Layout animation ideas?

[Dave-the-Train]

I suspect that there are two completely different (but not incompatible) things going on here...

1. The immense fun of figuring out how to achieve an animation.
2. The adding of interest to spectators.

For the lone modeller I suspect that only 1 really applies... but if that is part of the enjoyment of the hobby it's great... and please share the results!

Adding interest...

I think that this has to be subtle.  I think that for show layouts it has to be especially careful to avoid being gimicky or toy-like.

Many,many years ago (when I was a kid) there was a brilliant layout that showed every year at Easter that had lots of individual animations... but they were all simple... plus you had to look carefully for them.

1. the constant one was rabbits that shot back into their holes every time a train approached.  These were just worked by a solenoid point motor driving levers and wires.  I think that it was triggered by a simple treadle in each track.
2. one that was repeated at different places was a figure moving a parcel from pile a to b who turned from pile a to b or the other way.  This was worked by hand from a remote lever... kids loved trying to spot the movement... I think the operators loved teasing the kids as well.
3. In the same way doors and gates opened.  I think that working gates are as important as working signals and grade crossings.
4. A van could also be moved from outside a warehouse door to inside (and vice versa)... not a big deal but it kept the audience guessing.
5. I'm getting ancient so I don't recall the others.  The thing with most of them though was that they were both simple to install and use... there was almost nothing to maintain/go wrong... so they weren't a headache for the operators at the show.

The important thing was that the animations were subtle, enhancing the scene rather than distracting from it.

[kjd]

Here are links to my rotary dumper and loadout. Neither of these are finished but I also have an article about another loadout scheduled to appear in the Sept 09 issue of one of the modeling magazines and that one is finished into a Freemo mini-mo. I just like the idea of animation and making things move. I'd love to do one of the new Huletts but don't have the cash to spend on a model I don't need. Here is the page with the links: http://members.trainorders.com/pmack/train.htm

[Anonymous]

 Nice list, Chuck - I agree that animation can enhance a layout, if it is adding to the train operation. I have seen many attempts to animate scenes, but found most of the motion to be too abrupt to look real.

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is a huge show layout (over 1 million visitors each year) and they are certainly the masters of animation, but even so, some of that stuff just does not look right. It is a bit like the trucks and cars we put on our roads - we spent a lot of time to detail and weather our locos and rolling stock, but put a $ 1.99 out of scale car on the street.

Look at the introductory video from Miniatur Wunderland at:

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/anlage/video/4-minuten-wunderland/

 

[jwhitten]

 My biggest problems with animation on a layout:

1. Its hard to achieve good realism with most animations- jerky or stiff motion, obvious mechanical action, too fast, too slow, motion doesn't "scale well" (i.e. 1:1 time/distance versus "scaled" time/distance)

2. Most animations are too repetitive and quickly become old, boring and distracting

3.  (My biggest complaint) -- the more things that are animated, despite the artistry and sophistication-- the more quickly and obviously I notice the things that *aren't* animated but should be, such as people doing things and milling about, animals (dogs, cats, cows, etc.) scampering around (well, maybe not the cows), the absence of birds, trees swaying in the wind, cars scooting past on the highways, trash litter swirling here and there in the breeze, smoke rising from chimneys and factory stacks (not to mention locomotives)-- in short, the everyday things we see around us all the time.

Perhaps some day in the future things could be different for the hobby- instead of having static backgrounds like we do now, perhaps they will be LCD (or similar- E-paper maybe?) displays that can display a more animated scene, at the very least a dynamic sky would be nice, so you could have blue skies one day, bold billowy clouds the next, and threatening storms the day after that. (I know, you can do that with scrims).

