The Lighting of THE Yard Lights

HA!!! I had to grab the spray can...run out on the front porch...spray them real quick...and duck back into the house !

 

Finally got the right LEDs today (NANOs) . Assembled 8 yard lights. Have 2 more I have to work on still.



BUT...I am pretty stoked right now !!

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Those are going to look cool on THERR. Should certainly brighten up the place.

 

The camera makes them seem more blinding then they really are. I am going to put 2 of them into 'wooden blocks' and check them at night.



I need to see how far apart they need to be to get the right amount of actual light 'overlap'. I am figuring 16-18 inches

 

I calculate 14 inches, but they sure look great!

 

David my friend...

I missed this somehow a page or so back...lol

I would be happy to make you as many as you need. You buy the parts I will make them for you for $00.00. You have been more then generous to me over the years. It would be my pleasure to build them for you my friend.

 

I'm really liking these lights! Nice job.

Question though about the LED color. If I recall correctly THERR is not exactly modern 2010's era. Why go with blue/white LEDs over of warm white? Until the last few years every plane flight I've been on at night the parking lot and street lights far below always appear yellowish, from the sodium vapor lamps.

 

I tried warm white LEDs. The lighting intensity itself seemed a lot less. I figured I would have to plant at least 2 more with the warm white lights It's a train yard...it should be bright and well lit

 

It's supposed to get in the sweltering low 50's today and tomorrow. I think I may go out to THERR RV and map out my yard light placements...

 

I thought that RV had heat and air but in the meanwhile you could get a simple thermostatically controlled heater with a safety tilt switch. My mancave has a tile floor and brick walls and was a former side porch until the church bricked it in and installed windows when this place was the church rectory. It has a single hot water radiator and sometimes it can get chilly in here. My little heater only 8 inches by 8 inches and about 3 inches wide can warm this man cave to a toasty 82 Deg. F. in no time. I has four fan settings and a adjustable thermostat and can double as a plain fan and is made by Pelonis. I think I either got it at Walmart or Home Depot. You could stroll out to the layout, plug it in. go get a beverage or a hot cup of Java, and by the time you get back out it will have the chill off and being slowly warming the place. Small heater but at 1500 watts does the job and more. The model I got only cost $15.

 

Oh...I have a forced air furnace in the RV. I can also start THERR RV and use the RV's dash heater to warm it up. I also have a space heater for once it gets warm enough. Thats not the probelm. Its that long walk out to the RV in the cold of winter and trudging thru 12+ inches of snow...LOL.

http://celebedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/coldweathermeme9.jpg

 

You can always have the Wife shovel it out for you and bring you a warm beverage..LOL

 

OK...made a 'jig' so I could check the lights at different spacing.

I started with 14"....



And moved down to 12"...




You can clearly see an illumination difference in the middle (between poles) on both the top of the board and on say...the top of the green boxcar and even the tank car. What that would mean is...if i set the poles at 12"...I would have 1 less pole to the right of the yard tower to the turntable...(3) vs (4) ....HMMMMMMMMMmmmm...

 

THE CFO says the 12" spacing looks better. I reminded her that as THE COO and CEO I dont run trains at night...only daylight hours...and 14" will be fine...lol.

We decided to discuss it further at dinner...

 

Hmmmmmm, maybe 10" spacing?

Actually, I like the 12 but can see where the 14 would work. Of course far be it for me to disagree with senior management.

 

I told THE WIFE that even if I where to run trains until dusk...that there would be enough ambiant light from the windows that 14" will work just fine. Speaking of light...I have to tread lightly here...the CFO can bring further developement of THERR to a screeching halt...LMAO !!

 

I HATE LOGIC !!

THE WIFE says that if I place them at 14" and they dont look right...That I can have all the fun I can handle getting my old self back under the layout to unwire and rewire them to the new buss line @ 12"...Grrrrrrr

 

My wife and I have been married going on 36 years. We are having too much fun with this discussion. LOL.

So I asked her that if I have to keep climbing under the layout that she wouldnt help ?? Her reply was " I am the CFO. I work in the front office. I dont do grunt work !!"

I had to go into my pic file for TB and show her otherwise...



She says that was unfair and borders on extortion...LMAO !!
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I am going to take my light 'spacing jig' out to THERR RV shortly. I will put the board on the layout...in the yard. I will see which looks better when it gets a little darker outside... 12" or 14". I am leaning towards 12".

The selective compression of the lights @ 12" will make Lucky Penny Yard look even longer then it already is... 18 feet! I will also decide whetehr they are going in the West Yard...like the dummy lights where placed...or the East Yard (closer to the aisle).