http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss103/jackiwolf/Wolfcreek/Ice%20House%20Animation_zpsrbmzsrmg.jpg
I am looking to get into some more advanced animation. I have several simple animations on my layout. See NEW Drawing above.
I would like the Fork Lift to go from inside the Ice House to run down the wood platform carrying a pallet. When it reaches a point I want it to stop and drop the pallet. It will then go in reverse back to the warehouse. It will wait then come out and pick up the pallet. I would like to use Magnets if possible. It also can not cost a fortune. Any and all ideas are greatly appreciated. I have been checking online but I have not seen anything I liked. Send any links that you think might be usefull.
Thanks in advance
Harold
You might want to study some of the Lionel and Flyer creations of long ago.....
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
One way, although it needs a lot fo space, would be to put a realibe motorized chassis on a stretch of track under the loading platform, with onceof those automatic shuttle controllers to drive it from one point to the other, pause, and then reverse. On top it would carry a strong magnet, that would pull the fork lift along with it. Just make sure the powered chassis is heavier than the pull of the magnet for obvious reasons. You probably could use an N scale loco and track to run an HO scale fork truck.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Well that sounds like quite a challenge for the tinkerer. Thinking about the pallet being dropped off - reminds me of a little display that Kadee used to supply to hobby shops showing how their delayed action coupler worked - stop over the magnet, back up a tiny bit, then shove forward. The display would go through the whole cycle of coupling and uncoupling automatically with the forwards and reverses (and small reverse) all built in. Could the fork of the forklift have a magnet that could be electrically reversed so that it would repell and not attract the pallet, then reverse again? The movement of the forklift itself seems like things that have been done with toys and again with the Kadee display.
I do not want to pour cold water on this idea but I would just state this very general opinion about automation on a layout. Unless it is smooth, slow, and plausible (from a momentum as well as mechanical perspective) in all its movements, to me it becomes jarring and a deterrent, not a benefit.
Dave Nelson
Dave
I could not agree more. This is why I am looking at all ideas. I was thinking about putting an electomagnet at the stop point under the platform and one on the bottom of the pallet.The magnet would hold the pallet as the fork lift reverses. Still trying to have the fork lift move freely that distance.
Servo control is smooth enough to simulate momentum and all that - there are some servo driven semaphores that even neatly simulate the bounce when the arm drops. This despite there being a solid pushrod connecting the arm and servo.
About twelve years ago I suggested to a guy that was doing something similar that he mount a strong magnet to a bicycle chain mounted on its side. I also suggested he use old bike sprockets to handle turns. About eight months later he posted the results and it worked like a charm.
Never heard from him again. I know he was in England though.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I was looking at this idea online. The problem is that the platform is only 10 scale feet. As it is an Ice house platform it is also 16 scale feet off the top of the layout. Please keep all these good suggestions coming.
I have not seen any links yet. Someone online must have done something like this.
Maybe you should reconsider the forklift? If it's a standard icing dock, a forklift is kind of a big heavy thing to be running around on it. Most used a chain drag arrangement to move blocks of ice from the icehouse for loading in the cars. "Ice blocks" are available in various sizes from several vendors. Attaching them to a "chain" and then driving it may be simpler and more typical of prototype practice.
BTW, if you haven't come across it yet, a good source of animation ideas and techniques is an old narrowgauge friend's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/scoopmmr
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
How about something like this?
https://www.faller.de/App/WebObjects/XSeMIPS.woa/cms/page/pid.14.17.109/lg.en/Car-System.html
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Faller+car+system&&view=detail&mid=105CCA80BA6924F66ED7105CCA80BA6924F66ED7&FORM=VRDGAR
Gary