Dock Green

[chaz]

Chaz,

 

Very nice stairs.  The squareness of the brickwork is impressive.  I think staircase access through this type of door was a railway speciality.  There some under a large bridge near Brighton Station that allow access to the railway and associated workshops above.  One even has a small room attached for a gate or time keeper.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Ernie

 

 

Thanks for the comments, Ernie. I can't remember where I saw a door like that one, I just have a recollection of one somewhere in North London - possibly at the end of Ridley Road Street market where a path ran along the side of the North London line. As I recall it was usually open so there must have been some traffic through it.

 

Chaz

[The Bigbee Line]

Thanks for the comments, Ernie. I can't remember where I saw a door like that one, I just have a recollection of one somewhere in North London - possibly at the end of Ridley Road Street market where a path ran along the side of the North London line. As I recall it was usually open so there must have been some traffic through it.

 

Chaz

Maybe not so relevant to an industrial area, on the North London Line, I attended a derailment and was pointed to such a door at the end of an alley between 2 rows of quite posh houses.  No indication that there was a railway on the other side, no signage, just a lot of barbed wire at the top....

[2ManySpams]

Enough idle chit-chat, let's get back to...

 

Details around Dock Green 18

 

When Peter built No. 4 bridge we had a short gap between the ends of the parapet walls and the baseboard edge. I said I would make some fences to fill the gap and suggested that he should choose the style. What he chose involved scratchbuilding.

 

P1020455a-1.jpg

 

I soldered two brass strips together so they could be drilled as a pair. The stanchions were bent around a drill shank to get the hooped tops. The LH end was later cut to fit round the stepped end of the wall.

 

P1020467-1.jpg

 

In this early view of the unfinished bridge you can see the ribs that we put under the road surface to get the camber.

 

P1030896-1.jpg

 

P1030780-1.jpg

 

Chaz

 

I do like the fencing Chaz, much more effective than flat etch. 

[chaz]

I do like the fencing Chaz, much more effective than flat etch. 

 

 

Thanks, but I'm glad I didn't have to make a yard of it!

 

It occurs to me that the flat-etch would be the obvious way of making the top and bottom strips. I marked the holes out in mine with the the rivet press which can be set to produce evenly spaced "rivets". I'd say that evenly spaced holes are essential if the uprights are to be parallel.

 

Chaz

Edited August 24, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 20

 

After one of the team observed that a planked slope would be lethally slippery in the rain I added very thin strips as anti-slip battens to mine.

 

 

I did the same to the shorter ramp on the end loading ramp. 

 

 

The end loading dock is pretty much out of use, we have never seen it pressed into service. The shaped black wire lifts the hoops on Dingham couplings to avoid them being bent on impact with that timber buffer beam.

 

Chaz

Edited August 24, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 21

 

The platform on Dock Green is for goods so there is no need for a full ramp but I did think it would be nice to model some steps.

 

 

Soldering stairs requires a jig. You need to be able to hold the side plates and the treads in position whilst you solder. In the picture above the top and bottom treads have been soldered to one side plate. The jig is a stack of strips of ply’ of appropriate thickness. The large wooden block behind is holding the side plate upright and resting on a strip of white card like the one visible on the front side.

 

 

With the second side plate added it is an easy job to solder the remaining treads in place.

 

 

I added the top landing on the jig and then removed the model and turned it over to add a frame and a support leg. The handrail is supported on lengths of 1 x 1mm brass angle.

 

 

The finished steps in position on the layout. 

 

Chaz

[CUTLER2579]

Some modeller's are so bloody clever,but at least Chaz has the decency to share this with us mere Pleb's.

 

Regards,Del.

[chaz]

Some modeller's are so bloody clever,but at least Chaz has the decency to share this with us mere Pleb's.

 

Regards,Del.

 

 

I hope I'm wrong but this posting seems somewhat acid, Del. I have never suggested that I consider myself an expert - I have often pointed out that there are other methods that might well be better - I only offer my experiences in the true spirit of this forum - they might be helpful or at least interesting. I don't look down on others who may well have very different approaches to the hobby - there is room for it all. Yes, I have my own preferences but I don't set them above anyone else's.

