Randomized Building Light Control
First Generation
Back in the days of the White River & Northern IV, I had a full day/night lighting cycle system, which included a circuit that brought on building and other lights in a randomized fashion. This was an unusual device that had a bank of 20 photocells, each of which responded to the changing room lighting at slightly different times. Each channel was adjustable so that the sequence could be altered.
I regret the only thing that survived from that system is the circuit board.
Second Generaton
The White River & Northern IV had a five-way intersection with stoplights and pedestrian lights programmed in a sequence. When the layout was decommissioned, I kept the device that controlled the lights. I had planned on using it to run a fireworks show for the Mountain Vista, but since that layout is no more, the device was sitting around doing nothing. Wait, I could use it for the building lights!
And so this strange-looking device has been recycled and repurposed once more. It works like a player-piano: a drum with raised ribs trip roller microswitches as it slowly rotates. I'd modified it for the fireworks display by adding more channels (above, shown prior to adding the ribs), which made it perfect for its new building lights application. In its current configuration, it has 15 channels, which is more than enough for all of the buildings on the layout. Below, the unit is finished and installed on 18 May 2021.
This layout is now gone, and the player piano may be restored to its original purpose on the Men at Work diorama.