Air powered trains...

Zogbert Splod · April 30, 2015, 01:23:47 AM

Some years back I saw a small display consisting of some really small trains made from balsa and painted. They were just going around a track and little else. I asked the guy showing them what was powering them and he showed me a sketch with some details. They were being blown along, through tiny angled holes in the baseboard, by air from a computer cooling fan. The box the whole thing was mounted in/on had a bunch of sliding doors (valves I guess) which controlled the flow of air and thus the speed of the movement. I have no idea what kept them going 'on track'...
I can't find any reference to this on the net. Has anyone got any knowledge of these things at all? I would love to experiment with it.

Regards, Allan.....

Newportnobby · April 30, 2015, 03:13:02 AM

I can't say as I've ever heard of it, but it does sound intriguing

EtchedPixels · April 30, 2015, 10:18:30 AM

Fascinating. There are some prototypes for this including Spooner's Boat, which was designed for inspection on the FFestiniog railway and ran down the line by gravity and then was sailed across the cob, the crystal palace pneumatic railway and also the infamous and rather disastrous pneumatic section of the GWR down by Newton Abbot.

PostModN66 · April 30, 2015, 01:00:10 PM

45 or so years ago my friend's sister had a car racing game that worked on this principle. It was called "Zippity Speedway".

http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-303025/vintage-kenner-zippity-speedway-race-car-game.html

Cheers Jon

Zogbert Splod · April 30, 2015, 03:49:12 PM

Quote from: PostModN66 on April 30, 2015, 01:00:10 PM
45 or so years ago my friend's sister had a car racing game that worked on this principle. It was called "Zippity Speedway".

http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-303025/vintage-kenner-zippity-speedway-race-car-game.html

Cheers Jon

Excellent! While what I saw was a tiny railway with two tracks running in opposite directions I am sure that the principle was the same as those cars. What I can't put a finger on was how they would have been kept on the tracks. IF I remember correctly the rails were drawn or printed in the baseboard. There must have been some kind of 'fence' involved.

Good stuff Jon, thanks very much for that...

Thanx to all for the input, Regards, Allan.....

Zogbert Splod · May 01, 2015, 01:42:27 AM

Found the Zippity Speedway on you tube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnBlw6l8Lc

Regards, Allan.....

Komata · May 01, 2015, 07:40:27 AM

Many years ago, (1970's?) model Railroader Magazine (MR) had a complete article about an American modeller who had developed the whole air powered modelling concept to a truly remarkable level. He had developed a series of ducts and vents which, although they a could only move the 'trains' in one direction, could be 'switched' onto other 'tracks (if that is the correct term) as required. He had really become involved in this aspect of the 'model' railway hobby, as well as in other hobby-type area, to the extent of publishing at least one booklet on the topic of using 'air' as a medium for toys, trains etc, in addition to the MR magazine article. Granted, the 'rolling stock' (a rather 'loose' term BTW) was extremely basic and wheel-less, but the overall effect of what he had created was surprisingly effective; as if a 'real' railway was being viewed from 3,000 ft.

Unfortunately all my MR's are at present packed away, so I can't give dates or titles, but hopefully someone amongst the membership may be able to assist.

Hope that this helps - and that someone can locate the relevant MR issue / article

Zogbert Splod · May 01, 2015, 01:04:25 PM

Quote from: Komata on May 01, 2015, 07:40:27 AM
Many years ago, (1970's?) model Railroader Magazine (MR) had a complete article about an American modeller who had developed the whole air powered modelling concept to a truly remarkable level. He had developed a series of ducts and vents which, although they a could only move the 'trains' in one direction, could be 'switched' onto other 'tracks (if that is the correct term) as required. He had really become involved in this aspect of the 'model' railway hobby, as well as in other hobby-type area, to the extent of publishing at least one booklet on the topic of using 'air' as a medium for toys, trains etc, in addition to the MR magazine article. Granted, the 'rolling stock' (a rather 'loose' term BTW) was extremely basic and wheel-less, but the overall effect of what he had created was surprisingly effective; as if a 'real' railway was being viewed from 3,000 ft.

Unfortunately all my MR's are at present packed away, so I can't give dates or titles, but hopefully someone amongst the membership may be able to assist.

Hope that this helps - and that someone can locate the relevant MR issue / article

I think this must be the man I met. He was indeed selling a booklet illustrating his system. Actually, I should say that he had been selling it. By the last day of the show he had no copies remaining. My interest right then was not in that direction so I didn't take him up on his offer to mail it to me.

I had a look for MR on the net and found that there is a DVDR available which covers the first 75 years. However, at $200, I may have to let that go by...

Regards, Allan.....