# Running in the dark



## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't know if running trains in the dark is whimsical but it sure is fun.
I recently reconnected an older section of my mainline which was shut down and bypassed due to a tight curve and tunnel which my newer larger equipment couldn't negotiate. Last night I had a race using a LGB stainz which is very bright with its lights, a LGB 2 4 0 pulling a lighted combine and a bachmann porter pulling a lighted caboose. The stainz was considerbly faster than the other 2 so there was some very close calls and quick decisions to be made whether to send a train on the longer route or let it go the bypass. I also put a switch on the new\old section so I can isolate it electricaly and let a train wait while another passes which added to the quick thinking in the dark.
Anyone else run such races in the dark?


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't do train "races"







, but working second shift, I'm up all sorts of *crazy hours.







**I frequently run trains very late at night or wee hours of the morning *







as a result, especially on mild evenings. If I'm running electrically - powered models, I *typically mute sound systems after 9 PM







to keep peace with the neighbors. *







*I often run live steam







late at night:



Some times I change from 1920's "freelance" narrow-gauge (my "Watuppa Railway")







to 1950's era standard-gauge New Haven RR equipment - my USA Trains "Merchant's Limited" streamliner looks GORGEOUS







running in the dark!







* 


(By the way- the *"diesel roar" *in the background was actually my Honda generator (which has 12 volt DC as well as 110 VAC output) supplying power *directly to the rails







*- I didn't have a straight DC supply handy at the time with enough amperage output to power the USA streamliner!







That was it's *maiden run - *it's since had DCC & Phoenix Sound installed.







*Tom*


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice videos Tom. you have some nice equipment there. 
I really liked the shay steaming through the hedges and your NH streamlined setup looked real. 
Running at night sure adds another dimension to this RR hobby. I will have to try making a night video.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

I like your account of your operation!! We did that on some indoor layouts. 

On my new budd car, the headlight is so bright and the lights stay lit very well. It is fun to run that car at night. 


On a side note, I am a long distance runner and I run in the wee hours of the morning, when it is dark.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

hehe You're out past my bedtime. 

Very cool.


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## Darkrider (May 21, 2010)

I did run my old Garden railroad one time at night with my Bachmann 4-6-0. Maybe I'll make a night run again in the summer. Gettin' cold up here.


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

" Maybe I'll make a night run again in the summer. Gettin' cold up here."

- How about this live-steam gathering at James Chadborne's layout for a pre-New-Year's eve steam-up then











Temperature: *22 degrees F.! *





















(James had a large coffee pot under the canopy filled with distilled water to *pre-heat it for the boilers! *







).







*Tom*


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## Darkrider (May 21, 2010)

O_O. Well, that's not the problem. The layout gets cover in almost 5 FEET of snow. Don't wanna get off track, so I'll leave it at that.


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, I'll agree - 5 feet







of snow is a bit more than I'd expect an Aristo plow to handle!







(Even with a pair of live-steam Shays shoving it, mine had it's work cut out for it with *3 ~ 4 inches.... *















Also, just found out *yesterday *that my late-night operating sessions might get a lot *less frequent *







- my company's discontinuing *second-shift operation in my department. *







I still have a job, but I'll be transitioning to *first-shift hours *







in November - meaning bedtime's going to get a *lot earlier. (& my commute's probably going to get a LOT more aggravating! *







). Losing that second shift pay differential is going to hurt as well.














*Tom*


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Love your night time ops of the Shay and your NH passenger train . I've got my three ET&WNC passenger coaches all set for night time running and need to switch the headlamp to an LED on the Annie. I have built all my structures to be wired for lights too but that's still a bit in the future plans. I've got my Southern F3 AB units but the heavyweights to go with it are also very much in the future purchases. I definitely want that night time flavor going on in my yard someday.


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## lurch (Dec 27, 2007)

I work graveyard shift so I am usually only up betwwen 7pm to 7 am. I do all my running at night only. I like to just sit back and let'em run and when they pass a home or industry I think about how it looks to my figures. I hang a red lantern by my backyard gate to tell everyone that the trains are running and they are welcome to sit back and just relax and let their own imaginations wander.I used to live only 2 blocks from the Long Island RR and would take my kids to the station day and night to wave to the engineers. Some would open the window and introduce themselves and talk to the kids. I have recreated this scene on my RR.


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

I agree with others, nightime running is definitely not whimisical to me, it is just pure pleasure. Somehow for me there is some adventure when the first freight train heads out into the darkness. No telling what if anything is on the tracks. I often see pictures of a big BNSF or UP freight heading out across the prairie at dusk, and somehow I get the same feeling when my trains head out into the darkness. I find it interesting, the best headlights for nighttime running of the engines I have are on the SD45's and on the FA1. The FA1 really surprised me. It doesn't seem very bright, but I think it makes up for it because it is BIG!

All of my freight engines are equipped with two crew members now, an engineer and a conductor. I don't run cabooses any longer, so that train heading into the darkness is being run by just a two man crew - just like the big boys!

