# TrainCAM anyone?



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Have you ever been curious what a cabs eye view of your train running on the layout would look like? Install one of these in a locomotive and you can find out. 

This is a complete color camera with sound that broadcasts on 2.4ghz to the receiver. Just supply it with 8 volts DC, a 9V battery or track voltage will do the trick with some power conditioning.

I have to find a victim to install it in. Of course, you can also install it on a car and just push it along with the locomotive and get the same effect.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks like a blast, but how much $$$ ???


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Oh, forgot that. $30 + 11 shipping, not too bad. It doesn't have a lot of range, but at 30 feet it looked great.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Wow! That's a lot cheaper than I would have guessed.

What will you use on the video out end? PC? Monitor?


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Too Cool!!*

Hey Gunnner...will it fit in a Wide Vision Caboose!! Of course thats just for you "O" kinda guy...I'll have to wait 10 years for the technology to get small for my HO!!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

As you can see, it's about 1" square, so that's your guideline to where it will fit. To cram it into a tight space, you can remove the power connector and splice directly to the wires, the power connector is almost as big as the camera! 

TJ, it sends out composite video and mono sound, so I had it connected to a monitor for testing. For my basement layout, I'll connect to the 50" plasma that's down there, should be an impressive view.


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

Gunrunner,
You could reenact this with your traincam:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=82d_1246651100
/) /)
-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm not sure I could simulate the tornado.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

So John can you show us how this works and what a traincam video will look like? This is a fun thing and I'm interested in it. Pete


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm not sure I could simulate the tornado.


Air compressor with a 50 gallon tank should do the trick :laugh:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

norgale said:


> So John can you show us how this works and what a traincam video will look like? This is a fun thing and I'm interested in it. Pete


When I get it installed in something, I'll see what I can do. I think I'll need a video capture capability for my PC, since it outputs composite video and audio. I have a couple, but they're ancient and don't have Windows 7 drivers.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

There's a video on my Dad's trainclub website - about 2 minutes in is some traincam video.

http://lmrc.org/


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Neat, I'm looking forward to doing mine.


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## Giants (Jun 17, 2011)

Hey Scott and GRJ,
Great Thread and the Video Camera is to be the Best you can Afford for Great Vision.
I bought a Freight Car with the Video already installed and I am now wondering if the Picture will be Good.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I guess that depends on what kind of video is in the unit. This is a cheapie that I just bought to try the concept out. My brother has a bunch of high-end stuff that has a range of several miles, he flies model airplanes with it using the virtual reality type glasses. From takeoff to touchdown, he just uses the camera. The on-board stuff has an autopilot, and complete instrumentation, even a GPS capability. 

If I really like how this works, I'll probably go for a higher end model, but the one I was looking at was around $200 for both ends.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

On the scale boats forum I've seen several videos taken with these little keychain video cameras. They are really small and have great sound and picture and would easily fit on a train I think. They cost about $10 to $20 on ebay. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Big difference, those are not transmitting the picture real-time to you. I'm planning on having the video on a 50" screen next to the train platform, you'll be able to see the action live.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

That should be really neat John. I've never seen that before. Hope you get it set up and show us how it works. Will you be able to record a video too? Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm going to get a video capture unit for one of my laptops to record video. First, I have to get the stinkin' ceiling track hung, then get the basic video running. I think it'll be a really cool effect seeing the view from the train perspective.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Well lets get a move on. That's going to be cool. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I think I need to figure how I'm going to mount the camera in a locomotive. I might just mount it in a piece of rolling stock and have that pushed around by the train.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

You guys imspired me to try some traincam action... 

...so I attached my motorcycle helmetcam to a flat car with some rubber bands and pulled it aroung the layout a few times just to see how it would work...




























The YouTube video is still loading... I'll post it here as soon as it's done. 

Here ya go... 





 
You might want to turn your sound off... the scraping sound is a wheel on the 50 foot flat car hitting one of the steps as it's going around the 12 inch radius curves.

Greg


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's cool, I think I want it to be the first car so you see what the engineer would see.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Greg,

Fun stuff.

The upside-down light bulb looks like a NASA Gemini capsule from that perspective!

TJ


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Yes... I did a camera in front video first, but it didn't turn out very well as the camera was crooked. There's no video monitor, so you don't know how it turns out until the card is in your computer. I'll be doing lots more to fine tune the process, especially the lighting. The white styrofoam at the tunnel portal caused the camera to compensate by darkening the picture considerably at that point.

The helmetcam works pretty neat on the train. It's totally self contained with it's own removable memory card and runs off of 2 AA cells. You just push the button and run your train. 

Greg


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The one that I have is also self-contained if you use a 9V battery, but it broadcasts to the base. I really wanted it to project the view on the plasma screen next to the location for the train table.

I'm planning on running it from track voltage since it'll be running TMCC. Rectified, filtered, and regulated to 9V, it'll save the batteries.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

That brings up an interesting idea, John... 

It would be fascinating to use a monitor projecting *live scenery* as the backdrop for a small layout.

Greg


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It would be cool on some of the 4x8 layouts with lots of scenery, should really give an interesting perspective.


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## infernisdiem (Nov 12, 2011)

for my O scale, I bought one of those hotwheels camera cars, and just set it on my car carrier, the only problem is the image is kinda gritty, and needs a decent amount of light to work, the nice thing is, if you want to do a concept car design, it would fit right in. I am gonna try it on my new layout that goes under my bed with a light shining right there, hopefully i will get some good footage.


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

We have a camra inside a locomotive on the club layout. It is really cool. We also Have a tv monted on the wall and you can use that and see the vewie from the locomotive. It is very cool.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

What's the exact model of the camera? Mine works, but it gets some interference at times. I'm thinking of an upgrade.


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## oldSmokey (Jul 31, 2011)

Hi gunrunnerjohn,

I bought one of these a few years back and it has the same sort of problem as yours, interference, especially when it goes into a tunnel, mine is branded Swann, this company makes security video gear, but looking at the various brands, they all look the same, I think they come out of the one factory and just re-badged (re branded). Here is the info on mine:
http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=347#prod_info

And here is a good deal if someone is after one:

http://www.nitroplanes.com/wosmlora24gh.html


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's the exact one I bought at Nitroplanes, I guess I don't need another.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

John is your setup wireless? Pete


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