Recently I got excited when I found some old 8mm film footage of my 1st HO model traction layout. As the footage wasn't very long I decided to go the simple route and have a go a projecting the film onto a door and setting up my phone on a tripod and see how it goes. Well although the end results weren't brilliant it was clear enough to see what I had done at the time.
The first Youtube upload was just a selection of still shots i.e. nothing was moving. It was great to see how I had made everything fit on a door, this was easy to do in traction modelling. As I always try and do, I like to make the track plan as intersting as possible. With traction unlike model railways doing a lot of shunting doesn't happen and mainly single cars are run. (Unless you are modelling an interurban line that runs multiple units). I never kept any plans of the layout but re watching the video, I can remember how most of it all ran. Another issue was that it was run on DC as DCC was to become a future invention. So to operate the layout I used double pole double throw switches so I could run two trams together at the same time but this still required switching sections on and off or control of a section to the second controller. I am sure DCC was invented by a frustrated DC traction operator.
So eventually my plan is to get my models converted over to DCC so at least the constant movement of flicking switches will be eliminated.
Somewhere now probably lost, I had a few black and white photos of my layout but doubt I will come across them so the discovery of these movies films is special.
But just the other day when putting another random 8mm film through the projector, I came across another film of the layout but this time the trams were moving. There is only one minute of footage but I was happy to find it. It appears that at this time the layout was being run on two rail as there is no footage of a trolley pole up on the wire. I must have started on overhead wiring construction as well.
Here is one minute of HO traction. I must congratulate Kodak also on producing a very stable product as this film is still as bright as the day I received it from the processors.
As construction commences on my new layout I will have further footage to post.