MODEL PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
Thanks to the availability of inexpensive electronic controls, miniature motors, small sound generators and tiny LEDs,
sounds, lights and action can all be combined to make a layout scene, like this grade crossing, come alive on a model railroad.
Scale model animation: Adding life to a layout
Here’s how to create interest with the addition of movement, lighting and sound to a variety of scenes on a layout/Dr. Geoff Bunza
M
y interest in model railroading goes back decades. I’ve seen huge changes in quality, de-
tail, performance and availability of models. The biggest changes of interest to me have been in the miniaturization and the control capabilities that are now available. These things are largely responsible for enabling me to bring new life to my models and layout, near- ly literally, by animating details and scenes in ways that were scarcely pos- sible when I started in the hobby. Beyond my interest in model rail- roading, two events encouraged me to think about animation in the large. The first was a visit to Disneyland, where a lifelike, AudioAnimatronic© Abraham Lincoln realistically deliv-
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
ered a superbly orchestrated speech. The second was a visit to a model rail- way club in England, near Hungerford. Ushered into the club room as a group, visitors were told the “story” of the countryside (the layout) displayed be- fore them by a “guide” using the public address system as express trains and freights made their way from town to town. While the modeling was very good, it was the total experience that set this visit apart as one of the most memorable I’ve ever had, anywhere. Here, the “world” before me came alive. Animation means giving life to
things. Scale model animation is mak- ing models behave as if they were alive in miniature–to scale. Traditional mod- el railroaders incorporate animation
mostly focused on train movement, nat- urally enough, but the availability of miniature motors, low-cost electronic controls, ultra-small LED (Light Emit- ting Diode) lighting, and small sound generators has opened up a new world of animation opportunities for the mod- eler. My view of scale model animation is focused on combining five major ele- ments: movement, lighting, sound, syn- chronization, and story. Lighting, sound, and movement of scale models are probably self explana- tory. But, when I consider movement issues for animation, they include cir- cular movement (likely continuous); linear movement (movement along a line, sometimes with pauses and rever- sals); steered movement (taking a
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