Lighting The Layout


The original Lighting The Layout page has been made into a section, with most of the original material on the track lighting system tests located in a Track Lighting page, and a new page created to discuss my plans for building a new lighting system using fluorescent tubes.

There is also a page about Layout Lighting in the Layout Construction section, which covers this topic in more general terms. For information about adding lighting to trains and model structures, see any of several pages in the Electricity for Modelers section.

Most people who build large model railroads, particularly multi-deck ones, seem to use fluorescent lighting tubes, either in ceiling-mounted fixtures or in “lighting valances” directly above the track. After a bit of thought, and a lot of trying to avoid this approach based on my general dislike of fluorescent lights, I’ve come to see value in this approach. At present, I’m still experimenting, but I’m strongly considering a change to my lighting system. The new approach, and the testing related to it, is described on my Lighting Valance page.