298 Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Realising that I didn't have anything to take to TVNAM this year, I thought I'd build a small RS Tower Freemo spec single track module as a precursor to other layout ideas I've been mulling over. The buildings are left overs from the Yakima Avenue / North 6th Street scene on my previous layout, although they lack interiors and I'd hoped the new Walthers Rivoli Theater I have on order would have arrived to replace Andy' Speedshop. The Walthers grade crossing signals are controlled by a Logic Rail grade crossing controller, and seem to work OK although Halogen lights set them off, photocells would be easier to work with but I eventually want to model the street on a rainy night and wasn't sure how they'd work with less ambient light. 2' of module: General scene (the long exposure shows both pairs of red lights illuminated, although it would benefit from a photo-mode where it's stuck with one light on: Obligatory Police car scene: Looking along the module with a CF7 waiting to cross: And the road: I usually use plaster for paved areas, painted with 1 parts Woodland Scenics Asphalt to 5 parts Concrete, but partly for speed I thought I'd try some thing else. Once the levels of the sidewalks and roads were decided (which are all dictated by the rail height), I made a sub-bed from hardboard, the 5 lane section being scored along the middle and raised by a few mm to create a proper crossfall, This was sanded to remove the joint line, filler added to smooth the transition to the rail crossing, and thin black foam from Hobbycraft stuck on. I then experimented with a few top coverings before deciding on grey tile grout mixed with Johnsons Klear, this gives it a slightly darker colour and dries alot quicker. I brushed on a few layers and once dry I sanded it smooth, this created a few thin patches but the overall effect was good. I then "distressed" it with a small wallpaper roller, and weathered it using graphite powder from a 2B pencil. Extra oil marks were added in the centre of the running lanes, heavier where vehicles would be stationary, such as waiting at the crossing. The white and yellow lines are done using Sharpie oil based markers, although the white one keeps leaking so these lines will have to be redone once I get a new one. There are still a few bits to finish for TVNAM, such as the external weathering on the buildings, but unfortunately I won't have time to add interiors. If only I hadn't had a crazy thought 8 weeks ago.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Like it hope i get some time to have a look round,there's going to be lots to look at,and photograph! Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Looks awesome Andy! Really looking forward to seeing it in the flesh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 I forgot to add I'm not quite sure about the road markings, I liked the idea of a 5-lane road as it gives plenty of width to view the trains, but the sticking point is whether the middle lane at this side of the crossing should be a left turn lane into the side street (the eventual plan might be to lengthen the module with a 2' extension on the left and have a one-block length of street trackage), or just keep it as a turning lane with solid and dashed lines....? Either way, the X's need to be more prominent and have the proper RXR markings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 This is "cruelty to dumb animals", posting things that I'm not going to get to see - it would be bad enough seeing them AFTER the event,but knowing about them BEFORE is torture! Very nice indeed, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 The road finish is literally awesome! Road Markings: Most towns around here are designating a specific "turn left" lane even if there are no "filter lights". You've got the yellow dashed line the wrong side of the solid, I think..... Glad you're keeping up with the latest Police car colours. Most municipalities are going back to the lovely "Broderick Crawford" style of Black/White/Black like yours. State Troopers' cars tend to be still mostly white here in the North East. Trust that this helps! Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 The Cruiser is a repaint and uses custom decals for Yakima Police (and no, I didn't get to ride in it). Regarding the lane markings, the turn left lane obviously needs a STOP line at the grade crossing, but I couldn't decide whether to make it a proper junction or just a central turning lane. I'm currently watching watching the "Street Running" DVD for ideas.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Well, I'm calling the module's debut a sucess, as the Freemo guys managed to put up with it for the duration of saturday without having to take it out. The grade crossing lights worked well, but the buildings still need more detail and the scenery and baseboards sides altering to match the other modules. I'm also thinking of extending it to 4' to include a stretch of street running. Here is a short clip of the return Oakdale switch job running through Grunge St.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dessqD2m4ec Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 The road finish is literally awesome! Agreed. It has the proper weathered/driven over look. Road Markings: Most towns around here are designating a specific "turn left" lane even if there are no "filter lights". You've got the yellow dashed line the wrong side of the solid, I think..... The thoughts I had were: The centre turn lane is unlikely anywhere away from the intersection, as there is no real need for it and it takes away from street parking. That sort of thing is more likely in a more rural setting (but not unheard of in an urban one - there are examples of everything). If you keep it, the turn lane mentioned below would be made by changing the yellow line to a white dashed line for the length of the turn lane. Pete is correct about the yellow dashes - they are the permission to cross into the centre lane and so would be on the through lane side. Near the intersection there would be a turn lane (1-2 cars long) separated from the through lanes by a white dashed line, if you remove/narrow the centre lane mid-block, then the through lanes would wiggle to accomodate the parking one side and the turn lane the other. Here is an example with no centre lane, but with the parking ending to allow the turn lane (if you look in Streetview you will quickly realize that Toronto drivers don't understand the concept of parking only where allowed...) https://maps.google....002588&t=h&z=19 Here is an example of a center lane becoming a turn lane at an intersection: https://maps.google....002588&t=k&z=19 Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I thought it looked good and fitted in well (although you need to get the right green paint for the fascia! ;-) ) it kinda gave Martin's yard a sense of place as being behind the main street of the town. Maybe instead of extending the module, build another the same size that goes with it, but also can stand alone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 I thought it looked good and fitted in well (although you need to get the right green paint for the fascia! ;-) ) it kinda gave Martin's yard a sense of place as being behind the main street of the town. Maybe instead of extending the module, build another the same size that goes with it, but also can stand alone? There's some paint from State Highway 29A stuck to the end so at least I've got something to match it with...!! I hadn't thought of building a separate module, mainly because they'd have to be connected together anyway and I'd need more legs for each to be self-supporting, but another 4' would allow more street running and a short industry spur. Hmmmm....