There are some very subtle animations that can add to a scene-- like the welding someone showed-- its a nice effect. The problem with that particular implementation (My opinion, no offense intended to the builder, it was nicely done) is that its too periodic and repetitive. The idea of using the radio as a "noise source" was a good one, but to be effective (IMO) the whole effect should have a long random timer in-between triggers. Not just a few seconds-- minutes to hours random. To just be standing there looking around at the layout and the welding starts up. Stops. Starts again. Stops for a little bit. Starts up again. And then stops until the next day. That would be an *awesome* effect. Of course not every single visitor is going to see it and ooh and ahh over the effect, but (to me, IMO) that would be a better implementation of it.

As far as the windmill goes-- I personally think you're going to have a problem getting those motors going slow enough reliably enough. Even using PWM (pulse-width modulation) the duty cycle "on" time is going to be extremely short and those motors are made super-cheap (they're pager / toothpaste motors). BUT, that said, if you want to try something that *might* work, why not hook up an el-cheapo DCC motor controller (the usual loco type) and try that? They have some pretty good motor control circuitry built-in that can be had for cheap.

 

[reklein]

I hear ya Chuck and I agree. It was what was happening when I was a kid. Sorta thoughtless of me I guess. BILL

[tomikawaTT]

The one item I DON'T want to see, either on a layout or in real life, is that 450-ton silo door snapping to the side to clear the missile - which will rise to the edge of space before plunging down to convert something on the surface to radioactive glass!  So far in my lifetime, there have been two nuclear weapons fired in anger.  If there is NEVER a third, it will be thirty minutes too soon!!!

Back to topic.  I would prioretize animation ideas as:

1.  Essential to operation:

• Signals (especially semaphores.)
• Turntable.
• Coaling station (sound is animation, too.)

2  Nice to have for operation:

• Crossing gates and flashers.
• Live mineral loaders (coal or ores.)
• Devices to load or unload open-top cars (logs, pipe, crated machinery, containers...)
• Operating hopper car unloaders (rotary or tilt dumpers.)
• Railroading related action (sound and light shows simulating shop work, passenger operations...)
• Operating car ferry aprons (assuming you model a port that was served by car ferry)

3.  Nice but not really railroad related:

• Windmills, all sizes.
• Traffic signals
• Moving vehicles (at scale speed, realistic actions.)
• Bells ringing the hours (church or city hall)

4.  Somewhat hokey:

• Construction machinery.  (Operating pile driver anyone?  How about a TBM?)
• Carnival rides.  (The show stops for a few days, then leaves...)
• Moving vehicles (hurky-jerky or moving at speeds measured in Mach numbers.)
• Model airplane pilot flying his U-control aircraft.
• Anything having to do with moving watercraft other than car floats/ferries.  (This includes both moving vessels and moving bridges.)

5.  Implied movement that isn't

• Traffic accident or stop.
• Vehicles waiting for the pilot car where the road is running one-lane.
• Ceremonies where people stand still.  (Outdoor wedding, medal award, school graduation...)
• Passengers waiting for their train(s).

While it would be nice to recreate every action seen in the full scale world, realistically it isn't possible.  So we have to choose which things to animate and which things to leave static (or to leave out altogether.)  A display layout could/should have more, at least some operated by pushbuttons on the fascia.  OTOH, on a home layout the more outlandish and quirky things will tend to get old (and unmaintained) in a hurry.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with rail-related animation)

[reklein]

When I was in High school in the 50s in Montana, I made a missle silo that had opening doors and a missle would rise to the suface in firing position. I did this with rods and bellcranks from model airplane stuff ,leading to the front of the layout. At the time the airforce was building the silos all over the state. None of them were served by rail though.Kept a lot of guys in jobs. Talk about economic stimulus!. BILL

[sschnabl]

A few years back I was at a train show in Green Bay and this guy had his layout set up there, it even had a customized trailer to haul it.  Anyway, he had a small urban scene with moving vehicles.  I can't be certain, but I think he used something similar to a bicycle chain with magnets mounted underneath the layout.  On the surface, he had vehicles with magnets mounted on the undersides.  It was a pretty cool effect.  The only drawback was that all the vehicles followed the same path.  I suppose you could have mulitple chains going to have different routes, but that would be a lot of engineering to pull off.

