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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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