet controlled by a wall switch at the logical end of the run. When it reached the end of the run and additional lights were still available, the string was cut at the end and capped The unused sockets at the ends were recycled into Upper Deck 3 and Lower Deck 4 socket strings.
Layout lighting becomes real confusing if you intend to photograph your layout. Different lightbulbs require different filters on the cameras, different wattages for 'bright enough' coverage, and lets not get into side and backlighting of the layout.
My intent is to have sufficient daylight lighting for operations. After review of the available lighting options, I opted for LED lighting, for long term economy and ease of maintenance. When looking at specific light bulb specifications it began to get confusing. Foot candles vs lumens, tungstun vs halogen vs LEDs etc got me totally confused for a while. The government helped me out quite a bit by mandating the change from incandescent lighting to LED.
Next was to find appropriate bulbs. This is where David Stewart was helpful. His blog page, Layout presentation through general lighting, descibes the modeling aspects of lighting based on color temperature and color rendering.
Color temperature describes the general color fundament of the light emitted by the bulb in degrees Kelvin. He notes that two color temperatures can be appropriate for layout lighting:
Next is color rendering. The color rendering index number gives us an idea of how accurate colors will appear when viewed under that light, relative to their appearance in full sunlight. For photographic purposes a CRI above 85 is preferred to avoid colors looking dull and muted, particularly reds and oranges. I'm not particularly photographically inclined, so CRI isnt a big item on my given and druthers list. If i do become so inclined i will find appropriate high CRI rated bulbs and replace existing bulbs for photographic purposes only.
Of more significant concern is the bulb wattage. First, the distance from rail head to lamp is roughly 24″ on the upper deck but only 16″ on the lower. 9 watt LEDs produce 800 lumens, 6 watt LEDS produce 450 lumens. The upper deck lights must illuminate a 24 inch backdrop, the lower deck lights only a 16 inch backdrop. The upper modules are painted white on the underside thus increasing light reflectiveness on the lower level. Max's clinic suggests 100 foot candles per square foot for a sceniced layout. Not quite sure how the different distances will influence foot candles, etc., I'm going to initially use 9watt 800 lumen bulbs on the Upper Deck and the 6 watt 450 lumen bulbs on the Lower Deck.
There are as many strategies for layout lighting as there are layouts and you will find owner strategies in various model railroading magazines and internet sites. John Armstrong, in his book Creatove Model Railroad Design, has a 7 page discussion of layout lighting that is worth reading, particularly his section on layout lighting criteria. I will briefly note John's 6 criteria for your further researching.
- It should be safe.
- It should be easy to install and operate.
- It should be easy to maintain.
- It should be unobtrusive.
- It should be simulate sunlight.
- It should not generate unnatural effects.
Where John started the layout lighting discussion, i refer you to Lighting Your Layout, a clinic developed by Max Maginness . Max continues John's discussion with his forum on Layout presentation through general lighting and identifies his solutions to the layout lighting.
Ceiling Lighting
The WWSL's basement is divided into 4 zones. Each zone is controlled by a standard wall switch. One switch is located at the top of the stairs and controls the workbench area. The other three switches are located at the bottom of the stairs and controls the other three (layout specific) areas. Each area is approximately 12' x 12' and has a minimum two 65w can lights. These lights are connected to one 20 Amp circuit in the load center.
Layout Lighting
The layout is divided into 6 zones approximately 40 foot long; three zones on the upper deck, three on the lower deck. Each zone is controlled by an outlet that is in turn controlled by a standard wall switch located at the bottom of the stairs.
WWSL version 2.0 was lit with 8' long fluorescent tubes. Installation was difficult. Each tombstone was secured to the valence (upper level) or under the L-girder benchwork (lower level). The ballast was centrally located on each valence/L-girder and then individually wired with both 12V and 120V. Installation of each one took about an hour. I definitely didn't want to do that again.
WWSL ver 3.0 is going to be lit with party lights. I learned of this technique from reading an excellent blog at http://www.lkorailroad.com. Party lights are a commercial grade string of lights designed for outdoor use. They come in a variety of lengths and styles. They are UL approved. I purchased five 48 ft Medium Base String Lights - Black from https://www.partylights.com/48-Medium-Base-Stringer-Black. There are 24 sockets on 24 inch centers on each string.
My lighting strategy is to secure the Light String to the Valence and the Upper Deck Front L-Girder.
