Saturday, June 29, 2013

Train Wreck #2

Posted by Buckles at 6/29/2013 05:52:00 AM

2 comments:

Eric said...

The secret to making miniatures such as this scale-model train look real on screen is to film them at camera speeds FASTER than the normal 24 frames per second. When projected at normal speed, the action is slowed down and the smoke coming from the engine’s stack, for example, looks like it normally would if it was coming from a full-size engine. Years ago, I once saw a chart in a filmmakers’ magazine that gave the suggested frames-per-second camera speeds for filming models of various gauges.

Back during the days of steam locomotives, the major railroads were very sensitive about their engines being shown “making smoke.” In addition to the bad PR caused by all the air pollution, an engine that smoked was wasting fuel. (Whenever the railroads’ official photographers took publicity photos of a company’s newest and/or best steam locomotives, those engines were never to be shown smoking!) However, had the miniature engines in TGSOE not been shown making smoke, they would probably have looked like they had come from some kid’s electric train set.

29 June, 2013 10:12
Bob Karczewski said...

That engine is shown with a pretty clear stack. Thick black smoke was what the railroads did not like, it meant that too much coal was being put in the firebox at one time, creating a poor burning fire, and a loss of heat to the boiler. Locomotive firemen would get a "smoke letter" if a railroad official saw it. That would mean a warning first, and then time off. The type of smoke coming out of the stack is what you might see in cooler temperatures. A true clear stack would show no visible smoke coming out of the stack at all.

29 June, 2013 13:24

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