"TRACK POWERED" COLOR CAMERA SYSTEM
FOR YOUR MODEL RAILROAD
CHOOCHOOCAM IS A TV QUALITY
VIDEO CAMERA SYSTEM MOUNTED
IN YOUR ENGINE OR TRAIN CAR WHICH
TRANSMITS REAL TIME, FULL COLOR
VIDEO TO YOUR STANDARD TV !
CHOOCHOOCAM IS IN THE 11/99 CLASSIC TOY TRAINS
CHOOCHOOCAM IS IN THE 10/99 O GAUGE RAILROADING
HO MODELERS..TAKE A LOOK AT THE HO CAMERA SYSTEM
TRADE
IN YOUR OLD RAILSCOPE ON A NEW CHOOCHOOCAM
WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR LAYOUT FROM THE CAB OF YOUR ENGINE ?
FROM THE OBSERVATION CAR ?
FROM THE REAR OF THE TRAIN LOOKING FORWARD ?
OR...... WHAT DOES THAT VILLAGE REALLY LOOK LIKE ?
OR..... IS THAT TUNNEL OR BRIDGE REALISTIC ?
OR.....HEAR THE ACTUAL CLICKITY-CLACK OF RAIL JOINTS
OR.....HEAR THE CLANGING OF THE CROSSING GATE
NOW, SEE AND HEAR IT ALL DIRECTLY FROM YOUR MOVING TRAIN !
The first photo was taken with a film camera held at eye level. The next
five Choochoocam
views are taken from a 12" color TV screen. Choochoocam
is in the red and white Frisco.
.
FILM CAMERA
VIEW
MOVING ONTO THE TRESTLE
.
ENTERING THE
YARD
ROUNDING A CURVE
.
WAITING FOR WESTERN PACIFIC TO
PASS
A VIEW ABOVE THE TOWN
"TRACK POWERED" COLOR CAMERA SYSTEM
- NO BATTERIES....CAMERA OPERATES DIRECTLY FROM TRACK POWER
- WIRELESS TRANSMISSION FROM TRAIN TO TV
- TRANSMIT UP TO 200 FEET AND MORE
- FULL COLOR TV QUALITY PICTURES
- TRANSMIT LAYOUT SOUNDS FROM THE CAMERA CAR TO THE TV IF DESIRED
- VCR COMPATIBLE
- ALL PARTS MOUNT IN A LIONEL U36B O-GAUGE ENGINE
- ALSO USE HO, 0-SCALE, G AND LARGER ENGINES OR CARS
- NO SETUP. PLACE CHOOCHOOCAM ON TRACK AND GO!
- MODULAR DESIGN. CAMERA, POWER PACK AND TRANSMITTER ARE EASILY MOUNTED
- OPERATE UP TO 4 CAMERAS .... SIMULTANEOUSLY ....
CHOOCHOOCAM IS NOW IN OPERATION AT:
- TCA
National Toy Train Museum,
- Flower
City Tin Plate Trackers,
- Detroit
Historical Museum Glancy Train Exhibit,
- Henry
Ford Greenfield Village,
- The Detroit Model Railroad Club
- Numerous private layouts
- The Houston Tinplate Operators Society
- The
San Diego 3 Railers located in the San Diego
Model Railroad Museum,
- The
Ocean City Train Garden,
- The
Childrens Museum of Indianapolis,
- The
Museum of Discovery,
THE CHOOCHOOCAM KIT
The Choochoocam kit
consists of the three modules which mount in the engine, tender
or other car. These are the camera,
transmitter/antenna and power supply. In addition, the
receiver, all connecting cables and full instructions
are included. To complete the system
it is necessary to mount the three modules in the
train and connect up the cables. No
modifications are required in the track or layout.
THE CHOOCHOOCAM PARTS DIMENSIONS
Dimensions listed are in inches and are
approximate. We list them to help you to select the
engine or train car in which you will mount your Choochoocam. For special installations
we can provide some modifications in the size of the
power supply. Please contact us about
installing Choochoocam
in a specific engine or car. See the FAQ for a new camera lens for
increased sensitivity.
THE CHOOCHOOCAM-HO
This is the Choochoocam-HO mounted
on an HO passenger car chassis. From left to
right you can see the camera, transmitter, power regulator and battery pack.
With the car
resting on a table, the maximum height of 2 3/8" is required over the
transmitter case. None
of the components overhang the edges of the chassis.
The Choochoocam-HO operates only on
battery power. The fast charge battery pack
that is supplied with the Choochoocam-HO
will operate the system for about 2 hours and
30 minutes. The battery charger shipped with the system charges the battery in
about 10
hours. Additional battery packs and fast chargers are available.
All other aspects of the Choochoocam-HO
are the same as the original Choochoocam
since all of the parts with the exception of the power supply are the same.
CHOOCHOOSOUND II
Choochoosound II transmits live sound from the camera car to the TV
speaker. A small
sensitive microphone (0.375" x 0.250"),
mounted on the camera car and wired to the
onboard transmitter, picks up the track background
sounds, clickity-clack of the track
joints, clanging from a crossing gate bell, the
whistle and sounds from a passing train, and
sounds emanating from an animated station or other
trackside accessory.
