Camera mounted on train

R

richalex2010

New Member
Jan 31, 2005
27
0
1
33
Richmond, Va
What do you think of being able to mount a digital camera (or camcoder) on a car? It could be up on top, on a removable platform or permenatly mounted on a flat car or a custom designed car, but the camera would be removeable so that you could use it elsewhere. I made one out of LEGOs to try on an L gauge (LEGO scale, with all LEGOs) train, but I didn't get to try it. When I do, I will post a link on www.jakealexander.com under the model trains page (It's not there yet, but I have made the basic page:-)
thumbsup.gif
 
We had a boxcar with a wireless camera mounted in it at the last modular club meet. It was really great to watch from that point of view. We had the picture projected on the wall using an LCD projector hooked up to the receiver. The neatest thing about the trip -- it took about 45 minutes to do at 20 scale MPH...!

Andrew
 
Didn't Lionel have an engine with a camera in it that they sold back in the late eighties/early ninties? I think it was a black and white set up. Anyway, I seem to remember ad's in Model Railroader...

That and ad's for the "Jim Beam" rolling stock! ;) That would have made for a fun Saturday working on the railroad...
 
awsome idea, i'm going to fix my regular digital camera on a box car and drive the train in reverse and push it around with it recording the movie, lol


rubber bands shall do the trick
 
CavlrZ said:
awsome idea, i'm going to fix my regular digital camera on a box car and drive the train in reverse and push it around with it recording the movie, lol


rubber bands shall do the trick
Click to expand...

I've mounted it on a flat car overlooking the rest of the train as well as behind it ala "Von Ryan's Express"...too cool. In front of a sound equipped BLI steammer was just unreal, especially as it whistled off.

Mounting is easy, just use poster putty, the tacky putty used to mount posters to a wall.
 
petepuma said:
Didn't Lionel have an engine with a camera in it that they sold back in the late eighties/early ninties? I think it was a black and white set up. Anyway, I seem to remember ad's in Model Railroader...
Click to expand...

Yep, under the name "Railscope", came in a Geep in O scale, an 0-4-0 in G and two Alco PA1s, 1 powered, 1 camera toting, in HO. They worked OK but the signal came thru the rails which made for some interference. Couple that with a B&W picure and a hefty $400 price tag and you had the makings of a big flop.... :oops:
 
i mounted my camera onto the train today, it was quite neat, got some nice bloopers too with some derailment.... the big camera really throws off the weight distribution, and doesn't exactly let the trains go over the old vintage switch tracks very easy
 
I've got one of the Radio Shack wireless security cameras in a gondola. The camera is about the size of a quarter. It's color, no sound, doesn't seem to effect the gondola at all. Video is pretty good too. It's a trip driving the train as a little person! 9volt battery lasts about four hours.
 
"What do you think of being able to mount a digital camera (or camcoder) on a car? It could be up on top, on a removable platform or permenatly mounted on a flat car or a custom designed car,"

First thought.......superdetailed tunnel interiors........I think I'll keep using the hand held. :D :D :D
Pete
 
sumpter250 said:
"What do you think of being able to mount a digital camera (or camcoder) on a car? It could be up on top, on a removable platform or permenatly mounted on a flat car or a custom designed car,"

First thought.......superdetailed tunnel interiors........I think I'll keep using the hand held. :D :D :D
Pete
Click to expand...

We have a member whose tunnels are lighted, much like a subway, because of his multi-track staging yards. The effect is great and appears like concrete columns and such, even though it's just plywood and 1x4s with no special attention.

I'm working on a passenger car where the camera can look out of the vista-dome and a caboose where the camera peeps out of the cupola. I've already got a boxcar with a hobo and some pallts that the camera looks past and onto the passing scenery.
 
I bought one of the wireless pinhole camera at the Springfield show last weekend to use on our clubs "N" scale layout. I was trying to mount it on a flat car and I think I bent one of the leads a little too tight. Wound up getting an intermittent picture anytime the leads were moved. Slept on the idea of taking it apart and decided to bite the bullet this morning. I carefully cut away all the insulation and shaved down the camera plug. CAUTION HERE! There is a circuit board molded in the camera plug. I opened the camera and drilled a small hole out the back of it. I cut the three wires and fed them out through the hole. I next glued the two halves of the camera together and then cut off those huge screw protrusions on the camera sides. Splice soldered the wires and applied some shrink tubing insulaltion. Darn thing must be bullet proof because it works with no intermittency when I twist the wires. Now all I needed was a car. Decided to build one, nothing prototypical, but something functional with a little eye appeal.
 

Attachments

  • MVC-006S.JPG
    MVC-006S.JPG
    33.7 KB · Views: 125
Don't know what to do with the battery yet, lay it flat or stand it on edge. Laying flat it overhangs the car on both sides. The camera housing can swivel slightly to either side.
 

Attachments

  • MVC-002S.JPG
    MVC-002S.JPG
    35 KB · Views: 115
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom