Building a Model Railway to send Coffee
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- Опубліковано 31 січ 2023
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Great video once again mate 👍
Well it wouldn't have been much of a video, but I bet a second coffee maker might have been cheaper🤣
damn just buy another coffee machine.
just move the coffee maker
@@hogoverlord8211 yes exactly
This is awesome, can’t help but to think moving the coffee machine would have been far easier though 😂
would be cool but its heavy and you need it plugged in
Yeah not as interesting a video though watching him move the coffee machine upstairs.
@@stormtastic7083 A 'Flexi-drone-off'? - very noisy, most spill-worthy, but fun to watch : )
I thought this too 🤣
Where is the fun in that? 😅
so satisfying to see efficient engineering saving you so much time and effort
😂
Ok
How many 5 minute cups of coffee will it take to make up the 8+ days it took to build?
@@LewisRawlinson30 Actually you have to add a minute equivalent for satisfaction with each train delivered coffee to calculate the savings - so 5 minutes savings for the coffee + 715 minutes of statisfaction ~ 16 Coffees to offset the build 😜
I got a better solution : buy another coffee machine or move it upstairs...
I think a sawzall locomotive is just what this project needs😂
I'm literally watching that next lol
ha, funnily enough i watched that before this one ;)
Radical
Peter, I love what you do, but as cool as that one was, I would prefer a bit more precision using ESCs and PWM .... and make it sound like the turbines on the batmobile...
And that must have been why I was recommended this video after yours!
The fact that you managed to get the vernacular system working without spilling the coffee is absolutely astonishing. I am a model train enthusiast but I have never seen anything like this before. There do exist restaurants across the world where the food gets delivered by trains and I have been to them, but this is a different level. More trains please.
I have a suggestion, i can imagine that the coffee is a bit cold after that 2km drive. Why don't you put the coffee machine on the train? Always a hot cup when it arrives :D
Simple, the train needs a heater for the cup!
@@TheLordNemesis nah that's to smart
No no no. He should be be able to ride the train down too the coffee machine
Move the machine upstairs, better yet get off ya lazy bum
No offense
DCC operations
Even if you have the same engine running at the same voltage
Motors have differences and can cause imbalance
DCC negates that with making the speed the same as another, but DCC is EXPENSIVE, and with proper wiring
I want one! 😄
Ok
Except yours will have a LED headlamp brighter than the sun. 🤣
@@rednaughtstudios and is made out of brass 😁
@@Craftlngo Exactly
Brass transport
Absolutely amazing!
Thanks, Chris!
I thought you made this video haha
Hi Chris!!!!
You need to try this!
Bit like the breakfast express right?
As a railwayman of 36+ years and a signalman (signaller these days) since 1992, I absolutely loved this video. I’ve always loved trains; I was a spotter as a kid and I had a model railway in the loft of my old parents house (courtesy of my late father). I guess it was the obvious career choice.😅😇😄 Needless to say this video took me back and you’ve put a huge grin on my face. Thank you very gladly. Trains rule!💯😎 All the best. Simon
As an engineer I understand solving the problem the hardest possible and most expensive way because of the rule of cool. A normal person would just buy a second coffee machine for upstairs.
rule of cool is great way of putting it
I'd love to push the rule of cool even further and have steam-powered model trains do the work! As incredibly inefficient as that may be lol. Just a happy little train chugging back and forth with a mug of some tasty hot beverage on it :D
Absolutely love this, and would love to see more! An idea to improve the balance of the coffee cup wagon might be to 3D print an in-scale tanker wagon to hold the coffee. Theres a type of tank wagon aptly called a TEA wagon that is long and on bogies, making the ride smoother and more stable, with a lower centre of gravity over a longer base. The only issue is the infrastructure at each end of the line would have to be remade. Perhaps a funnel at the Coffee Maker to fill the tanker, and a tap at the bottom of the tanker to empty into the cup at the other end of the line. or a Hopper wagon, same principle but fully open at the top so filling would be easier.
EDIT: A HAA style Hopper wagon might be better overall, but longer and on bogies to accommodate the full espresso shot. And perhaps an inward-curved lip on the top to minimise potential coffee loss from the sloshing at stops and starts.
You would have to clean the tanker to prevent mold
@@thewhitefalcon8539 true, but you already have to clean the cup, so as long as the plastic is dishwasher safe it should be fine
@@rosiepone It would have to be designed to be cleanable. Are you thinking a wagon-shaped cup or an actual tanker wagon closed off on top?
@@thewhitefalcon8539 My initial thoughs were a fully enclosed tanker, but a better solution would be something like a HAA hopper, as you wouldn’t have to precisely line up the coffee machine with a small hole on the tank top.
HAA image: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAA_354966.jpg
As a model train enthusiast, very well done. Love seeing some of the older Hornby models too. I would love to see more train related videos by you!
