Now go and look in an automotive store.
They may have (Menard's has it) a backup camera with a screen that attaches to your visor. About $70, and what do you know, it runs on 12 volts!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Hard to beat the price on those cameras, Carl.
Regarding the Harbor Freight LCD+ 2 color cameras system, I just got a sale flyer where it's on sale at HF from Feb 3 to Feb 16 at $72.99. Works great if you want a nice neat solution all in one box.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I've been thinking about the same question. Since I have a computer already for JMRI, I'm hoping I can do something with a few of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Webcam-Camera-Meeting-compatible/dp/B008GWPC1Q/ref=sr_1_11?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1422460233&sr=1-11&keywords=webcam
$6.99 each!
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Hi, Tophias
There have been a few threads on this subject but may be difficult to search for.
Here's a recent one where Mike L has suggested a very reasonable system from Harbor Freight.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/242553.aspx
You will have to copy>paste as I don't have the magic touch to make links active within trains.com
Here is the link that Mike provided in that thread:
http://www.harborfreight.com/color-security-system-with-night-vision-60565.html
The system on my layout evolved over several years. Today I use mostly commercial cameras that I bought on ebay for cheap and hard wired them to a PC based DVR.
I believe for reliability around all the stray RFinterference that can be surrounding a model railroad I would stick with hard wired cameras... MY choice, anyway.
All of the budget line cameras have fixed focus lenses but at close range (but not too close) you should be able to read numbers. Lighting is important! You can get infra-red light sources that the camera will see but is almost invisible to our eyes (you can see a faint red glow) as the distance away from the camera increases the image will be too fuzzy to make out actual car numbers.
Overall, it makes a handy tool for keeping the trains running. I also have cameras in areas of the layout where the track is obscured so I can glance at the conditions and make sure there isn't a pile-up in progress.
Good Luck, Ed
I will soon complete a hidden storage yard under my layout. It will have block detection with LEDS on a fascia panel, but for actual train movement ( I.e. Engine road numbers) I am thinking of a simple video system to see engines. I am interested to know if anyone has experience with this? What type of system, cabled or wireless? With little ambient light, do the cameras give a good enough image to see road numbers? Any specific system you might suggest to purchase? Any other issues I should know about? Thanks all.