devondynosoar118 Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Sounds like they are off to a cracking start. War gamers are very similar to railway modellers in my experience. War hammer is a great way for kids to get into model making too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted March 3, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2012 Sounds like they are off to a cracking start. War gamers are very similar to railway modellers in my experience. War hammer is a great way for kids to get into model making too. I think they want to try Airfix aircraft kits as well - there are a few unmade here - as long as it is not one of mine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I was given the Railway Modeller with this kit for Christmas. As our layout (Jenswell) now has room for a small signal box, I have made a start on this one. It will be platform mounted, I intend replacing the brick steps with some wooden stairs if I can make up something decent. I have made a few card buildings before, but this was my first Metcalf kit. I was very pleased with the way it went together. It all cut out and folded very neatly. The chimney has a balsa core, but it's still little skewif. As it's so open, I have added some interior detail: I thickened up the back wall with cream mount board and added a chimney breast and fireplace. The clock and bookshelf were drawn on the card with felt pens. The notice board was sketched on paper then stuck to the back wall. I added a seven lever frame and gate wheel. The frame was cut from a plastic comb and the gate wheel was a shirt button coloured with a black marker pen. This is impressionist modelling! It doesn't bear close scrutiny but should look reasonable at the back of the layout. One part of the Metcalf kit I was less impressed with is the slate roof. So I have covered mine with SuperQuick slate paper which I will emboss before fixing. Before I fit the roof, I ought to add a signal man with a desk for him to work at. It also needs a shelf for the block instruments over the frame. The signal box in Hull transport museum has it's Block instrument shelf suspended from the ceiling. I'm still working out how to do mine... Can anyone advise me on the proper size and style for the box name plate ? This would be North Eastern region 'JENSWELL'. Chris Black Hat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcaravanner Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I was given the Railway Modeller with this kit for Christmas. Can anyone advise me on the proper size and style for the box name plate ? This would be North Eastern region 'JENSWELL'. Chris Black Hat Chris the Font is Standard Arial Black and if I remember correctly from having to repaint the Chesterfield South Board (before someone nicked it) the letters are 8" high Though IF I am wrong someone will correct me ( hopefully) don't forget the outside rim to the board too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Nice interior there! Like the lever frame and gate wheel too. Must do a bit more on mine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gray, thanks for the nameplate detail. I was expecting the font to be much more exotic! Nice interior there! Like the lever frame and gate wheel too. Must do a bit more on mine. I fitted the instrument shelf last night, then tried the roof. With the roof on all the interior detail disappears! I shall have to add a light inside, Then I'll need to add lights to the rest of the layout ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gray, thanks for the nameplate detail. I was expecting the font to be much more exotic! I fitted the instrument shelf last night, then tried the roof. With the roof on all the interior detail disappears! I shall have to add a light inside, Then I'll need to add lights to the rest of the layout ... Hi, I did wonder if the interior detail would be lost with the roof on , unless lit, as mine was to used on an unlit layout, I decided to black out the interior apart from the levers which are quite noticeable. It will look great lit - looking forward to seeing how you tackle such ATVB CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcaravanner Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I've got a light fitted now looks good in the dark although thinking of a crossing wheel if I can work out where to add a crossing to where I am thinking of adding it to the layout BUT beware on Ebay there's someone selling GOW bulbs with Resistors and you can't order them unless you buy the resistors - - -They ARE NOT LED'S ------ and yes it caught me out too but they are cheap even with the resistors they are standard 12v Grain of Wheat Bulbs and DO NOT NEED the resistors and get rather hot so need to be away from the card and have a heat sink fitted (I've have now fitted some foil which also reflects the light as well as heat nicely also run at 9v they have a yellowish warm glow just like Tungsten bulbs used to have will photo it lit tonight and post it on Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gray, I have a grain of wheat bulb that came with the copper tape I used to wire up the layout. If I try it with my DC controller and a multimeter I can work out what voltage to use. With any luck, it might run off a battery under the box. On the other paw, I wonder if the pound shop has any Christmas lights left... Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcaravanner Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gray, I have a grain of wheat bulb that came with the copper tape I used to wire up the layout. If I try it with my DC controller and a multimeter I can work out what voltage to use. With any luck, it might run off a battery under the box. On the other paw, I wonder if the pound shop has any Christmas lights left... Chris Chris I used a multi-voltage supply the GOW lit at 3v but the light was better above 6 volts and on the white ones I have they glow yellowish-orange at 9v but at full power glowed bright light and gave off twice as much heat. Good luck to you and let me know what you find with yours Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 The battery method sounds like the one for me, hadn't thought of the £ store, excellent idea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Chris I used a multi-voltage supply the GOW lit at 3v but the light was better above 6 volts and on the white ones I have they glow yellowish-orange at 9v but at full power glowed bright light and gave off twice as much heat. Good luck to you and let me know what you find with yours Gray, I found much the same with mine. [ H&M Flyer + multimeter ] A dull orange glow around 3V, possibly suitable for the fire place. Useful bright light around 8V and much brighter at 12V +, but it gets hot. A cool LED light looks like a better solution and might match the gas or oil lamps used in the real thing. I have seen some battery operated tea lights, some even give a candle flicker. Futher investigation required ... Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I gave mine to the young lad down the road, every little helps! (especially when your pocket money has to stretch a long way!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I have added the roof and name boards to my signal box. As I mentioned before, I was not too impressed with Metcalf's tile print. That's the one area that really seems to let down Metcalf kits in my view. Fortunately it's easily fixed... I glued SuperQuick grey slate paper over the Metcalf roof then scribed it with a butter knife to give some relief. For N-guage/2mm I just emboss the rows, for 4mm I scribe between the slates too. It's a fairly tedious process but the results are well worth while. The roof is braced internally with 2mm card so it can be removed for access to the interior when required. I also added guttering from black craft paper. It will need downpipes too. The name boards were created on my Paint program (Fireworks) then printed to size on cartridge paper. I cut them out and coloured the edges with a grey marker pen before sticking them in place. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I have added the roof and name boards to my signal box. As I mentioned before, I was not too impressed with Metcalf's tile print. That's the one area that really seems to let down Metcalf kits in my view. Fortunately it's easily fixed... I glued Super Quick tile paper over the Metcalf roof then embossed with a butter knife it to give some relief. For N-guage/2mm I just emboss the rows, for 4mm I emboss between the tiles too. It's a fairly tedious process but the results are well worth while. The roof is braced internally with 2mm card so it can be removed for access to the interior when required. I also added guttering from black craft paper. It will need downpipes too. The name boards were created on my Paint program (Fireworks) then printed to size on cartridge paper. I cut them out and coloured the edges with a grey marker pen before sticking them in place. Chris Hi Chris, Nice work. Like what you have done with the roof and I like the terracota ridge tiles - wish that I had thought of that. Great job. ATB CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 CME, Thank you. The terracotta ridge tiles come with Superquick red tile paper. There are grey ridge tiles with the grey slate paper but I preferred red for the ridges, Once in place I went over the ridge tiles with a burnt sienna marker pen that deepened the colour a bit. The red tile paper looks good for rosemary tiles if I ever need to model our house. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 CME, Thank you. The terracotta ridge tiles come with Superquick red tile paper. There are grey ridge tiles with the grey slate paper but I preferred red for the ridges, Once in place I went over the ridge tiles with a burnt sienna marker pen that deepened the colour a bit. The red tile paper looks good for rosemary tiles if I ever need to model our house. Chris Hi Chris, As I said nice work - which makes a real improvement (I am surprised that Metcalfe hav'nt upgraded their roofs, as the rest of their buildings are pretty good). Looking forward to seeing yours finished. ATVB CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Following discussion of lighting options for card models, and potential uses of battery tea lights. I enlisted the aid of my expert shopper. Jenn acquired the following items plus batteries and got change from a fiver. Jenn can keep the colour-changing butterflies with fibre optic wings, until we build a model disco. The light is surprisingly realistic and should do very nicely for gas or oil lamps. I dismantled one of the tea lights : This gave me a candle flicker LED; a battery holder and three 1.5V 'hearing aid batteries'; a sub-miniature slide switch SPDT wired as on/off; and a transparent rubber diffuser shaped like a candle flame. The other tea lights came with 3V coin batteries. I have no idea how long these should last in regular use, but we got a card of six 3V coin batteries from the poundshop. Carving some of the surplus plastic from the battery holder would let all these bits fit discretely inside the roof of the signal box. I think I can solder the LED bulb inside the card roof with the aid of copper tape. I could fit the slide switch through the box roof at the rear where it won't be seen. or I could extend the wires to fit the battery container and switch in the locking chamber. Wires from the bulb would not look too out of place running down the outside of the signal box rear wall. I could disguise them as electric cables! As the signal box is intended to sit permanently on the layout, I am thinking of wiring it to a 3V supply under the baseboard. I bought a 3V transformer/supply intended for LED lights just after Christmas when it was going cheap. