mikemeg Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 I guess many reading this thread or any of the other threads on here will be too young to remember steam on British Railways. As a young train spotter in the late 1950's, getting up at some ungodly hour to go and see the 7.30 fitted freight from Hull to Gateshead, which was routed via Selby and the Gascoigne Wood loop. Because this freight went via an RA 9 route - the route from Hull to Doncaster was RA 6 or 7 and so precluded the big ex-LNER locos - it was often hauled by a V2 or even an A3 and these were rare beasts indeed in Hull, at least until 1961/62 when the Neville Hill and Holbeck A3's worked in regularly on Liverpool trains. So sitting on shipyard bridge, on a cold, grey and damp winter's morning with the dawn only just broken, only just awake and with no sound bar the sound of the railway, waiting for this rare sight of a V2 or even an A3; very occasionally an A4. Though this photo shows a much more humble locomotive it does, nonetheless, at least for me, conjure up the images of those long ago days now long lost in the mists of time. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Beautiful! Just waiting for the squeak and rattle as the signal gets pulled off . Jon F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 While I build the eight pulley assemblies for the Hessle Haven bridge and the twenty four for this Scarborough bridge, work continues on the dolls and arms. All but one of the lower quadrant dolls are now equipped and all of the upper quadrant lamp brackets and post caps have been added. The six upper quadrant lever assmblies are now also done and awaiting fitting. It really is a case of just going through this, sequentially and systematically. None of these dolls is yet fixed; all are held in place with tiny blobs of blu-tack, this to check alignment of the dolls and arms. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 All of the lower quadrant arms and dolls are now equipped, with the exception of one spectacle plate for the second highest doll. This will have to wait until I receive more etches from MSE. The very small doll, at the rightmost end of the bridge, did require some fiddling to accommodate the operating rod - which is only around 4mm long - and for this to operate properly. This doll is only some 20 mm from the decking to the bottom of the finial so is about as small as these things got. The second photo shows the advantage of jig building the standard LNER lamp brackets to ensure consistency. With six of these on the bridge, any inconsistencies would show up like a sore thumb. This photo also shows how the LNER post caps are made, from a 3mm square of .030" plasticard which is profiled with the four sided taper, glued onto a 2.5 mm square of .010" plasticard which matches the cross section of the top of the doll. Yes, I know there are white metal post caps available but hell, if they can be easily and quickly scratch built, then why not? Now onto the upper quadrants and their balance lever assemblies. This model, and the Hessle Haven lower quadrant bridge, will be the last signal models to be built for a few weeks; I'm now going to build one of Arthur Kimber's North Eastern locomotive kits - the LNER Q5/2. I'll post this on the Kitbuilding and Scratchbuilding section of this topic area - unashamed plug for Arthur's wonderful locomotive kits. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Superb Mick! Really looking forward to seeing all those linkages going in from dolls to down to ground level B) Jon Fitness Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Superb Mick! Really looking forward to seeing all those linkages going in from dolls to down to ground level B) Jon Fitness Thanks Jon. The linkages came up to the decking from five places - each side of the two outer posts and one side of the central post. The wire runs from the right hand side of the bridge to the three rightmost dolls are quite long and may well necessitate using 0.4 mm wire, which I really don't like using. Perhaps if I fit very small 'wire guides' along the longer runs, I might get away with 0.3 mm; certainly the 0.2 mm is out of the question. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Now comes the tricky bit - building the tiny pulley assemblies. These are built with either one wheel (at the doll end) or two wheels, as in this example (at the down wire end). These assemblies are quite small and the tiny lugs which are drilled 0.35 mm and then soldered into the wheels, protrude less than 1 mm. The whole assembly is around 4 mm high. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Now comes the tricky bit - building the tiny pulley assemblies. ... But they work, and that has to be worth the effort. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 But they work, and that has to be worth the effort. Oh yes, it's worth the effort. On the first model, where I used these, it was a case of 'could this be done?' It can be done and has been done and, as you say, they work. Now I batch build these things - takes about an hour to assemble and equip four wheels and then assemble them into two pulley assemblies, though I am still trying to improve their durability. One day I won't be able to see well enough to do this stuff but, until then, well it's my excuse and, hopefully, that's a few years away. Thanks and regards Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Having made all of the pulleys for the Hessle Haven bridge then time to press the Scarborough bridge a little further forward, while things set and dry. So now only three sets of balance levers to assemble and fit - the three leftmost upper quadrants. The doll third from the right has two sets of balance levers, one for each of the signals; the main line arm was slotted with two others, so three levers on this assembly. The sighting board for the lower of the two main line lower quadrants, is also made and fitted. Seems a while ago that I started to describe making the drawing for this model. I hope the customer is happy with it. Once all of the levers are fitted, then I'll remove all of the dolls to spray the lattice white; brush painting that is a tedium too far. