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Cine film and video frame rate does present some interesting oddities.
Especially when combined with shutter speed.
Aircraft propellers appearing to spin backwards, also similar with spoked wagon wheels.
The perception of speed at small scale is one facet of model railroading that can stand out blatantly.
Many old movies featuring scale models tend to be obvious in regard to speed and scenery relationship.
Soot belcher exhaust smoke also giving the game away.
So, most model train prangs were staged during darkness when things are less perceptive.
One that springs to mind was a WW2 era espionage BnW flick that was dubbed Ghost Train (I think).
I mean, if you really looked close enough at the drive in cinema, you could squiz them Star Wars model wires.
Yes, flick FX are a heck of a lot better today with computer wrangling.
I was viewing a DVD yesterday featuring the Brewongle Barn Bahn layout before it was dismembered.
An amigo had asked me to attempt to wrangle it as it refused to spin correctly in his DVD spieler.
The disc was scratched, so I gave it a good clean and then utilized me computer software to burn a copy.
The copy did spin up ok.
While viewing the copy, I was amused by the HO scale model train activity.
You Poms gotta be different and have OO scale.
Oh oh, that Flying Scotsman don't look the same as that Yankee Ho ho K4.
The operators obviously not having much perception of scale speed.
A train would commence to rattle, and then suddenly it would blast off like a saturn v rocket.
Hurtling down the track at warp speed Mr Zulu.
All the ho ho scale cattle face skin pulled back like in early flicks depicting a saturn v blast off.
Yes, OK, the Easy DCC system utilized was NOT the best available, even though them Yanks professed it was.
We suffered numerous hassles with it, especially with visiting locos that were not configured for Easy DCC.
So, I spent a lot of time wrangling CVs to configure locos for it, but then needing to unconfigure them at the end.
If left in that configuration, the owners might experience difficulties on their home layouts, using different DCC control.
Way back in the dim dark past, when we had a model nutter club here, I planted a smoke generator in me soot belcher.
Sleuth brand which I believe are still available today.
The only drama being that to get the element hot enough to burn the oil, yer soot belcher had to do warp speed.
Then the smoke would erupt forth like a maniac fireman was on the footplate.
After one or two laps the oil was expunged and the puff puff stopped.
Yes, it was a gimmick for exhibitions where kids got excited.
The early noise chuff chuffs were VERY basic, also back then.
The modern day DCC sound decoders are a tad better in producing loco noises.
But, all is in the eye of the beholder.
Unless you know the specific 1 is to 1 scale loco and noises created, you can be fooled by the noises offered.
I remember one bloke wanting noise in his 45 class DL541 aussie alco model.
An acquaintance found an el cheapo Yankee sound decoder for an SD45 and jammed it in.
The first time I earwigged this NSWR 45 class, I just stood bewildered gawking at it.
ER UM, you do realize that that ain't quite correct, I suggested.
An SD45 is a 20 cylinder EMD two stroke thing, NOT a 12 cylinder Alco four stroke thing.
E GADs.
YES, you could certainly hear that 45 class approaching on the BBB.
I researched a more suitable decoder for it and they finally swapped it over.
But, model trains are definitely not a kids toy any longer.
The things are outrageous in pricetag, especially when noise is provided.
Playing trains out on the humongous BBB layout was fun, except for the Easy DCC hassles.
Since revamped and shoved into the Black Box museum, I ain't squizzed it since last february.
I spat the dummy on the final working day afore the GRAND OPENING, telling the council that it was NOT ready.
Steve.
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