I think a center-depressed flat car would help quite a lot in the center of gravity and clearance issues you were having with the coffee staying on the cup! I know they are typically only used in America, but perhaps its worth a shot?
Great project James, it looks like you unlocked a lot of new skills too! Can you imagine if you had to consider the payloads of the bridges, the steel strength the ground works involved and signalling etc, it's puts into perspective how how complicated our train systems are.
A very cool solution to a problem but let me ask you the obvious question: Why not move the coffee machine to your office?
I was waiting for this comment hahaha
If he would have moved the coffee machine then the coffee train track would be too short and not justify a video.
If he moved the coffee machine then what would he do if he wanted coffee while downstairs??
@@Lozoot2 Get a second coffee machine - but who could turn down a chance for a project like this instead :>
@@nekkowe coffee machines are very expensive
My love for trains has been something that has spanned my entire life, I always dreamed of having a train in my house that would bring me things such as food, drinks, etc, of course that’s insanely difficult, but this video is the essence of that idea in my eyes, thanks man, loved this video
loved the coffee machine youtube very smart .👍terry
I love that this seemed like a better idea than moving the coffee machine upstairs.
Isn't a coffee machine a bit too heavy to be moved by a model train?
@@jaythecoderx4623 It is with that attitude!
You are a very clever chap...this is amazing...nice to see your vintage Triang/Hornby collection.
This reminds me of a scene in the movie "Thunderbird 6"; the characters were in a restaurant, and they used model trains to bring food to the tables.
Great stuff.😊
"You light weight....!!!" Did this with an LGB in 2003, installing it into an internet cafe we hacked LGB's early digital control software to allow gamers to post orders from the their machines and have the train deliver it to the machines around the main room. First floor over looking the street, we took out pains of glass in the front windows, to run a side line ran on a shelf outside then back in again. It did require making a few holes in the buildings interior walls to run between rooms. The stair solution was class, well done Sir.
You should just make a 10 hour long video of all your beautiful building montage’s on here because I love them
Excellent work James. Would definitely like to see some more train-related projects!
Thank you! I have been trying to find a reference video or inspiration for real life objects with model trains because I wanted to see how I could implement the hobby in purposeful tasks 💯
The fastest solution is having the coffee machine right beside the desk! hahahaha.
But I love the genius ideas and engineering! That was awesome and I’m jealous I’m not having a house like that. … shhhh… I would’ve make up stuff like this too !!! Hehehe! Thank loved train sets and scalextric cars and tracks. Great job!
I actually really enjoyed this! I think that more train related projects would be very very interesting knowing your projects! Cheers!
this is great! As a model railway/railroad enthusiast, this is amazing!
Many years ago, when I was in 3rd grade (I’m 76 now), my dad took me to a small cafe in Wheaton, IL where the patrons seated at the horseshoe-shaped counter had their orders delivered on flat cars pulled behind on O gauge locomotive. The track ran along the back edge of the counter passing through small portals to enter and exit the kitchen.
There are restaurants that deliver orders via model train; There are at least 2 in the US, one in Wisconsin & another in Illinois
You've built pretty much every trainset kid's dream... A track spanning the whole house!
Only thing I would add at the end (if you end up magnetising the cup and the carriage) is some sort of servo to "clamp" the carriage to the rail so you can pick it up without dislodging the train. You never know, an unexpected variable like that can throw code for a loop lmao
Yes James! I know this one took a lot of effort.. from the engineering to the coding.. you sir are a wizard. How about a coffee takeaway service done by a drone? 👀🤣
Personally these train projects are fantastic! Something about this style of video with trains just seems awesome!
This sounds so massively useful, especially since it's hot in the kitchen here any time it's hot outside, not because there isn't central AC, but because they don't turn it down much and so I have my own window AC. Of course, I'd also have to work out a way to get the train through the door without letting out all the nice, cool air or, more importantly, letting in all the hot, oppressive air from the rest of the house.
James May did something like this in one of his TV shows. "Man Lab" not totaly automated but it was around his shop to deliver stuff. he didn't have to go up stairs though and your solution is pretty cool
Wallace and Gromit do the same with post.
"Espresso Express"
If you fitted gimbals to the truck that carries the cup, you could take the whole train straight up the funicular section while keeping the coffee level.
This is like a Rube Goldberg machine for model trains, in doing something so overly complicated to accomplish a simple task
I love how all this can be fixed by having a coffee machine in the office but this way is way more fun.
