Rail200 - lighting-up time

The last week or so, I've been working on getting the buildings completed so I can move on with the scenic work. However, this wasn't helped by a small diversion... I thought the platform looked a bit bare - it needs lamps! Cue some internet searching for something suitable, I didn't think the traditional gas lamps used on Hexworthy would look right. I found these swan-neck lamps from TrainSave (no I'd never heard of them!) on ebay, that looked perfect for the inter-war period.

They were easily fitted through holes drilled in the platform, the wires will need to go through holes in the baseboard and be connected up later. They use 12V bulbs, though I tested them on 9v which works well. 

With lamps on the open part of the platform, I had to do something under the canopy. I had some SMLEDs (I'd used them under the canopy on Hexworthy), but as the canopy is removable I couldn't fix them to the canopy. Instead, I superglued them to brackets made of scrap brass etch fret and stuck them to the wall.

With the station lit, the other buildings needed some lights too. I found these nice wall lamps from Model Railway Scenery - a 3 pack at a bargain price - perfect for the buildings around the yard. They use an SMLED, and are simply poked through a hole drilled in the wall with a dab of superglue from behind.

The weighbridge hut was already built, so I drilled a hole in the base behind the door (away from the window), and made up an SMLED stuck to another piece of scrap brass etch. This will poke up from below the baseboard (I hope, if the holes line up!).

The very fine wires that come attached to SMLEDs are impossible to secure into terminal blocks, and very difficult to poke through holes in the baseboard. I cut short lengths of single-core wire, stripped of insulation, and soldered them onto the already stripped ends of the wires. These will act like "needles" to thread them through the baseboard, then folded double should fix securely into terminal blocks. However, the priority is to install the buildings, wiring up and powering up will follow later!