Check out this youtube item from Germany. The display is 1:32, which is standard gauge models on Large/G scale track. Would like to know what they are using to generate the smoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v+q3L3omzOxjQ
Sorry, got the address slightly wrong. This should work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3L30mzOxjQ
Dear Nut,
Very cool ! Love that kind of smoke. Too, did you see the libation that gent was drinking ?
Best Wishes,
Jack
Watching the video, I was left wondering if they were using cold steam (water turned to vapour by ultrasonics.) It seemed to dissipate more like steam than oil smoke, but maybe that was just to my eyes. It sure produced "smoke" and "steam" in great quantities; quantities large enough that I would be worried about my layout and my lungs if it were smoking oil.
However they did it, it gave a nice chuffing effect up the chimney and a nice cylinder blow down effect. The latter, I felt, went on a tad long - I kept waiting for the engineer to close the cylinder drain cocks.
Jim
It looks like the smoke effects on the Thomas the Tank Engine
videos. I don't know how they get so much output. Large scale
does offer enough space for a "cold steam" generator, but at
what energy demand? I suppose the steam by the cylinders
could be limited by a solenoid-controlled valve. That would
leave even more steam for the chuff.
-- D
I am the maker of the video and the proud owner of one of the steamers in the video. The solo engine, which is also the second one in the consist. I noticed the sudden surge in visits from this forum and I figured I'd call back.
Hi all.
The locos are brand new models from the German manufacturer KM1 Modellbau. The steam is made using regular steam fluid by the same manufacturer, but other members from my club use Seuthe or similar. I stick with the original brand, since they say it provides better steam development, but that could be marketing speak, of course.
I know the cylinder valves are open for too long, but we got carried away. This was the first run, and we were very excited. But hey - it could be a modern day German photo excursion. The drivers almost always leave the cylinder valves open al the time ...
It was a great day. I bet everyone in the hall heard or smelled those engines.
After 40 years of gauge H0, I have now sold most of my rolling stock to buy the BR50 in gauge 1.
I do not regret it for a second :D
Best regards
Jens Vesterdahl
Denmark (where the video is shot - for the record)
Jens,
Thanks for the reply and a fine job on the show.
Dear Jens,
Very fine video. Love that smoke !
Perhaps this is off subject, but what kind of beer were you drinking ?
Best Wishes,
Jack
Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
That would be Carlsberg draught beer :D
Jens
Quote from: TouchCab on January 13, 2011, 04:28:04 PM
That would be Carlsberg draught beer :D
Jens
But it doesn't taste anything like the Carlsburg sold in North America which is "brewed to North American tastes"
Quote from: rogertra on January 13, 2011, 05:23:04 PM
But it doesn't taste anything like the Carlsburg sold in North America which is "brewed to North American tastes"
You mean it tastes like making love in a canoe ?
;D
Anyway - about that BR50:
I got involved in the gauge 1 club by chance because they were using my software - TouchCab - to run the trains. I spent at day with the club at a show in 2009 and completely lost my heart to gauge 1. So I decided to switch to the larger scale, not least because I don't have room for a layout and I never get around to completing one anyway once the track is laid, and it just sits there.
So I figured if I got myself a gauge 1 loco and joined the club, I could drive trains 3-4 times pr. year when the club is attending a show and those times would be all the more enjoyable. So far I have been right.
I was checking out the other club members' locomotives to figure out what to get. Steamers are my "thing". I noticed that most 3-cylinder engines sound a bit strange at higher revs. I think it's because the sound track is a 3-stroke repeated twice per revolution. It does not sound right, so I decided to go for a 2-cylinder engine. All things being equal, the bad sound should at least occur at higher revs than for a 3-cylinder engine.
Now, my favorite steam engine is the Danish class N, which in fact was a converted BR50. A total of 10 were in service, bought from Belgium after the war. I never got to see them in action IRL and they are all scrapped by now, but I have converted quite a few BR50s in H0 scale.
Lo and behold, KM1 - a rising star on the European gauge 1 scene - had just announced the BR50 at a much lower price than normal due to the fact that parts of the loco (the boiler, I think, and perhaps more) are made from zinc and not brass.
