Displaying (lighting) an old EMU destination blind – help please?

[billy_anorak59]

I’d really appreciate any help here… I’m sure someone must have tried to do something similar, and apologies if this is the wrong forum for the question (didn't really fit anywhere else)

Some years ago, (2004 or 2007ish) I acquired an old Class 503 destination roller blind from EBay:

 

 

For the past 11 years, it’s been rolled up, with me pondering the best way to display it – it’s about 5ft long, so would take up serious wall space to display un-rolled.

A few weeks ago, I came across a bus destination box complete with a modern paper destination roll at an antique fair, and I immediately thought of my old blind. It looked roughly the right size, but I couldn’t decide whether my mind was playing tricks or not. In the end, I took the gamble and purchased it, and when I got home, I was mightily surprised to find that the size was perfect! Not only was the length spot on, but the display opening and the mounting for the roll itself all exactly the same! I managed to swap the 1938 blind onto the modern rollers in 20 minutes flat!

I intend to mount the box high on a wall using speaker brackets at either end – this will allow me tilt, and also give access to the back of the box so I can wind the destinations.

So far so good…

My thoughts have turned to back-lighting the blind with the warm yellowish glow that I remember the 503s displayed - in the underground/tunnel sections especially. The existing destination box has a small fluorescent tube from its bus days, and I don’t know what voltage it should run on, so I’m guessing that should be discarded.

I would like to have the box illuminated by battery power, so there are no cables all over the place. The amount of time it will be switched on, it shouldn't be too much of a drain on batteries, especially if LEDs are used.

I would like to have the box switched on or off by Radio Frequency remote (Any switch/sensor inside a metal box might defeat infra-red?). Alternatively, a movement sensor that requires a wave of the hand over it for on/off?

I’ve seen some of the mains-powered ‘puck lights’ that are dimmable and colour selectable, which should give me that glow I mentioned, but I’ve found nothing available that meets all of the above.

So, in a roundabout way, here’s the question(s):

Can anybody point me at a ‘kit’ or similar that would do the job please? Any help would be really most appreciated. Any alternative suggestions would be good too!

Additional pictures:

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by billy_anorak59