Also known as daylight lights.  These are available at Walmart, Lowes HJD etc for about $5 and come in both the pigtail screw types and the 48" twin tubes.  What I like is they don't yellow the whites in person or on film

Steve

Dear Michael,

The tech name for these are "tri-phosphor" (try-foss-four) tubes. Instead of having only 1 chemical coating+gas on the tube, which "gives light" at a given relatively-narrow visible frequency (distinctly visible color), it is constructed with 3 or more chemicals, each "giving light" at a different frequency. As "white light" is a mix of a wide-range of frequencies, a tri-phosphor tube therefore looks more "neutral" and less "tinged" towards any given color (bluish, pinkish, yellowish, etc).

http://www.richartco.com/Articles/Fluorescent.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent-lamp_formats#Colors

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Does anybody have any idea whether it will damage anything to use fluorescent lights on a layout?  I'm thinking of using a total of 8 4' bulbs, and I'm wondering if it will cause any of my models to fade over time.

Back when I was using the 48'' tubes and now the CFL's I use are daylight spectrum.  At any rate the key is to light your workbench with the same kind of light your layout is lit with so you don't get color change surprises.

Michael

thanks everyone for your help, now I know what to get when I go to Lowes

"and I'm wondering if it will cause any of my models to fade over time."

They have been used for decades without fading, all the way back to the Lynn Wescott days.  A few years back there was a feeling it would but there wasn't anything to it.  Many of layouts have have had these for long, long times.  I do remember a thread way back when, that stated he had fading from fluorescent lights but it was later reveled that is was actually sun damage not the lights

The full spectrum lights are even easier on the colors.  I remember that Dave Farey put a lot on this back in the 90's?

Steve

Does anybody have any idea whether it will damage anything to use fluorescent lights on a layout?  I'm thinking of using a total of 8 4' bulbs, and I'm wondering if it will cause any of my models to fade over time.

Yep, eventually. All florescent lamps emit some UV. However, it is nothing compared to the sunshine coming through the window.

Fluorescent lamps are one of a series of products that produce UVR, which is emitted from low pressure mercury vapour. The mercury vapour emits UVR when an electrical discharge is passed through it - most of the energy emitted is at a wavelength of 254 nm. This lies in the UVC portion of the spectrum (180-280 nm). In the case of fluorescent lighting, the 254 nm radiation is used to excite a phosphor which coats the inside of the glass envelope of the lamp. The phosphor will re-emit at visible wavelengths (different phosphors produce different colors), and any UVC which is not absorbed by the phosphor will be absorbed by the glass wall of the lamp. However, the mercury discharge will also emit at other wavelengths - notably at 365 nm, which lies in the UVA (315-400 nm). This UVA radiation may not be absorbed by the phosphor, and much of it will pass out through the lamp walls into the environment.

Whillock, M et al. Ultraviolet radiation levels associated with the use of fluorescent general lighting, UV-A and UV-B lamps in the workplace and home. Chilton, NRPB-R221 (1988).

Dear Ken,

Woodland Scenics and suchlike may be OK, but yes, fading is a definite issue for those of us who prefer to use "natural" scenery materials such as Asparagus Fern, Aniseed, and similar...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS +1 for making sure you have the same lighting on the workbench as on the layout...

At my work we have some huge maps which use just as many colors as us modelers use.  These are not your paper maps from the gas station.  These are heavy duty maps with the wood bar at the bottom to help the maps hang straight.  These maps are sealed in a clear coating.  The maps are hung on walls.  There are no windows in that area.  However, there are fluorescent lights overhead.  Everyone of these hung maps have lost the red printed ink lines down to about the 5 foot level.  You can actually see the start of the fade area to the point that red has completely disappeared.

Since most of us have our structures below the 5 foot level.  So, it should be okay.

Den

Since most of us have our structures below the 5 foot level.  So, it should be okay.

But Den, most of us also mount our layout lights a lot lower than our room lights.  In my case, there will likely only ne 18" or so between the lights and the track.