Ade's 7mm layout: Malmesbury station

[Adrian Stevenson]

Just managed to do a few little jobs today like painting tops of the buffer footplates on the GWR locomotives black.

 

Ran the Railcars today. Had a go at doing some night time photos of the Razoredge car.

 

Cheers, Ade.

[brossard]

Very evocative scene Ade.

 

I see your platform lamps are quite bright.  I only got mine powered up a couple of days ago and they seem a bit dim.  Mind you I haven't turned the lights off yet.

 

I am using a power distribution board that converts DCC to 3V DC for the lamps.  Any tips on getting optimum brightness?

 

John

[Adrian Stevenson]

I just hooked the lamp up to a 9 volt battery. This was for the one lamp. Once you connect the other platform lamp up it dims nicely. Just a rush bodge job for the pic 😀

[brossard]

10 minutes ago, Adrian Stevenson said:

I just hooked the lamp up to a 9 volt battery. This was for the one lamp. Once you connect the other platform lamp up it dims nicely. Just a rush bodge job for the pic 😀

 

Ah thanks.  The lamps I have are rated for 3V plus 1K resistor.  All the lamps on the layout (platform, street and yard) are connected to a single power output on the board.  The board has a lot of outputs.  I'm wondering if I shouldn't separate the lamps and connect to different outputs.  Anyway I'll think about it and do some experimenting.

 

 

Then again, maybe they're OK.

 

John

[magmouse]

25 minutes ago, brossard said:

The lamps I have are rated for 3V plus 1K resistor

 

You can add a further resistor in series with the existing one to dim the LED - or replace the existing one with a higher value. You shouldn't reduce the resistor below the value specified, or the current gets too large and you risk burning out the LED.

 

When thinking about brightness, remember that with an oil or gas lamp (which I assume you are modelling) it would be pretty much impossible to tell if it was on in full daylight - and you certainly wouldn't see it cast any light. In your photo, it looks like you have general 'daylight' conditions on your layout, and the lamps are visibly on, so they are probably too bright, not too dim.

 

Apologies if I have misinterpreted either your photo or your intentions with the lighting - photos can be very deceptive when showing these kinds of light conditions.

 

Nick.

[brossard]

1 hour ago, magmouse said:

 

You can add a further resistor in series with the existing one to dim the LED - or replace the existing one with a higher value. You shouldn't reduce the resistor below the value specified, or the current gets too large and you risk burning out the LED.

 

When thinking about brightness, remember that with an oil or gas lamp (which I assume you are modelling) it would be pretty much impossible to tell if it was on in full daylight - and you certainly wouldn't see it cast any light. In your photo, it looks like you have general 'daylight' conditions on your layout, and the lamps are visibly on, so they are probably too bright, not too dim.

 

Apologies if I have misinterpreted either your photo or your intentions with the lighting - photos can be very deceptive when showing these kinds of light conditions.

 

Nick.

 

Thanks Nick, I was initially concerned that the lamps might be too dim, looking at Ades' platform lamp above, the street lamps I have definitely are.  I cranked the pot to max so I should maybe back it off a bit.  I will have to darken the basement to get the real feel for the brightness.

 

John

[magmouse]

54 minutes ago, brossard said:

I will have to darken the basement to get the real feel for the brightness.

 

I think that's the crucial thing - you need to decide the ambient light level you are going to have to represent 'dusk' or whatever, then adjust individual lights to suit. Whether a station lamp, or carriage lights, or other light sources seem to be 'dim' or 'bright' will be relative to the general ambience.

 

Nick.

[brossard]

9 minutes ago, magmouse said:

 

I think that's the crucial thing - you need to decide the ambient light level you are going to have to represent 'dusk' or whatever, then adjust individual lights to suit. Whether a station lamp, or carriage lights, or other light sources seem to be 'dim' or 'bright' will be relative to the general ambience.

 

Nick.

 

Ha ha, that's the funny thing because I don't anticipate doing any running in the dark.  My original thought was to use dummy lamps but these are few and far between.  Layouts4U had a nice selection of working lamps for a very reasonable price, so I got a bunch.  Things snowballed from there.  I will continue with these because I like things to be as right as I can make them.

