Latest run of Lionel caboose-cam

Was the Union Pacific ever released from the first run?

Alabama Joe posted:

Was the Union Pacific ever released from the first run?

Lionel told me September.

Sorry, the caboose I just received is from the first series. I assumed it was not the same production run as the initial, because it would have shipped along with the others. Mine is the PRR and I get a sharp picture (and I did not have to remove the window).  

I thought the PRR didn't ship in the first run.

that is what I was told also. my prr just shipped

So has Lionel ever responded to what folks have been reporting about blurry pictures and the fact that some folks have taken their caboose apart to remove the window? 

Will they issue a recall for that?

I will NOT remove anything from my Chessie caboose and think the added window is protection for the camera. Still think it is a cool piece to operate at train shows with a large monitor.

My UP caboose is shipping now to my LHS...

Charles Ro hit my CC a couple days ago.  I checked my records and the only things I ordered were the PRR Camera Caboose and The PRR PS-1 Sound Car so I'm guessing its the Camera Cabeese.

Chief Bob (Retired)

Either Ryan or Dave said in a recent video that they are reworking the lens / window to clear up the picture.  Whether it made it into the UP or PRR cabooses is unknown.  I suspect not.

MartyE posted:

Either Ryan or Dave said in a recent video that they are reworking the lens / window to clear up the picture.  Whether it made it into the UP or PRR cabooses is unknown.  I suspect not.

Thanks for that info.

I’ve wanted one of these since first cataloged but also figured it was better to wait and see how things shook out with the first run. New item with a new wrinkle and all that. So these threads have been instructive and I’ll continue to wait until it looks like all of the documented issues have been resolved.

FWIW the units we got in at the LHS look pretty good without some of the blurriness others have posted.  I imagine without the plastic window the image could be clearer but it isn't bad as delivered.  Again the ones at my LHS.

The PRR caboose I just received has a sharp picture (beyond the edge of the caboose roof).

No problem reading lettering on buildings or rolling stock as caboose goes by.

Nice being able to take snapshots or record a video.

In daylight the colors are good, but when I have my lights on the colors have a reddish tone.

Is there an adjustment on the camera for that or is a filter available?

What catalog were these listed in?

thanks

Marty

So I guess they will take back our first run cabooses and fix the lens issue?

Ted Bertiger posted:

Either Ryan or Dave said in a recent video that they are reworking the lens / window to clear up the picture.  Whether it made it into the UP or PRR cabooses is unknown.  I suspect not.

Marty

So I guess they will take back our first run cabooses and fix the lens issue?

Ask Lionel. I have no idea. 

If memory serves me correctly it was Trainworld TV where Ryan mentioned this. 

I have several of the original shipment and they were all acceptable sharpness. I did remove the window from two of them. After great difficulty taking those two apart and putting them back together they are significantly sharper...I still find the pre-windowless ones acceptable though.

I also have to say, these cabooses are absolutely the worst when it comes to disassembling them. One screw is almost totally under a truck and there is a wire that is too short to remove the shell when you do get the screw out. I removed the wire from it's connection by knocking out a side window and reaching in. I glued the window back and extended the length of the wire prior to reassembly.

Doug N posted:

What catalog were these listed in?

thanks

First featured in 2018, Volume 1.

In the 2019, Volume 1 catalog they offered a second run with new road names. C&O, Conrail, N&W, Milwaukee Road and Lionel Lines to name a few.

I'm planning to grab one from this second bunch hoping that all of the camera issues will have been ironed out. A least that's the plan.

johnstrains posted:

Doug N posted:

What catalog were these listed in?

thanks

First featured in 2018, Volume 1.

In the 2019, Volume 1 catalog they offered a second run with new road names. C&O, Conrail, N&W, Milwaukee Road and Lionel Lines to name a few.

I'm planning to grab one from this second bunch hoping that all of the camera issues will have been ironed out. A least that's the plan.

Thanks

Got a follow-up email from Charles Ro and FEDEX is possession of the caboose.   Tracking indicates that it should be delivered on Thursday the 29th.   I'll try to post anything that may be relevant once i get a chance to run her on the layout.

Chief Bob (Retired)

I received my PRR Camera Caboose Tuesday 08/27/2019 From Charles Ro.   It was well packed and arrived unscathed.   After unpacking I looked over the instructions and followed them precisely.  Everything worked just like it was supposed to.   The picture was very clear (with the exception of some glare from the overhead lighting) and the color was good.    Downloading and installing the Lionel App onto my Samsung Galaxy Tab A, went perfectly.  I’m a happy camper.  Nuff said.

Chief Bob (Retired)

PUFFRBELLY posted:

I received my PRR Camera Caboose Tuesday 08/27/2019 From Charles Ro.   It was well packed and arrived unscathed.   After unpacking I looked over the instructions and followed them precisely.  Everything worked just like it was supposed to.   The picture was very clear (with the exception of some glare from the overhead lighting) and the color was good.    Downloading and installing the Lionel App onto my Samsung Galaxy Tab A, went perfectly.  I’m a happy camper.  Nuff said.

