Seeking ideas: scene for a oNe trak end loop

[bbunge]

The prototypes move so slowly, it would be pretty difficult to animate that.

They also move section by section to make it more interesting. 

Watch the entire video to learn how they work, or jump to 15:23 to see a cool shot:

[bbunge]

Some aren't even full circles.  They have bumpers on posts, and sensors on the wheel assemblies, so they reverse.  Quarter and half circles are common.  There was a half circle just north of Pasco, WA in the 70s that frequently DIDN'T reverse.  Drivers on Glade North Road, a major local road, had to watch for it, especially at night.

Ha!  I've driven Glade North road many times!  How many times have you gotten your car washed by the end sprayer of a pivot?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

They also move section by section to make it more interesting. 

Watch the entire video to learn how they work, or jump to 15:23 to see a cool shot:

I watched that video a while ago, really great stuff. His channel is generally pretty awesome.

[Mike C]

   For anyone that uses Facebook there is a young lady and her husband that run a large farm called Laura Farms . She usually posts videos of planting , harvesting , and general maint of the equipment . She has done a few vids of their pivot system also . Very interesting and informative .     Mike

[nkalanaga]

bbunge:  We moved to Kentucky in 1978, but have been back a few times.  Living out there, it was a regular occurrence.  And not just by center-pivots, hand-line and wheel-line sprinklers could do the same, especially when the wind was blowing.  We learned very young to watch for them, and roll the windows up when we saw one.

[Point353]

The prototypes move so slowly, it would be pretty difficult to animate that.

Speed it up by the same ratio as that used for the layout's fast clock.

[nkalanaga]

Unless you use real water, it doesn't have to move.  Model the tracks, no vegetation there, and leave it stationary.  They don't move when they're not irrigating, unless someone needs to move them for some reason.  Like, to get them out of the road!

On the real ones, at least in the 70s, they're slow enough that the easiest way to see if they were moving was to watch for reflections off the square driveshafts, between the wheels and the motors.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Unless you use real water, it doesn't have to move.  Model the tracks, no vegetation there, and leave it stationary.  They don't move when they're not irrigating, unless someone needs to move them for some reason.  Like, to get them out of the road!

Ok, making it move AND actually spray would be true level stuff and probably win you a lifetime plaid membership.

[peteski]

Ok, making it move AND actually spray would be true level stuff and probably win you a lifetime plaid membership.

If that's the case, creating a scene with operational wind turbine (and solar panel) farm would be easier, yet still very interesting. There is (was) N scale wind turbine kit available  from one of the German manufacturers but last sold reboxed as a Model Power kit.  Maybe even have the motors which drive the wind turbines powered off the solar cell array. 

[nkalanaga]

At least in DC motors and generators are the same thing, so if one put the motor in the generator housing, no extra linkage would be required.  Put it in front of a working fan and it would generate electricity!

A working windfarm would take a lot of room, if built to full scale, but would also be a very interesting model.  One row of turbines, as long as they always faced the same way, could probably be built on an nTrak module.

[peteski]

It doesn't have to  be the complete farm - just a representation of one. Our T-TRAK club has such a module with few wind turbines and solar cell array.  It is pretty clever.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If that's the case, creating a scene with operational wind turbine (and solar panel) farm would be easier, yet still very interesting. There is (was) N scale wind turbine kit available  from one of the German manufacturers but last sold reboxed as a Model Power kit.  Maybe even have the motors which drive the wind turbines powered off the solar cell array. 

Eh, it's been done.

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[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  I've seen actual installations with only two or three turbines, so your T-TRAK farm isn't unprototypical.

[Point353]

Eh, it's been done.

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Needs a wind turbine blade train.

[x600]

Hey Mike, Real Water and Lego spaceships and dinosaurs.

Greg O.