The choice was a no-brainer.
I am extremely happy with the locomotive. It looks good, it smokes spectacularly, the cylinder steam is great and the sound is awesome. I have noticed that it does switch sound tracks at high revs - you can also hear it in the movie - but even the high rev sound is 4-stroke, so it never gets to the point where it sounds silly.
For the conversion I need special parts such as a new air pump and safety valves which are not readily available. Fortunately, one of the major local suppliers of H0 die-cast parts has recently started making gauge 1 parts, kits and RTR models, and I know he will be attending a joint club layout meet in February not far from here, so I hope to persuade him into making the parts.
Jens
Quote from: TouchCab on January 13, 2011, 06:00:55 PM
Quote from: rogertra on January 13, 2011, 05:23:04 PM
But it doesn't taste anything like the Carlsburg sold in North America which is "brewed to North American tastes"
You mean it tastes like making love in a canoe ?
;D
Jens
Exactly!
Like all American beer anyway. :)
Jens,
With all that smoke from the stack and cylinders, do you see a lot of residue on the track from the oil?
I've read all the problems with smokers on a layout, leaving heavy oil residue from the smoke and causing problems.
This engine certainly would be the test model of that.
Practically none.
KM1 claim that their smoke fluid leaves very little residue, which is another reason why I want to use it. As far as I'm concerned, they are right. I just don't see any residue, neither on the club layout nor on the desk at home during test runs.
At the show, we ran practically all day, half the time with the double header, and we had no problems at all.
Jens
Dear Jens,
What is the operating system ? Could you please provide a website ? Thank you.
Jack, an experienced canoeist !
Quote from: jsmvmd on January 15, 2011, 10:23:56 AM
What is the operating system ? Could you please provide a website ? Thank you.
Sure ...
The digital system on the club layout(s) (the club has two) is DCC and Motorola mixed.
The trains are controlled by an ECoS command station from ESU (www.esu.eu (http://www.esu.eu)).
Older Märklin locos are Motorola and newer locos are mostly DCC. The steamers in the movie are equipped with LokSound XL decoders running DCC.
Handhelds are wireless from ESU mixed with TouchCab, but most club members are gradually switching to TouchCab.
Turnouts are presently controlled by an older Märklin controller but a decision has been made to integrate those into the ESU system. This way they may be operated from a PC with a track plan and directly from each TouchCab. Accessory decoders are from Viessmann (www.viessmann-modell.com (http://www.viessmann-modell.com)), but they may be changed to ESU SwitchPilots in order to use Railcom feedback to the ECoS and on to the PC and handhelds.
Best regards
Jens
Quote from: TouchCab on January 14, 2011, 03:50:28 PM
I just don't see any residue, neither on the club layout nor on the desk at home during test runs.
Hi all.
Just got back from a drivers' weekend with the layouts of three gauge 1 clubs merged in a sports arena rented for the occasion, and I stand corrected:
I was recording a video scene with the BR50 going from a depot track onto a traverser which then moved two tracks to the side and let the engine off again. The BR50 would have the steam valves open all the time.
As it happened, I had to re-shoot the scene 15 times because the rest of the world refused to cooperate. Shorts, system restarts, people moving in and out or talking loud gave me a hard time, and I got stubborn. I wanted that perfect scene.
So after the 15th shot which was also not quite right, there was indeed not only residue, but puddles of steam oil on the traverser bridge. I then decided to settle for the scenes I had ...
Very realistic operation, that.
What's next? Emptying the ash box with a DCC function ;D
Best regards
Jens
... and here is a video from the event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCWK7ahL394 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCWK7ahL394)
Best regards
Jens
Dear Jens,
Beautiful track work and scenery ! How did you control the camera to get the nice moving view of the steam engine ?
Best Wishes,
Jack
The camera was placed on a flat car pulled by a diesel on the parallel track.
