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A Steampunk Cakebox- West Riding Monorail Transportation Co.


Ben B
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I’d been looking forward to the return of the Cakebox Challenge, and an excuse to do a small, self-contained project.  Given lots of other modellers have been posting their work, and my entry is now far enough advanced to have some progress to show, I thought I better hurry up and post something.  Both my previous models had been a bit rushed and last-minute, so this time I was determined to crack-on straight from the start.

 

THE BACKGROUND/PLANNING

 

I explored two ideas early in Janurary, based on previous work- a model of a model village, and something Steampunk.  I drew out an 8x8 square and tried fitting various models and things on it (as the two previous entries showed that it’s easier to sketch ideas, less easy to fit everything in when it comes to reality).

 

IDEA ONE- MODEL OF A MODEL VILLAGE

 

I really like model villages- a trip to the one in Himley is an early childhood memory, and I've done trips to Bourton-on-the-Water, the Lake District model village, Bekonscot, and a couple of years I wrote an article on the village on Anglesey for Garden Rail. 

 

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When I was at Uni, my Final Major Project was to do a photography documentary (well, mockumentary I suppose) on a fake model village, a dystopia alternate-Britain; no rose-tinted 30's cottages here, it reflected contemporary paranoias through an unhealthy lens of Orwell, V for Vendetta, Brave New World and Metropolis.   One feature included a model of the model village, using Z scale trains and buildings which were a tad overlarge compared to the 1/32nd figures used for the main village.  In concept it was inspired by the mini version of the village in the Bourton-on-the-Water attraction.  If I'm honest I've become less and less happy with the project as the years have gone by, the concept was a bit trite, the execution cliché-packed, and it was done an an exceptionally low budget.  Still, I thought a take on the whole model village thing might be worth reviving.

 

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 I’d had an idea that this was something I could tie-in with the first Cakebox I did, the seaside railway (above, for the Holiday theme); I thought it would be nice to do another part of the same slightly run-down fictional tourist attraction (even with the same miniature railway running through it).  Something like Tucktonia in Devon perhaps.

 

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It would probably be reasonably quick to do, but it didn’t appeal terrifically to me when I tried laying models out; I couldn’t fit a great deal in, especially if I included the miniature railway, and anyway it was starting to look a bit too close to the Seaside effort.  I’d also decided by this point to do a model village as my entry for the 4ft Square Competition for the 7/8ths Railway Modelling group, and I was worrying I’d just be duplicating my work in a smaller scale.  I couldn't be bothered going out to the shed for the box of figures, hence the rather odd selection of visitors to the potential tourist attraction...

 

So, that one abandoned, and on to...

 

OPTION 2; STEAMPUNK- SALTAIRE (VICTORIA ROAD) STATION, of the WEST RIDING MONORAIL TRANSPORTATION CO.

 

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The model/photography project I’d done after the above Britannia Model Village had been a photomanipulation project for an exhibition at the Bradford Industrial Museum; it had involved taking photographs around Saltaire, mixing in cosplaying ‘real’ people, and miniatures, to create a kind of alternate-universe 1901 (though the above shot is one I did specially for the museum itself using a pic taken in their grounds, that they wanted specifically for the show).  Again, a little embarrassing in hindsight as my technical skills have grown somewhat in the last ten years since I did this project, but I still like the concept of it.

 

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Railways featured heavily, from steam-powered street tramways, a narrow-gauge colliery line heading up the real Shipley Glen tramway, and a pair of monorail lines.  There was just something a bit more science-fiction about a monorail; I needed an overhead railway to fill the space a bit in the shots, and found that a full viaduct or iron bridge over-dominated the shots.  A monorail on a towering lattice girder seemed to fit the picture better (as seen in the early concept test, above- the finished picture was a bit more involved, but I lost it when a hard-drive failed a few years back).

 

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The models were done in 00 gauge, with N gauge running gear; my interpretation was that the locomotives and stock were basically oversized NG locomotives running on 2ft track.  For reasons of budget they were made from battery-powered XTS and Matchbox toys from a charity shop, and bits of Dapol/Airfix kits, and some broken 00 bodies picked up from scrap bins at a model shop.  The tracks were laboriously cut from mount card, and were a bit of a sod to do, taking ages.  The whole lot shot against yellow or green, and this in itself proved tricky as I hadn’t mastered focus-stacking at the time.