Ed


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I'm a second-shifter, too, so I tend to run a lot at night. Sound gets pulled back to "drowned out by the AC compressor" levels so not to offend those trying to sleep, and whistling for grade crossings becomes optional. Sometimes I'll do some switching, but more often, I just sit back with an iced tea or some other beverage of choice and watch the trains cut through the darkness. The party lights along the fence give a soft illumination to the railroad so I can see the features, but the lights onboard are quite visible. Alas, no videos. My video camera is not good in low light. 

Later, 

K


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## Darkrider (May 21, 2010)

Well, temporarily getting back to snow...I dunno how many of you do this, but I do it because of the large amounts of snow I recieve on the line. I usually start at a 3-4 foot snow mound and carve out a temprary display. The bridge in the photo was pretty flimsy, but the train stayed on the track. Too bad I don't have enough track to actually do some running. I just made it this afternoon. 

http://www.deviantart.com/download/...39410w.jpg


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

I was thinking of this thread this evening as I was running my trains, and thinking about how much I enjoy running the trains after it gets dark. I actually run them almost every evening. This evening the log train went out to the sawmill to get a load of lumber. Then I ran an excursion train with my heavyweights lit up with their new LED lighting. Finally I ran a coal train out to the coal mine and tipple to pick up a load of coal, before calling it a night. I find it is peaceful watching the trains slowly make their way through the dark.

Ed


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## dampfmaschinenjoe1967 (Dec 21, 2010)

There is nothing whimsical about night runs: In Germany it is prototypical because most of the freight trains go to their destinations during the night, when the passenger traffic is low. I have to admit that night runs are LOT of fun when I see your entries. 

cheers Joe


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Looks like this post got resurected. It was almost a year ago that I posted it and almost that long since I ran trains at night. I did tonight for a guest adn they sure looked cool. This past year I built a few more buildings and thought how neat it would be to have lights in them so that is the next step. 
Trains at night sure do add another dimension to the hobby. I say you should give it a shot tomorrow night. 
Todd


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

Even though I've now officially been working 1st shift







for almost a year, I still tend to become a "night person"







on weekends, so I still get in some after-dark running.







Also, a lot of times I'm doing yard work earlier in the day, so it's often approaching or after dark by the time I start running trains. With the days starting to get shorter







, after dark-running may become a "norm" for me again.

I've also been gradually adding *more lighting effects *







for night-time operation; some of this has been in the form of solar-powered LED spotlights from Harbour Freight Tools, but the most spectacular effects are coming from *building lighting *& I've also added a couple of operating grade crossing flashers (the old *Model Power *brass crossing flashers, heavily reworked by eliminating the original *unrealistic thermal flasher bulbs *







& replacing them with *high-intensity red LED's *







flashed by a homebrew transistorized flasher circuit built into the base). My most spectacular building lighting effort so far was a rework of an old Pola *"Frank's Diner" *I acquired through eBay over a year ago - I installed a total of *10 warm-white LED's *in the diner to illuminate not only the interior, but also "entrance" lights & 4 LED's focused on the sign...



















(One of the reworked Model Power flashers is visible in the background).

This video was shot on *Christmas Day, 2010, *and shows most of the current lighting effects (there's also 18 feet of LED "rope" lighting installed along the top of the chain-link fence adjacent to the main line, operated on a timer).
Note also how some of the *factory-installed lights *on the Bachmann 3-Truck Shay (such as the fire pan "flicker" through the ashpan dampers & cab lights), & the LED marker & window "kerosene"







lanterns on the long fine-scale caboose







) become *much more obvious *in the dark. The scale "Town Christmas Tree"







, with it's twinkling colored lights near the diner came from a Michael's craft store & is battery operated (the battery pack conveniently hidden behind some large nearby rocks).



Incidentally, *right after *I finished shooting that video, I listened to a weather report - a *severe blizzard *







was scheduled to hit us the next day!







The railroad was *quickly stripped *of *all structures *other than the 2 bridges - a good thing because we got hit with *over 2 feet of snow *







on Dec. 26th! Last winter turned out severe enough that for the first time since I added structures to the railroad, *they were left off for at least 2 months. *







The more delicate buildings such as "Franks Diner", my Aristo passenger station (which has a *working, LED-lighted clock *







, Pola water & coaling towers, etc.) are normally kept covered when the railroad isn't in operation to protect them from most *normal *storms - but when it looks like "Mother Nature"







is about to throw us a *"sucker punch" *







like last winter's blizzards or last weeks Hurricane Irene, *everything *gets removed for safe storage in the basement. 








*Tom*


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

Um, moderators, I was having trouble with the YouTube embed again







(I did make sure to use the *old embed code, *but it seems to have posted several times!







). If one of you could 'fix"







it for me I'd appreciate it.









Tom


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## clevernickname (Feb 16, 2011)

Here's a photo of a night run on my RR. The photo was highly inspired by O. Winston Link.


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