Dimming Fluorescent Model Train Lights
MRA EditorsDescription
There are a number of different ways to light your model railroad scenes, from black spotlights to incandescent runners. You can get pretty creative with the kind of lighting you use in your layout, but most modelers opt to go the inexpensive route and utilize basic fluorescent tubes. Fluorescent model train lights are cheap, reliable and readily available at any hardware store, but they’re not generally the best when it comes to being toned down.
You could invest in expensive dimmers that allow you to change the level of lighting cast on your scene with a turn of the dial, but we have a simple alternative that we think works just as well. In this lesson, we teach you a quick trick you can use to dim fluorescent model train lights so you’re able to simulate a range of lighting conditions on your layouts, from sunrise to sunset and any time in between.
Using spray paint to dim model train lights
If you don’t want to fork out the cash for a dimmer system for your model train lights, we have a smart solution that will achieve the same effect without the pinch on the wallet. NMRA Master Modeler Gerry Leone demonstrates his expert dimming technique to help you take the brightness down on those fluorescent model train lights.
All you’ll need for this simple trick are your regular model train lights, a can of black spray paint, some masking tape and a clear fluorescent tube guard. These plastic guards are typically utilized in stores and industrial buildings to avoid shattered bulb glass ending up on the floor, but in this case Gerry likes to repurpose them as makeshift dimmers for model train lights.
Gerry teaches you how to properly apply cheap black spray paint to the guards so you can mount them on your model train lights and swivel them according to your lighting preference. If you want soft morning light, Gerry shows you how to angle the painted portion of the model train lights toward your scene, or if you want harsh midday light, you’ll do the same just in the opposite direction. With this simple little trick, you get to control the light!
Most modelers will use fluorescent lights to light their layout. And those are great because they spread some even light you can see everything, It's great to work under. But you can't easily dim them at least not without some fancy electronics. But sometimes you may wanna simulate dawn or dusk or just take the lights down just a little bit for an operating session so that it's not quite so bright on your eyes. And here's a way to do it.
And it's with clear fluorescent tube guards. These are available at hardware stores and big box stores. They're made specifically to keep fluorescent tubes from shattering and getting glass all over. They come in four foot lengths and eight foot lengths. You can easily get an eight foot length, cut it in two and you'll have enough for two bulbs.
And what you wanna do, is pop the ends out of these things. And I'll use this one. Tape it down to a surface because we're gonna be doing some painting on these. And you'll wanna tape down either end with perhaps a masking tape so that it doesn't roll around as you're using your spray paint to paint them. And then you'll get some black spray paint and I'm using some extremely inexpensive black spray paint.
And what you wanna do is give both of your clear tubes a couple of shots of this go quickly because remember you're gonna be painting on plastic and plastic doesn't absorb paint. So it's gonna take a while for the paint to dry. You wanna let it dry overnight at least come back in maybe give it another couple of shots. And again, you're only gonna paint one side of these. Because what you do in the end is slip your fluorescent light into these tubes.
And have it so that you can turn these fluorescent tubes around and simulate light and dark. And I'll turn on this bulb and you'll see how pretty darn effective this is at dimming down fluorescent lights. And again, so if you wanna simulate dawn, dusk just get some of the light out of the room. It's easy enough to turn these around have one exposed, or have both of them exposed.
I believe this tutorial is obsolete. Four foot dimmable LED shop lights can now be purchased for the same price as 4' fluorescent lights, or about $15 each. For a little more, you can get changeable color temperatures as well, allowing a very wide range of lighting possibilities. I would much rather move a single dimmer switch to change all the lighting on my layout at once than go bulb by bulb through every fluorescent light, spinning the tube guard to get the desired light level. The LED lights are more energy efficient as well.