PLEASE DELETE

Thinking about putting it to use, the scenery around the layout is not going to change, so the novelty will wear off after a few laps.  Still, I like it!  UP for me.  Hope it works.  Looking for the best pre-order price and, like you and your theater car, hoping to accept delivery some day.   

I'll wait for a caboose logo that I regularly use....I suspect that over the years, one will turn up.

The caboose cam would not be practical on a tiny 4'x8' layout.

The caboose camera would be great if you have a long, around the wall or modular layout and have many people around to watch trains and watch the caboose cam images with their smartphones. 

If you have a public modular layout then operating Cabooses with Cameras will be a big draw.

Andrew

Depending on pre-order prices, I'm considering getting the NS one. Not a huge fan of the roads available, though. 

Does anyone know if the camera is HD? I'd imagine it is, but if not, I'm gonna have to pass.

Putnam Division posted:

I'll wait for a caboose logo that I regularly use....I suspect that over the years, one will turn up.

Yep, same here. I think this would a cool addition but will wait for some alternate road names.

If you had a 2'x 16' switching layout then it would be more fun because you can see things that out of range. 

On a 4'x8' layout it is possible to see most of everything in your field of view. 

Andrew

If you are a member of a Model Railroad Club, these cabooses would be great for the club layout. 

Andrew

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

This is the one item in this catolog I am going to get. This looks like a home run. 

I'm in on the UP.  Maybe I won't look at it every day, but just think when guests come over. 

I have the K-Line camera car, works great and you can aim the camera off to the side if you wish. people really liked it when I had open house for the village. Broadcast to the main floor TV,  right by the stairs going to basement they knew they where on camera. Kids would go up the stairs to see their  family on TV.

Professor Chaos posted:

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

I've been looking for a good HD WiFi camera, so far no luck.  I've bought several Chinese models, only to find out they were flaky at best, and both of them are in a box somewhere.

If it's not HD, I'll pass, otherwise I'd be in for one.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Professor Chaos posted:

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

I've been looking for a good HD WiFi camera, so far no luck.  I've bought several Chinese models, only to find out they were flaky at best, and both of them are in a box somewhere.

If it's not HD, I'll pass, otherwise I'd be in for one.

I've been thinking about this for a bit. I have an MTH extended-vision caboose from a starter set. Since the caboose lacks an interior, I was thinking about taking the waterproof case off of my GoPro Hero3 and squeezing it inside the cupola. If one could create a small perch for the camera to rest on, it might work. I have yet to try the idea, however. With the GoPro app, one can stream video to a mobile device such as a tablet in HD 720p quality with about 3 seconds of transmission lag. 

A great idea and affordable, plus it show everyone that Lionel still thinks outside the box.

Sadly, at least in my iPad, it doesn't look all that high resolution.  I'd expect more clarity if it were HD.  I hope I'm wrong, I'd love to have one of these.

Welp, getting a cupolacam will certainly be easier than trying to wedge a camcorder or GoPro on a gondola or boxcar, I'd say the RDG looks pretty good, however I must ask does the camera run off of energy supplied by a pickup roller via third rail or does it run off a separate power source like a charger or batteries?

@T1Titan_ZachF posted:

Surprisingly I found the app that receives the signal from the cameras that Lionel is putting in these and the theatre cars, and downloaded it to see what it is like and play around. I don't know if its on Android yet, but I downloaded it off of the apple store, its called: "Lionel Wireless Camera." The app is free, and will only be put to good use when the THEATRE CARS ARRIVE, which will be sometime............. Lionel has not put any public news as far as I know about the app, so I thought I would be the one to share. You can see in the App's sample pictures test footage shot on the Lionel testing layout. 

 

Hope the Picture shows up

 

 

It on Android yet? 

Professor Chaos posted:

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

Much like GRJ, i have found the affordable WiFi HD cameras are rather weak. They skip frequently, and have high latency which (for me) makes the image horrendous to watch.

I eventually built my own camera car use 5.8GHz FPV equipment used by drones. As I wanted near realtime video, It is analog which also makes connecting it to a TV pretty easy using the composite input.  Check it out here: https://ogrforum.com/...35#72805549098596735

@T1Titan_ZachF posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Welp, getting a cupolacam will certainly be easier than trying to wedge a camcorder or GoPro on a gondola or boxcar, I'd say the RDG looks pretty good, however I must ask does the camera run off of energy supplied by a pickup roller via third rail or does it run off a separate power source like a charger or batteries?

That's a good thought John, my guess is that it is powered by track voltage via pickup rollers. 

Yeah, but the problem with using a pickup roller is that if there's a short in the track, the camera will shut off and probably lose its memory. 

pittsburghrailfan posted:

 have yet to try the idea, however. With the GoPro app, one can stream video to a mobile device such as a tablet in HD 720p quality with about 3 seconds of transmission lag. 

