Bright Ideas - $1,000,000 Invention

by Regis J. Cordic

Interior lighting creates a vitality in miniature buildings and towns that sharpens the sense of life along the model right-of-way. Backlighted store displays, rows of streetlamps, a lone bulb glowing in the rear office of a line-side industry imply that something is going on that compliments the moving trains nearby.

Many lighting schemes have been outlined in the model publications, so it is not my purpose to promote another one. Instead, I’ll offer a few suggestions based on my experiences in the never-ending process of building and re-build­ing the H0n3 division of the Lazy River Railroad Company and the adjacent branches of the vast (?) Schleenvoydt Mining Company and subsidiaries.

Power for lighting the handful of townships along the LRRR comes from a small Lionel transformer that goes back farther than I care to remember. Suggested many times for this purpose by others, the AC transformer has many advantages that might be worth re­stating.

Being completely independent, it is not affected by anything taking place on the railroad; no flutter when switches are thrown, a separate circuit makes it easier to trace shorts, etc. Probably the most desirable aspect, however, is the ability to operate all bulbs at a very low voltage, thereby prolonging their life considerably. The lower power also cre­ates a much more pleasing and realistic tone to your lighting.

Have you ever thought of using turn­outs to flip building lights on and off? In areas where a track signal would not be desirable, how about a light on a loading dock or freight office to let you know when the track is lined for the siding? This plan serves the LRRR in a dozen spots along the line. And, aside from its practical purpose, it hardly ever fails to intrigue visitors who ask, Who turned the light on in the station?’

Don’t forget amber! Even red!

I am sure this is not original with me. but the idea of using amber or red in place of, or in combination with clear or “white” bulbs, adds greatly to realism or variety. In real life, lighted windows usually cast more of a “yellow-ish” glow because of the interior surfaces from which they reflect.

In store windows, red lamps can high­light a display or indicate some sort of specialized lighting inside.

No doubt experimentation will turn up many other interesting combinations. Give it a try.

Of course, in installing any light bulb, allowance must be made for replacement. Removable roofs and “underground” access holes are fine most of the time, but I encountered a few spots where it was not desirable or possible to install a lift-off roof and access from beneath was severely limited by benchwork or scenic supports. What to do?

After I gave up on the possibility of ever teaching the plastic townsfolk to change their own bulbs, I devised the brilliant installation that you see illus­trated in the drawing. No marvel of engineering skill, it has nonetheless served the purpose of suspending the bulb in the proper position inside the structure, while allowing quick and simple replacement.

An “eye” is screwed into the bench-work directly beneath the access hole. A piece of brass rod or stiff, heavy wire is cut so that it reaches through the hole to the point at which you wish the bulb to be. On the bottom, a hook is bent in the rod to hold it in position in the “eye.”

Trim one lead from the bulb short, soldering this one to the top of the rod. Wind the other around the rod, bringing it down to the connection from the power source. Solder the other power lead to the bottom of the rod and you’re in business!  

To change bulbs, all you do is lift the rod out of the “eye” and the whole works drops to a comfortable working position. Be sure to allow a little extra wire from your power source to accom­modate the move.

After several attempts with more com­plex devices, the Lazy River Power Company is standardizing on the “BRASS ROD & EYE” system, and unless any of you can come up with improvements, a lot of rod and “eyes” are going to be riding the flat cars of the LRRR narrow gauge.

This article was originally published in the April, 1976 issue of the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) Bulletin. Copyright © 1976, Rege Cordic and the NMRA. Article(s) courtesy of (and reprinted with permission from) the A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library, National Model Railroad Association. Click here to visit the NMRA.