 

The project was quite well received, though it was a bit of a rush for the exhibition deadline, and whilst I had plans to do a massive extension of the project, it never got anywhere; the difference was that where the Britannia Model Village was mostly done at Uni, with their facilities to hand for editing etc. the Steampunk stuff was done when I was unemployed after graduating right into the teeth of the credit crunch.  No digital facilities, just a basic laptop, no budget, and then, no time, when I ended up in a succession of high hour/low paid jobs.

 

The Steampunk monorail itself went down fairly well with people, though a few in the Steampunk scene mentioned that if anything it was too small and modest; it should have been G scale models for 00 people, with massive locomotives named Goliath and so forth.

 

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I actually got close to realising this aspect a few years ago when planning a possible garden railway; at the time, I didn’t have space for a traditional garden line, and I was toying with a Steampunk monorail in the garden, this time using 1/32nd figures, and 0 track on elevated piers, as it would be theoretically less obtrusive.  I laser-cut some track, started cobbling together a locomotive, then it all ground to a halt when I changed jobs. 

 

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The realisation hit just how big a Steampunk Garret-type loco is in Gauge One (above), and the planned layout just wasn’t going to happen.  It all got ditched in the loft, unfinished and abandoned.

 

But then last year, Hornby’s Steampunk range rekindled my interest in doing something model railway related in the genre, and I’d doodled some track plans for a shunting plank in 00, so I had some ideas knocking around; certainly something I could incorporate into this Cakebox.  

 

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Atmospherically then for this Cakebox, I was aiming for a combination of the slightly claustrophobic grime of the Industrial one (above)...

 

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...and the whole 'cathedral of steam' thing from my earlier Engine Shed project.  The dark, steam-filled atmosphere, girders and gantries, silhouettes of locomotives and machinery looming, limited lighting, that sort of thing.  I could re-use the steam generators from the earlier shoots, and acquire some more miniature lights, building off the experience gained with the Industrial Cakebox.

 

Trying to do anything large scale was going to be tricky in 8x8x6 high, and a quick test using Britains figures showed next to nothing would fit with 1/32nd scale.  So I decided to move down to 0 scale instead.  After a night of looking through reference books, I decided to revive the monorail idea, and portray a tiny corner of the fictional Saltaire (Victoria Road) Station. 

 

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I'd sketched this out during the first wave of the project back in 2010- the idea was for a reasonably large station, set somewhere near to where the present car park is, across from Salts Mill.

 

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The above sketch was for the equally fictional underground station, that would have been inspired by the Clockwork Orange in Glasgow.  The beams with their circular cut-outs in a basic box structure were kind of what I was leaning towards for this build.

 

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The Overhead network in this fictional take on reality had the conjunction of two lines on two levels; the one roughly paralleling the existing Airedale main line, and one running across the valley, cutting through Salts Mill itself on its way to the Aerodrome at Yeadon.  Obviously fitting this in 8x8 would be impossible in anything except possibly T scale, so I decided on portraying the very end of a bay platform. 

 

The earlier visual imagery had taken a bit from the Liverpool Overhead Railway, but the idea of wooden stations and basic infrastructure didn’t quite scream Steampunk this time around.  I reckoned on something nicely Gothic-revival (I worked for a bit at Carlisle Station), so I wanted a massive stone structure with an iron and glass roof, and church type windows.  This also allowed me to flip the box around- 6 inches of width for 8 inches of height, which I thought might look a little more imposing.

 

Right, that's the background fluff out of the way, next, onto construction...

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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

 

The original plan was to knock a basic box together from scrap MDF, and do the walls from plasticard and re-purposed Hornby church kits (especially the planned, and tricky, gothic windows), but didn’t have enough to spare after allocating materials for the other projects I had on… and then the lockdown hit and I lost the ability to easily get to a DIY shop- I nipped in the day before it all went to hell, but such wood as my local B&Q had left in stock was a bit naff.