I've tried the GoPro app but was never able to get 720 HD via WiFi, and if the signal diminished even the slightness bit, the lag increased greatly with a momentary screen freeze.

Is there a trick to getting the app to force 720 HD resolution?

Welp, I'm gonna get one but let's hope Lionel can shop it before I'm already looking at the 2019 catalog.

I'm in for two --  one each of two road names.  

HD would be a bonus.  Let's hope Lionel is able to install HS cameras.

IDK why Lionel Chose a PRR Wide vision Caboose [ it never existed] They should have done a Conrail Wide Vision Caboose instead!

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

They should have done a Conrail Wide Vision Caboose instead!

As a Conrail fan, I would've been all in for preordering that!

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Yeah, but the problem with using a pickup roller is that if there's a short in the track, the camera will shut off and probably lose its memory. 

If there is a short, hopefully the transformer trips and no power to anything.  I suspect they will have some sort of capacitance circuit like the passenger car's lighting built in to make up for temporary, brief, power interruptions.

It looks neat - I preferred a bit more variety to the single shot off the back of the train. I have cobbled together camera cars over the years - i still use an ancient Flip video camera that fits perfectly in a small wagon that can be pushed ahead of the engine or behind or mid-train to face forward, back or to either side. I also added a 'slot' for want of a better word to another wagon so I could stand an smartphone upright to do much of the same thing. Nothing live though...

I was thinking about it then, I think I will pass... it did not make the 3 strike rule:

1) Wrong prototype; the UP version is not a Ca4 which would have been more appropriate

2) Video resolution:  camera quality would just give me head ache, not sure if its even live streaming?

3) price? Maybe easier just to make my own?

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Professor Chaos posted:

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

I've been looking for a good HD WiFi camera, so far no luck.  I've bought several Chinese models, only to find out they were flaky at best, and both of them are in a box somewhere.

If it's not HD, I'll pass, otherwise I'd be in for one.

There's gotta be racing drone fpv cameras that'll fit the bill.  Flakiness in a racing drone camera is undesirable, to put it mildly.  Check out racing drone videos on utube and you'll see why.

Pete

@T1Titan_ZachF posted:

Surprisingly I found the app that receives the signal from the cameras that Lionel is putting in these and the theatre cars, and downloaded it to see what it is like and play around. I don't know if its on Android yet, but I downloaded it off of the apple store, its called: "Lionel Wireless Camera." The app is free, and will only be put to good use when the THEATRE CARS ARRIVE, which will be sometime............. Lionel has not put any public news as far as I know about the app, so I thought I would be the one to share. You can see in the App's sample pictures test footage shot on the Lionel testing layout. 

 

Hope the Picture shows up

 

 

I agree in that I think this is a cool offering but I'd like to know more about how it works. Not going to go out and buy it blindly.

Do you download the app on your phone (I'm an Apple/Mac user across the board) and that's it? Do you have to hook up to your home Wi-Fi (not doing that!)? Or......?

Would appreciate a little more detailed info if available.

The Ryan and Dave Show is this afternoon.  A lot of these could probably asked there.  If the camera is the same as the theater cars, they are live streaming.  I doubt they went to a different system for the caboose.  They had one at York last year.  I certainly would not use the screen shot from above as to the quality of the camera. 

Texas Pete posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Professor Chaos posted:

Anyone know of a suitable camera module if you wanted to roll your own?

I've been looking for a good HD WiFi camera, so far no luck.  I've bought several Chinese models, only to find out they were flaky at best, and both of them are in a box somewhere.

If it's not HD, I'll pass, otherwise I'd be in for one.

There's gotta be racing drone fpv cameras that'll fit the bill.  Flakiness in a racing drone camera is undesirable, to put it mildly.  Check out racing drone videos on utube and you'll see why.

Pete

Pete, Many of us don't run our trains that fast or that far away from the video receiver. I built a camera car using FPV drone stuff and was pretty happy with the video quality.

Here is a video of it: https://ogrforum.com/...5549118903864/a/true
The phone I recorded this on wasn't of the best quality and the output image quality is much better in person.

I have a bad feeling that the WiFi camera in this caboose will fall short of our expectations. You'll notice that on the previous page in the catalog that the same caboose is offered without the camera for only $25 less. I have never seen a good quality WiFi (HD or not) camera sold that would meet my expectations for that low of a price. Even the high end GoPro WiFi camera & app has it's drawbacks.

H1000 posted:

 

I have a bad feeling that the WiFi camera in this caboose will fall short of our expectations. You'll notice that on the previous page in the catalog that the same caboose is offered without the camera for only $25 less.

Maybe they are just gouging on the others?

