Drive-In Movie Screen For Smaller Scale Layouts

Now that is a really cool, good looking idea.

Congratulations on this Project

 

Drive in movie theaters are a time gone bye, but makes for a cool addition to a model train layout. 

 

What killed Drive in Movies Theaters, was Day Light Savings Time. In Michigan the sun goes down at about 10 PM in the summer. 

We have one on the o-gauge layout at McCormick/Stillman RR Park in Scottsdale,Az
There is a camera next to the screen and the people see themselves
It's a great hit

For O scale cheap drive in try one of the moving photo frames. They only act as a slide show but using old intermission ads running over and over look like the start of the movie. And much cheaper than buying a tablet or small LCD TV.

LOL! One survives, not too far from me, in South Jersey. Delsea Drive-in Theatre

 

I can't find any info about the size of typical screen used at the drive-in.

 

EBT Jim, if you search the forum, there was a thread last year with some photos of drive-ins on layouts. They are always attention grabbers, even to those that don't know what they are.

Can you get really little popcorn there?  

Just for ha-ha s I had to look. There are 348 still operating with 549 screens

 

I still can't find the screen size.

I'd bet almost every one is different. One that still operates about 5 miles from me is only 40 ft across. Another one about an hour away is a good 60 foot across. BUT....and abandoned screen in St Albans is HUGE.....maybe 100 foot across. And much taller than either local scraan. SO.....how tall is a tree??? Same for screens. 

Yeah, Dave. I just found this Bengies. The screen size is determined by a lens calculation from the projection point to the center of the screen. This one is 54 x 120.

Like 12" x 30" O scale.

 

So, the tablet size screen is probably close or even a big size smartphone screen for a small drive-in.

Originally Posted by EBT Jim:

Years ago Chris Miller offered a couple drive-in kits that were based on an LCD module for which he had a source.  That source, apparently, dried up.  I waited too long, so I started checking with him every chance our paths crossed re a new source.  Not to be.  Last I checked a couple York's ago,....'Never again!'

 

The O gauge Cornerstone products, of course, now are in the sole domain of Atlas.  Since there never was an O scale drive-in theater package....only the Palace Theater building soon to be available as the Elecktra...it would fall to Atlas...or someone else...to provide a package like Walthers is now offering in HO. 

 

Neat things like this keep tugging at me to return to HO.  Their recent announcement re the B&O's Capitol Limited in HO was downright painful.  The Dark Side is calling....calling....calling.  Right now deteriorating eyesight is a major deterrent.  But my HO customers (LHS) who have had cataract operations claim miracles in dealing with the smaller scales.  I'm due for two.

 

Yet, for the mess I've created so far in the basement, probably nothing will change....sez my wife!  Besides,  there's no York in the Dark Side!!

 

KD

I use a 7" screen personal DVD player, often on sale for less than $100.. You can connect it to a cheap DVD or VHS player located near your layout edge. That way, you have control over the "show". I usually show Our Gang "Railroadin", with old drive-in movie refreshment break ads mixed in (available on eBay).

The whole idea is soooo cool, I think I would not be so concerned about scale.  It's just too cool to let size matter all that much.  Joe, very good idea with Our Gang.  You can never go wrong with those old episodes.  They appeal to everyone, from my grandkids, to my folks who could qualify as my grandparents.  

Great idea.

Very cool idea. Kudos Jim and Joe. I like the appeal of the visual aspect, but also the individual source of sound aspect on a layout. Since newer trains have sound that imitates the sound of trains, why not other sounds like drive-in theaters, traffic noise, carnivals, etc. Great idea with the screens - I have a portable DVD player with a 7" screen that might do the job nicely. Thanks!

The easiest way to play anything you want on DVD is purchase a portable DVD player (I bought mine for $59 at Christmas sale), remove the fold up screen, extend the wires going from the player to the screen and mount the screen on the layout with the player part near your control panel.  I download old movies and adds from YouTube and played on this screen.  It is easy to make your own frame for the screen.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Ah yes, wonderful.  A passion pit!  And a submarine movie, too.  It just cannot get any better . . . 

LOL!!!

As further encouragment, I bought a Digital Picture frame for my wife a couple years back. It wasn't that expensive either, under $100.

It will also show movies in a couple formats !  Movie Limit is the Memory chip you put in it, I got a 8 Gig one so LOTS of pictures in the current slideshow. I'll have to check the video formats but I suspect it will do MP3.

Drive-in theatre, a very fun idea.

 

Hi ,

I have made 2 working drive ins in O scale or O guage , I have the components , feel free to email me for info.

 

Bernie

just a thought couldn't you use the lcd picture frame that has a usb and play a movie on it there about the right size I have one that is 6x8 I don't have room for a drive in but I would think that would work and they are relatively cheap.

 

heres a quick search found a sony

http://www.sony-asia.com/product/dpf-hd800 plays full hd movies

 

Concerning movie choices: I picked the "Railroadin" short movie because it had steam RR action almost non-stop from start to finish. It is unlikely your audience will stay and watch more than a few minutes...so, that full length movie with some trains in it will not work so well. My drive-in was a part of my show modules that appeared in the York Black Hall twice. The space it took up was 4x2' (not counting track area).

Hmmm...might be a good use for an old Kindle.

my choice for movies would be unstoppable

 

I make one for sale and it uses a digital picture frame that accommodates a media card. It took a bit of research to find

one that would actually play movies and not just a video clip from your phone.  If you build one yourself make sure you can return it,if it will not play your movie; as some only play

certain formats. See BIGCITYSCAPES.com for more info

One of the members of my club has a drive-in module.  He uses an old laptop with a wireless mouse for when he needs to restart the movie.  The base of the laptop is just buried in the scenery.

 

Old laptops can be had pretty cheap, and the only real requirements are a DVD drive and one USB port.

 

Andy

That was what I used on my layout when I made one for my layout years ago. It was a Mac Laptop, a 5300; and was so old you couldn't even get on the internet anymore because of its small harddrive. I cut a hole in the tabletotop so the keyborad could hang below and hooked up a auxilary keyboard. I ran some low rez cartoons. Same design as the one I pictured . It was used inspiration from a real drive inn now closed and probably demolished.

You're kind of a dirty old man, aintcha?  

 

You'd need one car with the windows fogged up and rig it to rock back and forth... and if ayone could do that,you could.