 

I came across a bag full of LEDs while looking for something else, so now I'm thinking of putting lamps in buildings.  Sigh.

 

John

[Baggies1961]

Hi Ade,

 

Hope your Dad is on the mend. My Mum who is 91, is 200 miles away in the Cotswolds and has terminal cancer. She has some district and palliative care nurses calling in on her. Shortly, myself an two brothers are going to spend a week with her in turns so I guess like you, everything will be parked.

Best wishes

Julian.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Small update as the new Siphon Wagon arrived this morning. Very pleased with it. Nice and free running.

 

Cheers, Ade.

[Hal Nail]

5 hours ago, Adrian Stevenson said:

Small update as the new Siphon Wagon arrived this morning.

I've just managed to buy one 2nd hand already!

 

The bogies look particularly nice and I'm tempted to pinch them for my autocoach and then put something different under the siphon for variety.

 

Mines going to be as 70s so might also plate over the grills - depends if it needs a repaint after I've sorted the missing door handles!

[Simond]

Very pleased with mine.  The wheels are high on the list for some weathering.  Dark rust…

 

that, and the inside of the corridors, which is a surprising shade of … white!

Edited September 15, 2023 by Simond

[Simond]

Done quite a bit to mine.  
 

The number’s wrong (apparently 1270 was experimental, and had horizontal planks but I’ve not seen a photo to confirm this), and it’s missing two door handles on each side, along with the hand holes that you reach out of to open the door if you get shut in.  Drilled out the hand holes and added T handles as required.

 

I’ve painted out the number on each side and will put new transfers on tomorrow or Wednesday.  Changed the couplings for Premier ones as the springs are far too weak, fitted battery boxes, trying to find a spare dynamo in my bits boxes, painted the wheels with track grime, and sprayed similar over the bogies, ends and lower sides, and gave the roof a gentle dusting of soot.

 

it’s nice to personalise something like this.  I’m very pleased with it, despite a couple of fairly minor issues.  I’ve got a couple of Ian Kirk Siphons too.  Might get another one, make a train of it!

[Hal Nail]

6 hours ago, Simond said:

Done quite a bit to mine.  
 

The number’s wrong (apparently 1270 was experimental, and had horizontal planks but I’ve not seen a photo to confirm this), and it’s missing two door handles on each side, along with the hand holes that you reach out of to open the door if you get shut in.  Drilled out the hand holes and added T handles as required.

 

I’ve painted out the number on each side and will put new transfers on tomorrow or Wednesday.  Changed the couplings for Premier ones as the springs are far too weak, fitted battery boxes, trying to find a spare dynamo in my bits boxes, painted the wheels with track grime, and sprayed similar over the bogies, ends and lower sides, and gave the roof a gentle dusting of soot.

 

it’s nice to personalise something like this.  I’m very pleased with it, despite a couple of fairly minor issues.  I’ve got a couple of Ian Kirk Siphons too.  Might get another one, make a train of it!

DJ Parkins still have some Cavalier dynamos going for next to nothing although the minimum postage is a bit pokey so need to make up a decent order to be worth it.

 

What door handles did you use - are they a good match? I was thinking of using the 4 supplied to fix one side then put 4 new ones on t'other!

[Simond]

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

What door handles did you use - are they a good match? I was thinking of using the 4 supplied to fix one side then put 4 new ones on t'other!

 
That’s a good idea, and probably worth doing.  
 

I have a pack and a few Blacksmith ones left over from a coach building spree some years back, and used them.  They’re close, but slightly larger.

 

re the dynamo, if I can find one in the bits box, that’ll be ideal, if not, I’ll measure one, model it on CAD and 3DP…. If I had / could find a drawing, that would be quicker still!

 

cheers

Simon

[Marshall5]

On 18/09/2023 at 22:43, Simond said:

Done quite a bit to mine.  
 

The number’s wrong (apparently 1270 was experimental, and had horizontal planks but I’ve not seen a photo to confirm this), and it’s missing two door handles on each side, along with the hand holes that you reach out of to open the door if you get shut in.  Drilled out the hand holes and added T handles as required.

I did quite a bit of research into the development of the Siphon G's whilst building one of Ian Kirk's dia O22's.

