Lighting advice

[Sweep]

My L shape layout is in a square room about 9ft square, one side runs in front of the window and the main light of the room is behind me so I'm often working in my own shadow. I'd appreciate some advice as to how i could fix up some simple lighting, would battery powered LED lights be an option, they'd have to be fixed on the walls, or could i fix some sort of along the mid length of the layout and string some lights from that. I've attached a rough sketch which for some reason appears upside down, but hopefully you'll get the idea.   

[Ray Von]

Flipped the image. Ps, How about aquarium led lights fitted to underside of a shelf above the layout area? 

[ikcdab]

It depends if you have access to mains power for the new lights. If so, then Led battens and  are  very cost effective and very good.

[corneliuslundie]

And it would be a good idea to look at a previous thread about lighting on here a few weeks ago as there was a lot of useful information about colours of light sources etc.

Jonathan

[The Johnster]

Go for mains lighting if you can as batteries will always let you down eventually.  I use 3 mains powered (through 12v dc power supplies) led anglepoise lamps to get the effect I want; of course, this might not be the same as the effect you want. I got them for £25 each from Maplins, not much help to you but something similar must be available from other sources.  They have 2 rows of cool white blue cast leds and a central row of warm cast leds, and 3 settings, cool, warm, and mixed.  There are also 3 brightness settings.  They are set out along the front of the boards, as I do not like overhead light sources for UK based layouts, we do not live in the tropics, and while you want to avoid casting your own shadow on to the scene, the models need to be lit to the side.  The operating seat is close enough to the layout to mean that the anglepoises are not in my field of view most of the time, though they inevitably are some of the time; I find I am able to mentally tune them our of my awareness, but am considering painting the rear faces of them that face me in camo.

 

One of these illuminates about 5 feet of scene, 2 and a half each side, and I need 3 to light the scenic part of the layout.  They fy is illuminated by another mains led, this time a snake neck type from IKEA, which is only turned on when needed.  Supplementary lighting is provided by a flashlight adapted for use as a shunting pole.  I can 

 

What ever solution you choose, the trick is to get the light source between you and the trains without it shining in your eye, with the sides of the trains illuminated as well as the tops.

Edited October 17, 2020 by The Johnster

[Giles]

I should go for a number of 4800K LED Battens. Competively priced, and a decent colour.

[Sir TophamHatt]

Amazon keep having lighting strips on deals recently.

They might be multi-coloured though but worth looking into for reference.