Elbow Lane. Progress being made on the extension.

[dasatcopthorne]

The two layers for the roof along with the internal floor and the base have now been sprayed for Games Workshop Roughcote.

 

I also cut a hole in the base ready for lighting wires.

 

Dave.

Edited October 1, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

A little more progress today.

 

 

 

As the layout uses Templot to plan the track, I have been able to print a trackplan for inside the box. Yes, I know it's not prototypical!

 

Dave.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

I've now cut a slot in the rear of the floor for wiring the lights later.

 

Then fitted the floor supports on all four walls and test fir the floor.

 

Because of the design of the kit you cannot fit the windows until the floor is permanently in.

 

So the construction needs careful thought if you need lights in with their wiring.

[dasatcopthorne]

Not much to report today due to a family commitment.

 

However, I've now enlarged the hole in the base so I will be able to get at the electronics easier.

Managed to get the two instruments shelves put together and standing up over the lever frame bases.

Also built a little hideaway for the lighting wiring to disappear down the back of.

 

The SR boxes had the instruments and levers facing the rear wall so these will mostly hide this extra appendage.

 

Tomorrow's task is the search for some 5/6mm clear kids' beads to make a bulkhead light with. This will go over the door at the top of the stairs.

 

Dave.

[73c]

Do you have a link for the supplier please. Ta

[dasatcopthorne]

1 hour ago, 73c said:

Do you have a link for the supplier please. Ta

 

Not in front of me at the moment but search eBay for ARP signal box.

 

Dave.

[dasatcopthorne]

1 hour ago, 73c said:

Do you have a link for the supplier please. Ta

Search this:

British Railways OO Scale Pre-Painted Wood Laser-Cut Signal Box kit. 

 

Look at his Other Items for the raw kit.

In eBay.

 

Dave.

Edited October 1, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[73c]

Nice one. Thank you.

[dasatcopthorne]

10 hours ago, 73c said:

Nice one. Thank you.

 

Also Google Cooks clocksNcrafts.

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CooksClocksnCrafts

 

Dave

[froobyone]

Hi Dave,

Please find attached the two reference photos that were used to create this kit. Not sure if they'll be any help at this stage, but I'll also link to a YouTube video that shows the box after it was decommissioned, including some internal footage.

Hope this helps and I can't wait to see it on the layout. Great work.

Daniel
 

 

[dasatcopthorne]

2 hours ago, froobyone said:

Hi Dave,

Please find attached the two reference photos that were used to create this kit. Not sure if they'll be any help at this stage, but I'll also link to a YouTube video that shows the box after it was decommissioned, including some internal footage.

Hope this helps and I can't wait to see it on the layout. Great work.

Daniel
 

 

 

Just to say that I mailed Daniel, the kit's maker to advise him to include 'ARP' in the kit's eBay description and he got back to me.

 

Thanks so much for this Daniel. Very useful indeed.

 

Now, where's that humble pie gone?

 

From Daniel's pictures and video I noticed two following things:

 

Daniel's brickwork is correct and the floor is, in fact, constructed of wooden planking, albeit covered in what is probably Lino.

 

Thanks Daniel. Much appreciated. Shouldn't have doubted you.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

My visit to Hobbycraft wasn't that fruitful but we'll see what we can do.

 

My aim is to embed an LED inside a bead to look something like a bulkhead light.

 

Dave.

Edited October 9, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

For the interior lighting I have fixed two pre-wired LEDs to the underside of the top roof part.

Then on the sub-roof I have fixed a piece of lighting Gel to disipate some of the light.

 

The Gel is what Theatres use on spotlights to colour the stage lighting. This is callled Half Frost. I think it was from eBay.

 

Dave.

[dasatcopthorne]

The Bulkhead light saga continues.

 

Only the small flat round one was suitable. It's 7mm dia..

 

The pre-wired LED just happen to fit in the hole.

So I injected a small amount to UV Cure resin into one end and inserted the LED followed by a few seconds under a UV light. Then I filled the other end of the hole so the whole lot was filled with the resin.

 

I think it will work. I've shone the UV light through the bead so you can see the resin inside.

 

Dave.

 

[fulton]

On 29/09/2023 at 21:07, dasatcopthorne said:

 

From the few good close up shots I have found, the brickwork on the kit is wrong. It should have stretchers.

 

Lets see how many people notice when I exhibit it.

 

Dave.

What is wrong with the brickwork? it is all stretchers as per your photo of Groombidge, nice layout, enjoyed it at Faversham. Correction, I have just seen up thread that the brickwork is correct, nice work, difficult to deal with the arris, corners, with this type of kit.