 

Could you explain a bit further what you mean, please?

 

Chaz

[CUTLER2579]

I hope I'm wrong but this posting seems somewhat acid, Del. I have never suggested that I consider myself an expert - I have often pointed out that there are other methods that might well be better - I only offer my experiences in the true spirit of this forum - they might be helpful or at least interesting. I don't look down on others who may well have very different approaches to the hobby - there is room for it all. Yes, I have my own preferences but I don't set them above anyone else's.

 

Could you explain a bit further what you mean, please?

 

Chaz

.

 

Chaz,

 

the problem with the written word is that no one can see the facial expression of the writer. 

Acid   - Not likely mate, I intended it as a compliment. I was knocked out by the clever way you had constructed the staircase as I have been with so much on Dock Green. I think it is a wonderful layout and I really think you are an excellent modeller.. If I have offended you in any way ,I sincerely apologise for that was far from my intention.

 

 

 

Kindest Regards, Derek.

[chaz]

.

 

Chaz,

 

the problem with the written word is that no one can see the facial expression of the writer. 

Acid   - Not likely mate, I intended it as a compliment. I was knocked out by the clever way you had constructed the staircase as I have been with so much on Dock Green. I think it is a wonderful layout and I really think you are an excellent modeller.. If I have offended you in any way ,I sincerely apologise for that was far from my intention.

 

 

 

Kindest Regards, Derek.

 

 

Quite so Derek, and there is no need to apologise - I wasn't offended, just puzzled. It seemed, from your post, that somebody had offended you. 

 

Thanks for the comments, which are much appreciated.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 22

 

When I decided to put wire fencing along the front edge of the centre two sections of the layout I realised I would need quite a lot of posts. A drilling jig would make for accuracy and would save a lot of tedious marking out.

 

 

I made the jig out of a piece of scrap brass sheet and some square-section brass tube. Here the jig is shown upside down to shows its construction, with a piece of solid square HIP in place ready to drill a fence post.

 

 

Here is the jig in use. I can't remember what sized holes I drilled in the plastic - it looks like 0.7mm. 

 

 

A batch of posts drilled - it really would have been tedious to mark out each one of these individually - and they would vary...

The tops need cleaning up and rounding off and they are left longer at the bottom so that they can be "planted".

 

 

An early view of the layout showing a trial fit of the fence. The spreader bars between the posts are also HIP. I can't remember making these but I think I must have used some sort of jig to drill these too. One of my operators said that he thought the fence wouldn't last long being right on the edge at the front and at risk from little fingers. So far he has proved to be wrong - maybe putting something so obviously fragile at the front deters those wayward hands?

 

 

A later view, close up. The wire is brass, 0.31mm (from Eileen's) chemically blackened. It ought to be grey but at this diameter you can hardly tell the difference - it certainly shouldn't look like bare brass! 

 

I know that the wire doesn't usually go through the holes in the posts - the holes are there for wire ties - but it's a lot more work, and massively fiddly to do it that way - of course when you model yours you are welcome to to do it properly (please post photos).

 

I was once asked, at a show, how I made the square holes for the posts! I hope he was pulling my leg. If you drill a hole with a diameter just a bit less than the diagonal of the square section the posts will be a snug fit in the holes and will not need to be glued. 

 

Chaz

Edited August 26, 2017 by chaz

[Western Star]

P21493 wishes to take centre stage for a masterclass in painting and finishing.

 

Please.

[chaz]

P21493 wishes to take centre stage for a masterclass in painting and finishing.

 

Please.

 

 

OK, Sir. I will bear your plea in mind when I move on to a series on the wagons and vans of Dock Green. I have planned seven more "Details around D. G." and then I will start on the rolling stock. I see no reason why P21493 shouldn't be first. (Although "masterclass" might be pitching it a bit high!)

 

Chaz

Edited August 26, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 23

 

There might well be premises backing onto the railway that couldn’t rely on the railway fence - it would be quite easy for someone with criminal intent to hop over it. I thought the factory yard might need to be more secure and would put up their own chainlink fence inside the railway one.