Chief Bob (Retired)

Good to hear. I'll sit tight for a while longer for more reviews but sounds like things have cleared up (pun intended) on the camera. Thinking I'll go for the Lionel Lines livery. Ro shows that one shipping in January.

Thanks for the update.

I too received my UP camera caboose from Charles Ro today. Set it up quickly and the camera picture comes up very clear on my IPad. Happy camper!

Carl J

For those that have the item:  how difficult do you suppose it would be to remove the electronics/camera and install un a different type of caboose?

I removed all the camera guts from the Santa Fe caboose and was going to do that. It's no problem, you just have to clip a couple of tie wraps and break the slight glue holding the camera mount to the cupola. It's not a compact unit but parts connected by wires. But it is removeable.

Alabama Joe posted:

Was the Union Pacific ever released from the first run?

Just got my UP Caboose from Joey and Nicholas Smith. Looks great overall and works out of the box. Worth the wait IMO. 

As to the sharpness issue, I don't think there have been any changes. I never had what I would call unacceptable softness in the image with the first batch,  but taking the plastic window out made the image very much sharper. These later ones I just received look just the same. Either way, it's fine. If they were to just remove the window, I would like that better. I really don't see any need to protect the camera...from what?

Got my PRR from Ro yesterday and the image is really blurry and the image looks like it has  a cloudy haze on it. I guess I'll remove the window and go from there.

cjack posted:... If they were to just remove the window, I would like that better. I really don't see any need to protect the camera...from what?

Over time dust will gather on the lens. 

BradFish1 posted:

Got my PRR from Ro yesterday and the image is really blurry and the image looks like it has  a cloudy haze on it. I guess I'll remove the window and go from there.

I think these CAMs have been mostly the same, but whether they are acceptable or not is subjective. There’s no doubt that no window is superior. The camera itself is sharp. I’m willing to dust off the camera.

If you go to a camera supply store, you can buy a lens cleaning puffer to blow dust off of the lens.  I live in a very dusty environment and use one regularly on my camera lenses.

Rolland

Today I took the window out and glued a piece of plex-glass in place. From outside you can't tell the difference and the image is MUCH better. Better image and no dust.

How do you do the disassembly? What I did and think I'll have to do again is:

1. Remove the 4 screws from the bottom about 1/4 inch which releases the caboose Shell.

2. Poke a side window out of the Cupola so that the power wire can be removed from the LED strip. This allows the Shell to be separated from the frame base far enough to do the next step.

3. Remove the LED strip so that the Cupola can be removed. The Cupola tabs are restricted from being pushed in by the structure molded on them and the holes they are pressed thru in the LED strip.

4. Then after removing the window, and replacing the LED strip, extend the LED strip power wire for easy reassembly and future disassembly. Also cut the rib away from the Cupola tabs so the Cupola can be removed without disassembly of the shell and frame. Glue the side window back in the Cupola.

Are there any simpler ways to get the window out short of striking it with a screwdriver and hoping the camera doesn't get dislodged?

Chuck,

  There is another older thread by Sean where he posts a YouTube video of how to disassemble the caboose. Sean didn't know about the LED wire but thanks to his video I was expecting it and just used a long flat blade screwdriver to pry the plug loose once I had the body loose. Sean shows you where to cut the cupola tabs. The best part is you don't have to poke a side window out. I hope this helps.

Thanks, great video. I see now that I can just go as far as fixing the Cupola tabs so they come out as I remember doing, but the plug into the LED strip doesn't really have to be lengthened. One can always just remove the Cupola and unplug the wire. I wonder if that's how they built it...maybe the Cupola tabs can be forced in with the ridge on them.

Seems like a dumb way to build the thing though. And it doesn't answer the issue of the screw under the truck. They'd have to insert the screw and then put the truck on with the clip, then build the interior, and then attach the shell. Then I guess put the Cupola on the shell, install the LED strip which locks it in and fuss getting the wire plugged in. Not vary likely. Really a dumb way to build an easy to design a camera in a caboose. Whoever designed this needs some help.

But anyway, great video. Once the thing is apart and the plug is pulled loose with a long bladed screwdriver, Cupola modified...and you're good to go.

As a way to avoid disassembling the caboose, is there enough room between the window and the camera lens to drill a hole in the window without hitting the lens?

Perhaps one could use a soldering iron to burn an opening in the window, but that might leave a hole that's a bit unsightly. Still, it may not be that noticeable. 

