Just a tidbit to mull over this morning after Trainstock 7, but that's according to a Snapple bottlecap Real Fact #832. Wonder if that would be pure sine wave or half wave? Anyhow, imagine how harnessing such energy in a practical, cost efficient way would affect the layouts of the future!
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That's an interesting concept ogaugeguy.
Unfortunatley, my brain wave output is pure flatline DC.
TJ
MAYBE a 'Z' gauge, downhill!
Oh Mercy. I have to leave that one alone.
Many Thanks,
Billy C 
I think they may be onto something. Late at night, waiting for a subway to arrive, I often use a lot of brain power hoping and hoping that my train will show up next. Sure enough, sooner or later a train arrives! I never made the connection until now. Weird.
But I think that there may be a polarity factor. The people on the opposite platform are also wishing that THEIR train will come in first. If there are more people over there, will their train arrive first? Clearly, we need more research.
Just a tidbit to mull over this morning after Trainstock 7, but that's according to a Snapple bottlecap Real Fact #832. Wonder if that would be pure sine wave or half wave? Anyhow, imagine how harnessing such energy in a practical, cost efficient way would affect the layouts of the future!
If that's true why in hell isn't mine running?
Could it be corrupted trackage after 5 months in a box in the garage?
Would we need bolts on our neck like Frankenstein? which would be the positive and the common? This could be wired right into DCS or Legacy !!
Must be true, was on a bottle cap...
Jerry
Gives me a headache just to think about it. 
As I recall in earlier days MTH had been said to be thinking of mind control systems for running electric trains.
Bob C.
I have a hard enough time just trying to move the throttle lever of the transform with my thoughts! Don't think I could concentrate hard enough to move the train! 
No, no, no! It would be so much work to make that much brain wave power. I'd rather use the ZW-L and apply the brainwaves to daydreaming!!
I thought for sure this was a continuation of "The Most Interesting Man in the World" thread. 
This is depressing because from my experience this means that my TIU has more brain power than me. Perhaps that is why it toys with me from time to time. If this is all the Mind Power that I have, I'll never win that Leg Lamp.
Conductor Earl
Must be true, was on a bottle cap...
Jerry
And now it's on the internet.
I figured with a powerful brain such as mine this should be easy. Best to start with my smallest locomotive just in case, I thought as I railed my Lionel Docksider. With brow furrowed in concentration I willed the engine to move, and sure enough - it toppled slowly to the side and landed next to the track. Success!
Pete
Must be true, was on a bottle cap...
Jerry
And now it's on the internet.
General estimates of electrical potential in your brain are from 5 - 12 watts but most of that is used to power our body and brain itself.
Must be true, was on a bottle cap...
Jerry
And now it's on the internet.
General estimates of electrical potential in your brain are from 5 - 12 watts but most of that is used to power our body and brain itself.
I get that there is energy, power, potential. I can also say I power my trains with the nuclear reactions on the sun. I don't have to add that I have solar panels.
So, it's amusing, and I'd hoped my responses are along the same track or power line. I sincerely wasn't trying to be mean. I'm clearly not using all my brains potential energy. I'm not gonna share the energy either.
I figured with a powerful brain such as mine this should be easy. Best to start with my smallest locomotive just in case, I thought as I railed my Lionel Docksider. With brow furrowed in concentration I willed the engine to move, and sure enough - it toppled slowly to the side and landed next to the track. Success!
Pete
Lower the throttle Pete, lower the throttle.
They don't call me "ZW" fer nuthin'...............
They don't call me "ZW" fer nuthin'...............
Oww! Stop it........ Oww! STOP!....... Oww,...Uncle!
Won't work for me . . . I need something in my hand. Too many years of running real trains.
With lots of depressing news in the headlines, I came across this topic and thought I should post something to revive it, since most of us are very cerebral.
In my basement laboratory/layout, we conducted extensive testing on this very topic and here it is-- the brain waves at work by heavy use of thinking:
What is unclear in the testing is whether the locomotive or the layout operator needs to chant "I Think I can, I think I can." Either way, maybe don't dispose of those transformers just yet.
Tom
I know this is old, but I suspect that the bottle cap writer knows less about anatomy or the physiology of brain waves than the person telling you to go do something that is anatomically impossible......
Brain waves themselves are low power. I suspect what they are doing is confusing 'powering' with "controlling" (ie "Mind Power" usually means thought, not actual electric power). In theory like in Back to the Future, you could build something that can read your brain waves, decipher what you are thinking, and act on it, and that could be used to control the speed of a train, tell it to blow the whistle, etc. I doubt you could harness even the 5-12 watts out of the body, would have to be a pretty nano engine running it
Wait a minute... so, you are telling me that my brain cannot recharge the capacitors I took out of my 2270 Marantz and Gunrunner attached to my frontal lobes won't run my trains?
I'd love to be able to use an interface to my neural network to control my model railroad components.
@ogaugeguy posted:Originally Posted by Marty R:General estimates of electrical potential in your brain are from 5 - 12 watts but most of that is used to power our body and brain itself.
Well, that answers the question as to why I can not get most of my body & brain to function correctly anymore. I don't have enough brainpower... Not enough wattage.
D.
@Hartman posted:Well, that answers the question as to why I can not get most of my body & brain to function correctly anymore. I don't have enough brainpower... Not enough wattage.
D.
D,
Clearly, you need to hook those gray cells up to some sort of test equipment. I think any factory authorized Lionel dealer can do that for you. Maybe they can give you a loaner. 
Tom
@PRR8976 posted:D,
Clearly, you need to hook those gray cells up to some sort of test equipment. I think any factory authorized Lionel dealer can do that for you. Maybe they can give you a loaner.
Tom
No parts for repair anyway. Too old and waaaay out of any kind of warranty. 
D.
My brain is focused and always on track, until the shiny thing over there catches my eye, then all bets are off! That's when the derailments, accidents and pure mayhem start, I often wonder why. . .
So many disappointed internet forum members with trains just sitting dead on the tracks after trying this.
@A. Wells posted:I'd love to be able to use an interface to my neural network to control my model railroad components.
I believe I'm down to neural neuron... yes, 1. I don't think that would qualify as a network.
For those who are interested, I'll take this over to a serious note. Have a look at the Cleveland FES Center.
I spent some time with Dr P Hunter Peckham (https://fescenter.org/team/inv...eckham-hunter-p-phd/) who, simply put, decoded the "serial data" of the nervous system to activate motorized prosthetics. I am in awe of his brilliance. We made some boards for his project some years ago.
So just maybe this concept is not so far off.
Lou N
A real life case of the brain controlling a computer cursor directly: https://www.sciencedaily.com/r.../03/020314080832.htm
So it doesn't seem so far-fetched that some day we could focus on that Lionel Camelback on our layout and mentally get it started and running, and even "think" it to blow its whistle.
But it's been almost 20 years since that article I referenced above was written. Seems a long time to not have seen more progress in this area.
OK, so the thought of a chip in my brain is just plain scary, not to mention Apocalyptic. I know the effort is partly motivated by good intentions, but what's that they say about the road to **** being paved by good intentions?
I'll stick with my Legacy controller, thanks all the same.
Of course this wouldn't work! You need the CCC (Command Control Chip) installed into your frontal lobe first!
If Amtrak hears about this, all passengers on the Northeast Corridor will have to wear helmets to gather power for the loco
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