It will be easy to install and operate. It will be easy to maintain. It will be unobtrusive.Here is a picture of one of the sockets. It has 4 convenient tabs that can be used to secure it to the valence and L-girder benchwork.
The light string was easily attached to the valence and L-girder benchwork. For illuminating the upper deck I screwed a 1" x 3" parallel and above the bottom valence 1" x 3" at three points (ends and center). From the normal viewing angle, the lights cannot be seen. For illuminating the lower deck I installed an additional 1" x 4" along the upper level L-girder (strengthening the upper L-girder), again attaching it to the L-Girder at three points. If I should ever move again, the removal of three screws from each light bar will allow for easy removal and transport without disassembling each socket or run. The lighting string electrical cable will keep each zones sockets and bulbs together for easy transport and installation.
On all lighting bars I marked 4 socket locations at 1', 3', 5' and 7'. Each light string socket was screwed to the light bar with two 3/4 inch lath screws. The end of the light string was plugged into an outlet controlled by a wall switch at the logical end of the run. When it reached the end of the run and additional lights were still available, the string was cut at the end and capped The unused sockets at the ends were recycled into Upper Deck 3 and Lower Deck 4 socket strings.
Simulating Sunlight
Layout lighting becomes real confusing if you intend to photograph your layout. Different lightbulbs require different filters on the cameras, different wattages for 'bright enough' coverage, and lets not get into side and backlighting of the layout.
My intent is to have sufficient daylight lighting for operations. After review of the available lighting options, I opted for LED lighting, for long term economy and ease of maintenance. When looking at specific light bulb specifications it began to get confusing. Foot candles vs lumens, tungstun vs halogen vs LEDs etc got me totally confused for a while. The government helped me out quite a bit by mandating the change from incandescent lighting to LED.
Next was to find appropriate bulbs. This is where David Stewart was helpful. His blog page, Layout presentation through general lighting, descibes the modeling aspects of lighting based on color temperature and color rendering.
Color temperature describes the general color fundament of the light emitted by the bulb in degrees Kelvin. He notes that two color temperatures can be appropriate for layout lighting:
- 5000K—Mix of sun and clear blue sky, also the most common daylight fluorescent color.
- 6500K—Color of daylight in shade with a clear sky with high humidity.
Next is color rendering. The color rendering index number gives us an idea of how accurate colors will appear when viewed under that light, relative to their appearance in full sunlight. For photographic purposes a CRI above 85 is preferred to avoid colors looking dull and muted, particularly reds and oranges. I'm not particularly photographically inclined, so CRI isnt a big item on my given and druthers list. If i do become so inclined i will find appropriate high CRI rated bulbs and replace existing bulbs for photographic purposes only.
Of more significant concern is the bulb wattage. First, the distance from rail head to lamp is roughly 24″ on the upper deck but only 16″ on the lower. 9 watt LEDs produce 800 lumens, 6 watt LEDS produce 450 lumens. The upper deck lights must illuminate a 24 inch backdrop, the lower deck lights only a 16 inch backdrop. The upper modules are painted white on the underside thus increasing light reflectiveness on the lower level. Max's clinic suggests 100 foot candles per square foot for a sceniced layout. Not quite sure how the different distances will influence foot candles, etc., I'm going to initially use 9watt 800 lumen bulbs on the Upper Deck and the 6 watt 450 lumen bulbs on the Lower Deck.
Energy Requirements
This is the present requirements for layout lighting as expressed by location.
Lighting Type Output Wattage Input Amperage
Upper Deck String 1 LED 20 x 9W 3.6 @ 115V
Upper Deck String 3 LED 20 x 9W 3.6 @ 115V
Upper Deck String 5 LED 20 x 9W 3.6 @ 115V
Lower Deck String 2 LED 20 x 6W 2.4 @ 115V
Lower Deck String 4 LED 20 x 6W 2.4 @ 115V
Lower Deck String 6 LED 20 x 6W 2.4 @ 115V
The total amperage for the entire arrangement (ceilig and layout) is 21.9 amps. I am installing two 20A circuits in the load center.
Reference:
John Armstrong, Creative Model Railroad Design. 1978, 1980, 1990.
Max Maginness Lighting Your Layout ,
John Armstrong, Creative Model Railroad Design. 1978, 1980, 1990.
Max Maginness Lighting Your Layout ,
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