The cam is just about touching the window. If you drilled a hole, the drill would have to have cutters right at the edge of the end of the drill. I forget what that's called. Even then, it's a bit iffy. And I think it's plexiglass, so the drill might melt the plastic if it's too fast. Generally not going to work. If I didn't want to disassemble, I would try to knock the window out. If you put a screwdriver blade edge on the side of the window and gave it a pretty good tap, the window might fall out. If it dislodges the cam, then you have to take it apart at that point anyway.

Thanks for all the info, guys. 

Here are two snapshots of two camera cabooses...one with a window and one without a window. You can sort them

The one with a window I just got the other day. The one without a window, I removed that window a couple months ago when I got it.

I took the window out of the one I just got above, the not so sharp one, and here are the results.

I have the Santa Fe from the first run which has a great picture. What we need Lionel is a locomotive with camera in front of engine or cab which would show trackage and scenery as engineer would see it. The caboose is ok but the roof of car steals the view.

Based on those photo comparisons, even if someone has a caboose with a picture sharpness they think is OK, it will certainly be tempting to remove the window to see how much difference it makes. When mine arrives, in all likelihood I'll go ahead and perform the caboose cataract surgery. 

I agree with Farmerjohn, a Camera in the cab window of a nice Diesel engine giving the view the engineer sees would be nice. My UP Cam Caboose is at my hobby shop ready to go. So, it would be neat if Lionel could Place a Camera in the engineers side allowing a front view, and also The brakeman in the Caboose see the back view. ...Wow, non stop action....

The camera in an engine was done back in the late '90s by Neil Young when he had the Horde tour layout and had Lionelvision being broadcasting at the York fairgrounds over a huge monitor.

My latest cabeese arrived today.  One will require surgery and one is good enough as is.  That leaves the score at 3 bad, 1 good for the 4 I bought.  All in all I think this is a home run for Lionel.  I am in the process of experimenting with one of the camera sets from one caboose to see what the engineers view looks like with various engines.  I think I like the RS-3 best so far but I have some more work to do.......

Rolland

Ted Bertiger posted:

The camera in an engine was done back in the late '90s by Neil Young when he had the Horde tour layout and had Lionelvision being broadcasting at the York fairgrounds over a huge monitor.

Lionel introduced RailScope back in 1988, a video camera in the nose of a GP-9. It didn't really catch on; the setup procedure was quite complicated with the "old time" electronics, and I heard the image wasn't that great.

Ok, you’re making me want to remove the cam from the Santa Fe again and put it in an engine!!

We received our UP CAM cabeese and both worked just fine on our dealers test layout.  The pictures on our IPhones looked really good and well worth the wait. The big test will be when we place them on our home layouts. My Question is, how many folks can connect to a single Caboose? Example, can two or more operators connect to one Caboose? Thank You, I will post a small review once I have time to set them on the layout. Happy Railroading 

Re-reading this thread got me thinking re: removal of the window. This may be a dumb question but is it possible to just cut out the window with careful application of an Xacto knife? I haven't see one of these nor have I watched any of the how-to videos so I'm sure there's a good answer to my question. Just seems much easier than the somewhat convoluted disassembly.

Cutting out the window isn't very likely. It's really thick and close to the camera. Also, having the camera looking thru a clean hole is beneficial as to flare introduced by any bright lights in  the view. I noticed that the Menard's sign in my pictures introduced quite a bit of flare.

cjack posted:

Cutting out the window isn't very likely. It's really thick and close to the camera. Also, having the camera looking thru a clean hole is beneficial as to flare introduced by any bright lights in  the view. I noticed that the Menard's sign in my pictures introduced quite a bit of flare.

Thanks, Chuck. Makes sense.

I’m still planning on picking one of these up from the second run with a January 2020 delivery.

Fingers crossed that I’ll get a “good one.”

leapinlarry posted:

We received our UP CAM cabeese and both worked just fine on our dealers test layout.  The pictures on our IPhones looked really good and well worth the wait. The big test will be when we place them on our home layouts. My Question is, how many folks can connect to a single Caboose? Example, can two or more operators connect to one Caboose? Thank You, I will post a small review once I have time to set them on the layout. Happy Railroading 

Unless you are connecting the caboose and your device to a network then it's only 1 connection per caboose.

Thank you Marty, so, one Camera car and one I-phone or I-pad control, one person not 2. I just received my UP camera Caboose, so I will check it out with the CSX Caboose and see how they work. I like the looks of these Cabooses and now have the Sante Fe and the NS.  I am lost on how to set up a network... I look forward to seeing Lionel at York next month.  

leapinlarry posted:

Thank you Marty, so, one Camera car and one I-phone or I-pad control, one person not 2. I just received my UP camera Caboose, so I will check it out with the CSX Caboose and see how they work. I like the looks of these Cabooses and now have the Sante Fe and the NS.  I am lost on how to set up a network... I look forward to seeing Lionel at York next month.  

 

You can connect more than one device. Nothing is going to stop you. But you may notice more of a lag in the video on both devices