What's a SP CAMERA CAR, link provided ??

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have been pondering on buying one of these for some time now. Overland makes a great looking model. Exactly what was the meaning of “CAMERA CAR”?

Thanks

http://cgi.ebay.com/HO-Brass-Overland-1812-SP-Camera-Car-8799-Ex-SP-1166_W0QQitemZ280106548063QQihZ018QQcategoryZ78178QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2

Found this http://espee.railfan.net/sp-camera_car.htm pretty quick on Google. apparently it was a dummy loco that they used to photograph their lines for use in training sims.

3

4

This website

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/Growing.html

identifies this beast as a Southern Pacific camera car. I assume it records the right of way looking for defects but that is just a guess

Dave Nelson

5

The camera car was converted from one of the Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulic locomotives which SP imported from Germany during the 1960’s.

I believe that this unit was operated in connection with the development of SP’s first locomotive simulator. By making movies of miles of travel over the company’s lines, SP was able to create a more realistic environment for its engine-service training program.

The locomotive simulator itself (a stationary mock-up of a locomotive cab) went into service in, maybe, the early 1970’s. I got to see it once–an in-law of mine was getting engine training–and it was situated in an ordinary-looking commercial building in Norwalk, California. Other realistic effects (besides the view of the moving track) were mild rocking of the cab and, if I recall, appropriate levels of noise.