[chutton01]

scubaterry

chutton01

I wonder about operating fence gates/rail doors which open when a train approaches - d

 

Here's a how to fm the website of the Westport Terminal RR I found interesting.

http://www.westportterminal.de/moving_gates.html

Terry in FLorida

I had seen that page a while ago, but lost the website URL in the meanwhile. Thanks for reposting it.
I see they use the manual hand throw method via connecting rod, in the same manner as throwing a manual switch from a rod on the layout fascia - upon reflection it does seem the most robust method.

[scubaterry]

chutton01

I wonder about operating fence gates/rail doors which open when a train approaches - d

 

Here's a how to fm the website of the Westport Terminal RR I found interesting.

http://www.westportterminal.de/moving_gates.html

Terry in FLorida

[scubaterry]

 Hey folks, thanks for all the input and ideas.  I particularly liked the fan in the window. That's a keeper.   I may try to replicate that on my HO pike.  I have several motors I have collected that have slow speeds fm 2-48 rpm's.  I think they may be adaptable to this sort of thing.

As far as too many animations on a layout?  Well I think they only increase the visual interest of a layout.  I operate alone and few people actually see my layout (former).  I think the big reason I like animation is the work involved to get a realistic looking scene.  It adds yet another aspect to MRR, and its very enjoyable both building and watching once done.

Any more ideas out there.  No matter how wild lets hear them!

Terry in Florida

[tbdanny]

I've added a couple of animation effects to my layout - mainly electronic ones.  There's a set of crossing gates that automatically detect trains and flash accordingly.

The other one is a single signal (as my layout is a yard with staging), that is connected to a train detector on the staging bus.  When the signal is green, it's safe to run trains into staging - so it looks good and performs a role.  So I suppose an animation that helps with an operational goal would be a good idea.  My  anyway.

[Alantrains]

 

Hi Terry, This topic is one of my favorites. I have made a few animations for my layout.

Here are some short vidoes of them.

http://tinyurl.com/krmoza

One of the problems of using pager or toothbrush motors is that they usually run too fast. I'm working on a pulse control to try and slow them down yet still give reliable operation.

I used a microwave turntable motor to turn a ventilator on one of my Walthers freight houses. It revolves slowly. I might try one in the window rotating a fan like on the White River site. If you do this be very careful of the mains voltage that is used by these motors. I put the motor in a metal box so only the rotating shaft is sticking out and all the nasty voltages are safely inside.

I disagree that you can have too much animation. For a display layout the more animation the better, but I'm not a fan of carnival/funpark rides. More subtle animations are best.

cheers

[BerkshireSteam]

reklein

You're welcome to put a motor on your windmill,but I've seen some pretty good luck with hiding a little computer fan in a structure to blow on the mill...

The same could be done to make flags blow in the wind. I would use a smaller fan from like a small lap top though instead of a big ol PC. You wouldn't to have to animate some people chasing after their flag being blown away. Unless you're simulating a tornado or something.

[MisterBeasley]

The Heljan intermodal crane is an interesting model, but I wonder how many of these actually are part of a layout where anyone actually runs them?  At first, it's got a lot of appeal, but is someone actually going to sit there and load car after car?  Well, maybe, but then again, maybe not.

If I were thinking of adding animation, I like the idea of completely off-line stuff, like a merry-go-round or ferris wheel.

[7j43k]

This book has a lot of animation ideas--you might want to try it:

http://www.just-trains.com/creative/effects

Ed

[patrickllaforge]

I agree with the points of over animation a layout...  On our layout, we are planning a few animatied features more to give another "job" to the operators during operating sessions...  Some small things like moving gates, gravel loading and unloading... and since a saw a working rotarty dump in CT last week at the show, and 2 in the link above, possibly one of those...  At least with our animations, the operators will be controlling it, as need to complete certain jobs, not continuosly running features like windmills and such.  By chance any explinations out there of working rotarty dumps? Thanks!