Alternatively, you could just put the coffee machine in your room
I did something similar years ago when I was a kid but less automated (arduinos weren't a thing back then) and in HO scale. And already got some ideas for improvements lol. I'd base train control on a digital system where reversing loops and finer control are possible so that the train can always go loco first and accelerate/slow down gently instead of a coffee-tipping jolt. Sensors can be tucked into track with LEDs poking thru the sleepers for a cleaner and more realistic look (I'd also use Hall sensors on track and a lil permanent magnet on a train instead of infrared, kinda like inverse AWS), probably worth making a special coffee car which is basically a cupholder on wheels, also look up steel mill cars that carry molten metals irl for design inspiration. Feel free for using my ideas if you wanna improve the coffee train!
Actualy James, this project must be verry inspiring for a scool project. multiple techniques combined and a creative mind.
always fun to see
Legos are one of my favourite engineering tools, they’re so easy to integrate into manufactured parts like 3D printed or lazer cut stuff and they even have RC and programmable systems. Not to mention the base power functions motors are super easy to re wire for making wire extensions or using them with arduinos or even Lego’s programming systems (NXT and EV3), I’m super glad to see someone using this major tool in a creative and fun way
That's really cool and creative.i dreamed of alternative Railway's. I love coffee and Railway's. I always dreamed of a bling bling train with lots of lazers and fun effects..
This was awesome! Would love to see more stuff like this with the train. I Had a train as a kid & had the same idea, only my idea was for it to deliver breakfast & the TV remote.
loved the editing in the last bit, running the train again with a camera and cutting between the two perspectives was a nice touch. keep it up!
I did this with tomy and orange squash when I was a kid, and this is so satisfying to watch - like a grown up version!
I would like to see more train projects, as I find them really interesting and with a mind like yours god knows what you will create. Keep this up!
THE most superfluous method of getting a cup of coffee/espresso. Wouldn't have it any other way... well maybe a stop for some milk/cream... what the heck, a station for some some sugar, to boot.
All aboard The Cafe Espress!!! (using the term espress (express) loosely here)
Keep up the fun content. :)
Awesome! Can't wait for you to build a scaled KC-135 aerial refueling plane with coffee, refilling a scaled F-16 with hot coffee mid-air and delivering it back down, landing on a new scaled runway by your office window. At this rate, it's only a matter of time!
You could save time having a second train that would be waiting to chage position. It would be waiting already on the coffe machine and would change place on the elevator. You could even add (I don't know how) one step to clean it before going to the coffe machine position. Just ideas. It was a really fun video!
This is awesome! I would live to see you include more failures and problems you experienced while making the project
I love that the thought to bring the coffee machine upstairs next to your room just... never occurred to you. Nope. Build 100m of track and block off all the walking space in the whole place.
Wow!! I loved the idea and setup you had! That was amazing and brilliant! Well done; I am proud of your mechatronics engineering at a toy scale level!!!
Cool, One of my childhood thoughts was to creat something like this, while playing with my train....You nailed it!
Your use of servo motors to interface between different circuits is hilarious. I guess you work with what you know. 😂 Cool project. That bridge is crazy. Making everything line up must have been really tough.
Pretty cool! Instead of sticky stuff on the bottom of the coffee cup, a mold of the bottom half of the cup so the cup could sit down in it, maybe would have been more ideal.
Thank you for creating inspirational content for kids that doesn’t have the “lad vibe” you are on the allowed UA-cam list for my 10yo. Who with people like you and Mark Rober is getting more interested in engineering than pranks. May the monetisation gods bless you!
Sure! We would love to see more train videos. From Mike in San Diego, California, USA.
Me and my son would love more train projects like this!
You have a Fowler 3F Tank Engine! (Now this comment is of no interest to anyone but me, but my brothers and I had one when we were kids in the 1960s; the model, not the real thing.)
Great work. A quick and easy-to-implement way to transport coffee; one of life's major problems.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s when I was a kid, there was a restaurant in Van Nuys (Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley) called the Van Nuys Choo Choo. Food was brought to the tables by electric train. The trains were big O gauge and could carry whole meals. No computer control in those days, but a person operated the system and people in the kitchen poured coffee and put food on plates and plates and cups on railcars. My mom took me there for my birthday once.
Video helped rediscover my love for trains👍🏾
so glad you put the coffee label on the thumbnail cause i would have never realized..
I noticed jerky stop/start of the train which might couse cup fall. I'd try ultrasonic sensor like SEN136B5B for distance measuring instead of IR and H-bridge for PWM to slow accelerate accordingly. Apart from that great fun project :D
More trains please. This was very interesting to watch. Loved it
What you just did marvelous mate...make more of it..the projects
Love it, although taking a break fron the office by getting up and walking will be healthier
A suggestion, for smoother stopping and reduced risk of coffee sloshing so much that a little spills, you could add deceleration zones - at locations where the train stops cut one of the rails and use a plastic fishplate and then feed the now electrically isolated section of track a lower voltage.
Great Job
Bad News Tho
You're Not the First One to come up with this Idea .