 

 

A walk up a lane took me to a nearby example (I was not trespassing to take the photo - I’m standing on a public road). Notice the way the cranked top overhangs the premises, not the road.

 

 

I used a candle flame to soften the square section plastic rod. The heating has to be very brief - slightly too long and the plastic collapses and becomes useless.

 

 

I used a simple jig to set the angle of the cranked top, holding the plastic for a few seconds while it cooled.

 

 

The same jig was used to mark out the holes and the cuts to trim the post to length. I could have used a similar jig as I did the with railway fence for the drilling but I have to admit at the time it didn’t occur to me.

 

 

A couple of snaps showing how the chainlink stands just behind the railway fence, with the gap between full of greenery.

 

 

The chainlink is an etched brass item from the Scalelink catalogue. The “barbed wire” strands at the top are just plain brass wire. I did get some etched brass barbed wire but it was so grossly over-scale I couldn’t use it.

 

 

The more usual view one might have of the fence at a show, a small part of the whole scene adding a detail that one might not even notice.

 

In the picture the Peckett 0-4-0ST “Susan” is bringing the coal empties up from the coal yard on the industrial estate. In the background the train engine 68973 has just arrived, propelling the unfitted brake van (train class G - light engine with not more than two brake vans - which could be propelled rather than pulled if required). It will save some shunt moves if the van is pushed into the yard.

 

Chaz

[Adams442T]

Hi Chas,  where did your Peckett come from, kit or built up?   Looks great!

[chaz]

Hi Chas,  where did your Peckett come from, kit or built up?   Looks great!

 

 

Thanks. I made it with an etched brass kit from the original Agenoria range before that changed hands. Of course if you want a Peckett you can now buy one of exactly the same class RTR from Minerva. 

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 24

 

When I was planning the layout I wanted to divide it up into sections with overbridges. Apart from the canal which, of course, goes under the line I planned for two road bridges. A third road bridge seemed unlikely in such a short length so I decided on a single track railway crossing the yard. 

 

 

I cut the Plastruct “H” section girders on my Proxxon circular saw. This gave me square cut ends and helped to get them all exactly the same length.

 

 

A trial fit of the two sections on the piers. As I had opted for a skew bridge an overlap of the sections on the centre pier was inevitable.

 

 

The top plates are built up, ziggurat style. To make it easy to weld the layers together with liquid solvent I punched holes in the lower ones where they would be covered and applied solvent from underneath.

 

 

Close up of one of the assembled top plates. The rivet heads were pressed out with my Double L riveter tool (before assembly!).

 

 

I know how tricky it can be painting a model with lots of hidden corners with an airbrush so I brush-painted it. I kept the two spans separate as long as possible for ease of handling. Go easy on the rust effects on bridges - they are usually kept in good condition for the obvious reason.

 

 

Still early days for the layout but this bridge is almost finished. The rails are laid in Peco chairs on longitudinal timbers. On a real bridge this keeps the weight down as no ballast is required. 

 

 

Deck timbers added and dirtied. I avoided the need for a flat backscene on Dock Green by modelling the retaining walls but I have to accept this abrupt stop at the baseboard edge - any attempt to make the rails appear to continue (a painted panel or a mirror?) would just look naff.

 

 

A view looking down the line from one of the road brdges. The railway bridge is a very ordinary affair - I wanted all the features on Dock Green to be so. Bridges, retaining walls, buildings - none of them would get a second glance if you were passing. 

 

Of course nothing ever runs across the bridge but…

 

 

…when I took delivery of my Ixion Fowler at Telford in 2014 it had 3 link couplings. All my stock has Dingham auto couplings so shunting with the diesel was out. Strangely, none of the team was keen to fiddle with 3-link couplings so I posed it on the bridge as a static exhibit. It was amusing to charge up the EDM stay-alive - it would sit on the bridge ticking over for about twelve seconds.

 

Chaz

 

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 25

 

When we met In the early days of Dock Green Peter, one of the DG team, showed me some photos of a bridge he had made in 4mm. I persuaded him that he should make a similar one for Dock Green. He based the model on the Empress Rd bridge over the GCR at Loughborough.

