and he notes -
Lionel Trains had engine mounted cameras back in the 80s. I heard
they had a contract to supply them to the CIA - nuthin' like havin'
James Bond on the layout!.
The late Gene Fletcher had an idea for a scrap yard using an AF
Magnetic Crane to load and unload cars with scrap iron. I don't think
he finished the project but the idea does have possibilities. It
could be scalerized to look presentable - maybe motorized to run back
and forth on a set of rails.
A few simple ideas - a small red lamp mounted in the cab of a steam
loco with a loose connection to simulate the opening and closing of
the firebox door. and nobody's mentioned it but the new AT&SF 4-8-4
is an oil burner. Since there is neither an ash pan nor grates, the
flame in the firebox is visible, usually sputtering and making a
popping sound. It's more pronounced after dark. I'm sure some
electronic wizard could come up with the circuitry to make the effect
- probably with LEDs.
Raleigh where it's still raining! (in Maine)
At 12:52 PM 11/26/2007, Bob Werre wrote:
>" I purchased a little video camera setup so I can monitor a yard
>behind a view block. I also purchased a miniature battery powered
>camera that we once put into a gondola and pushed it around the
>layout (not unlike what Lionel did several years ago in B & W). At
>one of our local club's meetings we ran the thing--all our guys,
>rivet counters and all were amazed the the different view one gets
>from the engineers cab. Skip Romig from the Dallas area is building
>a beautiful layout that will utilise such a camera to actually run
>some of his trains--from the engine--so you've got to watch your
>trackside signals!
>
>Bob Werre
>
>
>
>
>
>raleigh wrote:
>>
>>and he notes -
>>
>>John Degnan wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>If I'm not mistaken AF fans have a different motivation for building
>>or operating a layout - it's called 'play time' something many model
>>railroaders don't do.
>>
>>
>>
>>What is interesting is that in all my sixty or so years of AF, 0 and
>>S Gauge modeling, I have seen only one scale layout that did anything
>>more than shuffle cars and that was Frank Titman's old D&W
>>located on Arch Street (I believe). He built an operating coal mine
>>that had a tumbler mechanism that contained exactly one hopper load
>>of coal (real coal, not the plastic stuff). The filled cars were then
>>run down to the river where they were dumped into a barge (actually a
>>concealed funnel that channeled the coal down to a bucket under the
>>layout for reloading into the mine building. A No. 752 "Seaboard Coal
>>Loader" in disguise I'd say!
>>
>>But to come to the point; most adherents to the 'scale' portion of S
>>Gauge have no interest in the play value in operating cars and
>>accessories. Some are obsessed with punctilious accuracy to the last
>>rivet, others are not so fussy, but in either case their rolling
>>stock does nothing but roll. A Hi-Railer at least has the option of
>>running an operating car in his SHS or AM consist. Most 'Scalers'
>>blanch at the thought of an AF operating mail car running with an AM
>>Pacific and a string of coaches but it does DO something. When one
>>thinks of it, a train loaded with simulated coal leaves the yard
>>ostensibly for a port or power plant and then comes back still
>>loaded. How accurate is that?
>>
>>If Frank Titman could make an accurate looking coal loading and
>>unloading system without compromising scale (even though he used
>>converted AF hoppers) why isn't there something like this available
>>in S today? With all this container stuff on the market, no one to my
>>knowledge has come up with a loading or unloading facility that
>>works. And why not a scale version of an operating mail car?
>>
>>Too complicated? Too expensive? Too toy like? Well maybe not -
>>talking, bell ringing, whistling and smoking locomotives have already
>>found their way from the toy train to the scale model thanks to the
>>marvels of electronics. Automatons have been around for a few hundred
>>years. If an eighteenth century craftsman could make an automated
>>clockwork mechanism for an animated toy, then today's model
>>railroading 'rocket scientists' (aka Chinese) should be able to come
>>up with a mechanism to load or unload a scale trailer on a flat car
>>and keep it down to a reasonable cost!
>>
>>I would bet a dollar that if something like this (or some other
>>operating 'scale' accessory) was available, the Hi-Railers would
>>support it and Scale modelers would benefit from the volume of sales.
>>Until that happens, it's back to the ol' operating No. 719 "Unloading
>>Car" with its Manoil Coupe and accuracy be damned!
>>
>>Just a few thoughts on a chilly evening in Maine,
>>
>>Raleigh (with tongue in cheek!)
>>
>>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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