 

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As luck would have it though, the car needed to go in for its MOT in early January, and so whilst waiting for it to be done, for the first time in months I was able to access my Laser Cutter.  The machine is in the basement at the in-laws house with most of my other machine tools and things making their basement effectively my workshop; I can self-isolate down there without needing to see anyone else, and the in-laws are in our bubble anyway, but I’d tried to avoid going as much as possible the last year, as it felt like an unnecessary risk.  I also worried a bit about the curtain twitchers in what is a fairly well-to-do area where they lived.  However, I had nowhere else to go on a cold wet day whilst waiting for the car to be fixed, so rather felt I could justify the trip as I could get some work done.

 

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I quickly designed and laser-cut the basic box shape.  It's done in acrylic, partly because I was worried about how MDF would fare with the amount of steam I'd be using for the pictures, and also because I have a load of it in stock.  I used to be a schools DT Technician, and there were tons of bits of scrap offcuts lying around that I intercepted on the way to the skips, along with the opportunities to buy (with my own money) some sheets for myself, and tack them on to the school delivery.

 

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A subsequent second visit to the in-laws whilst waiting for my Covid Vaccination appointment last week meant I could get some more components cut whilst killing time down in the basement workshop; the elaborate roof trusses were originally going to be bodged together from Peco girders and so on, but I was able to use the opportunity to make something a bit more complex and inspired by that early concept art of the planned Underground station. 

 

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Stone work was from my dwindling supply of embossed plasticard, in theory ringfenced for another project, but what the hell.  I repainted it in acrylic.

 

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A quick test to show the kind of angle I want to take the pics from- the r/h wall is loosely rested into place for the time being, it won't be attached for a while yet.

 

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I painted and weathered the stonework, to try and give a smoky, stained appearance- ignore the mismatching, that stupid join will be masked with a drainpipe eventually.  It's on the outside of the box anyway, just to give some texture framing shots through the doorway onto the platform.

 

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I'd also planned a subway leading up to the platform, and this was cut at the same time- I want tiled walls (it was going to be two-tone but I've changed my mind there), the steps are placeholders, Dapol footbridge components until I can cut something a bit better.

 

That's roughly where it is at the moment- I've gathered all the detailing parts ready, lots of upcycled pipes and bits of plastic packaging, and some old kit parts.  I'm underway with a loco to sit at the buffers at the end of the bay, and hopefully I'll be able to post an update on this, and the ornate window frames for the station, shortly...

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THE LOCOMOTIVE

 

I wanted something in the platform of the station for some of the shots, though obviously fitting a gargantuan steampunk loco into about 7 inches of scene was going to be tricky.  Inspiration hit though when going back through those books on the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and the rather characterful Kitson locomotive known as Lively Polly.  This tiny well-tank was the only loco owned by the LOR (until it was replaced by a Ruston 48DS in the late 1940's), and was used for shunting, engineering trains, and ice-breaking runs.  It was very compact, about as long as it was tall, and seemed a good prototype to look into.  Having a tiny station pilot loco stabled in light-steam at the end of the bay seemed to make logical sense.

 

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A very rough sketch was done...

 

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...the monorail beam ended up being suitable for TT track...

 

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...so the loco would be very much a bodge made around a battery-powered TT chassis.

 

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Not having access to the laser cutter, I knocked a very basic box chassis up from scrap MDF.

 

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The body would be mainly chopped from this, a NewRay tank loco, roughly to gauge one proportions; it had already donated its chassis for a G-scale project, and I didn't have a lot of use for the body until this point.

 

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The massive boiler was added from a plastic curry powder tub.  at this point a problem arose; the loco was too tall for the set.  It fit, just, but it massively over-dominated the scene.  And then logic reared its head again, the boiler was just too big for a loco which would have next to no coal capacity (see, it's this tendency to try and adhere to logic that scuppers a lot of my wilder flights of Steampunk fancy).

 

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I got round it by scrapping the notion of having a working chassis; there really wasn't any need to run the loco, if I ever do a larger layout in the future on the theme, I can retrofit a working TT chassis at some point.  Removing the working chassis meant I could shave 3cm off the height, and I chopped the plastic tub down to represent something of a saddle tank instead.