 

 

The first step was a Kappa board shell.

 

 

A later stage with brickwork added (South East Finecast), some on layers of card to produce the stepped effect. Side girders started - held in place in this photo by elastic bands. Buttresses have been added to the pier on the right.

 

 

We agreed that the girders should be simplified. In this picture they have been painted and glued in place.

 

 

The Kappa Board ribs we added to form the road camber had strips of thin card glued to their tops (with PVA) to allow the road surface to be glued on with a contact adhesive (Evostick Timebond) without it attacking the foam core. Contact adhesive, properly used, makes it easier to get a pre-curved piece of card fixed properly across each rib.

 

 

I made up a couple of drains (a HIP frame with plastic rods glued to its underside). The area of the Kappa Board shell underneath was painted black - it would have rather spoilt the effect to see white through the grill.

 

 

The bridge in place with the brickwork toned down with airbrushed grime and with characteristic smoke stains.

 

 

As I had planned the bridges on Dock Green divide the layout into separate scenes and also make useful frames for photos.

 

Chaz

[3 link]

Hi Chaz,

 

Thanks for all the tips, some will certainly come in helpful on my layout.

 

Did you make those point levers? And are they brass/ nickel silver?

 

All the best,

 

Martyn.

[chaz]

Hi Chaz,

 

Thanks for all the tips, some will certainly come in helpful on my layout.

 

Did you make those point levers? And are they brass/ nickel silver?

 

All the best,

 

Martyn.

 

Thanks for the positive comment, Martyn.

 

The point levers are from etched nickel silver parts by Ambis Engineering. They were going to be featured shortly in the "Details around Dock Green" series. If I make them #26 they can be next.

 

Chaz

Edited September 1, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 26

 

It was rare for the points in a goods yard to be connected to a signal box with rodding. Certainly in a yard like Dock Green all the points would be set with hand levers.

 

 

This is an etched fret of parts from Ambis engineering. You can see that the fret includes both the curly shaped and straight levers. There are other parts which suggest that the levers could be made to work. Hmm…

 

 

The slot in the top of the levers is there for the handle which I modelled with a length of brass wire. The easiest way to make this fit is to squash the wire to a flattened shape. I use a toolmaker’s clamp which can exert considerable force.

 

 

In the photo above three levers at the top have already had handles soldered into their slots. Below them are a lever and handle waiting to be done. At the bottom I am holding a lever, with packing underneath, and handle under pieces of card (heat insulation). That small piece of 145 degree solder wire on the card is sufficient to make the join.

 

 

Checking a few books I found that on the ECML point levers often had wooden boards, presumable to protect the working parts. This lever is correctly orientated (see the next picture).

 

 

These two levers (as was pointed out to me at a show) are the wrong way round. When the levers were “relaxed” they pointed away from the crossings. I have checked with lots of photos and can’t find any that were this way round - I suppose I should them turn around to face the other way….  DHYB.

 

Chaz

Edited September 1, 2017 by chaz

[3 link]

Thanks Chaz,

 

I also did not know the levers had to face away from the turnout, I suppose there must be a reason, I wonder if it was something to do with the actual mechanical linkage? It's good to learn something new everyday.

 

Regards,

 

Martyn.

[Simond]

Martyn

 

You can save your pennies if you wish.

 

An alternative usingfret waste:- http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79052-porth-dinllaen-in-0/?p=2593507

 

Best

Simon

[Simond]

Chaz,

 

Can't put my hand on the book at the moment to confirm, but there is a "right way round" such that the shunter faces the loco for safety reasons primarily (iirc) when it's facing into the turnout.

 

Best

Simon

Edited September 1, 2017 by Simond

[chaz]

Thanks Chaz,

 

I also did not know the levers had to face away from the turnout, I suppose there must be a reason, I wonder if it was something to do with the actual mechanical linkage? It's good to learn something new everyday.

 

Regards,

 

Martyn.

 

 

Me neither, Martyn, which is why I got some of them wrong.   I'm sure your right about the linkage - could there have been a standard design?

 

Chaz