lighting

[pmcglone]

I have my layout in a small Garage loft (Loft has been converted to living room) I have used LED strip lights  for lights in my buildings.(I cut individual led light from the strip and put them inside the buildings which work a treat by the way).

Would LED strip lights be enough to light my layout (Ie Gantry lighting) if I left them on the strip and attach them above the layout....the alternative is to put  a stronger fluorescent light in the loft.

[MJKERR]

How much ambient lighting is there?
Do you intend using the layout during daylight or night time?
Do any windows have blinds / curtains?
Does the room already have lighting?

I would assume there are no windows, so there is no ambient lighting
You then need to work out if the existing lighting is enough or you want the layout to be brightly lit up
It's easier to add lots of small lights, rather than have a bright light to start with and realise it is too much!

[Bealman]

I'm an old dinosaur and can't imagine led lighting doing the job...

Oh hang on, the led stuff SWMBO has had put into kitchen will definitely do the job...

Don't ask me how much wattage or P=VI power it uses though... have to wait for the next bill! 

[Malc]

Best thing to do is to try using the remains of your LED strip and see how bright it is. If you are using brilliant white LEDs, a metre should be quite bright if you are installing them on a mount just above the layout. It is easier to dim than a fluorescent tube. If you are thinking of a ceiling mounted, then a few low energy LED bulbs may be best.

[Newportnobby]

It's no accident that many supermarkets etc are changing to LED lighting. Cost of initial purchase and running costs soon recoups the outlay.

[Bealman]

I consider that one of my major achievements of being on two licensed club boards was persuading them to go to LED lighting.  It really does save money.

[Pengi]

I had the brilliant idea of putting strips of LED lights into a cardboard box that I was using as a makeshift spray booth. I think i used about 50 lights (on a roll) and the results were very disappointing It was just not bright enough - so I think you will need a lot of LED strips.

P.S. I am not advocating the use of a cardboard box as a spray booth unless appropriate Health and Safety precautions are taken.

[PLD]

Would LED strip lights be enough to light my layout (Ie Gantry lighting) if I left them on the strip and attach them above the layout....the alternative is to put  a stronger fluorescent light in the loft.

It depends... ... ...

How wide is the layout? - LEDs tend to have a narrow spread. If the layout is too wide you may need more than one strip.

How high above the layout will they be? LEDs don't have the throw of some other light types so may need to be lower/closer.

What 'flavour' of LEDs? the commonly available strip on a roll ones come in "warm White" (yellowy tint) or "Cold White"/"ice white" - (towards the blue end of the spectrum) which you use will have a big difference on the appearance of the layout. Because they have this colour cast, you may find the layout looks very odd under LEDs particularly if you built it under any other form of light source.
One answer to this is to mix the two colours.

We have used them on one club layouts with mixed opinions... that required 3 strips (2 warm, 1 cold white) on a layout 2ft wide, mounted approx 2ft above track level. To deal with the colour balance (which we found could also be affected by ambient background lighting), we are able to independently turn each strip up or down.