A journal following the history, design, construction and operation of Bernard Kempinski's O Scale model railroad depicting the U. S. Military Railroad (USMRR) Aquia-Falmouth line in 1863, and other model railroad projects.
©Bernard Kempinski All text and images, except as noted, on this blog are copyrighted by the author and may not be used without permission.
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December 30, 2015

LED Lights in Recessed Ceiling Fixtures for Layouts

Over the past few years I have experimented with several types of LEDs for use as layout lighting in  part of my basement that houses Aquia Landing and the Port of Los Angeles Layouts. These rooms have 12 recessed can lights in the ceiling.  Note that the front room of the layout from Brooke to Falmouth has a built-in valance with tube florescent fixtures. If I could, I would get rid of all those lights.

Over Aquia Landing I opted to not have a valance. So I stuck with the recessed lights. I tried several types of CFL and LED bulbs, but only one really worked well.  I'll spare you the results of the experiments that failed and just point you to the ones I have found that work the best.  They are Ultilitech Pro 120W BR 40 Floods. Lowes is the only store in my area that carries them.

These lights create a nice even flood of light. They are dimmable and only use 20W of power for 1400 lumens of light. They cost about $20 a pop, but should last a long time.


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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 30, 2015

    Ànd, as we are discussing, should be good for a light "behind the camera" for photography as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BernieDecember 31, 2015

      Yes, but make sure the whole scene is evenly lit. You may need a additional lights. They should all have the same orientation so that shadows are not conflicting.

      Delete
  2. UnknownDecember 31, 2015

    I have bought LED tube lights from GreenTek Energy Systems. Their product allows you to retrofit the florescent fixture by taking out the ballast. Love the layout.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BernieJanuary 02, 2016

      Interesting. I will look into them. Thanks.

      Delete

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