Friday, March 13, 2009
NTS & B Arch Bridge
I needed 1 more bridge, 4 foot long to cross the center of the layout. I decided on either an arch bridge, or a deck bridge with minimum supports so the area behind and underneath would not be blocked. My daughter Jennifer surprised me on my birthday by coming in with her family for a visit. I was showing her and her fiance Bruce what I had in mind for a bridge, so they decided to build it as a birthday present. Bruce cut the letters from a 2x4 using a hand held saber saw. The deck and ends were 1x4 pine, and the arches were made from some plastic 1/2 x 3/4 trim I had bought for another uses. Kathy suggested the Lionel colors. Jennifer did a great job with the paint, and now I have the bridge :) My son Scott and his wife Maria also visited, and Scott contributed the following pictures.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
NTS & B North Pole Yard Train location detection
I needed a yard on the North Pole (ceiling) level of the layout so I could have trains other than the Polar Express ready to run. Because I had to work around typical obstacles such as lights and water shut off valves, The length of the yard was limited to just barely fit the Polar Express, so accurate train detection was required.
The most obvious solution, video cameras is expensive and requires space for cameras and a monitor. Since the tracks were curved, about 3 cameras would have been needed to get a clear shot of the turnouts. Since there is only about 9 1/2 inches from track to ceiling, the cameras would have to be very close to the tops of the trains, and still would not have a clear view of the tracks (See top picture).
The second solution was using mirrors (the trains would provide the smoke). This also did not work, since the angle required for the mirror was too great to be able to see the trains at the control center.
I then decided to use LEDs or light bulbs, and use short insulated track sections at the end of each siding, similar and next to the non-derailing tracks. The problem then became how to mount them and where to locate them so they would be vi sable to the control center. I contemplated mounting LEDS in the ceiling, creating a light bridge at each end of the yard, or using light poles. The problem was still having the trains in front obstruct the view of the bulbs, or limited viewing angle and intensity of the LEDs, or having the bulbs too far from the turnouts to be able to accurately judge when the train would get to the insulated section.
The solution finally presented itself over the Christmas holidays in the form of a string of LED Christmas lights. The LEDs were cylindrical in shape so were very bright at a wide viewing angle. Of course, they also come with sockets, which happened to be just the right length to go through the 1 inch board without sticking up above it. Mounting just required making the proper size hole in the board, and then hot gluing the sockets in, since there is no heat generated by the LEDs. They also allowed placing each LED close to the turnout, which accurately marks the end of the track when placing the train. See bottom pictures for results
The most obvious solution, video cameras is expensive and requires space for cameras and a monitor. Since the tracks were curved, about 3 cameras would have been needed to get a clear shot of the turnouts. Since there is only about 9 1/2 inches from track to ceiling, the cameras would have to be very close to the tops of the trains, and still would not have a clear view of the tracks (See top picture).
The second solution was using mirrors (the trains would provide the smoke). This also did not work, since the angle required for the mirror was too great to be able to see the trains at the control center.
I then decided to use LEDs or light bulbs, and use short insulated track sections at the end of each siding, similar and next to the non-derailing tracks. The problem then became how to mount them and where to locate them so they would be vi sable to the control center. I contemplated mounting LEDS in the ceiling, creating a light bridge at each end of the yard, or using light poles. The problem was still having the trains in front obstruct the view of the bulbs, or limited viewing angle and intensity of the LEDs, or having the bulbs too far from the turnouts to be able to accurately judge when the train would get to the insulated section.
The solution finally presented itself over the Christmas holidays in the form of a string of LED Christmas lights. The LEDs were cylindrical in shape so were very bright at a wide viewing angle. Of course, they also come with sockets, which happened to be just the right length to go through the 1 inch board without sticking up above it. Mounting just required making the proper size hole in the board, and then hot gluing the sockets in, since there is no heat generated by the LEDs. They also allowed placing each LED close to the turnout, which accurately marks the end of the track when placing the train. See bottom pictures for results
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