 

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The loco was a rather mad bodge, and somewhat in contrast to the precision laser cutting!  All sorts of odds and ends have gone into this wee beastie, bits of model kits, scraps of plasticards, toys, plumbing parts...  At this stage it is very rough and ready, needing a bit of a tidy then a spray in undercoat, filler, then a bit more work.

 

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A test of the loco in the set- hopefully just small enough to fit for the picture, but still large enough to scream Steampunk.  Also note the laser-cut gothic window frames, tacked into place.

 

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A wider shot showing the current state of play; as mentioned above, the loco needs finishing and tidying, and I need another morning with the laser cutter to get the roof done for the set.

 

 

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It was half term last week, so a break from home-schooling the youths meant I was able to crack-on a bit with the Cakebox;

 

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I found the original scale drawing I did for the pic back at the start of the year, interesting to see how closely I've been able to stick to it so far, especially considering at this stage I was still planning on making it from wood and model kit parts, rather than laser cutting...

 

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The staircase was proving a bit tricky; it didn't look like I was going to be able to get at the laser cutter this week, so I set about modifying some Dapol footbridge steps, with extra plastic strip to make them more suitable for 0 scale.

 

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The platform was surfaced with Wills sheets.

 

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The steps in place- note the top step still needs modifying and tidying.

 

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A quick coat of paint, again, that top step needs a bit more work, as well as handrails fitting.

 

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With the window frames painted and weathered, the 3mm clear acrylic was slotted-in and secured with PVA; a real advantage of designing this for the laser cutter, I'd have hated to try and do these from scratch.

 

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Speaking of glazing, I managed on a rainy Thursday to get over to my laser cutter, and did the glazed trainshed roof, using yet more scrap acrylic.

 

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I made sure to use pieces with the carrier film still on it, which somewhat speeds up the masking of the panels.  The first attempt went a bit wrong with the cutting, but it served as a test piece for the spray painting.  Just need a nice enough day to get out with the rattle cans.

 

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A cast of thirteen, all from the S&D range, and almost all suitable for the roughly alternate-universe 1901 of the cakebox.  I need to be able to recoup some of the considerable investment in these figures though, so I've tried to pick some that will be re-usable, with modifications, for a planned 0 micro layout that should be coming along later in the year.

 

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These were a bit of a sod to put together; the superglue I used ended up taking forever to set, so I killed a whole afternoon doing these figures.

 

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So here's the state of play at the moment; almost all the major components now are made or cut, I just need this cursed drizzle to stop so I can get outside to spray paint the loco, figures, track beam, and glazed roof.  The last big build that needs doing is some buffers for the end of the platform, but that might need a trip to the plumbing supplies aisle of B&Q later this week.  I'm hoping to get this build completed in the next week, so I can focus on the 7/8th Modellers micro layout competition...

 

 

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15 hours ago, Corbs said:

This is excellent!

 

 

Thanks, that means a lot coming from a modeller of your calibre!  Hoping to get this cakebox finished this weekend, need to mop-up the odd jobs like the wiring for the lamps (if I can sum up the enthusiasm for soldering today)

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Bit more work done on the Cakebox...

 

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It needed something under the platform, so this was cobbled together from screw block connectors, and Tomy 'Thomas the Tank Engine' bridge parts.

 

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The girder framing to support the track beam went in, and was glued in place.

 

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Here's the track-beam in place, and the side wall loosely fitted again to test.  The track-beam needs to be cut-down in length still.

 

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"just glue some gears on it, and call it Steampunk..." as the song stays.  What can I say, this bit of old bike gearing made a nice large window for the end wall.  Needs another couple of coats of brass acrylics.

 

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The wonky lights are loosely fitted, they still need connecting, soldering, and testing before I glue them in place.  The wall lights are perhaps a bit on the big side (they were sold as HO scale would you believe), but bigger is definitely better when it comes to Steampunk.  Lord Thingummy-Whatsit here here is showing something of a problem- the varnish I used was gloss, annoyingly, so I need to dull the shine down a bit.  Wish the can had been a little better labelled.

