At the very beginning of this video on the Greeley Freight Station Museum in Greeley, Colorado there is a moving truck on the highway. Anyone know how this is done?
Never mind! The answer is here.
Thanks anyway.
That looks great. I’ve seen animated vehicles on a couple layouts that used a magnet under the roadway to move the vehicle. I don’t believe that is the case here though. The truck is very smooth running.
I wish that I had visited this layout when I was in Colorado a few years ago. You’re right the truck is moving so smoothly.
I wish I could blow the video up and get a closer look at the truck.
Just search Youtube for Faller car system. There are many videos.
A battery powered truck following a magnetic wire.
Jeff, it could be. I just can’t believe how smooth it is.
That has to be it, all the vehicles are very smooth running.
What incredible scenery work and such detail. Jarrell, are we going to see this on your layout?
Hmmm…
It could be the Bicycle chain with the Neodymium magnets.
Done right, these are exceptional.
If it is the Faller system, it is looking real nice!
Gorgeous layout, great video.
I like the part where the salmon are swimming upstream.
How did they do that?
Rich
Rich,
I was contacted & made some genetically engineered minature Salmon.
There are similar ones available at W@LLM@RT marketed as feeder fish…
I suggested they use a small fountian pump for the stream.
Also suggested a couple drops of real diesel fuel to give an olfactory sense in the yards…
Just Kidding, consider it a late April Fools, (I celebrate all month long)…
If you get a chance to visit the display in Greely, do so. It is truly a wonderful layout. Not only is it huge and beautifully done, it is an actual operating model railroad.
What a great video, and model railroad, I need to put Greeley on my list.
Faller also has a kit that allows a bus to go off the main road to a bus station, stop and supposedly pick up and discharge passengers, then start up again to return to the main highway. This is accomplished with electromagnetic pads, that you control. About $169 (or so). I would like to be able to control the speed of cars on the highway. Have you ever watched the Hamburg Germany Miniature HO scale huge train and car traffic? You type into the Internet, to see this. “Hamburg Miniatur Wunderland” It’s terrific! Bob Hahn I am going to try to make a crank operated two way highway with a 12 ft straight stretch that has hidden underpasses at each end, where pulley wheels allow the cars, trucks and buses, that are attached to monofilament string with offset plastic tabs between the string and the vehicles. A hand crank or electrically controlled motor, will operate it. Bob Hahn
I had an idea, why not place an N scale or Z scale motor in one of these vehicles along with a battery that will give it enough live to last a while before you need to recharge it. It’ll retain the magnet and everything but what do you guys think?
A friend of ours came back from Europe and gave my kid a couple of radio controlled cars he had bought over there. They were about HO size and ran for twenty minutes on a two minute charge. That being said I don’t know how long the Faller cars would run on a charge, but twenty minutes would be pretty good I would think.
Thanks for posting the link Jarrell. That was one fantastic layout, those modelers must be very proud of what they have accomplished. I think I will just take my feeble attempt out to the dumpster now.[sigh][(-D]
Living in Belgium, I just come back from the Dortmund toy fair.
Faller had a official stand, and it seems they will offer a new computirized control system for their Faller car system. The system will allow complete invidual control of the cars, including stop, speed, light.
The car will be equiped whith small decoders but I don’t know how it will work.
I have also seen a car system for Nscale cars, but don’t remenber the name of the manufacturer.
Marc
I believe it is the Faller Car system but has been modified. If I remember correctly they installed inductive chargers in the vehicles. they have a queue of different vehicles that run around and the vehicles charge while they are in line waiting for their cycle to run. There is a wire in the road and the steering on the vehicle has a magnet which follows the wire. The only moving parts are in the vehicle itself.
The Layout is fully automated during weekdays and run by crews on the weekends.
I have been luck enough to be able to run a few trains on their layout and it is quite impressive. I took out the glow worm which the aptly named the bright orange Hooker Chemical Tank car train (80 cars with 5 locomotives). It took 3 hours to make one lap of the layout. Granted I was put onto a siding twice by the dispatch and had to wait.
The second train I ran was the lumber extra and that took two hours to go the summit and back down.
I would highly recommend a visit to this layout if you are ever in Colorado. It is well worth the experience. The people are friendly and well versed in model railroading.
Lol… I’d like to install one but I really don’t have a nice road in just the right spot. Still… [;)]
Jarrell