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New platform


petertg

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I mentioned in my last post that I was building an additional new platform so that I could have two trains running simultaneously and both would have where to pick up and set down passengers as required or otherwise one would have to run continuously with nowhere to stop. I can now report that the new platform is in an advanced state and enclose some photos of its construction.
In the first place I would point out that do not have any CAD program, silhouette or laser cutter, 3D printer or instrument for measuring angles, so all has been done freehand, with the corresponding blemishes. Fortunately, most are hidden under the canopy and are not visible at first sight. The idea was to install it parallel to the Faller station already installed, so ai have tried to represent the same colour scheme, but since I has to mix colours several times in batches, I was unable to make a perfect match.
I had prepared a platform some time ago which, owing to imperfect laying leading to a tapering space between the tracks, the platform also tapers. At that time I decided that I had to properly mount the Faller station, which has one platform with a moving belt below, so that there can be walking passengers on top. I had ruined the original belt when trying to glue the magnets to it. These magnets are not much bigger than a pin head but they stick together as though they were superglued. For reasons too long to explain, I took me three months to get a new belt. Then I discovered that the motor would not drive the belt, but the gears started jumping, so I had to order a new motor which, fortunately, same through quickly, but it will not drive the belt properly. My guess is that there is excessive friction which needs to be cured. Anyway, I decided to leave this problem for later on and set about building a canopy for the new platform resembling as close as possible the Faller one.
In the first place I had to make columns to support the shallow V-shaped roof and, thus, turned the Faller canopy upside down and started making columns out of laminated 6x1 mm styrene strip, as shown in the photos below.
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The portion shown (upside down) was too short, so I had to fabricate two more columns and pieces of roof. The roof was made from 0.75 mm styrene sheet, later laminated with 2 mm thick balsa wood. The columns were planted in the base platform, the styrene strips were added (see photo below of mock up) and then the balsa outer covering.
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When I had got this far and placed the platform on the layout, I realized that I had nor provided any access to it, so I had to cut oblong holes through it and make stairs like on the Faller platform.
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Below there are a couple of photos showing where the platform goes and the platform provisionally in place.
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There is still a lot of touching up to be done, such as installing benches and passengers and two lampposts like on the other platform. I had purchased two, but they are not the same as the others because the shop had only one left. However, there are more on order to be received in the next few days.

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