Got some more lighting done. Here is the link to the led's strips and power supply's I'm using. LED strips: Non weatherproof, 300 led's and 5050 http://www.ebay.com/itm/22171764654...49&var=520562384677&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Power supply: These will handle 10 strings of the led strips using about 70 to 75% of the rated 30 amps. (thinking maybe longer life of the PS) http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERNIGHT-...613881?hash=item338a2e2c39:g:284AAOxyOlhS1gBd The LED strips are by far the most effective light solution I've found in regards to power consumption and heat. The strips can be cut easily and resoldered together. I use the 3M adhesive that is on the strips along with using a hot glue to mount them. I still want to try some RGB strips for dusk, dawn and night lighting. Still working on getting all the turnouts powered and the control panels made in Oroville yard.
I love the lighting, but it must have cost a fortune! I've been debating using Christmas lights in a similar way...the positive is being able to dim them, the negative being the heat generated. Wish I lived close enough so I could come and help (and play with your many wonderful toys)... BTW, there seems to be an awful lot of UP locos on that layout...
Jeff, if your ever in the Kansas City area, drop me a line and you are more than welcome to come by. Anybody for that mater is welcome to come by. The back story is that the UP merger with the WP, SP and DRGW happened in late 1952 and I'm modeling June of '53 Now about the cost of the lighting. I'm guessing I've spent over $400 dollars on different lighting ideas with all kinds of Christmas lights (miniature and LED's included) among other kinds and none of them worked as well as these LED's. First lights I tried was 4 foot shop lights with 40 watt daylight bulbs. At the time I was playing with them, the bulbs were about $10 each and the fixtures were about $12. That would of been about $32 every 4 feet. Here is a shot using C9 light strings with 40 watt candelabra lights. Lighting is OK but gives a lot of heat, used a lot of electricity and shadows. About $4 every 4 feet. Using CFL's in the C9 strings worked OK too but again, had shadows and the cost of of the bulbs were about $4 each for the daylight bulbs and average about 1 bulb per foot. That was about $17 every 4 feet. Couldn't find any photos of them. Miniature light just didn't give enough light even with 4, 35 light strings (35 light strings were brighter than the 50 and 100 light strings) 18" above the 24" wide area of the layout. No photos of them either. I even tried 12 volt, 40 watt halogen spot lights for outdoor landscape with the candelabra lights . I really liked them but they gave off a lot of heat and ate a lot of power. You can see them in the upper left. In the end the LED's are way cheaper to use, and consume very little electricity. The strips are 16 feet long and cost just under $11 dollars. 10 strips costs $110 and $24 for the power supply. That $134 gives you enough lights to light 80 linear feet, using 2 strips over a 24" wide layout. Now the best part is that you CAN dim them using a dimmer switch. The next part of the lighting will be adding RGB/WW (red, green, blue with every other LED being warm white) for dusk to dawn lighting. That probably won't happen till after the convention in June. Now you know that I've been there and done what you want to try and in the long run, I think using the LED's is money well spent.
Rodney, I'm all for learning from others experiments...do you have a source or link to share for the LEDs and power supply? 80' would be about perfect for my room.
They are at the top of post 21, but here it is again. LED strips: Non weatherproof, 300 led's and 5050 http://www.ebay.com/itm/22171764654...49&var=520562384677&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Power supply: These will handle 10 strings of the led strips using about 70 to 75% of the rated 30 amps. (thinking maybe longer life of the PS) http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERNIGHT-...613881?hash=item338a2e2c39:g:284AAOxyOlhS1gBd I see that he is out of LED's at the moment, but he usually gets them in stock in a week or two. He has sold about 100 in the last week. You might find them elsewhere, but these are shipped from Oregon and I get them in 2 or 3 days and I've had no problems with them.
Thanks for the links, I should have read through the thread before asking. 30 amps seems like a lot but you do have a big layout!
When looking at the LED strings, the amp draw was stated on some that I looked at, just like these, was as high as 1 amp per meter (39 inches) and I thought that was kind of high. The amp draw wasn't mentioned on these. So when I got my first order of 6, I hooked up a old amp meter I had and this was the results. This is with one string. Two strings Three strings After this little test, I'm estimated about 1.5 to 2 amps per string. I need to get a amp gauge that will go up to 30 amps and see what 10 string really does draw. When I do that, I'll post that info here also.
Thanks for the very helpful info about lighting. Once you explained your reasoning, it makes perfect sense.
Here is a train ride around the layout. In the first part Shane (thebrakeman17 on you tube) will go over the upper part of the layout, then on with the ride. It does have 2 meets in it so there is a fer moments of dead air. Thanks for watching.
Got the layout tour schedule for the N Scale Enthusiast Convention and my layout will be on the Thursday "Extended Home Layout Tour". It's the only tour that will include my layout. Here is the link to the tour https://www.nationalnscaleconvention.com/natstore/shopexd.asp?id=31
Wow Rodney, this is quite the empire you have, especially for N-scale! I apologize if I missed it, but did you make your track plan by hand or base it off something else? Great work!
Hey Matt, I drew it by hand after I had built the layout up to Keddie Wye. Before that, it was all in my head.
Control panels are finally done for each end of Oroville yard. East end West end Some servo and tortoise mounted. I used velcro on the tortoise's first, once in position, I put in the screws. Working on the wiring harnesses now.
Sure wish you folks would upload your pics to the forum instead of linking. Many of us behind work firewalls can't see your amazing work.
Monster layout alert! Very nicely executed. I like seeing classic Wobbly scenes like Keddie Wye, Feather River Canyon, Williams Loop and others. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Awesome! I have to get the California Zephyr cars and a Silver F3 with sound. I'll never need anything more (except lighting in all of the cars!
