It's been a while since I've made any layout progress... Trains tend to be more of a winter sport for us, and we've been out doing summer activities (and summer yard work!). However, this week I did finally order some Phillips Hue bulbs and get them up and running over the layout. As you may recall from previous posts, the 3 lamp shades above the layout were intended for smart lights so I could dynamically control the color/tone of lighting over the layout as a whole (or by section). The idea was that I could easily simulate daytime, sunset, dusk, etc.
Set-up was surprisingly easy, and I now have three bulbs that I can change to pretty much any imaginable color combination with my phone. Some of the pre-built "scenes" are pretty darn neat. I can also turn them on/off with my phone, or by voice using our Echo.
I played around with the lights briefly this evening. The pics don't really do it justice as the effect looks better in person, but I think they will give you the idea.
First, here's a broader view showing all three lights:
Next, here are some shots of the left half of the layout, showing some of the color variations I tried out.
This one is a pre-built sunset:
Here's a more daylight setting:
And these three I did just to explore some of the range. There are darker variations on the purple (includng some pre-builts) that provide a neat night-time effect... will be great for doing night scenes without having the lights completely off, especially once the buildings are wired.
This looks less "night vision green" in person...
