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Concrete platform lighting


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As a lad, in the 50's, my local station, Shenfield & Hutton on the GE, had Concrete, T shaped fluorescent platform lights. I would like to model some on my own layout but have failed to find a supplier - so far. 

 

Does anyone have any ideas? or, perhaps, have any suggestions how I might model them in 4mm. I'm aware of some later circular pole types but they won't do, unfortunately.

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Knightwing sell them 1950/1960 style lamp posts platform lamp posts but they have the round style post,not that it really helps you as your after the square type!

Maybe if you can find an old photo to post on here of the style of lamp post it may help.

Have you thought about trying to scratch build them?

Maybe the square plastistrut would work?

Then sprayed with that Plasticoat suede concrete coloured paint?

 

Cheers

 

Ben

Edited by ben pez
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Knightwing sell them 1950/1960 style lamp posts platform lamp posts but they have the round style post,not that it really helps you as your after the square type!

Maybe if you can find an old photo to post on here of the style of lamp post it may help.

Have you thought about trying to scratch build them?

Maybe the square plastistrut would work?

Then sprayed with that Plasticoat suede concrete coloured paint?

 

Cheers

 

Ben

Thanks Ben; I have seen the Knightwing product but felt it was too modern for my needs. Photo's of the right type seem a bit thin on the ground but I suspect one will turn up as soon as I finish a scratchbuild one!! I think you idea of plastistruct may the way forward.

 

JIm

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Shenfield in 1974

Im guessing these are the lamps you remember?

 

CA4F0990-7393-4F88-B98B-897FFD4E1D32_zps

 

If it was me trying to scratch build them id have a go with the square plastistruct,on the photo it looks like their a 50 pence piece shape,so maybe filing the square would work if you wanted to go into that much detail?

As for the top of the lamps,either use the top of the knightwing kit ones,or a cheaper alternative use the plastic caps that come on cheap shaving razors,with a piece of plasticard used for the top.

 

Hope this helps you a bit

 

Ben

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Concrete columns are frequently octagonal, occasionally hexagonal. The shaft is tapered and the base enclosure has a compound shape which would be difficult to form in a scratch build. Possibly one for the 3D printing chaps.

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For the base i would use larger round plastistruct or a plastic similar,and just file a taper on the top of it.

Not saying this is the easiest or best way to do it of course,just how id give it a go if it was me.

 

Cheers

 

Ben

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For the base i would use larger round plastistruct or a plastic similar,and just file a taper on the top of it.

Not saying this is the easiest or best way to do it of course,just how id give it a go if it was me.

 

Cheers

 

Ben

Hi Ben, thanks for your post.

 

I've been trawling the Flicker site and, of course, I found photo's of the said lamps. They're more complex than I remembered from my youth - Hexagonal posts for a start.... and, as I counted up and need 20 of the blighters, I'm not sure I have enough years left to construct them!

 

Whether they might be commercially viable I don't know but I might just "dip my toe in the water" to find out what it might cost to say, have them cast in White Metal.

 

Take a look at a Brentwood one - they're exactly the same.

 

Jimpost-24294-0-92926500-1441365805.jpg 

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Hex-profile is available from this manufacturer in brass, but might be too small for your needs: click. However, they do offer a bespoke profile service, just email the chap. Mind, he is in Liechtenstein and prices his products in CHF. I haven't had any personal dealings with this company, but a friend has and he's supportive of this guy. (I understand it's a one-man operation) I don't know how proficient he is in English, but I reckon you'd be OK on that. After all, he's trading in a global market ;)

Thanks Dutch_Master; I had a look at the website but, sadly the only size available is 2mm across the "points" which is just to small. 

I do appreciate your assistance though.

Jim

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You could use square styrene for the base, compromise with straight hex http://hobby.uk.com/materials/plastic/styrene-rod/hexagonal.htmland either scratch build or resin cast the lamp heads.

Well, Ajaxjones, seems you've found a possible solution. At 3.2mm across the points the post would be around 9&3/4" scale which might be a tad undersized but manageable. More food for thought.

 

Thanks again.

 

Jim

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  • RMweb Gold

I have in the past made my own hexagonal posts using styrene by sticking 10thou x 60thou microstrip round the outside of 3.2mm tubing (a standard Evergreen size), I don't know if that's too large a diameter for you?

 

Al.

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Concrete columns are frequently octagonal, occasionally hexagonal. The shaft is tapered and the base enclosure has a compound shape which would be difficult to form in a scratch build. Possibly one for the 3D printing chaps.

Thanks for your post - as usual, the assumed simple turns out to be rather more complex. I have no idea about 3D printing; chaps or otherwise.... but had also thought it may be something York Modelmaking might be able to produce. As usual, it comes down to how much I want to pay for just a part of a layout.  

 

Jim

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Would Bachmann Scenecraft 44-542 - Concrete Platform Lamps x 4 be any good as a starting point? The lamps are wrong, but the columns are octagonal, and not a bad match for the photo.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave for your suggestion. I had a look at the lamps on eBay but I think they'd be a bit oversized. I'm following a number of lines of enquiry at the moment; we'll see.

 

Jim

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 years later...

I've been trying to find a solution to creating a standard concrete type BR station lamp for some time. I have now managed to create one by dissecting and re-wiring a Woodland Scenics model. The new lamp shade was made from brass wire, the trim of a plastic takeaway carton with Fox transfer lettering applied.916525131_IMG_0494a(3).JPG.79ad752cf7668721838e4bcb24079c96.JPG41382025_IMG_0500a(1).JPG.9166c9429231511d46ce3d9832f16caa.JPG

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I tried designing some for my own 3d printer. I have attached the .stl I created.

 

I printed it in clear resin so it can be lit from below. I do not know how well this would work.

I won't need them until I build a newer scenic section for the layout, depicting a more modern era (it is c1940 right now) so I had intended to refine this at a later date.

The item is a bit rough but my handling of the printer has improved since then, so prints are better & smoother. It could also maybe benefit from a little polishing.

 

 

 

 

Station_Lamp.jpg

70s 80s station lamps.stl

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