Lighting

There are several possibilities in regards to installing lighting in your
JigStone structures.

If you want to wire up through the bottom of a larger structure, you will want to leave an opening in the base cement foundation that you pour. This can be easily accomplished at the time of pouring by leaving a hole created by something as small as a 1" pipe or plastic pill bottle, or as large as a plastic margarine tub. I suggest that your opening be as conservative as possible to prevent cracking and breakage. Once the hole has been established, wiring can be fed up through it.

Accessing light bulbs could prove tricky. I’ve a friend who attaches his roof with Velcro strips for easy removal.

Another friend forgoes the hole insertion idea all together and sets the entire building on top of patio lighting fixtures which have become popular of late.

For exterior lighting, such as above a door, for a store window, or potential exterior lighting, wires may be fed through walling pieces either as the designer is building, or installed afterward, before the filler keys are put in place. Stay Alert!

Speaking of the winter holidays, watch items in the dollar-stores sprouting up all over with off-season G-scale items at bottom prices.

Grab tiny white holiday tree lights and line roadways and rail beds with telephone poles and electric service.

The lights are small in size and dim enough to function effectively as street lighting without overshadowing or distracting from your garden railroad display. (Note: Replace the blinker bulbs with standard bulbs.)

Spacing between the lights will range from 15 to 24 inches or more, so streetlight spacing would probably be good on a ten-foot scale.

Weathering

Although some people prefer their buildings to look freshly built, I prefer my buildings to look aged. It doesn’t take much to create the illusion of age on a JigStones structure.

Structures that have window and door openings could show signs of aging by dirtying upper corners on windows and doors. This is where the wood smoke would leak out of the house and over the years would leave a darker hue to the stone. Also, don’t forget that people have a tendency to handle parts of woodwork without even thinking about it. Areas along door jams, windows, or sills are excellent places to dirty your structure.

If you are aging an industrial structure, like an engine house or goods shed, utilize the same strategy as you would with residential structures; however, bear in mind that if a steam train passes into or through this industrial structure the soot will have dirtied openings proportionately.

Another general area to age a structure is along foundations which meet the ground and areas where the sun would not keep mildew in check. These places include inverted wall corners and along tops of structures where the eaves overhang.