Night Ops

[FJ and G]

"Vincent Van Gogh once said, 'there are more colors in the dark of night that during the day. You just have to condition yourself to see them.'"

---Brianel

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Not a post about night operations in Afghanistan using night vision gear (has anyone taken a photo of their layout using night vision camera? Would be interesting); but about running your trains in the dark.

Do any of you ever do this? I mean, turning out the lights and enjoying the lights of the locomotive and passenger cars and lighted accessories and switches?

You get a whole nother perspective with the lights out. Suddenly, the walls disappear and your layout becomes endless; part of the distant horizons, with tracks extending thru the dark for thousands of miles.

A moment of contemplation and the lonely whistle of the steam train, going to a distant and exotic land. Mystery. Adventure. Romance of the rails.

Dave Vergun

[cnw1995]

Yes, we've run the ballyhoo circus train and the 248 in the dark. We have a rotating airfield beacon and a few Christmas village homes so everything glows satisfactorily. We especially like the headlight glow grow on the far wall as the train heads down the oval towards it and then arc across the room's walls as it rounds the bends.

[Anonymous]

Sure I do a lot of night ops. I build my layouts with such operation in mind. Running in a darkened room really does add some drama to the layout.

Couple of 'get ya's' however; be sure that you have a safe walking space. I have busted my chones more than once stumbling around in the dark. Also its a get idea to make sure that track and switches are clear and obstruction free. In night ops its real easy to have a tremendous collision or an 'off the table' event.

I run TMCC and have a couple of 'dead' areas (don't know why); proceed gingerly through these areas. You do have to reduce the pace of operations at night. Switching in the yards can be somewhat problematic particulalry if you have to foul the main to get your work done.

Working signal systems really are valuable (not to mention beautiful) running night ops. But are they ever a pain to build. I'm working on my block detection system right now and its a major pain to get hooked up - so many wires ;-)).

[FJ and G]

Tex

One idea for walking around and not busting your shines is to install a dark light somewhere. Problem with the dark light is that it often illuminates objects you don't want lit. But I understand there's a spray you can buy that de-illuminates objects.

Hadn't thought about the signals, but they really do add some night drama to a scene!

dav

[FJ and G]

BTW, Doug,

A night circus would be really neat idea; lighted roller coasters and little game booths everywhere. Sounds like you are up for night ops.

[Roger Bielen]

I frequently operate the trains at night. Nothing better than a string of 15 hoppers, looks like the caboose is going down the track on its own.

One thing I have yet to try, I read that "painting" stars and the moon using a brightning type laundry detergent and shining a black light on it will cause it to glow but not be visible with normal lighting, the whiteners are UV active. Maybe it also can be used to give the impression of lighting on other objects when the lights go down.

[cnw1995]

Wow, a night circus is a great idea!

Roger, speaking as the dad of young children, there are myriad, inexpensive glow-in-the-dark stars and planets or sky stickers or plastic-stick-ons that work well on backdrops since they are practically invisible with the lights on.

[FJ and G]

Hi Roger,

I wrote about using liquid detergent for moon and stars in my Sept03 CTT feature article. It completely disappears when the lights go on; and when it's dark, using the dark light, they are illuminated with the exact light as stars and moon. You even can "paint" the detergent on and leave dark crater spots to show the man on the moon effect.

Interestingly, you do the painting with lights out and black light on.

I even fixed the consellations in the correct place (galaxies) using a star chart for the fall sky, which I was doing (modeling fall foliage).

Dave

[Big_Boy_4005]

At enterTRAINment night time was a big deal. We actually simulated a complete day / night cycle every 15 minutes. There were 24 seperate layout lighting circuits that would go on and off at different intervals during the cycle. In one place on the layout there was a row of 20 houses. The row used 8 different circuits for it's lights. It was like the little people were waking up and going to bed. Of course this was all computer controlled.

[FJ and G]

Elliot,

Theres a big toy train place in SE Penn. called Choo Choo Barn or Roadside America; can't recall which, which has lights dim and then go out & everything is lit up nice and lovely and some patriotic music is played. It's pretty spectacular, despite the mushiness.