No. 1270 was actually the first of the O22's (inside frame with horizontal planks) and there is an official works photo of this in G.W Album 2.  The O22 was a sort of half-way design between the better known outside frame O11 and the O33 on which the Minerva model is based.  Interestingly (well to me anyway) despite all the Swindon drawings and some published works stating that the O22's were electrically lit all the photographs, including the Swindon official one, show these vehicles with gas tanks and lamp tops.  It seems a bit of a 'schoolboy' error to put the wrong number on the O33 which is unusual for Minerva. You are quite right about the missing door handles and handholes. Lovely model otherwise.

Cheers,

Ray.

 

[Hal Nail]

5 hours ago, Marshall5 said:

You are quite right about the missing door handles and handholes. Lovely model otherwise.

 

At first this put me off but I picked up a 2nd hand one the other day (not sure why someone was offloading that fast!) and actually the missing details are nowhere near as glaring to the eye as they seem in photos. 

 

Incidentally that one has american bogies as well!

Edited September 27, 2023 by Hal Nail

[Simond]

Ray,

 

thanks for the reminder, I meant to pop up a picture

 

there will be a bit more weathering mix sprayed around the solebars, but we’re there or thereabouts.

 

cheers

Simon

Edited September 27, 2023 by Simond

[Adrian Stevenson]

An early start this morning.

[GWR57xx]

Anything happening at Malmesbury Ade?

Hope all is well.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Nothing been happening over the winter. But off to the Guild show at Kettering at the weekend. So looking forward to that.

Not been having much free time this past year as my Dad needs increasing care as he approaches his 90th birthday in April. I have looked after him for five years alone and only started to get help last June (after a bad fall ) with a carer coming in to get him up. But hopefully now he will be getting more care after an assessment with a social worker a couple of weeks ago and some trips to the doctor. He is weak on his legs and prone to falls. Sadly now Dementia is starting to kick in. But I cannot complain, the main thing is to keep him safe and happy at home. 
 

Cheers, Ade.

[Compound2632]

On 05/03/2023 at 21:24, Mike Huxley said:

Ade, a rivet counters comment here, but why would you need an LMS non common user Meat van to deliver meat to a deep GWR station like Malmsbury? Surely meat was sourced locally and if more was required it would be delivered by a GWR Mica meat van?

 

Nice model, but out of context for a GWR branch terminus in my opinion.  

 

Apologies for commenting on a year-old post. Assuming the meat is not sourced locally but at some LMS-served location - Gloucestershire's not so very far away - then an LMS non common user meat van is to be expected, as that is what would be supplied by the LMS to its own station; certainly not a GW non common user van. There's nothing to stop a foreign non common user vehicle working through to your GW station, it's just that the old return empty promptly rule would apply.

 

The LMS goods brake van is much harder to justify - it implies that the LMS was exercising running powers to work its own goods trains to Malmsbury, in which case you need a nice black 4F to go with it...

[Schooner]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Gloucestershire's not so very far away

 

True, but isn't the question 'What can LMS-served Gloucestershire (eg) supply that GWR-served Wiltshire (or indeed Gloucestershire) cannot?' rather than 'How far is it to the next Big Four member?'...?

 

EDIT: Not to poohpooh the vehicle, but to improve my knowledge and hopefully to dig out a story-telling opportunity :)

Edited February 27 by Schooner

[Compound2632]

28 minutes ago, Schooner said:

True, but isn't the question 'What can LMS-served Gloucestershire (eg) supply that GWR-served Wiltshire (or indeed Gloucestershire) cannot?' rather than 'How far is it to the next Big Four member?'...?

 

Yes indeed. The proximity of LMS territory is likely a red herring. How about Scottish beef? But I agree that the fundamental problem with modelling a GWR BLT is that such places didn't by and large attract much traffic.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Sometimes we can overthink things. Parcels stock (and passenger-rated vans) had a very wide route availability and wide geographical spread. Well that's why I can justify a GW Siphon G and a Fruit D (I think that's what they are) on my Shardlow layout. Parcels stuff can be much more interesting than passenger stock a times...

Edited February 28 by Peter Kazmierczak