Lighting Tips for
Model Buildings

Led lights can be very effective

By Contributor Paul Henry

Building model railroads can be one of the most enjoyable and engaging hobbies. You can keep at it for hours on end without getting bored for a second.

The great thing about this hobby is that it is an activity that can be fun when you do it on your own, as well as when you have your family and friends involved with your trains. If you don’t want to start the task on your own or if it becomes too time consuming or too difficult to handle by yourself, you can always make a project out of it. Your kids (if you have any) can help you look for various supplies, painting railroad buildings and even searching for items out in the yard for scenery. You can get your friends/family to suggest ideas or do some research for you, make some prints or even send you some objects from abroad. There are many ways to get your family involved in this thrilling activity.

Constructing your own scenery can be an interesting if not a somewhat strenuous task. It can become hard at times, mixing just the right paints or using the perfect products to come up with scenery that looks completely life-like. But hey, this is where all the fun is right?

One thing that most new hobbyists find difficult is lighting up their model railroad buildings. If you too have been having difficulty in doing this, here are some excellent lighting tips for you.

Miniature Bulbs

These can work wonderfully for railroad buildings. You put them inside as well as the outside of the buildings. Of course you would have to be careful with the wiring or you may cause a fire, or end up getting a complete blackout in your miniature model town!

Tiny LED Lights

LEDs are a true life saver for railroad lovers. They can be installed anywhere and are available in a variety of colors. Depending on the model scale you use, you can select very small or medium sized LED lights. They are easy to install and there are relatively risk-free when it comes to electrocution.
If you have a carnival or fun fair in your model railroad, you can place many colorful LED lights to display a life-like scenario. Imagine how wonderful they would look on the merry-go-round and the Ferris Wheel.

One other option for LED lighting is using LED strips. These are available in a variety of lengths and you can stick them anywhere inside a building. They last for as long as 50,000 hours, which means around 6 years if you keep them on 24 hours a day!

Fiber Optics

This is one of the best options for when you want to light up a structure that is so small that small bulbs or LED’s don’t fit. What you have to keep in mind though is that fiber optics doesn’t exactly project light, so they can’t be used to ‘see by’. You can place fiber optics in places like theater marquis, accessory lights like lamps, TV, amusement parks, etc.

Tip

Make sure to secure all the wires. Not only does it protect you from an electrical blackout, it would also make your railroad safer for kids. Also, don’t keep the lights turned on all the time. Only open them up when you are displaying your model.

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