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"Counterpoint"

A tiny seashell I found yesterday is now a piece of "modern art" on my (circa 1980) model rail layout.   The bronze sculpture "Counterpoint" (1959) is by renowned local artist Hermione Boot and is mounted over a wishing well that supports local charities in the town of Dent de Lion...   The seashell is glued to a piece of dressmakers pin, which in turn is fixed to a small plastic reel of some sort that I found on the ground, possibly from a tape cassette.    

Ray Von

Ray Von in Modelling

Bottletop Signal Box Update

It's been somewhat breezy today, so I cracked on with adding some detail to my Signal Box.   I wasn't happy with the proportions of the windows, a bit overscale I thought - so I simply added some card bands, top and bottom. I weathered them with a wash of Brown Earth mixed with a smidge of PVA glue, this helped to adhere the paper nicely as it dried.   I also added a station name to the building, and dry brushed some white paint to areas here and there - to simulate minerals leach

Ray Von

Ray Von in Modelling

Bottletop Signal Box

It's been a long while!  Today I made a completely fictional, unprotoypical Signal Box - from a few odds and ends found around the house.   The main inspiration came from a clear plastic lid I found that had an inner segment - I forgot to take any pictures prior to starting this project, so this vague description is the best I can offer!  Here is a pic of the lid, masked and primed:     Alongside this clear plastic lid is a small eyedropper bottle, which - as luck

Ray Von

Ray Von in Modelling

Bracket for the Controller.

Added a bracket to the layout control panel today, it was a pair left over from an "over-the-door-hanger" kit.  I bent it to the desired angle in a vice, the slots running the length of the upper section enabled me to screw the bracket to the shelf. I used "Command" brand picture hanging strips to secure the controller to the bracket - they are stronger than normal velcro, so far they appear to be holding well.        

Ray Von

Ray Von in Controller

A Vital Component Finally Arrives!

So it doesn't look like much does it? :     Ta-da! :       I needed to add some finishing touches - the closed position was a little loose, so I secreted a thin magnet and a washer to act as a securing catch:       Of course, I only use the beer for illustrative purposes....   Cheers!        

Ray Von

Ray Von in Detailing

Knobs!

Finally received my bicycle tyre valve caps yesterday (the previous order were "lost in transit" so, progress was delayed somewhat.) These are plain aluminium, but various colours are available - this could be useful if you wanted to allocate specific knobs to certain functions.   However, I opted for these ones - I think they match the overall style of the "control panel" of the layout.   The uncouplers and points are brass rod controlled, no electronics are involved. 

Ray Von

Ray Von in Controls

Running a Timetable and Bending the Rules.

Had some fun today coming up with my first draught timetable, obviously it needs some honing - but the basic outline is there.   Here's one of - what some might call - the more "imaginative" manoeuvres undertaken:    Cannon Street service arrives (Class 40 diesel hauled) at the Holding Siding.  It uncouples from the coaches, which are taken to the facing siding by my class 20.  (Plenty of clearance room!):       The Charing Cross service has be

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Ray Von in Operations

Where Dent-de-Lion is.....

I wanted to share a small collection of images from this thread:  (with special thanks to those who contributed.)   https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/162153-input-ideas-on-planning-a-timetable-and-creating-a-location/page/1/#comments   And the layout, fictitious though it be, now sits on the North Coast of Kent.  For some, it's "Reculver" - a real place, developed beyond its actual status by the power of imagination to a relatively busy wharf, with indus

Ray Von

Ray Von in Detailing

Zanussi Signage, Platform Numbers and Traverser Details.

After much discussion and thought, the "Railfreight" depot is now a "Zanussi" warehouse (special thanks and credit go to Nearholmer https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/profile/26817-nearholmer/ for the idea.) The signage was easy enough to find online - one of them is for "Zanussi Professional" - I imagine this would be the industry arm of the business. I decided to keep the Railfreight and BR logos in situ, I doubt it's very prototypical practice - but I think it looks ok.

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Ray Von in Detailing

Making the "Gander's" Billboard.

I thought people might be interested to know how I came up with the aged "Gander's Holiday Camp" billboard.  So here's the method I used:   Firstly, I searched online for a good photo of Arthur Askey (not easy as photo's of the man himself were largely of him larking about and pulling faces!)   Having found a nice picture - I won't reproduce it here, in the interest of copyright laws - I set about drawing a passable charicature sketch in pen:     As you c

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Ray Von in Detailing

Whatever Happened to Tommy Gander...?

For anyone who doesn't know, Tommy Gander was a fictional Music Hall comic, a character that featured in the 1941 British film "The Ghost Train" portrayed by real life comic, Arthur Askey.   On his way down to Newquay to start a new sixteen week season of his act at The Pier Pavillion ("Well, we'll see how I go Monday night...") Tommy gets caught up in the events that unfold in the film (or was he instrumental in causing them...?)   Years later, Tommy Gander finds himself per

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Ray Von in Detailing

Detailing

Some pics of details added to the layout today, signage, air conditioning units and the obligatory "lady in a bra" billboard (sorry!)