Edited October 2, 2023 by fulton
correction

[dasatcopthorne]

The windows have now gone in after being sprayed white.

 

I've also put together an LED control board that will be fixed to the underside of the floor.

 

This consits of an LED dimmer circuit from Blackcat Technology. This will dim all LEDs by the same amount so I have fitted three resistors of varying values in case some LEDs need more dimming than others.

 

Dave

[dasatcopthorne]

You learn something every day, as they say.

 

I thought earlier on that I'd made a stupid 'schoolboy error' in making up the bits supplied for the signal box interior. This is instruments and the usual levers.

Why did I do that, all the points on Elbow Lane have electric point machines.

 

Anyway, a meeting and chat with Dave Larkin who used to be a signalman offered a way out.

 

Apparently in a box with 'normal' levers, if any were working point machines or colour light signals they would have a bit of the lever top cut off to indicate there was no need to pull quite so hard.

 

So, back to the rack of levers.

 

Dave.

[dasatcopthorne]

Another fine mess.

 

Last night I decided to start weathering the roof using my usual powders. Oh dear, what a bloody mess.

 

Couldn't get it all off either so a quick blow over was required only to find that the Games Workshop Roughcoat grey can was empty and discontinued.

 

A quick on-line search and a visit to 'The Range' found this Concrete effect spray. A test once home today and it looks promising. Not necessary on colour but on the slight roughness it produces.

 

Dave.

Edited October 4, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

The roof has now been re-sprayed with the Concrete paint and gives a much better (finer) finish. It has also been given some weathering by wiping with an almost dry piece of cloth dipped in Humbrol Dark Brown wash.

 

Also, the base has had a couple of strips of 2mm MDF fitted. These with take screws from under the baseboard as I want the box to be removable.

 

Dave.

Edited October 16, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[dasatcopthorne]

The light has now been fitted above the entrance door together with the handrails on the stairs being painted.

 

Also test fitted one name board.

 

Dave.

[GRUNFOS]

On 04/10/2023 at 15:21, dasatcopthorne said:

Another fine mess.

 

Last night I decided to start weathering the roof using my usual powders. Oh dear, what a bloody mess.

 

Couldn't get it all off either so a quick blow over was required only to find that the Games Workshop Roughcoat grey can was empty and discontinued.

 

A quick on-line search and a visit to 'The Range' found this Concrete effect spray. A test once home today and it looks promising. Not necessary on colour but on the slight roughness it produces.

 

Dave.

Thanks for the paint info, been looking for concrete effect paint. Will be trying some later.

regards

Paul.

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 03/10/2023 at 16:48, dasatcopthorne said:

The windows have now gone in after being sprayed white.

 

I've also put together an LED control board that will be fixed to the underside of the floor.

 

This consits of an LED dimmer circuit from Blackcat Technology. This will dim all LEDs by the same amount so I have fitted three resistors of varying values in case some LEDs need more dimming than others.

 

Dave

 

I know I was only a plumber, but one of us is using vero board the wrong way round! I thought the component tails came from the blank side of the board and were soldered underneath as it were.

 

Mike.

[dasatcopthorne]

1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

I know I was only a plumber, but one of us is using vero board the wrong way round! I thought the component tails came from the blank side of the board and were soldered underneath as it were.

 

Mike.

 

You are correct but this board will be glued to the underside of the box floor and I will need to get to the dimmer circuit to adjust the LED brightness.

 

The resistors will help vary the LEDs (or otherwise) so they are not all the same

 

Dave.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by dasatcopthorne

[Michael Hodgson]

On 04/10/2023 at 15:09, dasatcopthorne said:

Apparently in a box with 'normal' levers, if any were working point machines or colour light signals they would have a bit of the lever top cut off to indicate there was no need to pull quite so hard.

 

 

Yes, it was (and still is) standard practice to cut down a full size lever whenever a signal was replaced by a colour light or motorised.  Over the years there were quite a few signalman who suffered serious back injuries by instinctively heaving a lever that was little more than an electrical switch.  So cutting down the handle made it harder to grab it with both hands, so that acted as a good practical reminder that it was power-worked, as you wouldn't adopt your habitual stance.

[dasatcopthorne]

One I have had a clear up of my workspace, I'll be starting on the short Extension. Just another 2' 6" (750mm) board to squeeze in between the bridge ans the Fiddleyard board.

 

Here's the plan so far. The other half of the bridge is on the left and the fiddleyard entrance on the right hidden by the signal box.

 

The odd track work shape is required because the Fiddleyard will still need to match the original board at the left end and the new board at the right hand end.and the

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by dasatcopthorne