Choochoosound II adds one more bit of realism to the Choochoocam
experience.
CHOOCHOOCAM DEMOS
If you live in the greater Detroit area within 50
miles of downtown, we will provide a
demonstration of an 0-gauge Choochoocam
on your rails for a flat fee of $50.00.
The $50.00 fee will be applicable to the price of a
Choochoocam purchased during
the following 6 months.
If you do not have an 0-gauge layout but would still
like to see the Choochoocam,
we will bring the small layout which we use at local
train shows to your location. The
same terms as listed above will apply.
PRICE INFORMATION
Choochoocam System Kit, 6 to 18vac and 6.5 to 22vdc.......................$495.00
Choochoocam-Z System Kit, 10 to 27vac and 11 to 35vdc...................$495.00
Choochoocam-HO System Kit with battery and charger.....................$495.00
Choochoocam Stationary Camera Kit....................................... contact factory
Choochoosound II, sound transmission..................................................$60.00
Add battery backup (see note* below)...................................................$50.00
Installation** in your engine or car, add..............................................$100.00
Choochoocam Demo ............................................................................ $50.00
Kits contain all parts required to install and run Choochoocam
All prices are plus shipping and handling
* Some layouts, particularly those with block control, reduce or turn off
the track power
while the engine is stopped. In order to have the camera continue to transmit
during this
interval, a nicad rechargeable battery can be
integrated into the Choochoocam
power supply.
** Consultation via telephone or email will be required to determine if your
engine or
car has dimensions sufficient to accommodate Choochoocam.
FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION
If you wish to talk to a real person call us at 313-881-6576 .
FAQ
Q. Is Choochoocam the Lionel System we have
been seeing?
A. No
Q. What are the specs on the camera?
A. Camera sensitivity is 3 lux, definition is 380
lines, lens is f3.6, focus is about 2" to infinity.
The camera has electronic shutter....1/60 to 1/10,000
exposure control, which effectively
takes care or variable lighting. The standard lens
protrudes about 0.375" from the camera
board and requires a 0.125" hole through which to
look. A new lens is available which
increases the sensitivity to .5 lux.
The lens protrudes about 1" from the camera board and
requires a 0.25" through which to look. Focus
with this lens is about 6" to infinity. The
price is the same for either camera lens.
Q. Will the transmitted signal pass through walls, etc.?
A. The signal will pass through most walls including those that have metal
ducts. The signal will
also pass through metal truss bridges and chicken wire
supported scenery.
Q. Will the camera lose picture when traversing switches and crossovers?
A. We suggest using at least two power pickups and four if possible. You should
also add
ground wires connected directly to the metal
frame of the trucks. These wires should be
added to each truck and soldered if possible.
The wires are tied together and connected
to one of the power supply input wires. The
power supply will hold up for about 1/2
second so with two pickups there should be no
loss of picture.
Q. Can I exceed 18VAC or 22VDC on the tracks?
A. A qualified yes. Please contact the factory to discuss.
Q. What about remote control systems?
A. So far Choochoocam has not experienced any
interference problems with any remote
controls.
Q. Are there any compatibility issues with transformers?
A. The only issue we know of is with the Lionel PH-1 power pack. Choochoocam draws inrush
current of .5 to 1 amp and some electronic power packs
consider this to be a short circuit.
Q. Is any interference caused by train motors or other layout
electronics?
A. We have seen some interference caused by Lionel vertical shaft wound field
motors which is
usually taken care of by installing one or two
capacitors on the motor. Permanent magnet
motors seem to be pretty free of interference.
Q. May the receiver be mounted away from the TV?
A. The Choochoocam receiver puts out a video
signal. You can use at least 25' of video coax
between the receiver and the TV and can probably go to
50' if necessary.
Q. My layout is L shaped. Will this cause problems?
A. The Choochoocam signal will not pass
through a basement wall that has earth on the
outside. You can probably position the receiver over
the crook in the L and achieve
good pictures all the way around. If your walls are
studs with paneling or plaster, you
should not experience difficulty.
Q. Where should I mount the camera?
A. We suggest that the system be installed in a dummy engine looking forward.
The dummy
can then be used at the front of the train, the rear
of the train looking backward (like an
observation car view), or at the rear of the train
looking forward over a flat car (this one is
real cool when you have a long train and great
scenery). Customers have also mounted the
system in cabooses, boxcars, flatcars (disguised as a
load) and looking sideways from the
cab window.
Q. How often does the battery pack need to be charged?
A. A fully charged pack will power Choochoocam
for more than 1 1/2 hours with no track
power applied. The pack is trickle charged while the
train is running and may never need
to be charged. It all depends on how much starting and
stopping is done.
Q. Can I use a large screen TV?
A. Since Choochoocam provides a picture which
is superior to normal TV, you can use any
screen which gives an adequate picture on
commercial TV.
Q. How much light is required on the layout?
A. Light is hard to quantify. You need enough light to easily read a newspaper.
Too little light
will cause washed out colors, apparent loss of focus,
and noise and snow in the picture.
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This page was prepared by Skip Greiner