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Another view of the up end of this bridge, though this is the only up signal of the twelve. All of that matt black will be toned down with some rust, grime and discolouration, once assembly is complete. This photo also shows exactly how the LNER lamp brackets are made, with their multiple layers. The first layer is two pieces of 1.5 mm x .015" plasticard - one 4.0 mm, the other 2.5 mm and butt joined. The innermost layer of the assembly is .030" x .010" microstrip, cut into 1.5 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm pieces (root of 1.5 squared + 2.5 squared; good old Pythagoras) and then formed into the right angled triangle. Sounds like a long process but each of these brackets took only two or three minutes to make and I tend to make them in batches of ten or twelve. It's like everything else; how realistic do you want the models to be? This photo is almost three times the model's size, so might not be too kind to some of the stuff. Lots of balance levers here! Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Oh yes, it's worth the effort. On the first model, where I used these, it was a case of 'could this be done?' It can be done and has been done and, as you say, they work. Now I batch build these things - takes about an hour to assemble and equip four wheels and then assemble them into two pulley assemblies, though I am still trying to improve their durability..... To actually see them turn / revolve like the real thing is great stuff, and it reinforces the mechanical movement just that bit more B) There must be quite a few people out there doing the same sort of thing with working point rodding and compensators, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 To actually see them turn / revolve like the real thing is great stuff, and it reinforces the mechanical movement just that bit more B) There must be quite a few people out there doing the same sort of thing with working point rodding and compensators, etc. Yes, it is a much more 'mechanical' movement but the real reason for opting to use these pulleys was to try and get closer to the prototype's appearance, especially on those signals where the NER origins were still clearly apparent, with lower quadrants and slotted posts. I've seen a couple of layouts which use working point rodding but that's a step too far for me. I am fitting point rodding runs on Hessle Haven but they will be purely cosmetic; there's only so much mechanical adherence that I can manage. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguin of doom Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'm running out of positive comments Mike. For fear of repeating myself then, Awesome.....B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'm running out of positive comments Mike. For fear of repeating myself then, Awesome.....B) I think I am also running out of things to highlight, Sean. Through the various threads which I have posted on these things, I've tried to take the reader through the various phases and processes in making them, more or less as I have tried them out and used them, starting from making the detailed 4 mm drawings. What is now left on both bridges has been described before, so I'll post a last few photos as these two models are completed. I've enjoyed posting these threads and will post more as I build more signal models but once these two are complete, it's time to get back to the locos for a few months, with the signals as background projects. And I do want to build the third section of the railway. The single most important lesson, for me, especially on this Scarborough bridge, is just to keep going, even when the motivation starts to flag. So saying, the positive comments from yourself and others do serve to sustain the motivation and for that I thank you, each and all. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 One of my pet hates is leaving any model part complete. OK I know there are those for whom part completion is a standard 'modus operandi' but I've never really been a member of that group. That said, then I will have to leave this model for a few weeks, 1) while I await some new supplies and 2) while I build a locomotive kit. So at least the model is left at a point where all processes started are complete, across all of the dolls. So what now remains to be done has not yet been started. So that's it for a week or two on this thread; I'll leave it, for now, with this photo of a a model of a signal bridge which once stood by Scarborough Londesborough Road Station. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Steve Hewitt Posted February 25, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2011 So that's it for a week or two on this thread; I'll leave it, for now, with this photo of a a model of a signal bridge which once stood by Scarborough Londesborough Road Station. Cheers Mike Great Mike. Hurry back soon. Steve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 Great Mike. Hurry back soon. Steve. Many thanks Steve. I shall be back to this just as soon as I can. For me these things are something of a 'labour of love'; they were so much part of the railway scene which I knew as a kid. