So the topic of Sound is bouncing through the forum. How about animation? I would describe animation as things other than the trains that move and/or make sound; crossings, buildings, vehicles, etc. There is a prominent ad in the May issue of MR that promotes a new Kalmbach book about animation (including lighting and sound) and shows a picture of a sawmill.
Crossings may be the most common form of animation, and I'm sure some the old "coots" (whoever they are) have seen plenty of animated layouts in their day. So I ask...
Is animation something you have or want to incorporate in your layout?
And, of course, do the animated items need to have digital technology, or be advantageous if they were digital?
My personal answer is, I do not have animation, but it might be something I explore after the layout becomes more of a finished product. No, I do not see the need for the technology being digital.
Other thoughts and perspectives are invited.
- Douglas
Does a signal system count? I consider working signals necessary for my modeling.
My signal/CTC system is mostly oldfashioned relays - like the real thing. Only my detectors are solid state, and nothing about it is digital or computer controlled.
I like working crossing gates, flashing lights, bells and all, and plan to install a few sets.
Tastefully done animation can be fun - or it can get a little too toy like - but I suspect like sound that isa matter of personal taste.
Sheldon
My post was prompted by the ad in MR that shows the sawmill. I assume the book will be about sound effects for stationary nonrailroad items like factories, vehicles, etc. I assume signaling and even crossing gates have been more common on layouts.
Anything the reader considers to be animation is animation.
The Faller Car System provides animated vehicles for your roadways. I don't have one, but those I've seen are pretty good. They are a European company, so most of the vehicles are Euro prototypes. The whole system is relatively expensive, unfortunately, but there isn't much in this hobby that isn't.
The cars are battery-powered, and use a magnetic sensor beneath the car to follow a metal wire which is buried in the roadway. One nice feature is that you can use whatever roads you have and just put the wire in. It's not a "track" like you get with slot cars. The basic system is pretty simple, but you can get add-ons to allow your cars to stop and resume at intersections or railroad crossings, and I think they have "switches" that let your select routes.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
We have sign animation and particularly when we run the layout "at night or dark" the signs add quite a bit. I think the turntable counts as does the oil well pumpjack.
I also want to animate an engineer moving his head as the switcher moves forward/reverse.
Running water is being installed now. We also have animal sounds where appropriate. Vehicles are going to be animated in a few years for select areas. Not sure about sounds for the vehicles yet--hard to get a speaker in a HO size Mustang--LOL
Richard
So you want to learn more about animation? Check out my buddy's, Laurie McLean MMR, YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/scoopmmr
While he does work in the larger scales, much of it is in HO. He puts working bells and firemen into HOn3 locos (not the life size idea that was this year's MR April Fool's article.) He has kids waving out the window of a On3 combine, with plans to do that in HO scale, too. There are various animated figures in a bar, brakemen and conductors waving lit lanterns, etc.
While Laurie tends to specialize in tiny stuff, many of the ideas and parts can be applied to things a little easier in larger animations, too.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Good point about sign animation. The ones from Miller Engineering, in particular, provide the illusion of motion without any actual moving parts. I have an old HOTEL sign from them which inevitably gets appreciative comments from visitors.
Another option is the Walthers traffic lights. Combined with their sequencing controller, these are a great attention-grabber in night scenes.
I want to have some RAILROAD-related "automation" for sure. I guess working turnouts, turntables, etc could be classed as animation in some sense. I want to be able to motorize my liftbridge to make it operate.
I do NOT see any practical, easy, etc way to animate a boat going under the bridge. So I will keep the bridge normally UP and lower it for the occasional train. THAT I can do realistically. There will be another bridge alongside for vehicles. Wish there could be some way for traffic not to be unrealistically static...
Someday I will want to add a music module to my pier night club, and I have gathered some parts to try to cobble together a rotating mirror ball disco light for the dance floor.
Some kind of complicated crossing signal will be needed where the causeway track onto the island crosses the seaswall amusement-district boulevard...\
The roller coaster will need some kind of light display. I don't think I will attempt to make it operating, because I would not be satisfied unless the roller coaster cars accelerate and decelerate on each hump and dip, and I think it would be too hard to make it work.
Maybe something digital for sound module, track detection, signals-- but lots plain old electrical. And maybe a little manual...
Animation is cool........
It's limitless.......... take an Evergreen Models glass bottle gas pump and imagine converted to a barber shop pole with the spiral red and blue stripes powered by a wire that comes up through the hollowed out base.
Most modelers, rather than "completing" their entire railroad with scenery, often build scenes that are relatively complete and then come back later and fill in the spaces.
I model 1900's so I don't have a lot of animation options but there are some out there.
For modeling later periods there are a lot of options and numerous suppliers. When getting involved with signs, the new base lit Lucite signs are unbelievably cool. BUT, don't have a sign that advertises a product, or uses art work newer than your railroad's end date.
See the adjacent thread on Vehicles for a relevant conversation.
Animation works best when your visitors find it on their own. If they miss it.......... let them miss it and find it on the next visit......... They will think you have been busy since the last time you were there.
see ya
Bob
Animation falls into several subsets. The following list is hardly comprehensive:
A. Part of the railroad scene:
B. Part of the everyday scene:
C. Part of the industrial/commercial scene:
D. Odd and unusual:
E. Hokey cliches:
Two things to consider:
I wouldn't even consider making any of these things digital - even if I was into DCC, which I'm not. I prefer brute force and ignorance in the form of push buttons and simple toggle or slide switches.
Just my . Other opinions may be equally valid.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with some of the above)
Gidday, In the Easter "edition" of Weekend Photo Fun I posted some photos taken of an HO modular exhibition layout. The guys and gal involved a talented modellers, not only do they have the layout running reliably, but they also have an eye for highly detailed "mini scenes" and as the layout is getting rather large there are quite a few.
Animation at this present time consists of a drive-in theatre, (showing "Seven Year Itch for those who are interested), two wind mills, two oilfield pumps, one of the fishing boats gently rocks,and a short logging train running on a separate DC line using a locally produced "To and Fro" circuit.
I have been privileged on at least a dozen times to have assisted by running trains all day at shows and it is always great to see the delight adults and children, both, get out of discovering the various scenes, quite a few have commented that they have spent far more time than they had allowed for in their scrutiny of the layout.
The great irony, to me, is that the one "Faller Car System" Pepsi truck running around on its short loop gets virtually way more comment than the rest of the animations and "mini scenes" put together. I put this to one of the founding members whose response, with a wry grin, was that it had been noted and that at least another two "Faller Car Systems" were to be incorporated into new modules. That however was not going to put them off developing other animation ideas.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I have seen many attempts at Animation on various layouts. Other than the obvious and simple things like crossing gates, semaphores, windmills, and oil pumps most I have seen are toylike and distract from a realistic feeling rather than adding to it.
I've seen an automotive garage car lift, carnival rides, cows milling, automobiles moving about, water tower spigots being lowered, logs and other commodities being loaded, fork lifts, youth knocking over an out house, race cars on a race track, etc.
I have not seen the container loader released in the last couple years. That could be cool.
I see a huge potentail for digital with animated signs. Those look good.
Thanks for the replies guys. There is a lot more animation on layouts than I ever thought. Very interesting things too. Its something to consider.
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