Have any of you considered using the Blair Line drive-in theatre kit to make an operating drive-in? I’d like to add a projection building and concession stand, as well as a flickering light to make it look like a movie is running at night. Any suggestions for making these additions? lois
Sometime in the past, this has come up before. It seems to me that the designer was planning on using 4" TV screen and running it with a player, so they would be showing real movies.
Hope they are still around to give you some advise.
Good luck,
Richard
Gidday, if you can stay awake long enough, at 9.10 minutes you will see a drive-in theatre using a I phone or similar type device. The movie by the way is “Seven Year Itch”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V392mzfdBOY
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
There’s some serious distortion going on in that video.
Are you modeling your layout for the night time? Because drive-ins don’t operate during the day.
Steve S
Most of the time my layout will be operating at night, though I will have daytime scenes as well. I plan to have at dusk, the cars gathering in the lot and when it is dark, the lights go on as the movie begins. The drive-in will be idle during the day, with occasional maintenance like mowing the lot and checking speakers, etc. I have some inside knowledge of how a drive-in works, both my dad and my husband having worked at drive-ins. lois
Lois, was this your inspiration?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OW_Link,_Hotshot_Eastbound.jpg
Partly, yes. In fact, that photo inspired what I posted to the Model Railroad Layouts gallery. I plan to make an improved version since the screen was rebuilt. I have a Broadway Limited A, so setting it up shouldn’t be much of a problem. lois
Yeah, I’m not sure whats happened there, was OK before uploaded to youtube, will see if it can be improved.
Here in is part of the Antipodes, model railway shows are generally held between 0900 and 1700 hrs so day light showings only, [sigh] besides no such thing as drive-ins here so we don’t know any better. We did try blacking out a room for night running, but was only partially sucessful, didn’t want the punters falling over themselves. [banghead]
As Lois wants it for night ops I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.
Cheers, the Bear. [:)]
Use an old portable DVD player (as seen at the San Diego MRR Museum)
I will note that I have been checking the drive-in websites for ideas on the projection building and concession stand. From what I have seen, these were often combined into one building. As regards HO scale kits, I am finding a few options, though not much regarding the concession stand, unless I kitbash a hot dog stand or something of that sort. I am not afraid to scratchbuild, and will draw up plans and build something if it is necessary. lois
We have one of the operating ones on our club modular layout. Always attracts plenty of attentions, we usually have cartoons running on it. ANd when people see the working screen, they start to see the other details, like the people sitting on the roofs of the trailers across the road, and the guy up in the big pine tree lopping off the top with a chain saw.
Those were insanely expensive when they came out, mainly because the LCD screens were new, especially in a small size like that. Something similar should be cheaper these days. One option I can think of is to use an old phone as the screen, make it removable, and leave enough room for the charger cord to plug in, and it can play movies all day long.
–Randy
We go to the drive in about once a year. It’s a 3 hour drive. Seems as though projector is in a small building in the middle. It’s pretty non description so yo should be able to find something that will work. Almost any hot dog stand type building could be the concession stand and I am sure an enclosure for say a tablet or smart phone could be built to act as the screen. It may be a bit small but if you have an old IPhone that would do. Set it to play “Let’s all go to the lobby”.