# Night Ops



## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Anyone have any success in illuminated outdoor control consoles? 

I'm still in the planning phases, and still have yet to go thru that experential school that teaches me to cool it and keep it simple in this subject, but I can't help it! Seems too cool of a thing to ignore: wandering around an outdoor layout in the dark, with the only illumination coming from one's trains, structures & scenic lamps, and -- the basis of this question -- whatever control panels / boxes one needs to reliably operate in near darkness.

Seems to me that there might be several potential avenues here. Probably impractical, but I thought it might be a fun thing to banter about (if all this has been gone over already, please forgive me and direct me to those threads!). And who knows, it wouldn't surprise me if someone found the holy grail that I'm potentially in search of. 

So here goes with some ideas of night-op's outdoor control panels. 

- Back-lit hand-helds (DCC/etc): Not very sexy, but probably the most obvious. Still, kinda off the point in this discussion.
- Local spot light on the control box: Simplest. Maybe from an adjacent RR building, say, a warehouse. Maybe with (what they call in the theatrical industry) "barn doors" or other 'beam shaping' walls that help only the control box/panel to be illuminated -- and not much else. 
- Black light, with complimentary/reactive panel graphics (flourescent material behind photo-negative film, all laminated / protected): not vastly expensive, but not incredibly cheap, either. Has the benefit though of lighting up all kinds of windows / etc. in the area "for free".
- Electro-luminescent ("EL") graphics, laminated, perhaps on more than one circuit: potentially very expensive, but probably the coolest.

Anyone ventured into these sorts of things?

Cliffy


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

We have a large, red LED voltage readout on our panel that is switchable to any of the three "cabs" that provides the voltage coming out of the control panel to the track. Plus the output to the track for each of the three cabs has a red/green LED that tells track polarity while its brightness give a relative reading of the voltage. Other than that, patio lighting suffices.
But that is not to say that we don't have cool lighting on the railroad.
















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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

We never use a control console


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By NTCGRR on 01 Nov 2010 05:29 PM 
We never use a control console ...................................
Probably use Batt.flashlights tho ! ! ! or matches at night...er. 
Sorry Marty .. Couldn't resest...







. laf.

...........................................................................................................................
Toddalin
We have a large, red LED voltage readout on our panel that is switchable to any of the three "cabs" that provides the voltage coming out of the control panel to the track. Plus the output to the track for each of the three cabs has a red/green LED that tells track polarity while its brightness give a relative reading of the voltage. Other than that, patio lighting suffices.
But that is not to say that we don't have cool lighting on the railroad.







.......................................................................................................

We kind of do the same as Toddalin. 
We have White LED recessed in our one consoles to see the track diagram. We set blocks and able to see what direction w/ color LED that trains are going and at what block they are out. Also, Dial up a LED lit Track switch to set on the Consoles. The other console is lit up with Old time Train elect. lantern, with LED's on console. We do a lot of night running and Ya..... with Batt. powered to like Marty does. 
We do use block signals so still have to have power from console to set them for the blocks. Both track power and Batt. power has to watch the signals for they could be derailed or in the Drink, 3 foot under. 
There is so much out there in LED's now that LED's can be used around the layout just about anywhere now..


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm sorry , I have been hanging with the wrong crowd.. My old days I used a night light by the panel. Just enough to see but not bother.


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Dam your getting alful cocky lately

What you run out of things to build HE HE HE









i KID cause i Luv some of you Battery guys.........


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Cool volcano, Todd! 

Noel, what sort of weatherproof(?) LED product do have "recessed" into your panel? 

I was hoping that someone was doing something really wild, maybe with UV... could do some neat night pics of uv-lit street signs and windows, etc., but I guess the kids' teeth and eyeballs floating in the background would kinda hose that up  

Even so, there are fairly cheap UV par floods; and a laminated panel skin would react nicely (I suppose) to those.... 

no bites? 

Cliffy


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By CliffyJ on 02 Nov 2010 04:10 PM 
Cool volcano, Todd! 

Noel, what sort of weatherproof(?) LED product do have "recessed" into your panel? 

I was hoping that someone was doing something really wild, maybe with UV... could do some neat night pics of uv-lit street signs and windows, etc., but I guess the kids' teeth and eyeballs floating in the background would kinda hose that up  

Even so, there are fairly cheap UV par floods; and a laminated panel skin would react nicely (I suppose) to those.... 

no bites? 

Cliffy 



...................................................................................................................................................
Hi Cliff. We have a fold down top to our console to keep moistor out. Then put a garbage bag over that for bad rains. So when you raise the lid up, the reset White LED's come on from the front of the Console. The console panel is dropped down 1-1/2' from the sides.
LED's was not resested when this was taken, but you can see the White LED's twards the front of console.











Photo of covered when not in use

We did some Black lighting in our Ho layout for sign and worked out quite well..
Ya... Showing teeth and eyes does come out better.. laf. Oh.. and it does show up white specks evey where. Guess it would show up wee wee from frogs and etc. in the layout..


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## Tom Bray (Jan 20, 2009)

How about a computer with a touch screen? Run JMRI on it and you have a really nifty set of controls. It may help to have the screen sunlight readable for daytime ops. 

Honestly, I have found that one of those $15 LED Head Lights works great, especially when dealing with getting the train back on the track after it runs over some night creature, like a toad. The head light keeps from running the batteries down on the remote controllers and, since I haven't finished the control box, lights that up as well. 

Tom


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