Model RR Layout Lighting

September 13, 2009

Dale kindly sent in this info on model railroad lighting to help others:

Lighting – Here is a subject that, from what I’ve noticed, is never touched in model railroading. By lighting I mean overhead lighting on a layout.

I would imagine that most layouts use fluorescent lighting in the ceiling above the layout. While this is good, it usually leaves some room for improvement in the quality of the light. I’m not talking about expensive improvements, but very inexpensive improvements that can make a big difference.

Most often the fluorescent bulbs that we use are cool white or warm white bulbs to light a given area (in this case our layout). While those lamps are adequate to get the job done they cast a lighting color on the layout that may actually mask or reduce our ability to see all the colors in the layout. They simply do not render all colors of the light spectrum equally making colors look somewhat dull.

Let me give you an example you’re familiar with where lighting makes a big difference. Retailers often take advantage of improved fluorescent lamps and food stores are big users of improved lighting. They often use lighting over the meat cases that enhances the color red or full spectrum lighting over the store shelving that makes the colors on their product boxes just ‘jump off the shelf’. The results are you see the various products as bright and inviting resulting in greater sales.

Simply changing the fluorescent lamps over the layout can make a huge improvement in the colors displayed on the layout and all for very little money.

I would suggest to replace those default cool white and warm white lamps with lamps along the line of those listed below: Use lamps with a color temperature of 3500K (degrees Kelvin) or higher and a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 and higher (0 to 100 scale). The CRI is the most important issue for true color rendering.

Here are some examples:

Brand Wattage Model Name Model No. Temperature(K) CRI

Phillips 40W Warm White Natural F40/N 3700 90 (Warm White)

Phillips 40W Deluxe Cool White F40/CWX/ALTO 4200 89 (Cool White)

Phillips 40W Colortone 50 F40/C50 5000 85 (Full Spectrum)

Phillips 34W Ultralume F34/35U/RE/EW/ALTO 3500 85 (Warm White)

Phillips 34W Ultralume F34/41U/RS/EW/ALTO 4100 85 (Cool White)

Phillips 34W Ultralume F34/50U/RS/EW/ALTO 5000 85 (Full Spectrum)

The goal is to reveal all colors accurately making your layout look its very best.