 

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One of the roof beams loosely fitted into place- the prongs underneath are for some more beams that run the length of the scene, with more lights to be fitted.  With a bit of luck I'll actually get some sleep tonight, and be awake enough tomorrow for a spot of soldering.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Work on the Cakebox continues apace; sorting out the working lamps has been a bit of a nightmare, and there's a complication in that I need to complete the smaller details before I can sort out the wiring.  So, in the meantime; the small details.  I wanted a few posters and bits in the scene, they won't necessarily be legible, but they'll add to the effect just covering otherwise blank wall space.  This is something I like doing with my miniatures builds in general, and an enjoyable little diversion, so here we go...

 

Some posters for the stairway.  These will be quite small as well, but should convey the sort of thing you see on the escalators on the Tube...

 

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This was something I knocked up for a previous project, using a model built for the original Steampunk project I did for Bradford Industrial Museum.  Ripping-off Haynes :)

 

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It wouldn't be Steampunk without gratuitous airships, surely :)  Again, from the old project.  The trimming around the airship is a bit shoddy, but won't be noticeable at 2cm high.

 

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OK, getting really silly now, but I thought it also wouldn't be Steampunk without giant robots.  Though the design of this one is a bit more Raygun-Gothic than Steampunk... I liked the idea of a kind of "Pacific Rim" Jaeger-bots corps for the 1900's British Army, just in case the Martians come back ;)  This was actually a homework project done with Younger Child before Christmas, she needed to make a model of a robot (they were reading "The Iron Man" by Ted Hughes).  We got a bit carried away, and did a full costume, then went full Japanese Monster Movie with a forced perspective shoot on the drive, with Airfix tanks :)

 

 

 

Something a little more conventional, the traditional seaside travel poster with the bathing beauty with a beachball, in the sun.  I had a slightly large space of wall on the model, and wanted something to contrast with the gloom of the station, and all the gothic architecture.  Port Eden incidentally is my go-to fake holiday destination for model making, and was the location of the seaside railway I built for the first cakebox, as well as the location for a 7/8ths diorama I'm doing for another competition.

 

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The woman is an Edwardian bather from S&D models, with a glass bead for the ball.  I suppose she's positively over-dressed compared to British Rail posters from the 60's, but probably quite daring for 1901 when the model is set.  But then an alternate Britain that can have 100ft steam-powered robots, monorails, and airships can be a bit less stuffy than reality.  Somewhat lacking for a chance to get to the seaside in lockdown, the figure was photographed against a large pic of the hills above Beddgelert that my wife took, and that's hanging on the living room wall.  It was actually snowing outside when I took this :)

 

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Printed out to size, they'll be glued onto the model shortly, then I can finally attach the roof beams, the last wiring runs, and the side wall to the model, hopefully this afternoon...

Edited by Ben B
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BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_08.jpg.7a7e1beb6ed7e2701f5081d954158eb4.jpg

 

Quick update on the progress tonight- posters in place, roof on, lights (mostly) working, little bit of soldering still to do, then just some last details and tidying up to do tomorrow :)

 

Huzzah!

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10 hours ago, Ben B said:

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_08.jpg.7a7e1beb6ed7e2701f5081d954158eb4.jpg

 

Quick update on the progress tonight- posters in place, roof on, lights (mostly) working, little bit of soldering still to do, then just some last details and tidying up to do tomorrow :)

 

Huzzah!

Huzzah! Indeed Sir. The 'Great' West Riding Monorail Transportation Co.

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Well, today saw the end of the build process, just about!  A few last minute details, then the wiring was completed...

 

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_18.jpg.db8a1fb0840823c671d304842777eab1.jpg

 

The stained-glass window on the end wall, behind the re-purposed cog needed completing.  After toying with doing a drawing and doing it on the laser cutter, I decided to just freehand it, as it would be right at the back of the set.

 

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Sharpies, black for outline and a few different colours for the individual parts.  I deliberately wanted something a bit abstract.

 

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In-situ.  Also the working lamp has been fitted to the buffers, a piece salvaged from a large toy train I chopped-about for a garden railway build.  The lamp is a little on the large side, but then the consequence of a monorail train not stopping and crashing through the wall would be pretty dire, and would probably justify a large lamp.

