Help with Drive-In Theater scene

I never had the room, but the small movie players are idea for this application...

you could recreate this shot!

The main fixture of a drive in is the cars parking on an angle so they are all pointed up at the screen. I have been told Ann Margaret's legs as she walks up to Elvis in the beginning of Viva Las Vegas is a great image to have on screen.

I do not get ad/insert link highlighted to add these so you may have to copy and paste.

http://www.tonyastaab.com/2012...m-engine-museum.html

http://raybob.boche.net/Shows/...NTS/images/p605e.jpg

http://trainweb.org/amtrakpix/...050412A/050512A.html

J Daddy, that O. Winston Link drive-in photograph is my absolute favorite picture of the many great ones that he took. Classic 1956, and the perfect role model for someone wanting to add a drive in to their layout.

The main fixture of a drive in is the cars parking on an angle so they are all pointed up at the screen. I have been told Ann Margaret's legs as she walks up to Elvis in the beginning of Viva Las Vegas is a great image to have on screen."

To my mind, any part of Ann Margaret  would be just fine.

Four things on drive-in movies I see on layouts:

• They usually have the screen facing a road. Not something you'd normally see as all the drive in screens I've ever seen face away from main roads
• Most seem to lack a sign showing what was playing that night. Any real drive in had this
• Remember your O scale citizens need to go do their business sometimes after all that soda and popcorn. Don't forget the restrooms, usually connected to the concessions building or out by themsevles
• You can't help this on a layout, but they never showed the movies in the daytime for obvious reasons...

I knew a guy years ago who did one of these in HO scale, and actually used prisms to project a TV image onto a screen (I never looked under the layout to see how he did it). The effect looked totally correct. He even did the parking lot in scale, it took up several feet in each dimension and used a couple of hundred scale cars. Most O scale layouts don't have that kind of room.

I always wished Blair Line company would make an O scale kit... those HO guys have it made...

Thank you all for the pictures.  There are great ideas in every one.  And a number of drive-in details I had forgotten all about.  Which is odd in that my girlfriend and I spent a awful lot of time at the drive-in movies back in the early sixties.  (BTW - that girlfriend and I will be married 51 years this June).

I really liked the idea of having having those side "wings" attached to the screen frame.  My screen is going to be placed into a corner and the the wings will make it fit quite nicely.

i am really interested in finding out about the structures used for a concession stand, the projection building and especially the entrance gate.  Assuming they are not scratch built I am hoping someone knows what they are.  The moons have aligned just right for us this year so we will be making the trip going to York next month.  I'm pretty sure I can find what I need there.

Thanks,

Ed

Go to the top of the page and click on OGR advertiser Miller Engineering to get to their web home page. Click on O & HO Billboards. #1381 DRIVE IN THEATER sign @ $55.95 is a "must have" for your drive in. 

I seem to recall there was a drive in kit offered a few years back but I do not remember who made it. A refreshment stand, projection booth, kid's play area, rest rooms, and fence wouldn't bee that hard to scratch build. Or you could use the "Frosty bar" by Bachman, or the Ameritown Trackside Shed. An entry ticket booth could be the Ameritown Flag Stop Station @ $12.95. Speaker stands could be finish nails with jewelry beads for speakers.

Paul Goodness

Deleted off-topic comments.

Just a temp layout so not as good as permanent guys. 

A staple for all of the driveins that I've visited over the years have "humps" that the front tires of the cars rest on, so as to elevate the front for a better viewing angle.  I did that and like the effect.  Kinda hard to see here.

For the projection booth, I made a smallish one (space considerations).  At york I found blue blinking lights.  I bought 2 and mounted them inside the booth to simulate the glow that the projectors gave off, with the flickering being a natural effect too.  The 2 blue bulbs simulate OK - they blink at varying speeds and at different times.  Sorry, no image of the effect.  I purposely have the building "backwards" so that the photo shows the double holes in the front, which was typical of driveins back when.

As for the ticket booth, I made a smallish one.  It has a lighted interior in which I positioned an appropriate "ticket taker" figure.  The roof hangs out over the entryway to keep drivers dry in case of wet weather.  The booth is visible in the night time shot lighted up.

And then, of course, there was the famous Rochester Police Athletic League's layout from the 1950's:

For two years on the Christmas layout, I created a drive-in scene.  I used a digital photo frame as the screen and loaded a slide show of vintage family photos.  It was everyone's favorite part of the layout

Walt,

I was taking a 2nd look at your drive-in, specifically the projection booth with the 2 holes in it.  I didn't understand why the 2 holes.  But then it dawned on me.  That was back in film reel days and movies came in multiple reels.  They always had the next reel teed up on the 2nd projector. Give me enough time and I can eventually figure out simple things.

Thanks for your ideas.  BTW I really look forward to seeing your Christmas layout each year. Very enjoyable to see.

Ed

Mark,

I am curious about the video that you show and how it was made. I am using a portable DVD player that I swiped from my wife.   I know there are tons of drive-in movie clips available on the net.  What I was hoping to be able to do was to take a portion of a movie (Davy Crockett), convert it to an avi and then join it with the movie clips.  I was wondering what software you used to join all the clips?  It seemslike converting a DVD movie to avi is more trouble than its work.  So I'll just fine a suitable movie clip in avi format and join them together.

I agree the movie clips for intermission, concession stand, coke, etc are better than the movie. I plan to do as you have done, a few minutes of actual movie interspersed with the drive-in clips.

Thanks 

Ed

Ed,

Those should look great. Where I grew up the drive-in faced a major road, which was odd because that was west but it allowed the best utilization of space. The rows with the cars in a gentle arc towards screen center and then each row with the spaces angled up so the car pointed to the heavens and the raised screen.

Walt did a great job with his speaker stands. Some of those clips for food were great.

Keep us posted!