I bet someone in SF would be interested, but probably not big money, sadly the market for handcrafted projects by individuals isn't hot, even when the workmanship is exceptional. A small model railroad someone sunk $5000 into might sell for $750 I have a couple custom guitars I assembled from maybe 2k worth of parts per they'd fetch maybe the same $750 if I went to sell them as a unit and not part out.
They're nicer instruments for playing than some made by e.g. Fender at similar price point but the value of some of the latter will only tend to go up because they're branded. Particularly if they discontinued a particular model without making too many due to lack of sales...
TMRC had a decent size layout. IIRC, they used an old crossbar switch to control the switching, displayed "scale time" on the wall, etc. I think it was transitioning to a small '11 about the time I was on campus.
It was not uncommon to find a single soul sitting in the room tweaking the controls, layout, etc.
Much like people garden, restore old vehicles/aircraft or any other "distraction" that allows you to exercise some creativity in a relatively low-pressure situation.
So much different than being *told* what your goal will be and just working towards that (regardless of the level of expertise required).
The difference between accounting and storycraft.
One can appreciate the skill that goes into reifying a story on the big-screen. That's just another type of "engineering".
But, by far, the more awesome task is coming up with the story and the vision in the first place! I don't know any engineers that have imaginations that are THAT "unconstrained"! (and, certainly none that willing to make a commitment to PROVE it!)
There are several museums that have *really* large layouts. One of the hardware stores, here, has a layout above the heads of shoppers. Folks can't help but watch the train as it passes by, overhead.
But, like restoring/maintaining old vehicles, it seems like you'd forever be "fixing something" -- just to tread water!
Agree, the model train (and similar hobbies) stay with us even into adulthood. They can teach us basic science in a fun way, and later, nostalgia takes hold. I recall the rare luxury, mom got me the kid, an AHM HO-scale set one xmas. (Very basic, as AHM is normally pricey). It taught me basic electricity and physics. Later, the power pack served me for a while in powering other electronic projects (and later, ponder, why did the manufacturer use selenium rectifier diodes when silicon was so ubiquitous and cheap....)
very much so. A big cap across the motor helps. A flywheel would help too. Don't know if lead in the loco might improve contact too. I'm no model train fan, but IIUC arcing burns away some of the crud causing arcing, so it's not a one sided thing.
For a period of time (mid 70s-mid 80's) it was often a senior project for EE's - the application of micros to control somewhat elaborate HO train layouts. Things grew beyond sensing discrete position and coordinating switching to techniques to PWM a signal on the tracks to address various trains to control some event. More challenging scenarios would include consideration of various faults. With the advent of IoT devices, all sorts of various use scenarios could be thought out and applied by Jr and Sr EE students.
Ones using electronic control (DCC) frequently do put as a large a capacitor as can be fitted. Ones without electronics on-board have a difficulty in that the track could be of either polarity.
The better locos do have as large a flywheel as can be fitted.
Any spare space is usually filled with lead to increase the weight, there is just not much room in the loco to provide much weight.
The gold is microinches thick. It would wear away quickly from model railroad use. Even so, the cost would not be insignificant. They charge for gold even on small PCBs. Some yards of track would add some dollars to the cost.
On a sunny day (Fri, 24 Dec 2021 10:38:25 -0800 (PST)) it happened " snipped-for-privacy@kjwdesigns.com" snipped-for-privacy@kjwdesigns.com wrote in snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Why not put a big lipo in the locomotive, and do inductive charging at points where the train stops? Add WiFi or something to control speed. Or solar cells on the roofs of the carriages and a big spotlight above. you have to go with the times.... ;-)
On Friday, 24 December 2021 at 18:48:40 UTC-8, Tabby wrote: ...
In the smaller scales that suffer from track connectivity it is difficult (maybe impossible) to find space for a single cap, let alone 2 of adequate value.
Custom shaped caps could help, but it all ups the price. I suspect pouring a little lead into any vacant spaces would have more effect, IIUC the problem really stems from inadequate downforce.
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