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HO camera carrier

Greetings all, Imagine a capital H 55" high and 40" wide but with two cross bars. Each bar of the H carries an HO track with a big loco, probably a Co-Co without bodyshell. The two locos on the central cross bars (about 8" apart) are bridged by a cradle that carries a video camera on a pan-tilt head. The cross bars are supported at their ends on two more locos that run on tracks on the end bars. The ends of the end bars are fastened rigidly to short vertical members attached to the ceiling. This arrangement allows the camera to be moved anywhere in an x-y space, where it can monitor an industrial process below.

Has anyone heard of this being done before? What locos are best able to carry the weight, which is likely to be more than the modern lead-filled locos? What control systems are best adapted to keeping each of the pairs of locos synchonised? LocoTorque Olympic Line imagineer.

Reply to
cam
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Why use such crude equipment when linear bearings carrying the loads and motors applying the movement power directly to good solid supports?

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!

Reply to
Bob May

Good question, Bob. My alternative design is to do just that, with either power screws or toothed belts to provide the drive. It happens that readily available dcc equipment is a cheap way of providing the control, and I can build a prototype faster with locos on tracks than with power screws and linear bearings. My local shop stocks the Atlas Commander dcc system, and the price looks right. LocoTorque

Reply to
cam

For sturdiness and accuracy you'd probably be better off with motors (steppers and controllers), gears, and cogged belts. Or at least with something bigger than HO.

HO trucks probably aren't up to the weight, and you should look at something with ball bearings - but flanged wheels and rail, of some size, are a pretty good idea.

You don't mention the weight of the camera (zoom lens?) and the pan-tilt head.

Reply to
Steve Caple

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