 

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_14.jpg.48dc2560ce3eafaddd230322347f5a22.jpg

 

The roof-trusses and the side wall were finally glued into place, once I was certain I didn't need to do any more detail painting inside...

 

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Then it was time for the incredibly tedious job of peeling the masking off the glazed sections.

 

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Quick test of the wiring, with it all glued together.  Annoyingly I managed to cock this stage up a bit, I missed soldering in a resistor and blew one of the bulbs.  Typically it was for a light that I didn't have a spare of (one of the downlights suspended from the roof beams) but luckily it was one at the back, so it shouldn't be too noticeable.  Once it was tested, I set about hiding the dangling cables.

 

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_09.jpg.64f24cb551d14f60c0bd7e09388ccb97.jpg

 

I could probably work out a better way of doing this, and the power supply, but I have a big box of 9v batteries from my last job, so I'm having the lights as three independent circuits with switches.

 

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_12.jpg.e83a21be6195e01cee1868f666a25ccc.jpg

 

The batteries are designed to fit in behind the girder beam under the platform, keeping them out of sight- one problem with the Industrial cakebox is the batteries tend to slide out of the small gap I left for them, putting strain on the wiring, so this should solve that problem.

 

BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_10.jpg.cc4db01d6aaca817ecb6f82d70370e54.jpg

 

Nearly there!  Just need to glue the roof glazing, the track beam, and a couple of benches down, then with a bit of luck, I'll be shooting the pictures tomorrow...

 

 

 

 

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BEN_BUCKI_STEAMPUNK-CAKEBOX_POSTERS_MARCH-21_19.jpg.4a60e526a48a2b8856754cc699644abc.jpg

 

Quick test with it tonight, to see how it looks with the mini steam generator in place below the platform :)

 

Definitely need to dull-down the shine on the figures, but otherwise, pretty happy with how it's looking so far...  Hopefully I'll be doing a proper shoot tomorrow evening!

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BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_01.jpg.a6591330580bad4689124da120c6b63c.jpg

 

Well, a good news and bad news day.  Bad news was Younger Child had a cough and a temperature this morning, so a trip to the Covid Test Station followed (she's not too bad at the mo, filled up with calpol).  The good news meant, with us stuck at home isolating, and it being a nice day out, I had time to get the Steampunk Cakebox set-up in the sunshine for a shoot...

 

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So it was set up on a table, with the figures out for some photographs.  Time for some visual trickery too, with a cunningly-located mirror to extend the set through the doorway.

 

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It looked ok with the direct sunlight, but rather better with the mini-humidifier set up beside the track beam.

 

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Interesting effect with the slightly over-long bench and a wider shot, makes it look like a far larger station with the view on the left.

 

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BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_06.jpg.47812d77a5f64ce32b427760f9345f76.jpg

 

Lord Snooty waiting for his train home.

 

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The porter moves a heavy case along the platform.  I have a feeling he'd be called 'Cheeky Jim' or something similar.  I can't decide now whether the raised line before the platform edge would be a handy safety feature to warn people, or a trip hazard to send them plunging 50ft down onto the cobbles below.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_08.jpg.308a3c1ddceba44e3cb4ea10fb66e4da.jpg

 

Sepia (ish) tone experiment.

 

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The Victoria Road station pilot. "Lively Lolly", has arrived, attracting a bit of attention.

 

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Not sure if it looks better in greyscale.

 

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Bit later on, and the loco has turned around (somehow, maybe Saltaire has a spinning section of track somewhere outside).  Think the shunter would need a longer pole for uncoupling, and is thus the butt of a saucy comment from Old Samson the driver.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_12.jpg.ebc8c869b6feaa501201699a1f824ba6.jpg

 

The benefit of gluing some stone-effect plasticard on the outside of the Cakebox; it allows for shots through the archway from the non-existent Platform Four.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_13.jpg.c01530c1315673b497ab0785cb8f309f.jpg

 

Cheeky Jim again, having delivered the large crate.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_14.jpg.6efa9325f84f210007c5043d2cc17d71.jpg

 

