The steamboat "CAPITOL" on the Mississipi river at night.

Photo courtesy of James E. York Postcard Collection
http://www.riverboatdaves.com/postcards/york.html


      Lighting Systems for Model Steamboats

        (R.Rydman WSRHS 2002)
Deck lights, boiler room lights, ballroom lighting, cabin lights, running lights, and .... the search lights!

Night running, after sunset, requires displaying green on right and red on left, visible through 120 degree aft of forward aspect. One white light is required at stern at all times.

The search light can be merely on/off but it would be nice to have it controllable as to direction and altitude. ... and it should be exceedingly brilliant several 100,000 candle power would be nice.

One way to construct a suitable search light is to use halogen high output miniature flashlight components.

To stay in relative scale a searchlight should probly not be over four feet (1 inch) in diameter. Early lights were kerosene, acetylene, and carbide, during the later 1800's electric lighting was introduced. Generally speaking, early lights were larger than later lights, and latter lights were generally whiter brighter and less yellow than earlier lights.

I have been on the shore of the river when a searchlight has illuminated the area in which I was standing and, believe me, it was as bright as day, it was impossible to look into the light as it was so bright. You could not see into the shadows. Everything outside the sphere of illumination looked absolutely black. I can only guess how large a stretch of beach was illuminated like this, 50-100 feet? Of course, this will vary with distance.

The trick will be to construct a light which is controlable L/R and up/down with not too bulky a mechanism.

I'm thinking K&S Brass tubing and micro servos built into a compact mechanism. Okay??

Turning L/R is easy with a pushrod and lever arm. The turning servo can be located at a distance from the base of the light. Elevation will be harder.

The elevation servo might be located on the lamp, the support arm, or below the deck base. Various linkages might be devised.

The simplest seems to be using the servo as part of the light box and then working against the light stanchion. The wiring can be hidden within the support structure. The working point will pivot with the light support stanchion. Thus, the servo is in the head of the light, the servo arm acts against a rod anchored to the stanchion, the stanchion pivots with the light. The light head is equipped with a pivot joint. Nope ..... use the output arm directly as the pivot, and put a bearing pivot on the other side. Attach the search light to the servo. Support on turnable stanchion. That's it!

Also, you may be able to turn the stanchion directly from the other servo output shaft rather than using linkage. It might also be possible to turn off the light by simply turning it to full extreme L/R or Up/Down.