lighting for my train room

[Train Nutz]

I'm about ready to add some lighting to my train room. The room size is kind of small (10' X 13') and I figure a single florescent fixture of 4 tubes @ 4' in length would be sufficient to light the room. The fixture I was looking at in Home Depot uses 4 (T8) bulbs which are smaller in diameter than a normal florescent tube. The T8 tubes that I would like to use are the ones that give a normal sunlight look opposed to using a standard florescent style tube that gives a neutral blue light glow to them. Has anyone one used the T8 style blubs and how do the compare to using the normal size tubes? Also, has anyone used the tubes that produce a normal sunlight glow and is this better and/or not as good to using a standard florescent?????
                Train Nutzzzzzzzzzzz

[wm3798]

A single fixture in the middle of the room isn't going to be as effective as more directed light.  When you're working on the layout, the light will always be behind you, even though with four tubes, it will be awfully bright in that small room.

I imagine you have an existing fixture outlet in the middle of the ceiling that probably works off of a switch at the wall. 

I use track lighting in my room, which is easy to adjust for photography, and it's installed on dimmers, so I can do "twilight" running.  It eats up more juice than a flourescent does, but I prefer the effect.  You could also use surface track to conceal your wires on the ceiling, and run a series of single tube fixtures around the perimeter of the room, maybe a foot or two off the wall, and build a valance down from the ceiling to conceal them.  This would direct light right onto the layout, which will be a lot more effective.

Lee

[Fotheringill]

I am doing my train room right now and made the following decisions.

In a roughly 12x14 area, I have 11 four foot long double shop fixtures using T8 bulbs at 50 Kelvin-  52 is daylight. 50 is close enough. They each have a deflector and are hung 18" from the walls. There will be no shadows unless I choose to have them. The depth of the layout is 36" from each wall around the room and a 28" cewnter island. Each fixture runs off a separate switch. I took some test photos over the weekend and it is pretty close to natural sunlight.

It is pricey, but the difference between what I had and what I have is astounding.

[Mark5]

In a roughly 12x14 area, I have 11 four foot long double shop fixtures using T8 bulbs at 50 Kelvin-  52 is daylight. 50 is close enough. They each have a deflector and are hung 18" from the walls. There will be no shadows unless I choose to have them. The depth of the layout is 36" from each wall around the room and a 28" cewnter island. Each fixture runs off a separate switch. I took some test photos over the weekend and it is pretty close to natural sunlight.

So do these have a yellowish cast? (I'm thinking I should take care of this before finishing benchwork)

[Fotheringill]

No yellow whatsoever. In fact, there was a temporary regular squiggly bulb hanging near the area. THAT was yellow as the brick road when the new lights as well as that one was on.  BTW- the lights did not have a blue tint, either.

[Mark5]

let me re-phrase - are you getting the "high noon" sunlight effect? (sunlight is much "warmer" than most of the tube lights I have seen, not that I've seen the T8s) ;D

[tom mann]

I have the florescent fixtures that are meant to replace the incandescent bulbs and I love their color.  It's kind of like a nice warm sun set glow.  In fact, the whole room lights up as if a setting sun is outside.   

[Fotheringill]

N & W-

Mine are the high noon variety.

If there are any adjustments that need to be done to a shot, I can do it with Print Shop or similar.

[Mark5]

Excellent! Thanks!

Mark

[Train Nutz]

Hi All,
  And thanks for the replys.
 I guess I should of been a little more clear on what I'm doing. I'm in a newly built home and the room my layouts in does have a box in the center for either just lighting or hanging a ceiling fan. I had the box installed so it could be used for a ceiling fan but I since nixed that idea because I don't want to much air movement inside the room especially blowing over the layout. I do have central air and can control it with the vent and a magnetic plastic shield so the room can be cooled but not blowing directly on the layout. The only light inside their as of now is one of those tall floor lights with three movable lights with the stand setting in one corner of the room but this isn't at all good enough for lighting the room or the layout. Heck, I also got a small desk in their to work on projects with but I still need better lighting to see what I'm doing. During the day I can open the blinds and the sunlight will fill the room but at night it's a whole different story. I want to put the florescent above in the center of the room with the T8 sunbulbs to get some warm lighting. I just need to start with some overhead lighting and then possibly add direct lighting to the layout after I see what the florescent fixture does to the room first. Once I get that installed this weekend I'll get back on here and tell you the results.
Train Nutzzzzzzzzzzzz

[cv_acr]

T-8 refers to the size of the tube, and they come in all the different options.

My train club has been putting up new T-8 fixtures over our layout like mad. Believe me, having all that light make a huge difference. We wonder how we ever used to be able to see the layout.

The new fixtures are nice. The t-8s are a lot brighter than the older fixtures they're replacing, and new style electronic ballasts are _Far_ superiour to the old magnetic ballasts. No flickering of the tubes and no soft buzzing hum from the ballasts.

If you can, go for the purest white you can find. Definately not anything that tints towards blue though.

[Train Nutz]

I finally got the florescent fixture up with the T8 tubes this weekend and WOW! what a difference. I was a bit sceptical over the size of the T8 bulbs being smaller than the normal size florescent tubes and not being anywhere near as to the brightness of them but I can say for sure that these smaller tubes out shine the bigger ones. And what cv_acr stated about the transformer hum is true.....It's absolutely quiet. I was on the ladder putting the plastic sheild cover on with the fixture lit and even at close quarters I still couldn't hear any hum. I can now also see what I'm doing at my project desk without straining my eyes to do so. My trains look a heck of a lot better now that I can see them.
Train Nutzzzzzzzz ;D

[Fotheringill]

Lighting is finished in basement. 12 fixtures, no buzzing, 5 panels for lighting variety, almost true color with 50000 K bulbs.