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Very impressive work , the road surface is particularly good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Agreed. It has the proper weathered/driven over look. The thoughts I had were: The centre turn lane is unlikely anywhere away from the intersection, as there is no real need for it and it takes away from street parking. That sort of thing is more likely in a more rural setting (but not unheard of in an urban one - there are examples of everything). If you keep it, the turn lane mentioned below would be made by changing the yellow line to a white dashed line for the length of the turn lane. Pete is correct about the yellow dashes - they are the permission to cross into the centre lane and so would be on the through lane side. Near the intersection there would be a turn lane (1-2 cars long) separated from the through lanes by a white dashed line, if you remove/narrow the centre lane mid-block, then the through lanes would wiggle to accomodate the parking one side and the turn lane the other. Adrian The eventual aim is to extend the module to the left, so the road will actually go somewhere instead of just being a small photo-piece for some token street running. I'll have to adopt the same policy as my own local council until then and avoid repainting the road markings until the traffic completely obliterates them, then repaint with a proper designated turning lane. I've tried to look for a similar junction, but unfortunately the "Street Running" DVD usually shows either train controlled trafic signals, barriers (might be a possibility here with a raised kerb and fence/yellow markers), or no discernable lane markings at the junction. The closest example I could find of a 5-lane grade crossing with turning "opportunities" nearby is here: https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=west+walnut+st,+yakima,+wa&hl=en&ll=46.598766,-120.509143&spn=0.000556,0.001125&sll=43.702498,-79.387929&sspn=0.001169,0.00225&t=h&hnear=W+Walnut+St,+Yakima,+Washington,+United+States&z=20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgasters Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Love road surface , looks very good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Well, I'm calling the module's debut a sucess, as the Freemo guys managed to put up with it for the duration of saturday without having to take it out. I thought it was bloomin' brilliant Andy, really nice work, and the lights were a great feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 I thought it was bloomin' brilliant Andy, really nice work, and the lights were a great feature. Sorry I was too busy to hang around during the show, and thanks to you and your team for bringing the other modules up to TVNAM, I'm sure being able to watch proper operations over such a run was appreciated by the public, best of luck for next weekend, I'd really like to go but work has once again got in the way. I wish I'd brought some Armor Yellow traction along for Gillsburgh... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Another video...? Go on then...: Sorry for the poor quality, I only had my mobile with me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 This was the following train down to Oakdale, returning with some of the empties from the trip Andy shot above. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHupFh1nhCY Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northpoint Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Andy: I agree - I thought your module fitted in extremely well. My aoplogies that you didn't have a lot of time to circulate in the show - I'll make it up to you next year somehow... By the way, at the risk of getting shot, for anybody who hasn't seen yet, we're looking at Sat 15h June for next year. That's all - please don't hijack this thread - I'll be starting one on TVNAM 2013 soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mog Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Saw this at TVNAM and was thoroughly impressed.. nice to find this thread after the event to remind me :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Following on from the TVNAM modular meet last weekend, I thought I'd post the proposed extension to the Grunge St. module. Realising that we need more curved modules, and it'd be difficult to disguise a switch in the street, I realised one solution would be to curve the alignment away from the road and add a Peco code 83 no.7 curved turnout. The ruling 36" radius means this could be fitted onto a triangular/curved board 4' wide, or less if the spur was removed (but this size ought to give me inspiration to build something else to pair up with this for transport... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVSNE Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I forgot to add I'm not quite sure about the road markings, I liked the idea of a 5-lane road as it gives plenty of width to view the trains, but the sticking point is whether the middle lane at this side of the crossing should be a left turn lane into the side street (the eventual plan might be to lengthen the module with a 2' extension on the left and have a one-block length of street trackage), or just keep it as a turning lane with solid and dashed lines....? Either way, the X's need to be more prominent and have the proper RXR markings. Very nice modeling on the streets - especially the color. Couple of notes - The lines look a little thinner than they might be in real life. I see someone has pointed out the yellow and white/dashed and solid rules. There are plenty of urban locations with multiple turn lanes - or two turn lanes - a left turn and straight lane in the center with a left turn adjacent. Except in New Jersey of course.... where no one apparently knows how to turn left.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Am I right in thinking that the plan is to make the module bigger, rather then build a second module that goes with Grunge Street? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Am I right in thinking that the plan is to make the module bigger, rather then build a second module that goes with Grunge Street? Ultimately both...! The trick is producing a scene that looks convincing and doesn't result in the road looking like it ends abruptly in the middle of nowhere, which is what would happen if I put 2' of street module onto it with a Standard end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
highpeak Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 For contemporary practice regarding road markings: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009r1r2/part3.pdf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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