Again, trying for a vaguely sepia-tone to a shot.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_16.jpg.c02bfb1588b4ebb50eb36f9be93baee8.jpg

 

Looking up the stairs, up to the platform.  Once again, the set has been extended with a mirror.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_17.jpg.e0e729f04f4cf4cd58200e1f85e46d95.jpg

 

I really like this shot; the humidifier is visible in the background sadly, but I may try and reshoot it at some point.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox-DAYLIGHT-SHOOT_22_03.21_18.jpg.6d89c02d7e7597ba48fdebf1eee0909f.jpg

 

Well, I'm happy with how that turned out!  Hopefully in a couple of nights I'll get chance for a nicely dramatic shoot with the lamps on it goes dark.

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11 hours ago, ManofKent said:

Hope your daughter recovers soon.

 

Thanks! Her result came back negative, as we expected... it's probably just a cold, but with three kids in three different schools, and my wife working at a fourth, we couldn't chance it...

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BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_01.jpg.41d8b0904359f7a4e93e5aeb48711e40.jpg

 

Well, having a free evening, it was time for the night shoot with the cakebox...

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_03.jpg.540adec1d06c13622dd1f2fa9442c7d0.jpg

 

The highly-complex set-up for the shoot.  Oh, for a proper studio :)

 

Anyway, I quite liked the idea of this being a selection of images taken one Autumn evening, with a documentary by a visiting photographer of the goings-on at Platform 5...

 

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The Brigadier has a chat with the station agent, Mr. Baynton, whilst awaiting the arrival of an early-evening service back to Bradford.

 

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A little later, and station pilot 'Lively Lolly' has arrived.  With time to kill before the arrival of the evening mail train, Old Samson the driver, Brendan the guard, and Dai the Shunter have a chat.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_06.jpg.f9de1050a36ce19e7dc5c0c790a9c092.jpg

 

Samson has returned to his cab, and apprentice engineer Kayleigh shares some thoughts on the maintenance of the loco.  (Yes, I'm a Firefly fan, every firm should have a perky female mechanic).

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_07.jpg.4386ee7709aecb3262303b877dc7eada.jpg

 

Having shunted the evening mail service, 'Lively Lolly' has been turned outside the station and returned to stable in the bay.  The Station Agent, Mr. Baynton is back, and Miss. Elphinstone, a regular commuter, has come to chat with the gang too.  (Yes, she's another pop-culture nod, this time to the novels of the 'War of the Worlds' and its sequel).

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_08.jpg.778e5cc6b21722cdcb52144caca52b5b.jpg

 

Cheeky Jim the Porter stops by with his barrow.  Honestly, does anybody at Victoria Road do any work of an evening?

 

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Ah well, duty calls.  Samson prepares to take 'Lively Lolly' back out again.  Brendan and Samson look down at the side of the loco at some small fault, and wonder if Kayleigh might have had a point earlier about daily maintainance...

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_10.jpg.81925ac79482c561d0d161a148b6c8a1.jpg

 

...a point Brendan grudgingly concedes with her, and Mr. Baynton, a little later.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_11.jpg.97b360c2683d5cb72a8c9eb515c02990.jpg

 

'Lively Lolly' is back again towards 10pm, as a slightly-inebriated Lordship manages the subway steps up from the underpass link to platforms 1 and 2.  It's quite the walk to the station from Fanny's Ale House, but he manages it most evenings.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_12.jpg.88b22d6cba0000ebf8ee9d16e44a692e.jpg

 

Miss Elphinstone drops by again, as her train for Bradford is delayed, to have another look at her favourite engine.

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_13.jpg.77d932ccce0f7d657c5924f3a1a4f45e.jpg

 

BEN_BUCKI_Steampunk-Cakebox_NIGHT-SHOOT_30_03.21_14.jpg.df6c24fc2dc3f4e811013869467a5f09.jpg

 

And with that, our photographer departs, to await his train home, the last departure from Leeds to Keighley off platform 1.

 

Well I can honestly say I've really enjoyed this project!  I can't think of any other work to do with this build, so I'll leave it for now.  I'm having to really, really fight the temptation to find a way to do this build as a proper layout at some point...

 

 

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