I mean look how far advanced we can since the 70’s. Will they invent a HO train that will use real air lines and brakes just like the real ones. Wouldn’t that be neat, but I am sure costly. I mean is it a matter of time before we run HO trains that operate just like real ones. Can you imagine a small gas engine actually feeding power to small traction motors in each truck that you can control through a cordless radio. And when you want to stop you have to feed air through very small lines that actuate real brakes. I mean we got DCC that can control just about anything, how far can they go??
Personally, I’m hoping for a combination of high-energy-density batteries and reliable radio control. It would be a lot easier to wire a few tracks to recharge batteries when the layout isn’t running than it is to completely wire all but the simplest of layouts!
I wonder if instead of that path, the hobby will instead become increasingly virtual. Simulators available today already have all of the said features, except that instead of controlling by radio from above, you get to be in the real-life perspective.
I’m certainly not promoting that direction of movement; just a thought.
You mean like sitting at the controls of a copy of the real thing with a camera mounted at the head of your train and moving and controling it just like the real thing. It would be a lot better then just having a camera mounted in there and looking at it through a TV.
You must have missed the March Fool thread. Those scents were all available back in the early 1980’s. Not enough people bought them, so the company folded.
At the Bucyrus Train Show today we was discussing the state of the hobby,DCC,Sound and other whiz bangs over coffee and discussing the future of the hobby.We more or less agreed next up is battery powered R/C and other types or automation.Its kinda of funny really…We figure the fuel tank will hold the battery and the battery will last several hours or even days between recharging.
We also thought computers will play a bigger roll as far as dispatching trains over the layout instead of the current CTC dispatchers board…
The smell things been done. Did you read the post about the April Fools joke? Someone put cow stink in a cattle car as a joke. They said they got the scent from a RR odor kit that used to be available.
I’m waiting for the thought control interface. A special engineers cap you wear and all you have to do is think about running your trains and they move.
How about programmable LCD flat panel back drops. Just load jpeg’s or mpeg’s of the back ground scenes or videos you want.
Ive already played with airbrakes and mechanical bits enough to last a life time.
Now if they can just get steam to be steam in virtual worlds I would be happy. I do fly the FSX Deluxe with a variety of aircraft and it is pretty realistic. Trainz 2004 with it’s Small 2-8-0 was a good one for me on my computer I have not been able to find a replacement after the cd wore out.
Single Player Train Sims are wonderful but I think a need is there for actual railroads as they existed either in Pre-ww1, ww2 and post war and modern eras with train crews, station masters, yard masters etc and replicating operations of the day would be great. Although I can imagine two stubborn engineers facing off cow-catcher to cowcatcher tooting at each other to get out of the way.
Because one of them did not obey a absolute stop signal on single track.
Man that was a very helpful response, and very topic related. I apologize if I don’t meet the standards of your grammar. [:(!] I’ll make sure to email you when I post again. That way you can correct my spelling.
As for the smells. Were those things called Factory Air
I’m pretty sure they were called Olfactory Airs, as in relating to the sense of smell…and there were a bunch of 'em. Pine forest, coal smoke, diesel, nearly every darn thing you could think of (or smell).
I like the idea of the flat panel screen backdrops- has anybody done that? Seems like a great effect-.
Probably a good place to look for the future of the Hobby is the present of the real railroads.
I’m sure there will be lots of great advances in train simulators, but I think most people will still search for ways to use computers to make their model railroads look and operate more like the real thing.
They’re actually working on an LCD type paint that you could paint a wall with and hook to a computer to change color or add “pictures” or a TV signal to. Your wall becomes your big screen. Change wall color with a key stroke. (no more masking or cutting in around windows). There working on it for military caumoflage.