 Pat,

 Cape Cod & Hyannis Railroad

[MisterBeasley]

I think of coal.  Actually, I do have an operating 2-chute coal loader, and a number of old Mantua "clamshell" hoppers that will dump the coal through into a waiting bin.  However, the bin for the loader only holds about 2 carloads.  I think a conveyer that would take coal from a much larger reservoir and load it into a hopper would be interesting.  For a fixed scene, you could arrange for the coal to fall out of the bottom of the same hopper and cycle back to the conveyor.

A electro-magnetic crane could rotate into place, lower the magnet and pick up a load of scrap steel, then move to another spot and dump it.  With a bit of planning, the same device could reverse the "on" and "off" points for the magnet coils, and move the same load back again, so you wouldn't have to keep emptying one bin and loading another.

[chutton01]

Bit of a hi-jack - Lots of ideas have already been mentioned above or in the modeling 'press' (light effects such as welding, foundry pours, campfires), and rotational (signs especially, but also vents, the various carnival rides that faller sells, and so on), and 'linear' (rising doors, crossing gates and semophore, although those are more of an arc), but I wonder about operating fence gates/rail doors which open when a train approaches - do a decent number of people animate these so that they operate automatically (I remember the Revel enginehouse I had long ago had some sort of spring loaded trigger piece which was supposed to open the door as a locomotive approached - never got that to work right), or do they use some sort of manual push-rod control (like the rod-type controls for switches mounted on layout fascias), or do they use the ol' manual man-'hand'ling (grab that fence and turn it so the train can continue on the siding).  I think I'll eventually end up with 3-5 gated sidings, and maybe a 2-3 industries w/ rail-door, and like to hear thoughts about automating them (if that even makes sense).

[shayfan84325]

When I think of animation I think of "one more thing to maintain" or "one more thing to break down". It's tough enough just to keep the trains running right.

[reklein]

You're welcome to put a motor on your windmill,but I've seen some pretty good luck with hiding a little computer fan in a structure to blow on the mill. I've seen moving sawamill carriages,forklifts in the sawmill moving about,using an underfloor magnet. A chip loader shifting the chip car back and forth to load the car. A conveyor pulling logs out of the pond and into the mill. Welding flashes,emergency vehicle lights, wig wag signals,etc. BILL

[Anonymous]

 Terry,

a word of caution - a layout can easily "overanimated" and the viewer´s interest distracted from the train operation. Be sure that any motion you generate looks very realistic. I for myself have decided to go completely without any animation other than sounds.

[Midnight Railroader]

 Check out these examples that have been done in N scale....

 

[scubaterry]

 I am looking for some ideas on little projects to add animation to my HO layout.  I have a "Yesteryear" brass windmill that I will attempt to motorize with a minute cell phone vib motor.  I read an article several years ago about a gentleman who did it and it looked good fm the vid posted.  I figure a painters brush would be easy to animate up and down with an eliptical motor drive.  Or maybe a little longer throw for a billboard jockey using a long pole with wider brush.  I've seen the "O" scale figure loading 4 x 8 sheets of plywood into a pickup truck that made its rounds a few years back.

I just ordered a quad servo controller fm Tam Vally.  I have lots of servo's and parts fm R/C plane flying in another life.  I found the article in MRH ezine really interesting about using servo's to operate T/O's (or animation).  So maybe I can use my servo's in some sort of animation sequence.

 Anyway looking for new ideas on animation.  Maybe something you have done. Maybe something you always thought would be cool but never got around to doing.  I always thought it would be cool to have an airplane with the props turning (I could use the same small motor as the windmill maybe) problem is I can't seem to find any transition era type planes in HO.

Thanks for everyones input and I think this will be a fun post. Let's hear your ideas.

Terry in Florida