If it comes as shown without thumb tacks, the Santa Fe may be a gift. Will need to see the video quality first though!

Dave Olson did post some information & videos about the WiFi cameras used in the theater car last year. I suspect that these would be the same cameras used in this caboose:

https://ogrforum.com/...5549118903864/a/true

Dave Olson posted:

I've been testing the camera this week. The frame rate varies between 20-30 fps. 

There's an APP to download on an Android or Apple device. Connects to the camera via WiFi. It's a direct connection from the camera to the device. No internet required. You can also download a PC program to run the camera as well as long as the PC has WiFi compatibility.

I've uploaded a test video of the camera. Excuse my shakey hand. Filmed the CSX F40PH as it was handy on my desk.

We're aiming to have a 3D printed sample of the Theater car at York next month and will likely be streaming the video feed to an iPad or other monitor.

Thanks!

 https://ogrforum.com/...51#71819767895924551

Dave Olson posted:

As many may know, our WiFi box can be a stand alone WiFi network, or can join an existing one. That way you can be connected to the internet or other devices simultaneously.

The camera can do the same. In the APP, the camera can be added to an existing network (I.E. if you have a home LAN) - therefore you can be connected to the camera and LCS/iCab at the same time. Just have to switch between the screens to go from controls to the camera feed.

You can also add a password to the camera when it's connected to a network. This way the neighbors can't sneak a peak at your top secret layout. 

For those of us less-than fluent on IT stuff, how and what would the camera transmit to? Would we put a tv in the basement with a receptor, or what is needed to make this work out of the box?

This is a potentially really neat item but Lionel will lose customers unless they make it easy to adapt to and set up.

I think the camera in the cabooses should work fine. Mini wifi cameras are not that expensive. I will add the Santa Fe and UP to my collection. There are several mini wifi drone cameras that can be used as alternatives to gopro. They have self contained battery and are the size of a small box of matches. They are supported by android and IOS, but not PC.

For real time wifi camera best option is Tactic Droneview for $40 street price. Very low latency, range up to 100 meters, 720p but only 20fps.  Wifi picture is excellent on android phone or tablet. 45 min operation on a charge but you can extend by plugging into lipstick size USB battery. Recordings are not bad for playing on a small screen phone until you see what the other cameras can do.

Foxeer Legend 3 ($150), Foxeer legend 2 ($90), and Runcam 2 ($80)- all three will record HD 1080p 60 fps. Wifi picture and range is OK on the Legend 2 , range poor on Runcam 2, and range and wifi picture very poor on Legend 3. These cameras are not as good as Droneview on wifi monitor because HD recorder is using most of cpu and battery resources. Recording is very reliable, however. Even if wifi link is dropped the cameras will keep recording. Wide angle view can be adjusted. Legend 2 is best choice of these three for ovrall recording and wifi monitoring. One negative, it does not have removeable battery. 

I stick these cameras on top of engine cabs or cars. Nice views on cab of a Lionel Speeder. They can be used trackside to capture trains passing by. If I am recording I want the best view and do not care about hiding them. I can successfully hide them in an 45 foot Atlas O container, which can then be placed on flat car or as part of double stack. There is  room inside the container to connect to battery for extended recording time. You have to be able to easily open the container to access the camera buttons and remove camera to charge and remove camera micro sd card. 

Perhaps Lionel will offer some cameras in dummy engines in the future. Then we can get engineer track view.

I have recorded many videos at our train club and they are posted on my youtube channel and our club website. They are 1080p 60fps but you may get lower resolution, depending on your internet provider bandwidth. Check to see what resolution youtube is streaming.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...1pxgcsi3BD6G0X4toNNA

Paul Kallus posted:

For those of us less-than fluent on IT stuff, how and what would the camera transmit to? Would we put a tv in the basement with a receptor, or what is needed to make this work out of the box?

This is a potentially really neat item but Lionel will lose customers unless they make it easy to adapt to and set up.

Just like what I posted earlier. How is this going to work? Download an app? Hook it up to my TV or Home WiFi?

As mentioned, I'm not blindly ordering anything unless I know how it will work.

Ask Ryan and Dave on the "Ryan and Dave 2018 Catalog Show" at 4pm EST on Facebook.

All 4 of my wifi cameras are android/IOS and work this way.

First download app to your phone or tablet.

If you turn on your phone or tablet and select wifi networks you will see a list of all of them that are in range. You will see your home network as well as your neighbors networks. You will only be able to connect to networks you have password for, and only to one at a time.

Turn the wifi camera on and within a few seconds it's wifi name will appear on the list of wifi networks. You select connect with the password (something like 12345678), which will be a saved password after the first time. It disconnects you from your home wifi and connects you to the camera wifi. It is independent from your home wifi and internet provider. It will say "connected, no internet."

Then you open the app for your camera and proceed.