It's a small camera - a Canon Ixus 990 - placed on a very small Tripod, which is extremely handy when shooting these videos:
http://www.velbon.co.uk/newvelbon/pages/teenypod.html (http://www.velbon.co.uk/newvelbon/pages/teenypod.html)
Jens
Dear Jens,
Good idea. I was wondering if you did it that way. You got the speeds matched nicely. Can you work the camera zoom remotely ?
No - and not only that: you can't even zoom while recording, except for digital zoom, which I don't like. That's one of the major drawbacks with that camera. That and the fact that you can't fix the aperture for a recording.
But hey - it's small and handy and as you can see it records great 720p HD video even in moderate light conditions such as a sports arena.
Jens
This thread sounds more and more like an advertisement every time I look at it!
Quote from: Doneldon on March 01, 2011, 06:00:22 PM
This thread sounds more and more like an advertisement every time I look at it!
I thought I was the only one who noticed that... ;) .....
Maybe closer to an infomercial? I for one found this thread interesting and informative, particularly the parts about how Jens is making his videos of his trains. With video capable, small digital cameras so common these days, and with Youtube available to post the finished products on, sharing videos of our trains is quickly becoming an important part of our hobby.
I particularly like Jens' follow shot using a second train on a parallel track. This already has me thinking of building an easily movable temporary straight track, something like Bachmann large scale track mounted on metal studs. I have had good success with large scale bridges built with metal studs set inside metal base tracks and the two pop riveted or glued together to make a box beam - light, strong, stiff and never warps. To keep the temporary track light, I could see gluing on Bachmann's hollow rail track. A single 12' length or maybe a couple of 8' lengths on this temporary track would be a wonderful addition to any model railroad videographer's bag of tricks.
Jim
Sorry, Did not mean to offend.
Perhaps in the future I should request specific product information privately. I have a remote system I am learning, and am interested in other systems. My questions are purely academic.
Best Wishes,
Jack
Jim-
Wouldn't a 1x3 be a little stiffer? My experience with metal studs is that they are fairly bendy until they are attached to something else. Even a 1x6 wouldn't be terribly heavy and it would allow an edge on each side of the track for clamping the dolly track to whatever is being videoed.
I suppose tripods could be used if 1/4" female inserts are put into the wood but that would require two tripods which is one more than most people have. A carefully centered fitting would allow the track to balance and might work if only lightweight Hartland mini or Bachmann flat cars are used with a small camera, but even that might be problematic. The video dolly would have to be pulled by a string as a loco would throw things way out of balance. I think it might be difficult to attach the tripod receptacles to steel studs.
I might experiment with this myself. I have a good medium-duty tripod. I don't know if it will work for this purpose but I guess that's what I'll find out.
-- D
One stud 3-1/2" wide nestled into a length of base track 3-5/8" wide gives a four sided box beam when the two are screwed, riveted or glued together along the narrow sides. Much stiffer than a 1 x 3 or a 1 x 6 when on the flat. On edge, the 1 x 6 might be a bit stiffer but will wobble sideways. In addition, the metal box beam will not twist, warp, or otherwise go out of shape with changes in humidity.
Box beams are surprisingly strong. I framed my 0n30 portable layout with them to keep the weight down and the strength up. Those box beams have 1-1/4" wide strips of 1/4" plywood top and bottom and 2-1/2" wides strips of 1/8" plywood on the sides. The sides are drilled with 1-1/4" holes every 3" to further reduce weight, increase strength, and to allow running the wiring inside the box beams. The pieces are held together with glue - no nails, no screws, just glue. To test the strength, I used a 5' length supported at each end, then put 100 kilograms (220 pounds) in the middle. The beam deflected about 1/2" but held the weight. Based on this, a similar beam 8' long would deflect less than 1/16" with a 20 pound locomotive in the middle. Using the steel studs is just a quicker, easier way of making a box beam.
I wasn't thinking of tripods but that would be a good way to support whatever kind of beam one chose to use, especially if the layout were raised up off the ground. For ground level, I was thinking that a brick or two under each end of the beam would do the job nicely. If we ever get rid of our snow up here, it is something that definitely needs a try this summer.