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcaravanner Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Wires from the bulb would not look too out of place running down the outside of the signal box rear wall. I could disguise them as electric cables! As the signal box is intended to sit permanently on the layout, I am thinking of wiring it to a 3V supply under the baseboard. I bought a 3V transformer/supply intended for LED lights just after Christmas when it was going cheap. Chris Chris I solved the wire problem by fitting an extra back wall on which I had put a hollow Chimney breast through which the wires run through a hole in the floor there's a photo of my box on an earlier page Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_nicole Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Chris I solved the wire problem by fitting an extra back wall on which I had put a hollow Chimney breast through which the wires run through a hole in the floor there's a photo of my box on an earlier page Gray, I fixed the back wall and chimney on mine before I decided to light it! However, once in place the back of the building won't be seen. I put the light in last night. The light is a little harsh, so I may need to put the diffuser back on the bulb. The LED is soldered to copper tape stuck under the roof, then I soldered a couple of wires down to the switch and battery holder. When it's in place I intend replacing the battery with a 3V supply. The box still needs a signal man and some furniture, then I have to sort out the steps... Regards, Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Very neat how to, thank you. I am really going to have to push it on my interior! I am thinking about wooden boards with polished Lino, a full lever frame to match and a block shelf, plus a chair and table for the train book, a stove and easy chair. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I have had this kit sitting, waiting for a chance to help [and persude] my [11yr old] son build it. Finally started it yesterday, he has built it pretty much as intended, and to a good standard. But, after showing him this thread, we agreed to improve the interior. Started by lining out in white card, including a large internal chimney breast. We made a 12 lever frame by using cut down flat wooden toothpicks pushed through offcuts of card [small slits made with scalpel first] and painted [red, white, blue and black, with white tops]. The fireplace was created by using the offcut from the roof piece [where the chimney goes] this gives a stone effect surround and mantlepiece! A couple of bits of card later, 1 table & 1 shelf. A spare seat was found, as well as a signalman. Some sprue offcuts glued together & painted for instruments [on shelf] and finally, a trackplan was drawn onto the cut-out from the door [giving it a nice green border like a frame!] All we have to do is add the lighting, the wires will run up the inside of the chimney breast. When I can work out how to post photos I will show you! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Sounds great, simply set up the pics at a moderate size, save them on you machine then use the full editor to reply, click the reply button not the open pane at the bottom of the page. Use the attach files option at the bottom of the text input pane, then put the cursor where you want the picture to appear in the text window and click add to post. Glad your son enjoyed the box too, it's a good dad and lad project for a weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenS Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hello all, having got the magazine this xmas I was left with a 00 signal box, which my son was keen to build, which had no place to live on any layouts at the moment. To keep myself out of trouble over the holiday we built this. The detail parts came from dad and grandads' bits boxes, and include a variety of bits from the early 60's to late 70's. I had a go at bodging some point rodding (round, it is Southern area) as it would have been very odd without, I drew the line at the signal wires however! If you have found a use for your free model, post the results here! General view, still some detail work to do. All the point rodding is visible here, have not finished the stools and angle cranks yet. Hi there How did you make the point rodding?? Kind regards Ben Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 You can get stools and rodding from MSE, however I am a cheapskate, and as the box had a southern look to it I used round brass rod (other regions would be square) which I bent to shape then cleaned and soldered to short lengths of brass U channel to represent the stools. I will make the cranks, where it turns 90 degrees fom scrap etches or plastic sheet, not decided yet. I will update the pictures when I have built the interior as it arrived a few weeks ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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