Dav

[Big_Boy_4005]

Been to both Dave. Roadside America is the one with Kate Smith singing God Bless America. It is actually a little off the beaten path these days. The Choo Choo Barn is in Strasburg, and I think they do day / night too. I visited them both 11 years ago this July, when my ex and I took our 3 week mega "train hunt" road trip. My guess is, some things never change.[swg]

By the way, we took that trip when enterTRAINment was open. For me it was a "business trip", the only one I've ever been on!!!!![8D][^][(-D][(-D][(-D][:P][;)]

[BigJim]

One idea is to use the blue string lights that are available around Christmas to give that full moon effect.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BigJim

One idea is to use the blue string lights that are available around Christmas to give that full moon effect.

We did that too at enterTRAINment, but with track mounted blue flood lights. It was part of the regular lighting system mentioned above.

[Buckeye Riveter]

If you want to see night operations, go see Cincinnati in Motion. You will not see a finer display of illumination of a layout.

[Roger Bielen]

Dave,
Not remembering where I read about using the detergent I'm glad I didn't put it as my idea. I'm glad to know you were the author.

By the way with all the ideas, philosophies, etc. you raise have you thought of compiling a book "Dave's Musings"? With you being a writer it should be right down your alley.

[spankybird]

Hi All,
You can count me in on night running. Here is a pic we made, as we are still learning all the different camera setting. This was done on night setting, without flash. This does put the camera in time laps mode. I need to get a tri-pod for this type of shooting



tom.

[FJ and G]

Nice to see nightops in Spankybirdville, where trains run 24/7!

While passenger trains look pretty cool at night, a bit hard to see a string of ore cars.

Roger,

Not really.

Reg. night ops, best to experiment in the dark. If you want to see a really cool effect under black light, grab some weed wacker plastic string, the green or yellow type; and twirl it under the black light. Gives off a really neat effect. I've also designed lighted billboards by simply making a copy of an old ad on the copy machine and pasting it into the billboard. Since paper glows under the black light, it lights up the billboard; and around the billboard I put weed wacker string and it looks like neon tubes.

With a layout like Spankybirdville, for example, Tom could place a black light overhead (the effect of a 22" tube goes out to about 15 feet); then, using liquid detergent (I use TIDE), paint the headlights of all his vehicles and for the rear lights of the cars, use red flourescent paint, which you can purchase in the weird novelty store of shopping malls.

The dark light techniques could be used elsewhere on the layout; your imagination is the limits; and it esp would look good supplementing the LEDs or tiny bulbs that Tom (or anyone else) uses. I'm just using Tom's layout as an example, since we are treated to it a lot.

Dave Vergun

[Anonymous]

I was at the Choo Choo Barn last year when we took our family vacation to Hershey (we made a day trip to Strasburg for the trains & my son). They do indeed lower the lights.

We've lowered the lights on our layout. Not that we've got any scenery at all, but the lights are pretty.

Tony

[spankybird]

Hi all,

We also did this shot last night with the room lights off. The camera was still set for regular pictures and the flash was still on. I was really surprised how well everything came out with just the flash.



tom

[Anonymous]

I don't think I ever go through an operating session in the evening without running the trains with the lights off. I love night time operations. I think nostalgia has a lot to do with it because my earliest memories of toy trains are of my dad running a little Lionel 1655 steam locomotive and its consist of freight cars around the Christmas tree with all the room lights off. The tree lights , the soft glow of the street side lamps, and the piercing beam of the locomotive's headlamp made the scene perfectly magical. Even now when I run my trains at night I vividly recall those days of the late 1940's and early 1950's. If you love trains it was a great time to be a kid!

[Roger Bielen]

On my 2nd layout, 6yrs to 16yrs. of age I had plastic chips, about 1/8" diam., that were yellowish white and glowed blue in the dark. It gave the impression of a moonlit winter night. My uncle worked for Bakalite and would get bags of the stuff. I wish I still had some today.