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 Well the loco kit and one or two other things are all but complete, so I'm back to this model of the Scarborough Londesborough Road signal bridge. The dolls were all removed from the lattice and the whole thing sprayed white, after which the planking was painted on both sides. This was followed by a 'dusting' of matt black applied from much further away than recommended - around a metre. This gives the appearance of a few years of smoke and soot, without completely submerging the colours underneath. The dolls have not yet been fixed but are simply stood on their bases within the lattice. Now for the really repetitive jobs - all of those handrail stanchions, ladders and landings and then the operating mechanisms. Just noticed that I need to make another spectacle plate, the lower of the two taller dolls doesn't yet have one. The second photograph does, perhaps, illustrate one of my absolutely immutable axioms for making models and that is that where things were straight and level i.e. the decking and lattice structure, then the model should be straight and level. I've seen some great signal models on some wonderful layouts but oft times they just weren't straight and it shouts. Oh I know the prototypes often tilted, twisted and generally went off the vertical but, somehow, it becomes magnified on the model. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi Mike Good stuff. Its one of those things isnt it? When is something a good model of a sketchy prototype and when is it just a sketchy model? I think that the distortion in a lot of stuff, when properly scaled down tends to dissapear. Something has to be very out of true before it shows on a model IMHO Cheers Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Hi Mike Something has to be very out of true before it shows on a model IMHO Cheers Jim Hi Jim, Or until you photograph it for posting on here! I've taken any number of photos of my own models which looked, from normal viewing distance, to be reasonably straight and true. When I rendered these photos on the PC and set them up for posting then they looked bloody awful. It's a great boon, is digital photography, but it can be a cruel critic. Looking at the second of the two photographs shown above I'm reasonably satisfied with the lattice structure but what glares out at me is that I need to do some work, on all of the dolls, to make them look more like painted wood and less like plasticard. The reason for taking this photograph, from this acute angle, was to determine how straight the finials are and to check the relative heights of the dolls against the drawing or 'sketch'. So I can now see that the fourth doll in (from the left) is around 1 mm too high - the arms on dolls three and four are not quite level with each other. But then I always feel there's room for improvement (and there normally is room for improvement), at least in my own stuff! And there's still quite a lot to do to this model to 'mek it look reet!' Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Seems a long time ago that I started this model - the ex-NER lower quadrant signal bridge for my own Hessle Haven layout, interupted as it has been by the much larger Scarborough signal bridge and by some loco building. Anyway, I'm back to this model, albeit still intermittently, and have now started the final detailing - ladders and landings, handrails, etc. and the linking up of the operating mechanisms. The landings are all scratch built - 1 mm plasticard 'planks' attached to two pieces of .8 mm brass 'L' angle, each 8 mm long with the ends slightly rounded. The ladders have been strengthened and visually augmented by adding .3 mm wire down each stile and then chemically blackened. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucky Duck Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Mike, for me this is one of those vital RMweb threads. It's great to see such an essential and intricate aspect of our steam railways modelled so beautifully. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Mike, for me this is one of those vital RMweb threads. It's great to see such an essential and intricate aspect of our steam railways modelled so beautifully. Many thanks for the kind words. These things are, for me, something of a labour of love, for they were such a feature of the railways of the 1950's and 60's, which we knew when we were growing up. Of course we didn't really take any special notice of them; there were hundreds of them everywhere on the old NER and they would always be there - but in years to come, of course, they wouldn't; they would all be replaced and disappear. Now the last of these great structures - the Falsgrave (Scarborough) signal bridge - has gone, at least from Network Rail though it will re-emerge and continue to work on the NYMR, and there will be no more, merely the photographs and the memories. So these models are, partly, by way of a reminder of how simple, ordinary 'railway furniture' once looked and, as I have oft times remarked, what incredibly elegant objects they were given that they were merely functional equipment. Again, many thanks. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Gob-smackingly good sir - as ever Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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