Home >> Hobbies >> Model Railroads

How to Hook Up the Lights for an HO Track

While any details help, lighting elements go a long way towards making your HO scale model railroad train layout appear real. Whether it's a lit house, street sign or string of street lamps, the addition helps to add dynamism to your layout. With the addition of a electrical switch controller you can add the lights you need and run them to a central unit allowing you to turn them on and off with the flick of a single switch.

Things You'll Need

Power drill
Lights
Electrical tape
Model railroad SPST electrical switch controller
Phillips screwdriver
Wire stripper

Instructions

- 1
  Drill a hole through the train set's baseboard with a power drill, large enough to push the light through, where you wish to place the light. For example, for structures drill the hole in the center of the structure location. For street lamps position the hole where the lamp connects to your base.
- 2
  Push the light through the hole from the bottom of the train set baseboard, and mount the light where desired. Trail the wire for the light beneath the baseboard to your train controller. Keep the wire from drooping by taping it every foot or so to the bottom of your train board with electrical tape.
- 3
  Turn off your train set's electrical switch controller and unplug it from the train's main power supply. The connector has multiple switches on it you can flip to an on or off position to provide power to those electrical objects hooked into it.
- 4
  Loosen a screw from your switch controller with a Phillips screwdriver. Select a screw controlled by the particular switch you wish to use for the light. Use wire strippers to strip about 1/2-inch of the protective covering from the end of the light's wire, and then thread the wire around the screw. Tighten the screw back onto the switch, connecting the wire to the switch plate in the process.
- 5
  Reconnect the switch controller to your power supply, and then test the switch by flipping the switch for the light into the on position. The light should begin shining. If it doesn't, then go back and check that you properly made all connections, and make any corrections necessary before retesting.

Model Railroads