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Ray Von in Detailing

Magnetic Connector Headaches, Fetch the Wire Brush!

My homemade magnetic connectors were not as reliable as I would have liked - current transfer was intermittent and unpredictable.   I had a few trial runs with stripped wire ends as a method for achieving electrical contact, these were no more reliable!  I also considered buying some sprung contacts online...   However, inspiration struck - in the form of a set of cheap wire and brass cleaning brushes!  After a swift encounter with a pair of pliers I had removed three se

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Ray Von in Traverser

Traverser Strain and a Start on the Control Panel.

One of the magnetic connection terminals snapped off today, where the wire meets the magnet.  Despite reinforcement measures, I guess the strain on the thin metal shaft was too great.   So, I had a stab at making my own (hopefully sturdier) version of the connector.  I stripped the end off some .6mm electrical cable and wrapped the exposed wire around a neodymium magnet, I then took a second identical magnet and sandwiched the wire between them.  Next, I sealed the whole terminal

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Ray Von in Wiring

A Hotel on Platform One....

Just kidding!  I've had this "Monopoly" hotel kicking around for ages in my box of scraps - I think I picked it up off the pavement years ago...     Today I set about converting it into something useful for the layout - a newsagent kiosk.   Step one was to drill a hole in the side of the hotel and then square the circle using a file.   Next, I sanded down the surface of the building - prior to gluing on corrugated styrene sheet, to represent wood panellin

Ray Von

Ray Von in Painting and Weathering

A Name at Last (and a Burger Bar!)

I finally decided on a name for the layout, and added name-boards to the station today.     I settled on a French influenced one, inspired by a local road which in turn is named for a medieval landowner whose legacy is the road name and the remains of a gatehouse.   I think that the name fits in well with the Southern Region near-coastal setting.   The signs are "Knightwing" white metal (8 pack) and are grey primed with a bit of white dry-brushing (thanks

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Ray Von in Low relief building

Building Detailing and Foliage Scatter.

Just a few odd jobs today, attached the lift shaft to the flats, added some concrete fence panels to the pub yard, made some platforms for the Railfreight Depot loading bays, and (because I can't find a suitable permanent candidate) added a temporary door to the goods depot - just to make it look functional.  Also got on with adding a bit of greenery to the trackside...           Primed some station name boards today, as soon as I figure out

Ray Von

Ray Von in Detailing

Lifts for the Flats and an Extension at the Pub...

I though I'd spoil the little residents of the layout by adding a lift shaft to the flats that were erected recently, I also enlarged the pub - adding ground-floor flat roof extension (room for a couple of pool tables, or a dining area, or a function room available for hire - who knows!?) :-) All additions were constructed from plasticard and / or leftover bits from model kits.       

Ray Von

Ray Von in Low relief building

Flats

Taking certain liberties with reality once more, I've made a small block of flats for my layout. I used various bits from my box of scraps, plus plasticard, card and even baking paper(!) I "raised the block up" with a section of plasticard painted to represent concrete, and a piece from a European N Scale kit to give the impression of underground parking or something like that... The doors and windows are from spares, the windows are dressed with baking paper net curtains (the kin

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Ray Von in Low relief building

Last of the Ballasting and Some Building Detailing.

Injured my hand really quite badly while cutting styrene sheet.  Annoyed at myself for not being more careful - using a scalpel and a metal ruler, the blade jumped over the ruler and cut a sizeable bit off of my finger.    Anyway, onwards and upwards!   Finished the last of the ballast today, a strip at the back of the layout.   Also, added some detail to my pub building - Air conditioning ducting from a P and D marsh white-metal kit, a stonework base (Kibri te

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Ray Von in Low relief building

Traverser, Tweaks and More Tracks.

Discovered today that I had ordered a different track (PECO SL-300F I believe) than I usually use - SL-300.   The result was that the track on the deck was approx 1 or 2mm lower than the track on the layout. Hmm... If I hadn't used "set track" points at the top of the traverser I could just raise the whole thing. However, the solution was pretty simple - a (temporary) strip of plasticard of the right depth, to lift the track very slightly.     I already have s

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Ray Von in Wiring

Traverser

Constructed and test ran a new traverser today.     The parts I used were the top and base section of a bookcase (the main baseboard is made from the side panels.) The traverser base is wall mounted with reinforced brackets, the deck is fitted with heavy duty drawer runners.    *EDIT - 8/2/21: Magnetic connector snapped at weld, see posts for 8/2/21 and 9/2/1 for details on repair and improvements!   Power is supplied from a connection block wired fr

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Ray Von in Wiring

Third Rail Cabling

Added a few bits of wire to represent the cabling that connects sections of third rail.  I've no idea how prototypical it is, but it looks ok.  Reference was from photos I took of actual track, or memory and from online images. I used the wire from inside sandwich bag ties, curved into visually pleasing arrangements then primed white and later dry brushed black and white.  They are held in place with tiny beads of superglue.  

Ray Von

Ray Von in Third Rail

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