Subject:
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Re: What's the longest distance your train has run?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Tue, 29 Jun 2004 16:33:01 GMT
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Viewed:
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1303 times
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Distance? Doesn’t every LTC have at least *one* Mindstorms
little speed/distance computer, built into a train car? :-)
Remember the PNLTC Guinness World Record event in 2000?
I guess, from now on, we’ll have to build up a car to measure
the distance of our mainlines, and then use a mindstorms
computer (or other device) to cound how many times we go
around the layout... ;-)
In lugnet.trains, William R. Ward wrote:
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BayLTC is currently in the midst of a month-long display at a local history
museum that is running a special exhibit on trains. Since we are operating
it five days a week, much of that unattended except by museum docents, we set
it up on a timer which runs it during the museum hours, with a duty cycle of
20 minuts on, 10 minutes off, to prevent overheating. It’ll be interesting
to see what shape the trains are in at the end of the exhibit, just the same.
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To modify Bill’s submission (for the “numbers people”);
The timers are set a bit longer than the museum hours
(5.66 hours) less the break times (1.5 hours), for 4.16
hours per day.
The timer runs 7 days per week in this config (for 29.12
hours per week)
On Wednesday, we actually run until 8 pm, due to a
once-a-month event in town, for which the museum stays open.
On each Wednesday, we actually run an additional 2.16 hours,
for a total of 31.28 hours per week.
On weekends, some of our members know how to manually trip
the timer if the trains stop when kids are there.
The throttle is set at about 40%, to prevent pull-aparts
when the timers turn on again. We also try to run short
trains (1 loco, and no more than 3 wagons) to help prevent
pull-aparts.
We only run 1 motor on the locos in service while there
are no club members around, to help prevent a controller
from getting too warm overnight, resulting in slower daytime
operation. (The timer breaks are an additional cool-off
opportunity, during the operating day.)
It’s probably all overkill, but it beats having sluggish
or dead trains. :-)
We have a small (25-watt) green bulb that lights when
the trains should be running (connected to the same power
strip as the controllers). Docents can use the time when
the trains are idle to explain about the club, or to
talk about train schedules, time zones (and point out
the museum displays about time zones, and the large
reproduction of the Niles Canyon area timetable, etc.)
rather than discussing the issues of thermal protection
in LEGO train systems. :-)
Just helping fill in the gaps...
-Z-
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: What's the longest distance your train has run?
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| (...) BayLTC is currently in the midst of a month-long display at a local history museum that is running a special exhibit on trains. Since we are operating it five days a week, much of that unattended except by museum docents, we set it up on a (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jun-04, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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