Layout Update: Let There Be (Better) Light

One thing with which I have continually struggled is layout room lighting. When I first began construction I installed two 5-light IKEA track lights with "soft white" halogen bulbs, and those have been mostly adequate with the exception of a major dark spot in the rural section.

Last week a couple of lights in our front room went out so I went around the corner to our local hardware store. Given that getting precisely what you went to the hardware store for in the first place - no more, no less - almost never happens, I came back with the front room bulbs AND a package of LED "daylight" track-light bulbs. The difference is clear in this in-progress photo. New bulbs on the left, old bulbs on the right:

Today I finally got the remaining bulbs and installed them, and am very pleased with the results:

In addition to the "cooler" light improving color perception both in person and in pictures, the new bulbs seem a bit brighter than the old ones. This is partly (I think) caused by the LED bulbs being a bit taller than the halogens, so the light doesn't sit as deep in the fixture. Compare the light on the wall behind the back two bulbs in both pictures.

You may notice the light from an older bulb to the left. It illuminates the staging area behind the scenery so I figured I would leave it there, otherwise I would have to get another package of three bulbs.

This does not really solve the problem of the dark spot but I'll get to that someday.

Coming up next I plan to do some concentrated work on the engine terminal area:

Stay tuned!