Back when I was a kid ( 65 now )
Still plays with trains
There was two TV shows
" You Asked for It " and the original " Ripley's Believe It or Not "
They covered Two Different episodes of Train Layouts
Both layouts were Lionel trains ( modified )
One layout started in a guy's Workshop that ran into the house and the kitchen
The other guys lay out started in the Basement going outside running around the house and the backyard with an optional Short Line to the kitchen and back to the Basement
Both trains had modified cars
Flat cars with cut plates for passing through tunnels ( holes in the walls ) and bridges
Working tanker cars with working miniature valves on the bottom
For Soups and hot coffee
The only thing is they didn't have the Technologies we do today
They used either an intercom or a mock-up Station Master phone
And the wives made the meals put them on plates and filled the tanker cars with either coffee or soup
But basically only the soups that were used in the modified tanker cars with tomato soup
So it wouldn't clogged valves
And the Gondola cars were used for carrying crackers ( USA ) / biscuits ( G B )
Both husbands out in their perspective areas would have large coffee cups for both coffee and soup
Brilliant. Loved this project and video. Looks like a lot of fun. Now to automate a complete lunch delivery... 😁
Imagine having enough money you can do this stuff, that's living the life right there.
I'll stick to keeping my kettle on my desk and a jar of nescafe, but it was entertaining all the same.
Solving a simple problem by adding complexity 101. Looking forward for the next one.
This was truly awesome! Now if only you could get it to cook and bring you food!
HAH, that is awesome, love it!!! -Ken
I would have lost my marbles with excitement if I saw this thing as a kid, I loved building train bridges with whatever stuff I could find
A wagon that is properly sealed could also deliver the coffe, like an actual train delivering liquids/aggregates. Though it would be quite a challenge getting the coffee out of it, maybe a mechanism that funnels the coffee below the wagon into your cup
A couple suggestions. First, 3D print a cup holder car. That will be much more reliable. Second, you can avoid the stairs by doing a continuous spiral of track down the side of the stairs. Far less moving parts. ;)
Here in there US, there are Pizza places you can go to that feature a train system that brings drinks and appetizers directly to your seats. It stops where your sitting, a door opens, you reach in and grab your drinks, the door shuts, and off drives the train.
There is a whole restaurant that does it in Gliwice, in Poland. It's called Pyszne Kurcze Pyszne (which is like an acronym of PKP, Polish State Railways). You order something, and g scale train delivers beverages. :)
This is actually pretty cool for an automated coffee system, I like it.
Reminds me of the second Wallace and Gromit film 🧰
I think we all need this!
Fantastic video, thanks for sharing.
very cool, you should keep automating model trains
U sir are very smart. I wish I was that creative like u. Plus u have great talent and cool trains
Have you ever been to Prague? There's a whole restaurant which delivers drinks and food by model train :)
It is called Vytopna Railway.
In Prague and Vienna there is a restaurant called Výtopna in which food and drinks are brought to you by train models. It's such a fun concept!
So cool ! We want to see more ! Thanks.
This is exactly what I’m thinking of implementing into my small home business. I’ll have a few cnc machines from sherline that will have auto part loading, and a few 3d printers, I’m planning on using the larger g scale locomotives
Next step - put an esp32 on the train itself with some color sensors and put different colored paper on track so the train itself would start/stop when needed. Might have it talk to other systems over wifi also.
I think I would have opted to put the control board on the train - ESP32 along with a small battery. It would still be powered by the track, but you'd only be using it to keep the battery topped off. Would open up some neat possibilities. Like dead reckoning the train position anywhere on the track, and also alerting you to faults, lost track power, could weigh the cargo car to make sure the coffee was filled and ensure it didn't come off.
As coffee is usually hot, you could make a version of this powered by a Stirling Engine
I love this kind of project
It is great with trains as it adds such great interest
Please can you do some more
this is absolutely quality mate, definitely do more automated train stuff!
something like a double mainline with trains bringing you sweets on a schedule and taking away the wrappers?
Nice job! Yes, more train videos
Very, very clever! Thanks for a great video.
Awesome, loved it. Trains are great
Very much a Wallace and Gromit solution. Good job!
I really like automatization videos like this. I really want to build some automatization in my home, but as I do this for a living I tend to overengenier such prjects. Example: I wouldn't even try to just switch the train off but I would try to smoothly slow down and stop the train. By far too complicated as a hobby. I really like the way how such videos inspire me.
As a train fan since 5 and an engineering student now I love this video
for the next video i would love to see a motorised round plateform so the train can be turned around and face the 'right' on its way back
:)
Amazing, what a great engineering mind you have.
I love trains keep incorporating them into the stuff you build. It’ll be really cool to see a train grab cars from a switch track docking bay just to create a sandwich or something along those lines.